Olympism

When Basil ‘Bung’ Cato declared, ‘Soccer – The Game of the People’, he never intended it to be in any way caught up in the politics of the day. Instead, Bung’s intention was to ensure that we all come to a recognition of the popularity of the sport.

Since Bung delivered his popular phrase we have come to see the unparalleled growth of football in St Vincent and the Grenadines. No other sport has come even close to the popularity of this particular game.

What we saw at the Arnos Vale Sports Complex on Saturday last was a most crude display of the state of Vincentian football – a classic case of political football. It must have been a bitter-sweet experience for those who were honoured from the 1979 team. They must have sat in dismay at what had become of the game they had taken to the very top of the regional level.

Bung Cato himself would surely have felt embarrassed to have had himself in any way associated.

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