Mona to receive Manning Cup trophy after final-day debacle

MONA HIGH school will receive their Manning Cup trophy in an official presentation ceremony, today, before the start of the Olivier Shield final against Clarendon College at the National Stadium at 4 p.m.

Mona failed to collect their prize after Friday’s finale, chaotic scenes ensuing after the final whistle, forcing organisers, Inter-Secondary Schools Sports Association (ISSA), to call off the presentation.

However, ISSA president Keith Wellington said the trophy will be officially handed over to Mona today, although this ceremony might not be as elaborate as the one planned for Friday.

“The official presentation will be done tomorrow (today) at 4 (p.m.). Before the start of the Manning Cup at five. We are going to set up for the presentation,” he revealed.

“What we had planned on Friday was a light show. That cannot be done at 4 o’clock in the day,” he said.

The sequence of events which led to the postponement on Friday started with a Mona player taking up the trophy and running off to celebrate in front of fans in the stadium with teammates.

After ISSA officials retrieved the trophy, the Mona players retreated to their dressing room. However, spectators from the stands poured on to the infield and Wellington said this was what prevented the ceremony from going ahead.

“People have to understand that actions like this can create a security risk. Therefore, we expect better behaviour from those supporting our schoolboy footballers.

“When the lights went off, people thought we were trying to get rid of them. But it was because we wanted to carry on the light show and we couldn’t do that because of what was happening.

“We are obviously disappointed with the events surrounding the final. We are disappointed that we had people invading the field despite being constantly reminded during the course of the game,” he said.

However, he added the ISSA laid no blame on the excited Mona players.

“We don’t even want to blame the Mona players and we are not thinking along that line. Our concern was more with the actions of the fans. For us, it came down to a matter of safety,” he said.

Manning Cup winning coach Craig Butler believes the debacle was a learning experience for both themselves and the organisers.

Butler’s players have come in for some harsh criticism for running off with the trophy.

Although ISSA themselves have been getting some stick for not getting the crowd under control and going ahead with the presentation, as per tradition.

“We did not take the decision hastily. It was a decision made after some 10, 15 minutes. As we would have lost money we would have invested to put on that show. So it wasn’t an easy decision.

“It is a learning experience for us, Mona and the fans. And the lesson we want to share is that we are not going to tolerate this type of behaviour around our events,” Wellington said.

Butler also argued that this was his players’ and the school’s first schoolboy football title and that ‘youthful exuberance’ got the better of his boys.

“It’s a bit of youthful exuberance and taking too long to get to the point. The kids were there for a good 10 minutes waiting. So don’t take things for granted. It is the first these boys are winning a major trophy. So they don’t know.

“It’s a learning experience for everybody, and he who does not learn from his mistakes is destined to repeat them. I am not somebody who repeats my mistakes. I learn,” he told The Gleaner.

Apart from not having procedures in place for the end of the final, he thinks more can be done to secure the infield and presentation area.

He also said interviews should be done after the presentation, to give coaches a chance to organise players during the euphoria.

“Next time they are doing interviews. They should do it closer to where the coaches who control the players are, and not on the other side of the pitch. In addition, there was no protocol given to us as to what happens after the game,” he commented.

He added that: “ISSA need to ensure that the full perimeter security is in place. So people don’t jump fences, because we can’t control what fans do, in a stadium with almost 10,000 people.

“The security and organisers are responsible for that. But you live and you learn. It is our first Manning Cup final and we will make sure we do the right things going forward.”

livingston.scott@gleanerjm.com