Narciso will play his first Inter-Ilhas for Santiago!

Born in Baovista Narciso one of the best midfielder in NELASA could not participate in the past 3 Inter-Ilhas Tournament because his native Island “BoaVista” did not have enough players here in the states to organize a team. Do to Inter-Ilhas bylaws in the past three years, a player can only represent his native Island, but that law was changed this year “2010” witch allows a players that did not represent any other Island in the past to choose an Island of there choice. Manny people around the league says that the Bylaws was changed because of Narciso, to give him a chance to play in the league’s best Tournament, Narciso has been in this league for a long period of time and he deserves this opportunity and so does many others talented player form other Island.

Here are the names of the rest of the players Selected

Kuka (Nos Bandera),

Lisandro (Alianca)

Seny (Fidjos Terra)

Deto (Curral Grande)

Bruno (Strela Negra)

Maio (Sporting RI)

To (Tabanka)

Totoy (Fidjos Terra)

Narciso (Fidjos Terra)

Queyvon (Nos Bandera)

Valdano (Nos Bandera)

Edson (Nos Bandera)

Fidalgo (Nos Bandera)

Toty (Boston FC)

Taide (Nos Bandera)

Manu (Fidjos Terra)

Zoro (Alianca)

Zico (Alianca)

Vicente (Curral Grande)

Moises (Nos Bandera)

Zidane (Nos Bandera)

Dany (Boston FC).

Player of the Month for June!

Please Vote for the Player that you think Best Performed durring the Month of June in NELASA.
Nominees:
Sandro Fonseca-Dinamo Da Brava
4 Goals Scored durring the Month of June, helped his team to a 2-1-0 record durring the Month and he scored the game winning Goals in the first Round of the E. Raposo Cup vs Nos Bandera

Zico "Matador"- Alianca
Zico is the 4th player to score a Hat-trick this season he did it in week 10 vs Strela Negra. He scored 4 Goals durring the Month of June and he scored 1 vs F. Terra in the 2nd round of the Cup.

Ivan Tavares- Mindelo
Ivan scored 4 goals before he suffered a arm injury that kept him out of the last June game for his club.

Adilson "DJ" - Fidjus Terra
Adilson scored a hat-trick vs Cafe de Fogo in the first round of the Cup and 1 goal in the second round vs Alianca. 4 goals in the month of June

Message from NELASA!

A Message from the new leadership;
Friends, as you know, Carlos “Bibi” Amado resigned as league President effective 6/20. Without going into specifics, the league would like extend its gratitude for all of his hard work in the time of his presidency. Bibi worked extremely hard, putting in long hours to ensure that league business was conducted. For his countless hours of dedication to the league, again we say thank you.
Now we must turn the page to a new chapter. With his resignation, the Vice President must assume the presidency according to our bylaws. Narcisa Araújo will now assume the role as acting President. All the remaining board members have agreed to continue in their respective roles, performing their pre-designated duties. The current board members would like to assure all affiliated teams, media and community, that it’ll do everything in its power to not only continue what Carlos Amado started, but also to lead in a way that would (continue to) make NELASA, the state’s number 1 (one) adult league.
The board will need the cooperation of everyone connected directly or indirectly with NELASA, to see that the transition is carried out in a manner that will be least disruptive to its operation. The Board is confident that transition will be a smooth one, mostly because Carlos Amado has graciously agreed to lend his support through this transition.
We may not always agree; we may not always disagree; but, WE MUST ALWAYS AGREE TO

DISAGREE.

Saudações Desportivas
Narcisa Araújo
NELASA President

Emidio Raposo CUP Quarter Final Recap

Emigrantes came from behind twice to beat Strela Negra 4-2 in over time.
After Strela Negra took an early lead on a goal by Braiman who sneak behind the defense and found him self all alone with the goalkeeper and put his team up 1-0. Strela kept on pressuring the Emigrantes defense and got a penalty opportunity when Emigrantes defense handled the ball in side the penalty box but Djicay missed the PK that would put his team up 2-0 at the time. Emigrantes is a very good team and when you give them chances to hang around they usually deliver, still in the first half Emigrantes pulled leveled when Carlitos found the back of the net on a corner kick by Ernesto, Joao Ex Café de Fogo put Strela back on top 2-1 and that would be the end of the first half. In the second half it was all Emigrantes Ze Viega scored to tie the game 2-2 and the game went into overtime. In overtime Emigrantes scored twice one by Zico (RI) and one by Edens to seal the game and move on to the Semifinal.


