Sunday, October 20, 2024

Whenever tragedy or death hits one of our Belizean arts or sports icons, it always shakes us up with a feeling of regret and missed opportunity, a feeling that as a people we had not done enough to “tell ahn ih good”, and to show that appreciation and respect in a tangible and lasting manner. It is to be acknowledged and applauded that NICH has made some efforts, especially with the recent accolades and public toasting of music icons Lord Gerald Rhaburn and Herman “Chico” Ramos. And there have been annual National Awards given during our September celebrations to great sports heroes/heroines of the past, like members of the Golden Girls softball team of the 1970s, and football legends Louis “The Mugger” Garbutt, Gilbert “Pine” Hernandez, and Nelson “The Roo” Robinson, just to name a few. But we need to do a lot more, and quickly, as our people are laden with talent, and time is running out, as more and more of our legends are leaving us. In 2022 alone we lost three great football strikers of the 1970s and ‘80s – Jacinto “Tash” Gutierrez, Arthur “Goatman” Leslie and Juvencio “Bud” August.

It would be a great source of inspiration for our young athletes if they were given regular doses of information recalling the stellar achievements and performances of our veteran stars, packaged in a public demonstration of our appreciation and respect for our cherished icons who have thrilled and entertained us through their careers, and made our lives happier and filled with great memories. Individually, they know that they are loved and appreciated by sporting associates, close friends and relatives, but Belize’s current crop of youths need to see that appreciation publicly displayed with all the “pomp and circumstance” worthy of individuals who have embodied the virtues of sacrifice and dedication to excellence that allowed them to attain the pinnacle of their craft.

In the past few years, our Belizean football community has lost a host of legends who departed this life as veritable unknowns to the thousands of youngsters who in today’s game often face criticism for not putting in the hard work and dedication to their craft as our great players of the past did. It is for sure that there are many young footballers across the country in primary and high school who know nothing about the achievements of football great, Enrique “Ricky” Gongora, who departed this life yesterday, Saturday, October 19, in Belize City. We must learn from the Americans, and tackle with urgency the level of importance in our national budget and that of our sports organizations, of the allocation of resources necessary to see the launching, with all the fanfare that can be mustered, of our National Hall of Fame for every major sport, and thereafter make new induction ceremonies an annual or biennial affair.

In recent years, as this concern has been raised in this newspaper and on other platforms, a number of individuals have offered their contributions with various Football Halls of Fame being forwarded in different districts and on social media. And a sterling effort has been made in the diaspora, spearheaded by veteran all-Belize footballer, Wellington Ramos, with a Belize-American Football Hall of Fame. But the budgetary resources and organizational inputs required for an officially recognized National Hall of Fame can best be realized by government, in conjunction with national executive bodies in each particular sport. Amandala has from its inception enjoyed a sporting bias towards football, about which we are more qualified to comment, and so we will pursue the rest of this discourse focusing on football in Belize; but the same method can be applied with the other sports. (Check page 195 of C.B. Hyde’s Janus.)

First of all, football is the people’s sport, meaning that a majority of youngsters naturally gravitate to kicking a ball around. It used to be only a boys’ game, but the girls are now just as enthusiastic about participating. It was christened “The Beautiful Game” by the master, Pele, and no one can argue otherwise. But not everyone who plays football is very good at it. And some quite talented players get into bad habits, or don’t dedicate the time and effort to improve their skills, so that, whereas they may show flashes of brilliance, they don’t develop their game enough to perform at the highest level of the sport. Only a small percentage of players will reach the top level of football in Belize, which nowadays is reflected in the Premier League of Belize, the professional league; and then an even smaller selection of those players will be called to the Belize National “A” Team. The national team is a work in progress, and some players might spend only a short period before they are “dropped” or need to take a hiatus for different reasons. As the chief architect of the team, the national team coach’s job is to choose from the best players available and mold them into an effective winning team, and team chemistry will be an important aspect he has to consider.

With perhaps twenty-five or thirty players or even more getting to wear the national team uniform in any given year, it is quite obvious that all are not equal. That’s why in international football certain star players receive contracts worth tens or even hundreds of millions. There are many good players, great players, and some, a few, are called superstars. Fans sometimes get a chance to vote for players in the league’s “Best Eleven”; but where club contracts are concerned, the coaches/owners know who they want for their team, and who they are willing to spend the big bucks to get. That’s just the way it is. Not every good player is a superstar, and only a few become what are called legends. The Hall of Fame is for the best of the best.

There are names that ring out among fans going to the games in every era of football in Belize, and the reverence and awe attached to the names of their heroes is always something to behold. For example, on a given Sunday afternoon at the MCC in the 1970s, it was a matter of glory or heartbreak for die-hard fans on the Barracks, when one Lake fanatic regaled opponents with the name of his “personal” star striker, “Ricky Gongora!”, as they were facing a challenge at the Garden by the upstart Plaza squad featuring their great striker, Maurice Jones, who is still with us.

We’ve been this way before in these pages. There is no sympathy or favoritism involved in selecting those persons who will be entering the National Hall of Fame. “Many are called, but few are chosen;” and that’s the way it should be. The national football authority, the Football Federation of Belize, will appoint members of the National Football Hall of Fame Committee, and the work will begin to select veteran delegates from across the country who will be tasked with casting their votes in order of preference for proposed names of players to be selected and inducted into the Belize National Football Hall of Fame. And the grand induction ceremony will be a memorable event, recording and celebrating their achievements for posterity and for inspiration of our future stars. Their Hall of Fame induction package should include a lifetime entrance to any football game in Belize. We’re into overtime now, FFB/GoB. If you are serious, allocate the necessary funds.