Bermuda soccer legend Clyde Best believes next week?s Santos tour ?can only do good for soccer here?
Best?s company Setplay is behind the Brazilian champions
three-game tour and the former West Ham star is already getting excited about the arrival of the internationally-acclaimed side
?We have been contemplating doing something like this for a while,
who played against Pele?s former club in New York in the 1970s when with West Ham
?Bringing a top footballing side to Bermuda is going to be good for everyone
for the players and for the game in general
?It will expose our players to a very high standard of play and hopefully bring the sport forward.
Santos will arrive next Friday and take on Kyle Lightbourne?s side on Sunday at the National Stadium in their first encounter
They will then move on to Somerset Cricket Club for games against Dandy Town on the following Tuesday before rounding off their Island stay against a League Select XI
comprising players from both the Premier and First Division
managed by Andrew Bascome and Dennis Brown
who won their domestic championship last month for the second year in a row
will be travelling without star striker Robinho
who hit the headlines after his mother was kidnapped for 40 days last year
?Robinho had a lot of problems last season with what happened to his mother and won?t be coming,
?They are bringing a mixture of first-team players and juniors but these are Brazilians
and we all know how skilful and entertaining they all are
Any player connected with a club like Santos is going to be a great player and they will put on a great show in Bermuda
?It will be good for all of our players to play against guys at this level
they will definitely be able to learn something from our visitors.
Manchester United and Chelsea?s visits here in the past
is keen for the Santos tour not to be just a one-off
?The more often we can bring in top-class opposition
?Our players don?t get the chance to compete against these sort of players very often and I think they can really benefit from it
?We have a lot of irons in the fire all over the world and there will be other tours in the future
Bermuda Football Association general secretary David Sabir also added his backing to the Santos tour
?It is another fantastic opportunity to experience international football in Bermuda,
?We also commend the group led by Clyde Best for taking the initiative and looking out for the best interests of the sport in Bermuda
?The matches are an important part of our national programme and our ongoing aim to make Bermuda a footballing force to be reckoned with in the Caribbean
?We all agree that the only way we can get better
is continued exposure to international matches and we are delighted with the Santos tour and another chance to gain the experience that our players deserve
Which of the Throne Speech promises is the Government best equipped to deliver on
View Results