Sport - page 6

CHELTENHAM National Hunt Festival 2021 commences on Tuesday, 16th March and ends 28 races and four days later on the Friday, when the blue riband of steeplechasing, the Cheltenham Gold Cup, takes centre stage. Unfortunately, at the time of writing it appears odds on that pandemic restrictions mean the festival will proceed behind closed doors, no full-throated roar from the packed stands as the horses jostle for position pre-race, no hats and racecards tossed triumphantly in the air as horse and jockey strain every sinew on the tortuous uphill finish to be first to the winning post…sad to relate …yes, but at least the iconic event is going ahead, albeit under heavy restraint.

The festival, the jewel in the crown of the National Hunt season, is once again set to enchant the racing public as, midway through March, it opens up its treasure chest of exciting equine stars to the global sporting spotlight that every spring illuminates the Cotswolds town’s glorious centuries-old salute to the Sport of Kings.

But this year, my beloved festival is under a cloud, accusatory fingers are pointing, the charge being levelled is that last year’s event, attended by crowds totalling north of a quarter of a million over the four days, racing fans from all corners of the British Isles and beyond, had converged cheek to jowl, to make the annual pilgrimage to celebrate the crème de la crème of steeplechasing and, indulged, sated and by then allegedly stricken with the deadly virus, had returned home as Covid-19 super-carriers, unleashing death and desolation on family, friends and neighbours.

That’s the damning verdict tapped out by social media keyboard warriors and an army of self-appointed, ill-qualified rent-a-quote experts – last year’s Cheltenham Festival, one of the most exciting and enjoyable ever, has been condemned as a major contributor to the spread of the deadly disease. Whatever the truth of that charge, it has to be remembered that the global reaction, both medical and political at the time, was one of profound ignorance and utter confusion – Commander-in-Chief Donald trumpeted that the virus was ‘a hoax’ and, in the Ginger Don’s opinion, could be cured just by swigging a couple of glasses of bleach! Thank you for that diagnosis Dr Trump, now please disappear quietly into the sunset.

Alas, it’s not just the pandemic that threatens the festival – Brexit looms large as another dark cloud hovering over the meeting, throwing up miles and kilometres of new bureaucratic red tape, including extra veterinary checks, travel restrictions and prohibitive VAT increases, that calls into question the very participation of the Irish contingent. Cheltenham without the Irish, equine and human, would be akin to a Shakespearean tragedy – a modern day Romeo Without Juliet and must not be allowed to happen. The unintended consequences of divorce from the EU become more apparent daily, an indisputable fact surely, even to the most blinkered Brexiteer, harsh reality replacing fevered fantasy, as Morrison’s empty supermarket shelves and rising prices bear testimony.

Enough of the darkness and doom, come with me as we launch Operation Cotswolds, another shot-in-the-arm attempt in our quest to lift the gloom and hopefully in the process, lighten bookmakers’ satchels. Ever the optimist despite repeated reversals, my cunning roadmap to riches revolves round a modest wager on each of the following five races – my favourite festival five, enough for a Super Yankee. For the uninitiated that’s the name of a combination bet and most definitely not a compliment to the unlamented and lately departed Trump. The alternate name for the bet is a Canadian!

The Arkle  

(Tuesday 16th, 3.10pm CET)

THIS is the race that launches talented juveniles on the trail to greatness, and whilst it would be tilting at windmills to suggest that today’s cast contains a candidate that could be remotely compared to the immortal steed the race commemorates, it has produced stellar winners in the recent past who have gone on to hit the heights, like Altior, Sprinter Sacre and Moscow Flyer. Top of this year’s class come the exciting pair, SHISHKJN, trained in England by Nicky Henderson and Irish raider Energumene, trained by Willie Mullins. Henderson and Mullins have each won the race four times and I’m siding with SHISHKIN to give Hendo outright bragging rights to this event. Current odds are a bit skinny at Evens, but it does look home and hosed.

Champion Hurdle 

(Tuesday 16th, 4,30pm CET)

MY DREAM since boyhood is that one day I would own the winner of my favourite race, the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham, unlikely to be realised of course, barring Lady Luck changing her habit of a lifetime and for once, smiling rather than scowling on me. The runner in this year’s race I would most like to call my own is defending champion EPATANTE, owned by legendary Irish gambler JP McManus, whose billionaire financial status is a tad dissimilar to mine. No private plane to the racecourse for Liam, just flights of fantasy and a stroll on Shanks’s pony to the pub and Arena in Casemates or to watch the drama unfold on the Big Screen at Ocean Village. The dream this time is that EPATANTE retains her title and repays my ten pounds vote of confidence. Current odds are 3/1.

Queen Mother Champion Chase (Wednesday 17th, 4.30 CET)

THE Queen Mother, the two-mile speed chase involving the fastest jumpers in the world, where fences need to be negotiated at up to 40mph and a mistake could catapult the jockey clean out of the Cotswolds, is the highlight of the second day of the festival. This year’s renewal sees the short-priced favourite Chacun Pour Soi, another graduate from the Mullins academy, travel from County Carlow seemingly with victory already assured. However, I will be looking to dual winner of the race ALTIOR, trained by Henderson, to rediscover his imperious form of a season ago and regain the crown. Current odds are 8/1.

Stayers’ Long Distance Hurdle (Thursday 18th, 4.30 CET)

THE STAYERS’ is one of the most popular races of the festival, mainly because of the numerous times it has been won by the same horse – Big Buck’s won it four times, Inglis Drever was a triple victor, Baracouda and many others were multiple winners. A simple and profitable betting strategy proved to be backing a previous winner to repeat the feat, and it’s one I’ll be following this time around when lumping 2019 winner PAISLEY PARK with my tenner. Current odds are 3/1.