Aliança CV Advanced to the semifinals after beating Fidjus Terra 2-1
This was probably one of the most exciding games I have seen in a while, Fidjus Terra got the upper hand in the 31st minutes into the game when Adilson “DJ” scored from a beautiful pass by midfielder Julinho it was 1-0 Fidjus Terra after the first half. In the second half Alianca tied the game form the PK spot when Zico “matador” was taken down in the penalty box. Zico scored form the PK spot, goalkeeper Djica got his hand to the ball but couldn’t kept the ball out of the net. After 90 the game was tied 1-1 and overtime was needed to see witch of this powerhouses would advance to the semifinals. Alianca went ahead 2-1 in OT when Adilson (ex Café de Fogo) scored from a beautiful header that goalkeeper Djica had no chance to get to, the highlight of the game came in the first half of the overtime when Narcisio got a chance from the PK spot to tie the game but he was denied by Lisandro whom made a spectacular safe to his right. The final score 2-1 and Alianca advance to the semifinals.





Tarrafal FC shocked Dinamo 1-0 in OT.
Tarrafal moves on to the Semis to take on Emigrantes after they shocked Dinamo at home 1-0 in overtime. According to Dinamo head Coach Tiago Dinamo only showed up with 11 player and they were forced to play with 8 men in OT after two players got injured including his best striker Sandro Fonseca and he didn’t have any subs to put in. Tarrafal took advantage of that and scored the game’s only goal in OT to advance.

PRELIMINARY 2010 FOGO SELECT TEAM ROSTER

With Inter-Ilhas just weeks away the two times Inter-Ilhas Champions Fogo has release to Futebolcriolo.com their Preliminary 2010 Inter-Ilhas Roster. There are a lot of familiar faces like Zico, Ze, Jair, Samuel,Ne, flavio and Bebeto also Fogo has called some new faces to this year's squad like Janito, Rolando, Nilton Canuto , Balumba and Zeca. There currently 28 player in the Preliminary roster but I’m sure Coach Fernadinho will try to cut it down to a much more manageable number.

PRELIMINARY 2010 FOGO SELECT TEAM ROSTER

Tabanka:

Claudio Barbosa - Né

Flávio Daveiga -

Jayr Fernandes -

Carlos V Pires - Portista

Samuel F Lopes -

Carlos Diniz - Bebeto

Nilton DePina - Pirroxo

Alector Soares -Titó

Curral Grande:
Janito Curral

Djica

Emigrantes:

Carlos Gomes - Carlitos

Zico Veiga - Zico

José Veiga - Zé

Nos Bandera:

Lucindo I Gomes - Pipito

Adilson Rosário - Carotxa

José DePina

Nilton J Canuto

Alianca CV:

Sandro L Pina

Danilson Fontes

Zeca

Bulumba

Strela Negra:

Simão Mendes

Rolando C Barbosa

Café di Fogo:
Juan D’Lelé

Juan Paulo

Raulin

Sporting R.I.
Jailson T Lopes

Dinamo

Sandro M Fonseca

Emidio Raposo CUP 2nd Round June 23rd

Second Round of the 2010 Emidio Raposo Cup will take place Wednesday June 23 we have seen so far Nos Bandera, Safira and others top teams been eliminated in the first round. The match up to keep an eye on will be Alianca vs Fidjus Terra we can see one of these big Clubs been eliminated in the second round.

-Fidjus Terra Vs Alianca Wednesday June 23 at 6:00 PM Pic Park

Alianca- Record 8-1-0 25 points
Fidjus Terra- Record 3-1-5 10 Points

2010 Vs each other Alianca 1-0-0 (week 6 2-1 win)

Prediction 2-0 Alianca


-Emigrantes Vs. Strela Negra Wednesday June 23 at 6:00 PM Pic Park

Emigrantes – Record 7-2-0 23 points
Strela Negra- Record 4-2-3 14 points

2010 vs each other Emigrantes 1-0-0 (week 6 3-0 win)

Prediction 3-0 Emigrantes


-Tarrafal FC vs Dinamo Wednesday June 23 at 6:00 PM Hillstrom Park

Tarrafal- Record 3-1-5 10 points
Dinamo- Record 5-2-2 17 points

2010 vs each other N/A

Prediction 2-0 Dinamo


-Tabanka/Sporting vs Mindelo
TBA

NELASA WEEK 10!

Alianca CV continue to lead the league in points with 25, Mindelo climb to the third spot, Nos Bandera dropped from 3rd to 5th in two weeks.

