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Rene Simoes headlines Porus Football Festival
July 14, 2023
Former national coach Rene Simoes will headline the Celebrity All-Star game at Sunday's Porus Football Festival at the Porus football field starting at 6 p.m.
The match will include other favourites from the successful 1998 Reggae Boyz World Cup qualifying squad. It was the only time Jamaica reached the World Cup finals.
Crenston Boxhill, a former Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) president and organiser of the event, along with businessman Karam Persad said memories of '98 are continuously fading, and they wanted to use the annual football festival to recognise the heroes of the campaign and rekindle experience.
"The Porus community league started eight years ago. Two years because of COVID we took a break, but this being the 25th anniversary of the Reggae Boyz participating in the World Cup, we wanted to recognise the people who made it happen.
"We brought in the legendary Simoes, and it can't get better than that," Boxhill said.
Simoes is set to captain one team, coached by long-serving Jamaica coach Carl Brown, Simoes' second in command during the 1998 qualification.
Other members of the '98 team that will be on show include Theodore 'Tappa' Whitmore, Durrant 'Tatti' Brown and Ian 'Pepe' Goodison, among others.
According to Boxhill, many of the younger generations don't know much about the 1998 heroes, and he said it's an opportunity for them to meet and greet the legends.
"We just want everyone to come out and participate. We want to bring back the feeling of '98, that loyalty and pride in the country. This is our way of unifying communities through sports.
"Some of the young people who have never seen Simoes or Carl Brown and 'Tappa' Whitmore, this is your chance, so come out and take pictures and meet the legends," he implored.
Simoes looks forward to the All-Stars match but joked that he may not play the entire game.
"Before I came here, I was supposed to play the entire game, but I am scared of what these guys are doing to me. So maybe I play 15 minutes," mused Simoes, who was also honoured by being handed the key to the town of Mandeville on Thursday.
The evening kicks off at 6 with presentations to recognise the historic 1998 team.
The celebrity game takes centerstage afterwards, and then the final of the Porus football community league between Young Strikers and Radiator.
This will be followed by the reggae concert with Stone Love, Sanchez, Chronic Law and resident DJ Bounty Killa.
"I am really looking forward to an exciting night," Boxhill said.