Cheltenham Gold Cup

(Friday 19th, 4.30 CET)

CHAMPION festival trainer Willie Mullins had never won the great race until Al Boum Photo triumphed in 2019, and having retained the Cup last year the classy Al Boum is the pick of many form experts to make it three in a row, replicating a feat that the incomparable Arkle accomplished 55 years ago. However, I’m looking elsewhere for the winner and my tenner each way will be entrusted on last year’s unlucky runner-up SANTINI to avenge that narrow defeat and keep the prize at home. Current odds are 14/1, a must-have each way price, provided trainer Nicky Henderson can get him to the post fit and well and the talented beast cuts out the jumping errors. 14/1 …. what a Friday finale that would be.

See you at The Arena (pandemic permitting) – the cider’s on the bookies. Cheers!

This is my second season with Lynx Futsal.

I joined the club in the summer of 2019 in preparation for UEFA Futsal Champions League preliminary round which was held in Amsterdam. I came to this club knowing the high standards and expectations, after having won a Futsal Rock Cup and two Futsal 1st Division Runners up medals with St Joseph Futsal. Plus two Futsal 1st Division Runners up medals with Gib Phoenix.

Life at Lynx has started great. I feel our performance in the Champions League was very good against decent sides, the highlight been pushing Helvécia Futsal (England) all the way, even leading the match on four occasions.

More success followed, as we won the Luisito Bonavia Futsal Super Cup. When we reached February finishing the regular league on top, without losing a match, everything was falling into the place. But then the COVID-19 pandemic hit.

Nothing prepares you for the year we had to deal with, no managerial experience, no courses or rule book. Thinking back all I have is praise for the players, the committee, the president, and the whole Lynx family for coming together and fighting through these difficult times, it has shown me this club has a lot of character in dealing with adversity.

Preparations for this season’s UEFA Champions participation were less than adequate. On a “normal” season we would be training all year round, play competitive league matches till June, then train from mid-June till August when Futsal Champions league would be played. In-between there would be availability for friendlies and summer tournaments in Spain to get match fitness up to top form. To put into perspective what we needed to come through, our last league match was February 2020. After that came the COVID-19 lockdown meaning players didn’t optimise any form of training regime for months. Finally, we started doing elementary training in August.

It was a massive struggle to get players fit. There were restrictions on gathering, on use of sports halls, on availability of allocations for the sports halls. The sports halls in Spain were closed plus we had to contend with restrictions to travel and curfews.

Simply put, planning even only a week became impossible.

The most significant issue I had to deal with was the mental health challenge of everyone involved, including my own.

Everyone in the squad is unique and each individual was dealing with this supernatural world crisis in their own way. Some were more worried about the spread and concerned about putting themselves or their families at risk, others had family members fighting the infection, others dealing with isolation after been close contact with someone with the virus. The stress of just trying to make it to training overwhelmed others.

For me personally it was the not knowing … not knowing in March if there was going be playoffs or who would take the Champions league spot, should it even go ahead.

Once in August there were other challenges. When would we get to the sports hall? Will there be new restrictions? New protocols? Can I even train the whole team?

Then you had the phone calls …“I’m waiting for my test result”, “I’m self-isolating “, “a colleague at work has tested positive, ”I’m getting tested tomorrow” … and so on …

In the end as a result of the enormous support of Futsal Director Karl Zarb, we managed to achieve 20-25 training sessions and worked around restrictions to play some friends in Portugal, Andorra and Spain. Even these trips posed mental challenges since traveling meant more (country-specific) restrictions.

The Portugal visit was the perfect trip for what was supposed to be the UEFA Futsal Champions League format at the time. It simulated what we would normally encounter, three high level matches in four days, one of these being Braga – one of the top 3 teams in the Portuguese 1st Division. We competed very well in all three matches. 

We then played two matches in Spain against Spanish 3rd Division teams Benalup and Alchoyanno, where we came back with a 5-2 victory and 1-1 draw respectfully. Our team showed its quality through both matches.

Finally, we made the trip to Andorra. This helped the players get accustomed to traveling as a team, traveling and playing under very strict COVID-19 restrictions, as well as getting more game time. We played two matches in less than 24 hours against Javier Saviola’s (ex-Barcelona, Madrid, Sevilla, Argentina) Encamp Futsal. Again, we were very good in both matches wining 9-7 and losing the 2nd match 4-2, despite sustaining a number of injuries on the first day.

For the UEFA Futsal Champions League we were drawn against Belguim side Charleroi, Futsal Champions League winners in 2004/05. We ended up playing the match at the end of November. 

During the match itself I felt that the boys gave everything, and the performance did not merit the final result of 13-1. Individual errors cost us dearly, for me a more accurate score based on game play would have been 9-4, 7-3 or something along those lines.

We do need to put into perspective the quality of the team that we faced, no club in Gibraltar either in futsal or 11-a-side has faced a club within the top 20 UEFA rankings. Having said this, we will try to prepare ourselves to compete better at this level next season.

At present I am hopeful local futsal league will start soon and it will be able to be completed before UEFA’s June deadline. At the moment the reality is that under current restrictions the league has been unable to start nor any training has been able to take place. We are pretty much in Groundhog Day … exactly like we were after our last league match in February 2020, without been able to train and not knowing when or if the league will take place.