Week 10 first game was between Nos Bandera and Emigrantes in Boston, Nos Bandera jumped ahead early in the first half on a goal by Taidi, but in the second half it would be all Emigrates as they scored 2 goals in two minutes to take the lead and the victory, Zico and Danny scored respectively. Emigrantes would need all 3 points to keep the pressure on Alianca who remains in front of them by just two points.

With Emigrantes victory on Friday Alianca need to win to remain in the first place and they did just that by beating Strela Negra 3-0, Zico “matador” scored 3 times and he now has 6 goals scored.

Also in Brockton Tarrafal beat Café De Fogo 4-3 for their 10 points of the season.

Mindelo one of the hottest team in the league right now, trashed Juventude 4-0 to jump in to the third spot. Mindelo hasn’t loss a game since week 4.

Fidjus Terra traveled to Boston to take on Tabanka and came away with a 1-1 tie. Bebeto scored his 5th and Tabanka had a chance form the PK spot to take the lead late in the game but Flavio missed the PK shoot that would gave his team a 2-1 lead.

Curral Grande trashed Sporting R.I 4-0 at home to jump to the 8th spot in the standings, two goals by Funa, Elio and Maruka had one each.

Safira FC beat Boston FC 2-1 at home Will scored his 7th goal of the season one behind teammate Totti who still leads the league with 8.

Dinamo got to rest this week.

Red Devils beat Nos Bandera again!

On a late Wednesday night game of the first round of the Emidio Raposo CUP in Boston the Red Devils from Providence R.I. traveled to Boston once again to take on Nos Bandera. Even miles away form home on enemies’ territory Coach Tiago and its players looked calmer than ever knowing that they have beaten this team before and that they can do it again. Tiago said that “Nos Bandera is very good team but I have confidence in my guys, we beat then not long ago here in the same field we played better than them and we can do it again”. For the most part of the game it was a seesaw battle but Sandro would break the tie in the 75th minutes when he won the ball away from Moises to score the game’s only goal. Sandro now has 8 goals in all competition and Tiago is very proud of his on time goalkeeper. “I made Sandro into the player that he is now” said Tiago, “he use to be a goalkeeper last year but I saw the potential in him and I convinced to be a striker and he has exceeded beyond my expectations.” In the beginning of the season when Ernesto and Zico left Dinamo to join Emigrantes no one gave Dinamo a chance but Tiago and its players, “like a always say I know every single team in this league very well and I know what it takes to beat them, we would be in the first place if it wasn’t for what happened in the first game in of the season vs. Alianca, and I won’t be satisfied until we get there and stay there” said Tiago. Dinamo is riding a very impressive 6-1-0 record in the last 7 games and are now sitting in the 3rd place in the standings and thru to the second round of the E. Raposo CUP.



Emidio Raposo CUP First Round Results

Tabanka 0-2 Sporting
The game is under protest according to Tabanka Sporting got to the game 45 minutes late
the game was stoped with 9 minutes left to be played, there was not enough time to fenished the game because Nos Bandera had to play they match vs Dinamo witch was schedule for 8 pm at the same field.

Nos Bandera 0-1 Dinamo
Fidjus Terra 4-1 Cafe De Fogo
Emigrantes 2-0 Curral Grande
Tarrafal 2-0 Juventude
Mindelo 3-1 Safira
Strela 5-2 Boston FC (extra time)

Alianca got a bye

Carlos Amado will resign as NELASA's President!

Carlos Amado will resign as the president of New England Luso American Soccer Association after five months in office. Carlos Amado will not issue any comments at this time but he admits to Futebolcriolo.com that his resignation will be affective June 20th and after we will issue a statement to the public. It is not clear yet why Carlos Amado made such a decision in the middle of the season but we will find out in a meeting schedule for June 20th at the leagues office in Brockton. Also it is not clear who will replace Carlos Amado but, we will be sure to post it as soon as we find out.

2010 NELASA ALL-STAR ROSTER!

July 10th NELASA All-Stars will take on Vermont Voltage at Joe Moakley Field in South Boston. NELASA just release the 2010 All-Star Roster, these 22 players are selected but only 18 will make the final Roster it is up to the Coaching Staff, led by Eddie Lopes the Head Coach to make the final Roster. Betinho Alianca's Head Coach turned down citing do to work related issues.






