Sunday, 20 April 2014

Voice readers split over Usain Bolt’s football dream

So the fastest man in the world wants to, excuse the pun, bolt from his sport to play in the world's pre-eminent football tournament, the World Cup.

Sounds insane? Don't blink an eye and hold the phone.

Usain Bolt said he wanted to play for Manchester United after taking the podium in 2012 with gold medals dangling around his neck. And now, a Jamaican newspaper reports, Jamaican Football Federation team coach Winfried Schafer is clamoring for Bolt to be part of the Jamaican soccer men's 2018 World Cup team.
The Voice asked its readers if they think the 27-year-old Jamaican should trade his track shoes for football cleats.



More than 60 percent of respondents said Bolt should keep working at being faster than the speed of light and stay in track and field. Of those who answered the poll, 41 percent said Bolt should not attempt to switch sports. Another 20 percent were adamant and said Bolt should not play football for Jamaica.
When asked what Bolt should do, 39 percent said the Olympic gold-medal winner should play for the Reggae Boyz.

The 2018 World Cup is far off, and the 2014 World Cup champion still needs to be crowned later this year. What Bolt does is anyone's guess but if a recent picture is any indication, expect to see him racing up the pitch in 2018.
Bolt sent the Jamaican Star a Photoshopped image of himself wearing a Jamaican Football Federation uniform with the caption: "Anything's Possible."
The question that needs to be answered is if the sprinter is actually good enough to compete at the level that World Cup footballers compete at? As an athlete who strives to be the best in his field, and Bolt certainly is that, will he be happy if his football skills are less than his opponents?

Bolt has said that he is an accomplished player and at 6-foot, 5-inches he has the build to be a threat on the pitch. And Schafer cannot wait to get Bolt into training camp.
"We can make him better," Schafer told the Jamaican newspaper, The Gleaner. "When he has good training with our team here in Jamaica, we can make him a very good player. He's very fast, that's clear, but when he learns with the ball then he'll be one of the best players."
But even before thinking about playing with the Jamaican soccer men at the 2018 World Cup, Bolt has the 2016 Olympics to consider.

"Maybe after the Olympics in Brazil (2016), I want to see him in our team," Schafer said. "That is what I want to tell him. I hope he wants to play for his country."