I haven’t been able to meet up with my players since before Christmas and I know no one has been able to maintain their fitness level with the scenario we are living with, so my hope is that if the league is to take place we can get a good number of training sessions in before it starts.

However, our focus and aim is still the same, winning a 7th League and participating again next season in UEFA Champions League.

My story at the Lynx is that of the one-club-man, which is not so frequent these days. I´m arguably the first coach to ever sit on the club bench back in 2008, as the first coach, (and current, Albert) was also a player at the time.

Those were really good times, we ascended to first division twice, in a time where there was still no money in football. In the meantime I never stopped coaching teams from U7 to U17 for around 12 years.  I did my coaching training with the Welsh and FA federations.  With the entry into UEFA and also having commitments as an Evangelical Pastor, I was not able to have the dedication being a coach required, but I developed other functions within the club, where today,  I am vice president.

Today we live in times of uncertainty, where so many people are experiencing loneliness, and where we can read daily figures, estimates, information and conspiracy theories, which only bring more anxiety and despair.

The situation can be depressing, if we spend the day in front of the TV counting contagions and deaths, but it’s also a season where we can find time to think about the amount of things that usually occupy our lives, and that are not really indispensable.

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Also this lockdown has highlighted important values in our society, like the value of the silent worker, those who have the lowest wages, cleaners, cashiers, care workers- the ones that make things happen, while the important executives are waiting for everything to happen at home with their laptop.

One of David’s psalms says “even if I walk in valleys of shadows of death, I will fear no evil, for You will be with me, your rod, and your staff will give me breath.” It´s this lack of fear and encouragement that we have to share with our loved ones during these times.  It´s this peace in the storm that makes us grow as people.

There are recommendations for our body, usually to keep us as active as possible, to take advantage of exercise that´s allowed, always within the sanitary precautions that have been repeated so many times, social distance, masks and cleaning.

There are recommendations for our Soul, and just as there are healthy foods for our bodies, there are also healthy foods for our souls, thoughts that enter our minds and do us good, and others that do us wrong; relationships that do us good, and others that make us sick, emotions and memories that make us happy, and others not so much. We need to choose with which to feed our souls with.

Finally we have recommendations for the Spirit, and here in this not-so-well-traveled place of our being, we also make decisions.

The reality is that all of our life revolves around decisions, big and small, and even not deciding, is a decision in itself. I decided to be British, I decided to live in Gibraltar, I decided to have this car, this bike, etc., and so I also decided to be a Christian, that means to be a follower in the footsteps of Jesus. Making decisions is what makes us free.

Jesus did not say, “You will know the truth and enter into a religious system ,” nor did he say “you will know the truth and you can do nothing of what you like”, he said “you will know the truth, and the truth will set  you free”, and what is freedom but making choices , and  accepting the consequences of said choices?

I do not come from a religious family and I was never taken to any religious institution of any religion, but when I had enough understanding, I made a decision. I decided to follow Jesus, because it’s revolutionary, because He revolutionized my way of understanding the World, my way of understanding people and my way of understanding God.

Jesus was a Jew who overcame all the cultural barriers of humanity, because He does not speak of a book of laws, He does not speak of a system of customs, or beliefs of religious rituals, Jesus spoke and taught about what is in the heart of Man, he walked among the poor and the marginalized where the religious did not want to enter. He healed lepers  who the religious did not want to touch. He ate and drank with the people, understood their problems.   Healed them and He spoke of a kingdom where there are no politicians or priests, where there is no more pain or famine or war, where love reigns supreme.  He healed their illnesses but above all He healed their heart. 

The world is full of reasoning and philosophies, of scientists and mystics, but you have to make a decision, and even doing nothing,  is a decision, I have decided to follow Jesus and he has set me free.

As a football coach I have understood the importance of a healthy body, and as an Evangelical Pastor, I have also understood the importance of a healthy soul and spirit.  In these times of lockdown and anxiety, these last two facets of being human have been my field of work during 2020, and I have witnessed the benefits in a word of encouragement through an online connection.  That’s why I encourage everyone to connect, call and relate in a positive way, transmit hope rather than worries, sharing encouragement rather than complaints, and always remembering, as the saying goes, that the world will change with your example, not with your opinion.

For further information, please contact the club on lynxfc@mail.com or 200 69695.

QUALIFICATION for Qatar 2022 World Cup Finals kicks off next month when Gibraltar, drawn in Group G, play host to Norway and Netherlands, those two games sandwiching an away trip to Montenegro, with Turkey and Latvia completing this tough six-team group. Pandemic permitting, the nation that tops the table when qualifying finishes next November will have booked their ticket direct to the finals, with the runners-up advancing to the playoffs for a second chance to join them on the plane to Qatar, the first time the tournament will be staged in the Middle East.

Gibraltar hopes have been buoyed by recent confirmation from UEFA that their home games, in this their second World Cup campaign, can be played at Victoria Stadium, unlike their first foray into the global competition – Russia 2018 – when the Rock were required to play their “home” ties in the vast, almost empty Portuguese Faro stadium, a rather soulless, eerie experience, nothing like the frenzied but friendly atmosphere created at the Vic in previous international and club encounters, notably on nights when Switzerland, Ireland, Denmark and Glasgow giants Celtic and Rangers came calling.