Here are the 22 players Roster

Almir “Zorru” Barbosa- Alianca CV
Zico Veiga - Emigrantes
Michel Santos – Emigrantes
Jairson Jesus- Emigrantes
Indalecio “Zico” Antunes – Alianca CV
Joaquim Depina – Dinamo
Miquel Fortes – Dinamo
Wuilito “Totti” Fernandes – Boston FC
Emanuel Brito – Tabanka
Jayr Fernandes – Tabanka
Joao N. DeBarros – Curral Grande
Dilceu Fortes – F. Terra
Narcisio Fernandes – F. Terra
Emmanuel Morero – F. Terra
Eriqueson Almeida – Nos Bandera
Jose Pires – Nos Bandera
Pedro Lima – Nos Bandera
Queivon Correia- Nos Bandera
Rafael Ramos – Nos Bandera
Mondlane Sousa - Tarrafal
Paulo Teixeira – Nos Bandera
Sandro Fonseca – Dinamo
Eddie "Pon Doce" Lopes - Emigrantes (Head Coach)

Fenway Park to host soccer match between Celtic Football Club and Sporting Clube de Portugal

Perennial Scottish Premier League contender Celtic Football Club will take on the storied Portuguese futebol club Sporting Clube de Portugal at Fenway Park on July 21, 2010 at 8:00 p.m. The first ever Fenway Football Challenge is being made possible by Mayor Thomas M. Menino and the
City of Boston, Celtic F.C., Sporting C.P., the Boston Red Sox, and Fenway Sports Group. Initial match sponsors include Bank of America, Budweiser, Foxwoods Resort and Casino, Gulf Oil, Lumber Liquidators and Nike.
"I'm excited to welcome Celtic F.C. and Sporting C.P. to Boston for their exhibition soccer match at Fenway Park," said Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino. "Soccer is a global game and this match will provide another opportunity to showcase Boston as a truly global city attracting fans from around the world and highlighting the people, culture, and local businesses that make our city so special. Both teams have many loyal supporters throughout our city and I look forward to this matchup with great anticipation."
Tickets will range from $20 - $120, and will go on sale at noon on Tuesday, June 22, 2010 at www.tickets.com/footballatfenway. The match between the two renowned football clubs will be broadcast live on NESN (New England Sports Network) throughout New England. Plans for broadcast outside the New England market will be announced in the coming weeks.
"During its 98-year history, Fenway Park has been privileged to witness some of the best in athletic competition, not only in baseball, but in football, boxing and most recently in hockey with the 2010 NHL Winter Classic. This match is a tremendous opportunity to highlight some of the top talent in the soccer world, and we want to thank Celtic F.C. and Sporting C.P. for bringing the sport here for the first time in over 40 years," said Sam Kennedy, EVP/COO of the Boston Red Sox and President of Fenway Sports Group. "The Red Sox ownership group, led by John Henry, Tom Werner, and Larry Lucchino, have been committed to promoting all that is good and unique about Fenway Park, and this match presents an exciting opportunity to showcase the ballpark to an international audience. As the world celebrates football with the 2010 World Cup, the Fenway Football Challenge will provide New Englanders the opportunity to witness two international clubs - each with a rich heritage and a passionate regional fan base."
"We are excited to serve as the television home for this historic event at Fenway. This is a unique opportunity to bring New England soccer fans a top-caliber international soccer match during a World Cup year," said Sean McGrail, NESN's President and CEO. "It's also a great fit for NESN since we will be televising this game from our home ballpark. We expect the game will be a big hit with the region's soccer fans."
Celtic Football Club is based in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, and currently plays in the Scottish Premier League. The club was established in 1887, and played its first game in 1888. Celtic has won the Scottish championship on 42 occasions, most recently in the 2007/08 season, and the Scottish Cup 34 times. Celtic's home stadium is Celtic Park, the biggest football stadium in Scotland, with a capacity of 60,832. The club's traditional playing colors are green and white hooped shirts with white shorts and white socks. In 1967, Celtic became the first British team, and only Scottish team, to win the European Cup. In April 2008 the club was estimated to have a fan base of nine million people, including one million in North America. In 2003, more than 80,000 Celtic fans travelled to Seville to support the team in the UEFA Cup Final match. For their superior behavior during the match, Celtic fans received special acknowledgement from UEFA and FIFA, including the FIFA Fair Play Award. Celtic previously played at Fenway Park on May 30, 1931, where they were defeated by the New York Yankees of the American Soccer League.
"We are delighted once again to be visiting Boston, a city which has welcomed the Club and its supporters on many occasions. Boston is a place which enjoys a great connection with Celtic Football Club and is somewhere which is held very fondly in the hearts of our supporters," said Celtic Chief Executive Peter Lawwell. "We would like to thank Mayor Menino, the Boston Red Sox, Fenway Sports Group and of course, the people of the city of Boston for again hosting the Club and our supporters. As is always the Celtic way, we hope through this visit to make many more new friends in Boston. We are sure our meeting against Sporting C.P. will be a great match and we are very much looking forward to a fantastic occasion. We know our supporters from across the United States and Canada and even beyond will travel to the match in great numbers and we are sure they will join Sporting supporters in an occasion which demonstrates all that is great about football, in one of the world's finest cities."
Sporting C.P., often referred to as "Sporting", currently plays in the Liga Sagres in Portugal. Established in 1906, Sporting has won 18 national championship titles and 15 national cups, while also appearing in UEFA Champions League matches 17 times, and in 8 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup matches. Sporting's home stadium is the Estádio José Alvalade in Portugal's capital city of Lisbon, and supporters and players of the club are nicknamed Leões (Lions). Since its formation, Sporting has had six badges, all of which have included the color green and the lion. Sporting is one of the Portuguese teams with the most "house clubs" (houses represent the club in a particular region of the country or outside the country), with more than 200 official houses and more than 100,000 club members. It boasts more than 3 million fans worldwide.
Said Paulo Costinha, Sporting Lisbon Football Director, "It's an honour to be invited to such a prestigious match. Sporting is always proud to travel abroad to represent this Portuguese centenary institution, particularly against an opponent with a rich history in football, such as Celtic F.C. in Glasgow. We thank the Mayor of Boston, the Boston Red Sox and Fenway Sports Group for this invitation."
The July 21, 2010 match will mark the 19th soccer game played on the grounds of Fenway Park. The last time soccer was played at the ballpark was on July 9, 1968 when the Boston Beacons faced Santos F.C. from Brazil and their star player, the soccer legend Pele.


