The 2024 edition of the David “Wagga” Hunt Football Classic is set to kick off this Saturday, August 17, at the UWI Mona Bowl, promising an afternoon of thrilling football action and a celebration of legacy. The event, now in its 14th year, will feature three highly anticipated matchups that highlight the enduring impact of David "Wagga" Hunt on Jamaican football and his commitment to youth development.
The day’s activities will begin at 2:00 PM with a clash between the UWI Pelicans and St. Georges Masters, setting the stage for what promises to be an action-packed event. Following this, the home team August Town, representing the Super League, will face off against Premier League giants Harbour View. The excitement will reach its peak with the feature match at 4:30 PM, as Kingston College takes on their long-time rivals, Calabar High School, in a preseason classic that is sure to ignite the competitive spirit of both teams.
The David "Wagga" Hunt Football Classic is more than just a series of football matches; it is a tribute to the late David “Wagga” Hunt, a revered figure in Jamaican football. Hunt, an alumnus of Kingston College, is best remembered for his transformative work at Calabar High School, where he revived the football program and led the team to its first Manning Cup and Olivier Shield titles in 28 years in 2005. His mantra, “We can be rivals, not enemies,” exemplified the sportsmanship and unity he championed throughout his career. Since his untimely passing in 2007, the Classic has served as a platform to preserve his legacy and continue his mission of empowering youth through sport.
The Football Classic is a crucial event for the David “Wagga” Hunt Foundation, which was established in 2008 by Hunt’s family and friends to support needy students from Kingston College and Calabar High School. The Foundation’s scholarship program, which began in 2009, awards two grade eight students from each school with a scholarship valued at J$150,000.00 annually, covering books, lunch, and other related expenses through to grade 13. Over the years, the Foundation has awarded 46 scholarships totaling J$22.4 million, along with an additional J$4 million in direct support to the schools. Each scholarship recipient also receives a computer to aid in their studies. Selection criteria for the scholarships include financial need, academic performance, participation in sports or extracurricular activities, attendance, deportment, and discipline, ensuring that the recipients embody the values that Hunt held dear.
The Football Classic is part of a trio of events organized by the David “Wagga” Hunt Foundation each year, alongside the prestigious Red Carpet Fundraising Ball in Washington, D.C., and the Annual Scholarship Awards ceremony in Jamaica. Christopher Hunt, David’s brother, spearheads the Foundation’s efforts from Washington, leading the Diaspora team behind the Red Carpet Ball. Meanwhile, the Jamaica Organizing Team, led by Co‐Chair Arnold “Dullo” McDonald, oversees the Football Classic and the Scholarship Awards Ceremony, ensuring the smooth execution of these significant events.
Corporate sponsorship has played a vital role in sustaining the David “Wagga” Hunt Foundation’s mission, with Victoria Mutual being a steadfast supporter since the Foundation’s inception. Other key sponsors include Supreme Ventures Limited, Proven Wealth Management, Grace Foods USA, and the Gibson McCook Relays Committee, along with numerous other corporate and individual donors who contribute to the ongoing funding of the scholarships.
As the 2024 David “Wagga” Hunt Football Classic approaches, anticipation is building for what promises to be a day filled with competitive football, camaraderie, and a reaffirmation of the values that David Hunt championed throughout his life. The event not only honors his legacy but also continues to provide critical support to the next generation of Jamaican students, ensuring that Hunt’s impact on the lives of young people endures for years to come.
Ten Hag looking to take Community Shield positives into Premier League opener
Erik ten Hag wants his Manchester United squad to use their Community Shield loss to Manchester City as motivation against Fulham in Friday's Premier League opener.
Ten Hag's team almost started the season with another trophy, but fell to defeat in a penalty shootout at Wembley after Alejandro Garnacho's strike had given them the lead.
Bernardo Silva levelled late on for Pep Guardiola's City side, with Manuel Akanji scoring the decisive spot-kick after Jonny Evans' miss from 12 yards.
“We are disappointed," Ten Hag said. "We have to feel the pain and everyone feels the pain. That's a good signal, but I also see some positives.
“We performed well, we could've won that game, we were twice leading in the game and in the penalties, but we lost, and we're disappointed. But we take the positives.”
The Red Devils have since bolstered their defensive ranks, with Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui joining from Bayern Munich, but they will be without the injured Luke Shaw.
It was confirmed on Tuesday that the full-back will miss the start of the season after sustaining a calf injury in pre-season training.