Fresh from the Rock’s remarkable achievement of promotion to Division C in the inaugural UEFA Nations League, Julio’s “Gibraltarian Warriors” will not lack for confidence in embarking on this ultra competitive qualification odyssey. In addition to charismatic coach Ribas, who has engendered a special family togetherness in the squad, there is the never-say-die spirit of “Captain Fantastic” Roy Chipolina, the creative quality of midfield dynamo Liam Walker and the goal poaching power of Lee Casciaro, lionhearts the entire squad, all dedicated to achieving the impossible, but, alas, cold reality decrees that qualification for Qatar 2022 will be a dream too far, but hey, there will be fun and maybe even glory nights on the way.

When Gibraltar was warmly welcomed into FIFA’s football family on 13th May, 2016, it wasn’t an event just about opening up world football to the Rock, but also about opening up Gibraltar to the world. Gibraltar is a picture postcard destination with a first class but sadly underused airport, practically every person on earth has heard of the Rock, but not that many have visited, and now international football is providing opportunities for footy fans from all over the globe to put that right, sit in the sun and quaff cider in Casemates Square, hit the casino tables, roll the dice and explore the delights of Ocean Village, while Gib’s footy fans reciprocate by rocking up to exotic destinations, like wonderful, wonderful Copenhagen, tip-toe through the tulips in Amsterdam and spend drunken nights in Dublin.

Gibraltar’s Group G campaign, labelled the Group of Death, commences with a Viking visit from Norway on 24th March and concludes on 16th November, again at Victoria Stadium, when familiar foe Latvia provide the opposition. What a finale that night would be should the impossible have come to pass, with Julio’s boys still having something to play for – most unlikely of course, but it’s nice to dream!

Coronavirus protocols may have relaxed somewhat come the last week of March, the impressive rollout of the vaccine and responsible social distancing may by then have put a check on this ghastly

pandemic, perhaps sufficient for the lockdown to be lifted, Victoria Stadium and the pubs given the green light to reopen, deprived and parched footy fans free once more to quench their thirst and toast their heroes as they rub shoulders with visiting football greats. Who knows, maybe travel restrictions may be lifted in time to join Julio’s army on battlefields abroad!

Let’s take a quick glance at the opposition….

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NETHERLANDS

Population: 17.15m

Capital: Amsterdam, (Parliament and Government based in The Hague). Stadium: Johan Cruyff Arena, Amsterdam (Capacity 55,500)

Fifa World Ranking: 14th

Head Coach: Frank de Boer

Previous Gibraltar encounters: None. 

Match Dates: Gibraltar vs Netherlands – 30th March, KO 20:45 CET / Netherlands vs Gibraltar – 11th        October, KO 20:45 CET

The Netherlands, the nation that brought “total football” to an enchanted world, iconic names over the decades, Van Basten, Cruyff, Kluivert, Neeskens, van Nistelrooy, still elicit goose bumps. No one of that calibre in the current squad, save perhaps captain Virgil van Dijk, but a single point from the Dutch masters would be a huge achievement for Gibraltar.

When in Amsterdam: Three-course dinner for two (no alcohol) will set you back around £70. A small bottle of beer costs £4.50.

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LATVIA

Population: 1.92m

Capital: Riga

Stadium: Daugava Stadium, Riga (Capacity 10,460)

Fifa World Ranking: 136th

Head Coach: Dainis Kazakevics

Previous Gibraltar encounters: Two friendlies, a win apiece – Gibraltar 0-5 Latvia (29th March, 2016); Gibraltar 1-0 Latvia (25th March, 2018).

Match Dates: Latvia vs Gibraltar – 1st September, KO 20:45 CET / Gibraltar vs Latvia – 16th November, KO 20:45 CET

Honours shared in the two previous clashes and Gibraltar will have realistic prospects of gaining points from both these games.

When in Riga: Three-course dinner for two can be had for a reasonable £36, while a bottle of beer is available for just £1.50.

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NORWAY

Population: 5.33m

Capital: Oslo

Stadium: Ullevaal Stadium, Oslo (Capacity 28,000) Fifa World Ranking: 44th

Head Coach: Ståle Solbakken

Previous Gibraltar encounters: No previous meetings. 

Match Dates: Gibraltar vs Norway – 24th March, KO 20:45 CET / Norway vs Gibraltar – 7th September, KO 20:45 CET

Tough opening opponents, a draw would be a great result.

When in Oslo: Expect to pay about £78 for a three-course dinner for two (no alcohol) and a small bottle of beer costs a wince-inducing £7.75.

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MONTENEGRO

Population: 622,157

Capital: Podgorica

Stadium: Podgorica City Stadium (Capacity 15,225).

Fifa World Ranking: 63rd

Head Coach: Miodrag Radulovic

Previous Gibraltar encounters: None.

Match Dates: Montenegro vs Gibraltar – 27th March, KO 15:00 CET / Gibraltar vs Montenegro – 8th October, KO 20:45 CET

The Balkan territory could well prove to be a fruitful points source for Julio’s boys.

When in Podgorica: A three-course dinner for two is a very palatable practical giveaway at £23, especially washed down with a £1.70 bottle of beer.

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TURKEY

Population: 82.3m

Capital: Ankara

Stadium: Ataturk Olympic Stadium, Istanbul (Capacity 76,760)

Fifa World Ranking: 32nd

Head Coach: Senol Gunes

Previous Gibraltar encounters: No previous meetings.

Match Dates: Gibraltar vs Turkey – 4th September, KO 20:45 CET / Turkey vs Gibraltar – 13th November, KO 18:00 CET

Very tough opponents where any points return would be a huge bonus.

When in Istanbul: Three-course dinner for two is a very reasonable £30 and a bottle of beer can be yours for £2.30.