Source: http://boston.redsox.mlb.com/news/press_releases/press_release.jsp?ymd=20100607&content_id=10912780&vkey=pr_bos&fext=.jsp&c_id=bos

NELASA announced few changes to this year’s Inter-Ilhas Tournament!

2010 Inter-Ilhas is around the corner and NELASA has just announced today (6-2-10) that there will be no cover charge at this year’s event. Unlike in the past three years when it use to cost fans about $5 to $10 to go watch the games this year is up to the fans if they want to make a contribution, the league will have a box at the entrance for fans to make their donations. According to NELASA this year’s Inter-Ilhas will take place on the weekend of 3rd and 4th of July in order to also use this event as a celebration of Capeverdean independence; the games will be played at Moakley Field in South Boston MA.

NELASA also opted to change the format of the tournament from the past three years, this year all four team will play two matches, and the team with the most points will be crowned the Champions. In case of a tie the tiebreaker will be as follow head to head, goal scored and PK (teams will shoot PK at the end of every match) respectively.

Here is the 2010 Inter-Ilhas schedule

Saturday July 3rd
Game 1 @ 4:00pm
Brava vs Sao Vicente
Game 2 @ 6:00PM
Fogo vs Santiago

Sunday July 4th
Game 3 @ 3:00 pm
Sao Vicente vs Santiago
Game 4 @ 5:00 pm
Fogo vs Brava

All games will be at Moakley Field in South Boston

CRIOLO
Inter Ilhas sta quasi ta djiga e NELASA anusia oji ki es anu Inter-Ilhas e grates. Na anus pasado es eventu ta gustaba adeptus entri $5 a $10 pa es podi entra. Es anu NELASA ta teni un caixa na porta undi ki es ta pidi tudu adeptus pa fazi se contribuison di livre vontade. Di acordu ku NELASA es anu Inter-Ilhas ta ser na fin de semana di 3 e 4 di Julio asin tamben pa podi usa es eventu pa comemora independencia di Cabo Verde. Tudu jogu ta ser jugadu na Moakley Field na South Boston.

Tanben NELASA skodji pa muda formato di Inter-Ihas es anu. Es anu tudu 4 equipas ta djuga 2 jogu e equipa ki tene mas pontus na fin kit a ser Campeao. Si nu causu ten enpates confrontu derecto ta konta primero depos golos markadus e di pos penalty (tudu equipa ta marka 5 penalti na fin di tudo jogu).

