Travel issues put Harbour View’s overseas assignment on hold
Published:Saturday | August 27, 2022 | 12:10 AMOrane Buchanan/Staff Reporter
AIRLINE cancellations forced reigning Jamaica Premier League (JPL) champions Harbour View FC to postpone yesterday’s club friendly against Guadeloupe-based Antigua GFC at the Trinity Health Stadium in Hartford, Connecticut. The match has been rescheduled for next year.
Clyde Jureidini, general manager of the ‘Stars of the East’, said the cancellation of the friendly has left the club disappointed.
“We are all disappointed, everyone was looking forward to it. We were all set and ready to go but, for the past two and a half weeks, hundreds of airline flights were cancelled daily in the United States.
“Bookings for both Antigua GFC and our squad of 20 to 25 persons were casualties (of the cancellations). They couldn’t get tickets on time and, added to that, the cost of tickets went through the roof. So the organisers made a tough decision and called it early. They said that they’re looking to reschedule for some time in 2023,” said Jureidini.
The pre-season club friendly was scheduled to form part of Harbour View’s off-season preparations heading into the 2022/23 JPL season. With those plans halted, Jureidini said the club will turn their attention to another overseas assignment.
“We are now trying to move forward. We are in the process of finalising the arrangements to go to the second leg of that tour for the game in Brooklyn, New York, which is set for next weekend, September 3,”added Jureidini.
That September fixture will be against the Caribbean All-Stars, following which the club will return home to start fine-tuning preparations for the new premier league season.
After the hosting of a successful one-day trial at the club’s football stadium ‘Compound’, Jureidini added that coaches have short-listed some players that could potentially find themselves a new home.
“Some 55 to 60 players turned up, and so we were happy to see the interest. Fairly good quality from what was displayed but, you know, it’s difficult when everybody comes together and no one has played together before. But I think they had good discipline and displayed some good skills.
“The coaches selected about 14 or 15 persons and invited them to join the premier league squad that is in training for this overseas tour, so we can look at them more closely,” Jureidini concluded.