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Fitness fans Katherine Grant and David Deardon are just two of the many people who joined in the Feed a Child Burpee Challenge led by Pueblo Nuevo fitness coach Jojo Ruby France as part of an initiative from the St. George’s charity in Manilva.

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The aim is to help feed children along the Costa del Sol by providing a packed lunch for 100 children every day between Manilva and Estepona during 2021. 

The challenge involved doing 100 American Burpees a day for the 12 days of Christmas in festive attire, this adds up to 1,200 burpees overall. “So far we have raised €4,500 euros for this great cause, thanks in a large part to the giving nature of the people of Gibraltar,” Katherine stated.

2020, the year that gave birth to horror child Covid-19, the nightmare virus-spewing pandemic that has claimed millions of lives worldwide and continues to leave a trail of death and desolation in its wake, has been consigned to history, banished to register in the annals of infamy alongside the birthdates of past apocalyptic disasters, the Plague, Spanish flu and both world wars.

But now there is light at the end of this dark tunnel, and no, it’s not an express train thundering towards us but the dawn of a new year, bringing with it the hope that salvation is at hand, Operation Vaccination has begun and normality may be about to resume. There is now the real prospect that the public’s love affair with sport will soon be rekindled as iconic stadia throughout the world throw open the doors to welcome back fans so cruelly deprived by lockdown and restricted access of pursuing their passion in the desperate year just gone.

Religion was once described by Karl Marx as ‘the opium of the masses’, well Karl old boy, that may have been true in your day, but today, in the west at least, churchgoing is very much in retreat and has long been overtaken by sport as the favoured drug of the masses, and this year the faithful can feverishly indulge their habit, with the sporting calendar of 2021 unveiling a truly breath-taking array of glittering events across all disciplines, including football, boxing, golf, cricket and the rearranged Olympic Games.

FOOTBALL

FOOTBALL sees the start of qualification for FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, and Gibraltar fresh from their astonishing promotion in the Euro Nations League – a phenomenal achievement by charismatic Julio Cesar Ribas’s “Gibraltarian Warriors” that has largely not received the credit it merited – have been drawn in Group G where they can look forward to home and away ties with Netherlands, Norway, Turkey, Montenegro and old foe Latvia.

Whilst it’s disappointing that the group does not contain any of the home nations – England, Scotland, Wales and either of the Irelands would have been a huge attraction – the Rock can look forward to fun-filled nights when Norway and Netherlands come calling, on March 24th and 30th respectively, the Vikings and the Dutch football fans, believe me, know how to properly party and Ocean Village will definitely rock that week, reawakening warm memories of great nights like the recent visit of the Republic of Ireland in the Euro qualifiers, and on the club side, Glasgow giants Rangers and Celtic, the latter expedition entered football folklore as “The Shock of Gibraltar” when Lincoln Red Imps unforgettably derailed the green and white hoops!

Gibraltar is a picture postcard destination, with a world class but sadly underused international airport that through increasing participation in football is now really being opened up to the world, and while all of mankind have heard of The Rock, not that many have stopped here until now. Long may the visits of discovery continue and the fervent hope is that come March, with the help of the vaccine, freedom of travel will have been restored, the Covid-19 pandemic will be extinguished and the horror of the past year will begin to fade. Hang fire though on binning the face masks, the adornments have transformed many of my acquaintances at the QuarterDeck Tavern into visions a lot easier on the eye than is the norm!

BOXING

HOPES are high that the eagerly awaited contest between the two best heavyweights on the planet, both British, clean-cut Anthony Joshua who hails from Watford and self-styled King of the Gypsies Tyson Fury, the complex Mancunian who constantly courts controversy by publicly endorsing and socialising with notorious Irish and Scottish gangsters.

Eye-watering cash in the region of half a billion pounds have been floated for the clash, with late summer the suggested date, Wembley Stadium in front of 90,000 the venue, pandemic permitting. However, should social distancing still be required, money-no-object Saudi Arabia is on standby and very keen to host the mega event. If Riyadh be the chosen site, it will be interesting to see how the Saudi police cope with the Gypsy King’s army of raucous beer-loving fans.

It’s all in the hands of boxing promoters now, a breed that inhabit the same integrity-free zone headed by merchant bankers, football agents and, especially, world leaders – the current dodgy trio of Trump, Boris and Putin being prime examples – but whenever or wherever the extravaganza is staged, it ain’t gonna be cheap for boxing fans!

GOLF

THE 43rd Ryder Cup clash between the United States and Team Europe, postponed from last year due to the pandemic, will now take place at Whistling Straits, Haven, Wisconsin on September 24th- 26th, where the Yanks, still smarting from being walloped 17-1/2 – 10-1/2 by the Europeans in Paris in 2018, will be hoping to avenge that rout and, borrowing the puerile slogan of the unlamented ex- Commander-in-Chief Trump, ‘make America great again’! Sadly, Uncle Sam’s boys are favourites in my book to regain the Trophy at what is sure to be a very hostile bear pit atmosphere at Whistling Straits. I do hope I’m proved wrong!

CRICKET

ENGLAND, who have dominated this version of the sport for the past couple of years, will fancy their chances of lifting the T20 World Cup due to be played in India, starting 18th October with the final scheduled for 15th November. Captain Eoin Morgan’s side have been very impressive recently with series victories over South Africa and Australia and confidence is high that this squad can claim the Cup for the second time, with reigning champions West Indies very much in decline, hosts India can emerge as the main threat to the Poms.