Keli e calendario di Inter_Ilhas 2010

Sabado 3 di Julio
4:00pm Brava vs Sao Vicente
6:00PM Fogo vs Santiago

Domingo 4 di Julio
3:00 pm Sao Vicente vs Santiago
5:00 pm Fogo vs Brava

Team pics By Tchabero

Dinamo da Brava jumped into the top 5

Dinamo da Brava jumped into the top 5 for the first time since the season started, now sitting 4th in the standings with 11 points only 5 points behind the leader Alianca. Dinamo players and Coaches are feeling good about the 2010 season so far. In a conversation with Coach Tiago he said “ Dinamo always have been a power house team, everyone thought that we were going to be an awful team without Ernesto, but we have other players here who are more then capable of getting the job done.” Dinamo so far have beaten some of NELASA top teams like Alianca, Nos Bandera, Tabanka and Curral Grande. “There are a lot of good teams in this league and good players too, any team can beat any team in any given week but, you just have to do your homework before you step in the field with them” said Tiago. He also went on to say that “now with the derby been played on Sunday and Fridays I have time to go see most of the teams play and analyze their weakness, and their strong side and when I play them I know exactly what to do or expect.” Dinamo have been slowly climbing the standings and they could go even higher with a win over Boston FC in week 8 and according to Tiago the decision about the first game the season forfeit against Alianca CV is not yet official and they could still get the 3 points

Focus On Cape Verde's Football; Plus, Exclusive Interview With Tony Araujo

By ANGELA ASANTE/JOURNALIST & SOCCER COLUMNIST
www.bleachrreport.com
Cape Verde is a small country on the geographical map, just like in the world of football. Currently occupying the 117th rank in the FIFA World Rankings, Cape Verde’s national football team surely has a long way to go to achieve the standards of other Portuguese-speaking nations such as Brazil. Arguably, the Tubarões Azuis cannot even compare their achievements to those of low-profiled African rivals Angola, who at least made history by reaching their first ever World Cup finals back in 2006. In this slide show, we learn much about Cape Verde's football as FIFA Licensed Players' Agent Tony Araujo speaks in an exclusive interview which I had with him. Free yourself from ignorance with a deep look at this country's football.
Cape Verde’s Past History In FootballOn January 7, 1979, Cape Verde played an international match for the first time. The experience proved to be a miserable one as they went down 3-0 to Guinea-Bissau. Two years later, the Blue Sharks suffered a humiliating 5-1 defeat against Senegal in Mali. Actually, this emphatic loss proved to be their biggest defeat ever, along with the 4-0 thrashing they suffered in Praia against the Black Stars of Ghana in 2005. These records still stand as of now, May 2010.No FIFA World Cup memories, no Africa Cup of Nations delights. The Cape Verde Islands have never qualified for any of those major tournaments. However, the last decade witnessed a lot of improvement from the country’s national football team. After finishing third in the Amilcar Cabral Cup in 1995, the Tubarões Azuis finally won the title in 2000 to start the 21st century on a high. Cape Verde then went on to win bronze at the 2006 Lusophony Games and clinched the second place a year later in the Amilcar Cabral Cup. Last year, the country tasted glory again after nine years of wait with gold medals at the Lusophony Games. Among their achievements in the 21st century and in 2009, Cape Verde recorded its biggest win after thrashing Equatorial Guinea 5-0.

Cape Verde's Evolution On The International StageThe Blue Sharks don’t just compete against African counterparts. They’ve also affronted countries from Europe such as Luxembourg, Malta, and most recently, Portugal. November 2, 2002 is the date when Cape Verde first came up against a non-African side. On that day, they played out a scoreless draw to obtain a bit of pride. Malta, by the way, failed to resist against the Cape Verdeans’ desire to progress in the world of football when both met on September 4, 2009. The Blue Sharks triumphed 2-0 at the end of the 90 minutes.Four years ago, Cape Verde lost 4-1 to Portugal in a friendly encounter. However, on May 24 this year, the Blue Sharks succeeded in teaching their former colonialists a tough lesson. In a game that included the likes of the world’s most expensive player Cristiano Ronaldo and of Manchester United and Cape Verde-born creative winger Luis Nani, the Crioulos defended with ability and therefore secured a historic 0-0 draw in the end. The 117th ranked nation had just reminded the world’s third best team (according to FIFA’s present rankings) how poor they are as a unit and in attack ahead of the 2010 World Cup tournament.
Interview: Angela Asante One On One With FIFA Agent Tony AraujoNow Cape Verde’s national football team can look forward to a brighter future. Who knows? We might see them competing for the continent’s top prize during the next Africa Cup of Nations championship. In an exclusive interview, we look at Cape Verde as a football nation through the experience of FIFA Licensed Players’ Agent Tony Araujo.Tony Araujo, is a Cape Verdean-born professional who currently resides in New York City.