For Fulham, they will be hopeful of maintaining their impressive opening day form, having lost their first Premier League match in just two of their last nine seasons (four wins, three draws).
Marco Silva's tenure has featured a promotion and two comfortable campaigns in the top flight, and they have regenerated their squad in the transfer window after losing star midfielder Joao Palhinha to Bayern Munich.
Emile Smith Rowe and Ryan Sessegnon's arrivals have improved their forward line, and they will be confident of starting the season strongly at Old Trafford.
The Cottagers prevailed on their last visit to M16, winning 2-1 back in February, but captain Tom Cairney acknowledged a stern challenge awaits them.
“For the quality of their squad, you could argue they’ve been a little bit hit and miss,” Cairney said. “It was amazing for them to win the trophy at the end of last season.
“If they’re on, if they’re firing on all cylinders, it’s a tough night for us.
"They’ve got quality throughout the squad, Champions League winners, but Marco will definitely gear us up to go there and try and win."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Manchester United - Bruno Fernandes
In the absence of Rasmus Hojlund, United will look towards the attacking talents of captain Bruno Fernandes to provide that creative spark in the final third.
Fernandes finished as the Red Devils' joint-top scorer in the Premier League last season with 10 goals in 35 appearances, while also creating more chances in the division than any other player (114).
The United captain has scored four times against Fulham in his seven games against them in all competitions, only scoring more against Everton (five), Leeds (six) and Aston Villa (seven) of the English sides he has faced.
Fulham - Emile Smith Rowe
All eyes will be on Fulham new boy Smith Rowe following his £34million switch from Arsenal, with the possibility of joining a select few players should he find the target.
Smith Rowe scored on his only Premier League start against United at Old Trafford in a 3-2 defeat during his time with Arsenal in December 2021.
Only Darren Bent (Fulham and Tottenham), Emmanuel Adebayor (Arsenal and Tottenham) and Frank Lampard (Chelsea and West Ham) have scored away against the Red Devils with two different London clubs in the Premier League.
MATCH PREDICTION: MANCHESTER UNITED WIN
United have lost just four of their 34 Premier League meetings with Fulham (24 wins, six draws), but one of those came in their most recent encounter back in February.
Ten Hag's side have struggled versus sides from the capital, losing their last three home games against teams from London. Should Fulham emerge victorious, it will be the first time since a run of five between December 1985 and September 1986 that United have lost four consecutive games against London clubs.
But the Red Devils start their campaign in front of their home supporters for the eighth season in a row, becoming the first in Premier League history to start a season with a home game in eight seasons consecutively.
Fulham, however, will be out to cause an upset. They won two of their final three Premier League away games last season (one draw), as many as they managed in their first 16 on the road in 2023-24 (five draws, nine defeats).
Following their victory in Manchester in February, Fulham are looking to win on consecutive league visits to United for the first time. They’ve faced them at Old Trafford in their opening league match three times previously, losing all three (0-1 in 1950-51, 2-3 in 2001-02 and 1-5 in 2006-07).
And there is no better man to lead them out than Silva, who is unbeaten in his last nine opening day matches (three wins, six draws), with his last such defeat coming in the Primeira Liga with Estoril in 2012-13 (1-2 v Olhanense).
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Manchester United - 58.5%
Draw - 20.9%
Fulham - 20.6%
'We all know that' - Fonseca confirms AC Milan interest in Fofana
AC Milan head coach Paulo Fonseca has confirmed that Youssouf Fofana is the club's primary target this transfer window.
Since taking over the Rossoneri last month, the 51-year-old has made three signings, welcoming Alvaro Morata, Strahinja Pavlovic and Emerson Royal to the club. However, they have yet to bring in a midfielder.
Milan have reportedly been in talks with Monaco as they aim to come to an agreement for the Frenchman, who has impressed since joining them in 2020.
He played 32 games in Ligue 1 last season, creating the second-most chances (40) among midfielders while also completing the most passes (1444).
And when asked about Milan's transfer plans in midfield, Fonseca gave a very succinct answer: "It's Fofana, we all know that."
Fonseca is also keen to keep hold of returning talent, with Alexis Saelemaekers back after a successful loan spell at Bologna last season as he helped them secure Champions League football.
He scored in their final pre-season game against Monza on Tuesday, and his head coach was pleased with his performance.
"He can play well in different roles. He works hard defensively, and he can do important things up front," Fonseca said. "I really like him, and I hope he stays."
Meanwhile, Rafael Leao had a mixed season for Milan last year as he only scored nine goals, his lowest tally for three years, but provided nine assists.