TOKYO OLYMPIC GAMES

POSTPONED from last year due to the pandemic, the Tokyo Olympic Games will now take place from 23rd July to 8th August. As a kid growing up, I was fascinated every four years by the Olympics, especially the boxing and athletics, but now some of the lustre has been lost with repeated drug scandals tarnishing the great event. The highlight for me this time will be the performance of Dina Asher-Smith, the immensely talented and likeable 25-year-old from Orpington, in the ladies sprints. Gold medals await the delightful Dina!

I first started playing football back in 2014 with Lincoln red imps. Throughout my time at Lincoln red imps I learnt a lot not only as a person but as a team captain. After 5 years playing at Lincoln the decision was taken by both the club and team captains to not take out a women’s team for this upcoming season. 

I was aware that Albert Parody the owner of Lynx FC had been trying to take out a women’s team for a number of years and that there would not be a league if there were only 2 teams willing to participate. 

At that moment I spoke to all the players from Lincoln and asked if they would be willing to stick as a team and move on to lynx. We lost a few players on the way but we managed to bring the majority of players with us such as; Alex Holt, Naomi Victor, Sherilyn Orfila, Poppy Hall, Laura, and Belen. 

This year we have signed a number of young players which are improving by day. Most of them had played with the GFA under 16 team but had never actually played in the women’s league. They decided to join us this year as they feel it’s the best way for them to improve as players. 

The team are working hard at training and slowly getting used to playing together as a team. I am confident that with a few more games together the team will be able to have many of our youngsters getting used to playing as a starting 11 in the woman’s league.

As the World Cup has vividly shown, women’s football is growing in popularity and status with increasing participation, professionalisation and media attention across the world.

a professional football career for women is hard to sustain in the face of low pay, a lack of contractual support, and commitments away from the pitch. There is a need for significant change to the way women footballers are supported to play for club and country alike.

there are significant hurdles to overcome in order to make football a secure career for women. Women footballers not only face problems around pay, but also a number of challenges around other crucial aspects of their work. These include the lack of contractual stability and agent support, as well the absence of appropriate childcare. All these expose them to insecure working conditions.

My message is for everyone involved in women’s football – be it FIFA, the GFA, and UEFA, is to take women’s football seriously and ensure that more women can enjoy decent, fair work conditions as they pursue their professional football careers.

For further information, please contact the club on lynxfc@mail.com or 200 69695.

When historians sit down to put pen to paper to document Sport 2020, the focus will certainly not be to celebrate herculean triumph on the playing field, nor to laud David vs Goliath derring-do or die epics, but, sadly, to chart how the calendar has been cruelly decimated by Covid-19, a fearsome unseen plague that leaves death and desolation in its wake as it continues to rage throughout the globe, with all human beings – every single one of us included – a target, caught clearly in the crosshairs of this terrifying stealthy virus!

Blithely unaware of the horror to come, the year started off in usual fashion, with Darts supplying the first world champion, Scotland’s colourful Peter ‘Snakebite’ Wright, becoming the oldest first-time winner of the PDC World Darts Championship when, just three months shy of his 50th birthday, he surprised defending champion Michael van Gerwen 7-3 in the final at London’s Ally Pally on new year’s day. Hairdresser Fallon Sherlock caused something of a stir in this beer-bellied alpha-male dominated sport when the  girl from Milton Keynes, not just female but blonde as well, became the most successful member of the gentler sex in history by reaching the third round of the tournament. The ailing BDO version held at the 02 London a fortnight later, saw the emergence of an even more ancient first-time champ, when 58-year-old Wayne Warren beat Jim Williams 7-4 in an all-Welsh final.

Tragedy rocked the world of sport to its core when basketball superstar Kobe Bryant was killed in a helicopter crash in California on January 26th, the 41-year-old legend perishing along with his teenage daughter Gianna and seven others.

In February, no surprise to see Novak Djokovic successfully retain his Australian Men’s Tennis Open title, the super Serb eventually emerging victorious over Austria’s Dominic Thiem after a five-set thriller, while in the Ladies event America once again provided the winner, but on this occasion it was not Queen Serena who reigned supreme, but Sofia Kenin who claimed the prize for the Yanks, the 21-year-old from Florida, via Moscow, fighting back from a set down to floor France’s Garbine Muguruza.

Earlier, the 2020 Super Bowl for once justified the hype, with Kansas City Chiefs ending a 50-year hiatus when they outpointed San Francisco 49ers 31-20 in an all-too-rare entertaining final at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami. An estimated TV audience north of 100m witnessed the extravaganza, where a 30-second commercial cost an astonishing $5.5m.

So then enters March, yes, roaring in like a lion, but in this desperate year most definitely not departing like a lamb – Covid’s heavy black clouds were hovering, the chatter was of impending lockdown and, sadly, lacking the vision the year 2020 should suggest, I prayed that my beloved Cheltenham National Hunt Festival would be allowed to proceed unimpeded. My prayers were answered, and 278,000 horseracing fans from all over the British Isles and beyond, mingled cheek to jowl, enjoyed four sumptuous days of equestrian excellence, then sated, and infected, some returned home to friends and neighbours, blighting towns and villages and spreading the virus far and wide. It hardly seems important now that Irish wonder trainer Willie Mullins’ Al Boum Photo retained the Cheltenham Gold Cup, while Nicky Henderson won the Champion Hurdle with Epatante, owned by legendary punter JP McManus.

Sanity slowly trickled through however and lockdown was eventually decreed – the nation’s favourite race, the Grand National, was cancelled, and later the Derby was run behind closed doors. Epsom’s iconic race was won in runaway fashion by Serpentine at 25/1 and the blue riband  prize crossed the Irish Sea to the stable of eight-time winning trainer Aidan O’Brien in County Tipperary.

