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Bennett ‘happy’ with Angolan club deal
BY PAUL A REID Observer Writer
reidp@jamaicaobserver.com
FALMOUTH, Trelawny — National striker Teofore Bennett says he is “very happy and contended” with the three-year deal he signed with Angolan Premier Division club Petro Atletico Luanda last week.
Bennett, who returned to the island last Wednesday after a nearly one-week stay in the African country where he underwent a medical test before signing what he said was the best contract he has ever been offered as a professional, said he is ready to take on what he expects will be a challenge.
The 27-year-old, who played in the Swedish Division One the last season and-a-half with Osters IF, is due to leave the island in early January to start his contract for the club that won has won 25 titles in 22 years, including the Angolan league title 13 times between 1982 and 2001, eight Cup titles between 1987 and 2002, and four Angolan Super Cups between 1988 and 2002.
A man with a mind inclined towards business and a budding promoter, Bennett hosted the annual ‘Gangster Party’ stage show in his Samuel Prospect neighbourhood in Trelawny last weekend.
He told the Observer he was “overwhelmed” by the reception he got in the African country, as he said they went the extra mile to make him welcome and said his accommodation and personal terms are very comfortable.
He admitted that at first he was going there for the money as it was the best of three deals he had been offered — the other two being in Europe — but said his welcome in Angola was above expectations.
When asked about the reactions of fans to his move from Europe to Africa, his answer was swift and uncompromising.
“People can say anything. Football is business. I am doing this for my family and me. I am now 27 years old and I must look for the best deal for myself,” he said.
He said the owners of the club was one of the biggest oil companies in Africa and they were in the process of putting together a team that they hoped to be competitive in the African Champions Cup that starts in February, before the domestic competition.
Bennett said too many Jamaicans still hold the notion of an uncivilised Africa, adding that what he saw in Luanda was a modern society with all the amenities he was accustomed to in Europe.
When asked about his new Rastafarian look with full dreadlocks and beard, he explained that he was “born into a Rasta family. My father and mother are both Rastas, so this is natural for me,” he said.
He explained that his name at birth was actually Tafari after the late Ethiopian Emperor Haile Sellasie.
The former Cedric Titus High student played for Village United in the National Premier League before moving to the United Soccer Leagues (USL) Second Division Harrisburg City Islanders, then to Osters in Sweden before his move to Petro Atletico.
He thus becomes the first Jamaican player to sign a professional contract with an African club and will be eligible to represent Petro Atletico in the African Champions League, which gets underway in January.
Bennett last played for the national team in November last year against Peru at the National Stadium after scoring against the United States in a friendly played in South Carolina.
BY PAUL A REID Observer Writer
reidp@jamaicaobserver.com
FALMOUTH, Trelawny — National striker Teofore Bennett says he is “very happy and contended” with the three-year deal he signed with Angolan Premier Division club Petro Atletico Luanda last week.
Bennett, who returned to the island last Wednesday after a nearly one-week stay in the African country where he underwent a medical test before signing what he said was the best contract he has ever been offered as a professional, said he is ready to take on what he expects will be a challenge.
The 27-year-old, who played in the Swedish Division One the last season and-a-half with Osters IF, is due to leave the island in early January to start his contract for the club that won has won 25 titles in 22 years, including the Angolan league title 13 times between 1982 and 2001, eight Cup titles between 1987 and 2002, and four Angolan Super Cups between 1988 and 2002.
A man with a mind inclined towards business and a budding promoter, Bennett hosted the annual ‘Gangster Party’ stage show in his Samuel Prospect neighbourhood in Trelawny last weekend.
He told the Observer he was “overwhelmed” by the reception he got in the African country, as he said they went the extra mile to make him welcome and said his accommodation and personal terms are very comfortable.
He admitted that at first he was going there for the money as it was the best of three deals he had been offered — the other two being in Europe — but said his welcome in Angola was above expectations.
When asked about the reactions of fans to his move from Europe to Africa, his answer was swift and uncompromising.
“People can say anything. Football is business. I am doing this for my family and me. I am now 27 years old and I must look for the best deal for myself,” he said.
He said the owners of the club was one of the biggest oil companies in Africa and they were in the process of putting together a team that they hoped to be competitive in the African Champions Cup that starts in February, before the domestic competition.
Bennett said too many Jamaicans still hold the notion of an uncivilised Africa, adding that what he saw in Luanda was a modern society with all the amenities he was accustomed to in Europe.
When asked about his new Rastafarian look with full dreadlocks and beard, he explained that he was “born into a Rasta family. My father and mother are both Rastas, so this is natural for me,” he said.
He explained that his name at birth was actually Tafari after the late Ethiopian Emperor Haile Sellasie.
The former Cedric Titus High student played for Village United in the National Premier League before moving to the United Soccer Leagues (USL) Second Division Harrisburg City Islanders, then to Osters in Sweden before his move to Petro Atletico.
He thus becomes the first Jamaican player to sign a professional contract with an African club and will be eligible to represent Petro Atletico in the African Champions League, which gets underway in January.
Bennett last played for the national team in November last year against Peru at the National Stadium after scoring against the United States in a friendly played in South Carolina.
Paul Marin -19 is one thing, 20 is a whole other matter. It gets even worse if they win the UCL. *groan*. 
05/18/2011.MU fans naah cough, but all a unuh a vomit?-Lazie 1/11/2015
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