FIFA Agent Tony Araujo Talks About Cape Verde's EvolutionAngela Asante: On a realistic point of view, what do you think of the future of Cape Verde in the game of football?Tony Araujo: I think that Cape Verde has a promising footballing future. If the Cape Verdean football authorities keep implementing the same short-term and long-term projects like they have been doing since the past 10 years, Cape Verde will certainly be able to achieve amazing and unprecedented results on the international scene. However, it will require a lot of work and mobilization in terms of financial support and resources beyond the scope of Cape Verdean authorities.Angela Asante: Talking about the international scene, Cape Verde seems to show good signs of progress despite having played only a few numbers of friendly matches against non-African sides over time. Tell us more about this considerable evolution.Tony Araujo: Well, it is almost unconceivable to think of Cape Verde, who is currently ranked 117th in the world, holding a football superpower like Portugal to a goalless result. I still remember that about a decade ago, the country’s national team had never played any European side. It all started with games against small sides like Luxembourg and Malta and then it followed with encounters against high-profiled teams like giants Portugal. In fact, Cape Verde has a huge Diaspora all over the world. This provides us with a competitive advantage against many other African nations. The Cape Verdean Football authorities should start reaching out to various Cape Verdean communities around the world like in Portugal, in France, in Holland, in Luxembourg, in Italy, in the USA, and primarily in the New England area where there is a huge talented pool of football players playing in the prestigious New England Luso-American Soccer Association League which is considered to be one of the finest and most competitive amateur football league in the United States. This initiative will bring in amazing and prospective talented footballers that are plying their trade in this amateur league.

FIFA Agent Tony Araujo Talks About Cape Verde's TalentsAngela Asante: "You’re talking about talented footballers originating from the Cape Verde Islands, could you give out specific names?"Tony Araujo: "Yes, there are so many potential talents in this league. They range from players such as powerful striker Zico Veiga, talented and speedy wingers like Justin and Jessy Almeida Fernandez who are twin brothers. I will also mention Ernesto Lopes, a versatile playmaker in the midfield, besides the up and coming Willito Fernandes who is a 19-year-old midfielder with a great scoring touch. Willito is considered by many as one of the best talent in this area, just like Idelce Lopes who is a very good central defender; Idelce possesses all the necessary skills to take it to the next level."Angela Asante: "Interesting. So certainly, Cape Verde possesses a lot of talent. Now what does the national football team lack to reach at least the standard of other African nations such as Ghana, Nigeria, or even Algeria?"Tony Araujo: "Cape Verde certainly counts many talented players when it comes to the sport of football. Cape Verdean footballers and their team are making inroads as well as impact in the development of the sport here in the USA. Last year, a Brockton, Massachusetts-based Cae Verdean team called the Emigrantes Das Ilhas FC competed in the highest US national amateur competition. And they made it all the way to the final where they were beaten on penalties in extra time. That is quite impressive for a non-profit football club with only few financial resources and backing. If you look at what has happened on the international football scene for the past two decades, you will see that Cape Verde has produced top footballing talents.However, football programs in Cape Verde need to be better structured, marketed, and above all they need a better financing system whether it may be from private investors, from the country’s Government, or through key sponsorships from leading international kit suppliers such as Adidas, Nike, and Puma. But, the emphasis needs to be placed on the youth development of the sport."

FIFA Agent Tony Araujo Talks About The SolutionsAngela Asante: "Any solution, then?"Tony Araujo: "Well, in order for Cape Verde’s football to reach the standard or the height of its African football counterparts such as Senegal, Nigeria, Cameroon, Ghana, and Togo, the Cape Verdean football authorities will need to work extremely hard and with the support of strong financial backing as well as through the involvement of the Cape Verdean Government authorities. This will place a strong emphasis on the development of the sports at youth or grassroots level on a national scale." Angela Asante: "So most recently, how have things gone in the country in terms of football and players?"Tony Araujo: For the past two decades or so, all of the best Cape Verdean footballers have been trained almost exclusively at either EPIF or by Batuque Futebol Club. For your information, EPIF is a well-known and established soccer school in the capital city of Praia. Batuque Futebol Club, by the way, is an amateur football club in Cape Verde that places an emphasis on the development of the sport at a youth level. Batuque FC is one of the few teams that invest a lot of money on that, actually. Either way, Cape Verde cannot keep relying solely and exclusively on these two key sporting institutions to develop the future footballers for the country’s national team. The Cape Verdean government authorities alongside with the Cape Verdean football association will need to subsidize the creation and finance of key additional youth football development projects such as those of EPIF and Batuque FC on a grandeur scale and on a national basis throughout all of the 9 inhabited islands."Angela Asante: "Then what should be done in your opinion, M. Tony Araujo?"Tony Araujo: "Most importantly, they will need to continually finance, subsidize, as well as support the key existing football clubs and football structures. Now lastly, but not least, they will need to create a national youth championship that will foster a new level of competition among potent young footballers.In this case, many of Cape Verde’s young hidden talents will be discovered, selected, trained, and channeled to the various national team categories."