The lockdown and later restrictions continue to have a massive impact across all sport – Golf saw the cancellation of The Open and the remaining majors were rearranged to be played behind closed doors, with all three being won by Americans, Colin Morikawa won the USPGA, Bryson DeChambeau the US Open and Dustin Johnson, golf’s number one player by some distance, running away with the Masters. The Ryder Cup between the United States and defending champions Europe has been postponed and rescheduled to September next year.

Rugby union saw England narrowly win the Six Nations Championship, pipping France on points difference, while little Exeter Chiefs stunned the sport when taking Europe’s Heineken Champions Cup, triumphing in a contest containing the continent’s heavyweights, Saracens, Racing Club, Clermont and Irish giants, Leinster and Munster.

Football saw Liverpool eventually crowned Premier League champions for the first time, a prize richly deserved, as the Reds under charismatic coach Jurgen Klopp, played fast, free-flowing football, evocative of the Dalglish and Keegan eras. It may be 30 years since Liverpool last won the league, but judging by the way the Scousers have opened their defence of the championship, they have no intention of relinquishing the title cheaply.

My abiding football memory of 2020, however, is the astonishing achievement of tiny Gibraltar, unbeaten and comfortably topping their group of the UEFA Nations League, victory and a draw over both their opponents, San Marino and Liechtenstein elevating inspiring coach Julio  Cesar Ribas’s “Gibraltarian Warriors” to Group C, where they can look forward to crossing swords with higher class international competitors, and possible opponents could include Turkey, Northern Ireland and Bulgaria. Exciting times await!

On a sombre note, death came calling, claiming stellar sport stars: Motor Racing lost Stirling Moss, Football bade farewell to England and Leeds United legendary duo Jackie Charlton and Norman “Bite Yer Legs” Hunter, while there will be intense competition to be chosen as custodian of the sticks in Team Paradise with the arrival of England master ‘keepers Peter Bonetti and Ray Clemence, along with Northern Ireland’s Harry Gregg, the hero of the Manchester United Munich air disaster. Giants all, on and off the pitch, the world is now a poorer place.

Regular readers will be aware of my agony and ecstasy love affair with the King George VI Chase at Kempton Park on Boxing Day, a race where, astonishingly, I’ve tipped the winner on more than one occasion, and this year I’m entrusting my tenner with the Alex Ferguson partially owned CLAN DES OBEAUX to succeed once again – sorry Fergie! Get on, and if my flights to the UK and Ireland for the festive season don’t materialise, as now seems likely, I’ll be delighted to meet any of you guys in front of the Big Screen at the Sports Arena in Ocean Village on the day to watch the great race.

Finally, may I warmly wish you all a very Happy Christmas, a prosperous and, above all else, a safe 2021.

Today we catch up with Tracey Baglietto, Lynx U6 Coach.  Tracey has always possessed a passion for sports generally and has always been involved in most sports activities; her main true passion, however, has always been Football.

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She played for a very successful Victoria Stars ladies team for 5 years, winning five consecutive league titles amongst many other trophies and also played for the Gibraltar National Side.

In November 2012, she was appointed to the Gibraltar Football Association Executive Board and was a member of the GFA delegation, which was ultimately triumphant in securing Gibraltar’s UEFA Membership, becoming the 54th Football Nation to join the UEFA Family. During this time she also undertook the role of Head of Women’s Football, she went on to pass UEFA’s Women in Football Leadership Programme and travelled abroad representing Gibraltar at all UEFA Women’s Conferences.

After her departure from the Gibraltar FA in August 2015, she decided to have a break from football.  During the summer of 2016 she was offered the role of becoming the Lynx FC Youth Development Officer and Lynx U13 coach for the club for one season, which she took on board with great enthusiasm.  

At present, Tracey is now coaching the Under 6 Lynx FC team. As she has noted this is indeed quite a big challenge as she believes that in order for a child to become a successful football player or be part of the football world, players do not only need to have the skills but the discipline to flourish within this challenging sport.

She has discovered that being a coach for a youth team does take quite a vast time of your personal life as a lot of pre-planning and effort in organising that all does run smoothly within the team is imperative.  She does think that anyone taking up this role must have a vocation and a passion for this sport.  As with all other sports coaches need to be at all times up to date with all the new rules which are implemented and this in itself at times is time consuming when trying to pass on to players as old habits are tough to shy away from.  She does believe that team bounding has to be a main factor within the team and she does try her best for all players to get on which each other and at times organises a get together outside the sports facilities perimeters.

She states, that within Lynx FC Grassroots Football is taken on board very seriously, thank you mainly to Mr Albert Parody who is the club owner and who he himself is a strong believer and is a top football lover himself.  Lynx FC do currently have  teams within all age groups and this in itself does involve a lot of hard and dedication from our now Youth Development Officer Mr Joaquin Buhagiar, who spends most of his free time at the club, organising and ensuring that all teams are adequately equipped with all football equipment, kits and above all that all age groups do comply with all the rules & regulations set upon by the Gibraltar Football Association. Tracey is both grateful to Mr Parody and Mr Buhagiar.

Grassroots Football in Gibraltar is one of the most popular sports, that’s why she feels that all clubs and indeed the Gibraltar Football Association do have a day to day challenge in trying to work together as one in promoting and placing all the mechanisms so that this sport does progress to the high standards which is expected.  