Often pulled up for not being willing to track back for his defensive duties, Leao has been backed by his new boss to show a different side when the new season gets underway.
"He seems more open to playing for the team. We work well together and always chat," Fonseca added. "I don't know if he will be better or worse than last season, but surely he'll be a different player."
Slot hoping to find balance between chaos and possession against Ipswich
Arne Slot is hoping to strike the right balance between "chaos and possession" ahead of his first Premier League encounter against Ipswich Town on Saturday.
Slot arrived as Jurgen Klopp's successor in June, and a seemingly improbable task has proved to be a seamless transition given their pre-season results.
The Reds won four of their five fixtures ahead of the new campaign, but Slot is still aiming to find the perfect blend just two months into his Anfield tenure.
"Style of play has been with my teams where I worked, I think, always the same," Slot said. "There are a lot of similarities with Jurgen Klopp, with the way they played in the past, and I'm hoping we will see these similarities in the upcoming weeks and months.
"We like to have the ball, we don't like the other team to have the ball, but the Premier League is a league where many good clubs are and many clubs want to have the ball.
"And if we have it, we want to score, we want to be intense in everything we do. If we have the ball, we want to score – that's quite simple, of course!
"But it sometimes also depends on the players you have. I think we're trying to find the balance between trying to create chaos at certain moments and trying to keep possession of the ball."
Meanwhile, Ipswich arrive back in the Premier League 22 years after their relegation was confirmed against the same opponents they will face upon their return.
The Tractor Boys confirmed back-to-back promotions last season, pipped to the Championship title by Leicester City in Kieran McKenna's second season at the helm.
Ipswich scored 19 goals from set-pieces last campaign, a total only bettered by Cardiff (21), something McKenna believes will be crucial in remaining in the division.
"I've spoken lots about how we're going to have to try and keep our identity but adapt, and we're not going to be able to open up the game as much every minute of every game pretty much like we did last season," McKenna said.
"We're going to have to find times to do that and find time to keep the game a little bit more closed, and also we're going to get fewer set pieces.
“So it's going to be of the utmost importance to be even more efficient with them, and we're going to defend more, so we're going to have to be even more resilient against our set plays."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Ipswich - Omari Hutchinson
After starring on loan for Ipswich last season, Omari Hutchinson secured a permanent move to Portman Road from Chelsea at the beginning of the transfer window.
Hutchinson registered 16 goal involvements in 44 Championship appearances last season (10 goals and six assists), a total only bettered by Leif Davies (20) and Conor Chaplin (21) in the Ipswich squad.
He has previously played three times against Liverpool's Under-21 side and remains winless against them (D1 L2), but has the opportunity to upset the odds this time around.
Liverpool - Mohamed Salah
As Mohamed Salah embarks on his eighth season with the Reds, he will be hopeful of adding the Tractor Boys to the list of Premier League outfits he has scored against.
No player in Premier League history has scored more goals on matchday one than Salah (eight, level with Alan Shearer, Frank Lampard and Wayne Rooney).
Only Rooney's total of 13 goal involvements (eight goals and five assists) is more than the Egyptian's tally on the opening day of the season (eight goals and four assists).
MATCH PREDICTION: LIVERPOOL WIN
Slot will be hoping for a winning start in Suffolk, with the omens in his favour as Liverpool have never lost at Portman Road (P5 W3 D2), playing more games there without losing than any other ground in the Premier League.
Ipswich will also be the fifth newly promoted side the Reds have faced in the last six seasons (W3 D1), with the last time Liverpool lost on the opening day coming in a 3-0 defeat to West Brom in 2012-13 in Brendan Rodgers' first game in charge.
However, only one of the eight managers to take charge of the Reds in the Premier League has won their first such game (D4 L3), with Gerard Houllier the last to do so against Southampton while jointly in charge with Roy Evans in August 1998.
The Tractor Boys boast an impressive matchday one record of their own, going unbeaten in their last 10 (W6 D4) since a 2-1 defeat to Reading in 2013-14.
Last season, only Stockport County (96) and Manchester City (96) scored more league goals than Ipswich in England's top four tiers last year, and since McKenna's arrival at Portman Road in December 2021, only City (239) have scored more league goals than the Tractor Boys (222).
And while Ipswich finally ended their 22-year wait for a return to the Premier League, they will want to get one over their opponents. Their most recent top-flight fixture was against Liverpool in May 2002, losing 5-0 to confirm their relegation to the second tier.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Ipswich - 15%
Draw - 17.9%
Liverpool - 67.1%
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