Was Missouri experience an opportunity lost?

Did the St Vincent and the Grenadines authorities miss out on an opportunity to sell the nation to the people of Missouri and the United States last Friday, during the World Cup qualifying match at the Busch Stadium in St Louis?{{more}}

This is the feeling of Cleophas Cuffy aka Supaeyes (see letter on page 9), who was part of the Vincentian contingent which travelled from the east coast to Missouri to witness the match.

According to Cuffy, despite the warmth received from the people of Missouri, in welcoming them, St Vincent and the Grenadines did not reciprocate.

“Something that was a major disadvantage to us during this epic weekend… Where were our representatives? … Our tourism sector? Representatives from the Football Federation?” he asked.

Looking at the opportunity lost, Cuffy opined, “This weekend was the ideal opportunity for us to create cultural awareness and really put ourselves on the map…. We’re always talking about how to fund-raise more effectively and the various ways in which we could receive help for our soccer team, but here was the perfect opportunity and we did not capitalize on it.”

He recalled, “The people of St Louis were hoping to buy literally anything from and about St Vincent and the Grenadines (T-shirts, bandannas, flags, etc) and we had nothing… People were constantly asking for photos and information about St Vincent and the Grenadines.”

Cuffy is therefore calling on the authorities, “to wake up and learn to work together, so we can recognize these rare opportunities to propel our country and our culture. This is the time for us to really make our island stand out; so, let’s join in solidarity and really put St Vincent on the map!”

Relating to his contingent’s reception, Cuffy noted: “I have never felt as welcomed, loved and appreciated as I did in St Louis … They treated us like kings! They welcomed us with hugs, cheers, drinks, the works! Their kindness was overwhelming. Young, old, male, female – all the people of this beautiful city were genuinely eager to get to know more about our culture and us.”

Expressing similar sentiments was Joanne Legair.

“Because of them (the footballers), millions of people all around the world would now recognize our flag… Regrettably our tourism department missed the opportunity to place a booth outside the stadium.”

On the field, St Vincent and the Grenadines was beaten 6-1 by the USA.(RT)