FIFA Agent Tony Araujo Talks About Players And National PrideAngela Asante: "Luis Nani, Henrik Larsson... these players have Cape Verdean origins. However, they haven't contributed in the growth of the country's football as they possess other nationalities. What would you say to upcoming talents who dream of playing abroad to therefore stand the chance of participating in big events such as the World Cup?"Tony Araujo: "Yes, that is quite a true statement. Yes, those two players [Nani and Larsson] are of Cape Verdean origins but they are not an exception. Patrick Vieira, Jorge Andrade, Oceano, and others are too.There have been many talented footballers of Cape Verdean origin that have opted to represent other national teams instead of Cape Verde’s. Actually, this is the case for Nani, Miguel, Nelson, Rolando, Manuel Fernandes, Gerson Fernandes, and David Mendes, Varela, Eliseu, and many more other players. However, carrying the jersey of a national team should be a matter of pride and nothing else. To me, it seems like those players placed their financial well-being interests before their national pride but I truly respect their decisions."Angela Asante: "But if it goes on this way as Cape Verde’s FA is yet to give more attraction to the country’s football, wouldn’t it be harder for your suggestions mentioned earlier to be executed? I mean, as a FIFA Licensed Players’ Agent, you would certainly be pleased to contribute in turning things around at the benefit of Cape Verde. What is your advice to rising stars who dream about following the footsteps of renowned players like Nani or Patrick Vieira?"Tony Araujo: "As a Football Players’ Agent, my advice to the new generation of upcoming Cape Verdean talents is to put the country first before anything else. I would ask them to instill a sense of national pride on themselves, since football like no other sports has the amazing ability and power of bringing people of any country together. In Cape Verde, this will not be an exception. I would ask them this question: would you rather play for your own country and help it progress on football’s international arena or would you choose to represent another country’s national team and be just another player in that national team pool that often never gets the call-up from its Head Coach?"

FIFA Agent Tony Araujo Talks Optimistically About Cape Verde's FutureAngela Asante: "So for the time being, M. Araujo, any optimism?"Tony Araujo: "Well, Cape Verde has proven that even though it is a small country economically and geographically, it is an up-and-coming footballing nation with tons of potential. If planned, administered, and financed properly I think that in the world of football, Cape Verde can be almost what the Dominican Republic is in the sport of Baseball nowadays."Angela Asante: "Now, according to your statements, there seems to be quite a long way to go for Cape Verde to achieve a considerable amount of respect in football, especially in terms of success and ranking. Still, the country’s national football team has experienced a lot of progress since the year 2000. How would you explain Cape Verde’s considerable evolution in football since the past 10 years?"Tony Araujo: "All of the success and achievements thus far achieved by the Cape Verdean football has been the result of a collective work done by the Cape Verdean football authorities, mainly the President of the Cape Verdean Football Association Mr. Mario Semedo, the Head Coach Joao De Deus and his Assistants such as Lucio Antunes. Also, I have to attribute a lot of this success to FIFA for their continued collaboration, partnership and financial support through their FIFA Goal Program, coaching & referee training and certification among many other financial contributions and support. In addition to that, I have to attribute some of the success to soccer schools and academies like EPIF, administered by the long-time Cape Verdean football pioneer Mr. Jose Ramos Lobo; that was actually the first project of that sort established in the country. Besides, I would like to emphasize the work that Mr. Mario Semedo and his team have done in terms of building top class football facilities throughout the country. Nowadays, it is possible for Cape Verdean footballers to play football on artificial turf throughout the country and that is due to the strong collaboration between FIFA and the Cape Verdean Football authorities. I am pretty sure that CAF and UEFA have helped financed some of the football projects in Cape Verde too. Last but not least, Mr. Joao De Deus, the Portuguese Head Coach for the Cape Verde national team and his Technical team. They have done an amazing job in implementing key changes to the various national team categories, such as the changes in the talent discovery, identification, selection, training, and eventual call-ups for the senior national team. Mr. Joao De Deus and his team create a world class coaching staff."

As I conclude this coverage, it is my duty to thank each and every reader for taking interest in looking deep at Cape Verde's football. Many thanks to Cape Verde-born FIFA Licensed Players' Agent Tony Araujo for his time with me, Angela Asante, LiveSoccerTV.com Soccer Analyst.

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