She senses and appreciates the great work carried out behind the scenes by all i.e. GFA, clubs, coaches and most importantly the players & supporters. However, during these current difficult times which has hit all aspects of our lifes, football has also been hit badly and it has only been because of the great effort from the GFA Youth Committee and all clubs in working together and  trying tirelessly to bring back grassroots football these past few months that this has now been achieved. 

The kick-start of the youth season she says has been a great triumph; friendly matches have now started to be played albeit behind closed doors as for now this she says will no doubt become the “New Normal” for the time being.  She has expressed that the look on all the children, coaches and all those involved is just priceless so that in itself is the greatest reward this sport can take back.

However, she is a firm believer that there are enough quality and scope with the youth sections for Gibraltar football to not now but in the near future give the opportunity to our now youngsters to progress professionally abroad within the Elite teams.

For further information, please contact the club on lynxfc@mail.com or 200 69695.

Lynx FC’s sporting director and head of Futsal, Karl Zarb reveals his trials and tribulations to Gibraltar Insight.

An accountant by profession since the age of 18 and currently the finance manager for a local construction company he was to find his true passion in Futsal when he was 14 years old (24 years ago now) in the old futsal league where he used to play as a goalkeeper and since then he knew it was meant to be. Unfortunately, futsal in Gibraltar ceased and for many years he was unable to enjoy the sport locally until 2013 when Gibraltar became UEFA’s 54th member and to his delight, Futsal returned to the rock. Futsal is a fast-paced, intense, and adrenaline-driven sport and that is what made me fall in love with the sport.

The team that has impressed him the most was Rock 54. The team was to become one of his initiatives whilst with the Gibraltar FA Futsal Committee, to help develop young local players for the futsal national squad. The team was made up of 17-20-year-olds who had no knowledge or experience in futsal and to see them learn and develop at the pace they did it is the highlight of his career in futsal. Many of these players have been or are now part of the Gibraltar National squad and that makes him extremely proud. Although I was very young at the time the best local futsal player for me must be Louisito Bonavia

In 2013 when Gibraltar joined UEFA and futsal was re-established locally, Karl decided to form his futsal team called Gib Scorpions FC where he worked extremely hard on this project and spent close to 4 months scouting players. He built a team that went unbeaten the full season and was the first to qualify and compete in the UEFA Futsal Cup. A very inexperienced team for the standard of futsal we experienced but they did extremely well and managed a draw in their final match.

The high was the huge amount of success we had in such a short time. The low was having to give up the project he had worked so hard for to join the Gibraltar FA Futsal Committee, but he was confident that it was the best move to continue progressing in his futsal career

In 2014 Karl was given the opportunity by the previous futsal president to join his committee and he did not hesitate to take on the challenge and help develop futsal in Gibraltar. He spent three and a half years working with the committee and he is extremely proud of everything he managed to do and achieve during that time. Having organised two FC Barcelona Futsal Camps with the attendance of Ferrao (current best futsal player) seeing close to 120 children enjoying themselves and a futsal coaching clinic with five of the world’s best futsal coaches were definitely the highlights during his time. He would have loved to be able to carry out some of the other projects in his development plan which included developing youth futsal as the key to success for the future but unfortunately, his expectations and ambitions were far higher than those of the Gibraltar FA and he, therefore, decided to call time.

Karl presented many ideas and projects to the Gibraltar FA but most importantly keeping in line with youth development, was the creation of a futsal academy and the introduction of futsal at schools but was not approved. When he left the Gibraltar FA, he knew there was only one club he could join that would match his ambitions and that was Lynx FC.

Karl once quoted “It was the easiest and best decision I have ever made in my futsal career, from day one I was welcomed as part of the family and have always received full support in everything I have proposed and decisions I made. I am confident that together we will achieve great success both on and off the field. The team spirit, desire to win and the discipline within Lynx FC is what makes us such a formidable force locally. My ambition and aim in the next 5 years are to continue building and developing a squad that will very soon be able to compete at the highest level and be able to progress in the UEFA Futsal Champions League. There are many areas Gibraltar must improve on, but Youth and coach development are at the top of that list”

Covid has been a disaster for futsal especially in Lynx’s preparations for this season’s UEFA Futsal Champions League. Re-scheduling of matches, cancellation of training allocations, limited training resources, travel restrictions and financial uncertainty are just some of the negative effects of covid. Constraints accelerate skill development. Just as the constraints of futsal force players to develop creativity and better ball-handling skills, constraints in our lives often force us to make choices and cultivate talents that would otherwise go undeveloped.

At the beginning of last season, both Karl Zarb and CEO Jonathan Costa discussed the possibility of providing exposure of the Lynx FC brand abroad and at the same time provide a higher playing field for their players, through matches and training opportunities. In January Lynx FC visited Manchester Futsal where three of our players had the opportunity to train with their squad and planned to return to play in a tournament in the following months but unfortunately, covid has put a halt on their projects in Manchester. Since then, Lynx FC had the privilege of competing in a tournament in Portugal against the likes of Braga Futsal.  Further development opportunities are still on the horizon for their players next week when they travel to Andorra to play some matches against the current champions FC Encamp in preparation for the UEFA Champions League at the end of November.

Karl Zarb has had his hands full this season and has surely stamped his name in the history of Futsal but we know nothing is impossible in Karl’s books as he later went to state “Constraints accelerate skill development; Just as the constraints of futsal force players to develop creativity and better ball-handling skills, constraints in our lives often force us to make choices and cultivate talents that would otherwise go undeveloped.”

For further information, please contact the club on lynxfc@mail.com or 200 69695.