Frank Sinclair
Encyclopedia
Frank Mohammed Sinclair (born 3 December 1971) is an English
-born Jamaica
n footballer who plays for Hendon
in the Isthmian League
Premier Division.
, joining as an apprentice in April 1988 and turning professional in May 1990. He had a short loan spell at West Bromwich Albion
in the middle of the 1991–92 season
. He impressed on his Albion debut, which came in a 1–1 draw away at Bradford City
on 14 December 1991, but was sent off in his second match for the club two weeks later in another 1–1, this time at Exeter City
, when he was involved in a clash of heads with the referee and later received a hefty fine.
Sinclair returned to Chelsea before the end of the 1991–92 season
and two years later played in the FA Cup final
against Manchester United
, but his foul on Andrei Kanchelskis
in the second half saw him give away a penalty which was scored by Eric Cantona
to force a 2–0 lead for United, and Chelsea went on to lose the game 4–0.
However, Sinclair still had an opportunity to play in European competition the following season
, and helped Chelsea reach the semi-finals of the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup
(they were able to compete in this competition as United had qualified for the European Cup as Premier League champions). He also helped them reach the FA Cup
semi-final the following season
.
He was an FA Cup
winner with Chelsea as they beat Middlesbrough
2–0 in the 1997 final. The following season, Sinclair scored for Chelsea in the League Cup Final
, again over Middlesbrough, in a 2–0 win, but his first team chances were starting to become limited as new manager Gianluca Vialli
built a new team which consisted mostly of continental
stars. He was not in the squad that won the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup that season.
in August 1998, for a fee of £2,000,000. He was part of the team that won the 2000 League Cup
, beating Tranmere Rovers
2–1 at Wembley. During his time with Leicester, Sinclair developed an unfortunate reputation for scoring own goal
s. This was caused initially by two own goals in consecutive weekends in 1999. The first was a great leap at Highbury
to give Arsenal
a 2–1 win. He managed to refrain from putting through his own net against Coventry
the following Wednesday, but then scored another at home to former club Chelsea, where he beat Tore André Flo
to the ball to smash it into his own net and lose Leicester their one goal lead. The importance of these goals was accentuated by the fact that both came in the last minute of the match, and both caused Leicester to drop points, although it wasn't enough to prevent him from remaining a first team regular.
Sinclair was fined two weeks wages by Leicester in September 2001 for his part in an incident at a Heathrow
hotel. Sinclair, along with four Chelsea players, had gone on a five-hour drinking binge
and had stripped off, swore and vomited in front of American tourists just hours after the September 11th terrorist
attacks which killed nearly 3,000 people in America.
In 2002, Sinclair scored the most bizarre of his own goals. After 3 minutes into a game at Middlesbrough, he coolly slotted the ball past keeper Ian Walker in a seemingly laid-back situation. This resulted in a 1–0 defeat for Leicester. This own goal against Middlesbrough was not to be his last for the club. In March 2004, Sinclair and his Leicester City
teammates, Paul Dickov
and Keith Gillespie
were arrested in Spain
over sexual assault charges, while on a training holiday. The charges were later dropped. Leicester released Sinclair at the end of the 2003–2004
season.
on a free transfer. He became an astute Bosman ruling
transfer signing for the Clarets, and made numerous appearances across the defence, impressing throughout both the 2004–05
and 2005–06
campaigns. This culminated in his appointment as club captain, a role he seemed to relish but of which he was relieved for the 2006–07 season
in favour of Wayne Thomas. He scored his first and only Burnley goal in a 2–1 home win against Rotherham United
on 12 March 2005.
On 8 February 2007, he moved to Huddersfield Town on an emergency loan deal. On 24 March, he was sent off against Brighton & Hove Albion
in a match which finished 0–0. Upon his return to Burnley, he was released on a free transfer. Sinclair signed a one year contract at Huddersfield Town on 14 May. He cited manager Andy Ritchie as a reason for staying on: "he's been successful in League One before", he told HTAFC.com. On 6 October 2007, he received his second red card of his short career at the Galpharm Stadium
, in Town's 4–0 drubbing at the hands of Walsall
at the Bescot Stadium
. He received his third during Town's 4–1 defeat by Southend United
at Roots Hall
on 5 December 2007. Huddersfield released Sinclair at the end of his contract in May 2008.
side Lincoln City
on 1 July 2008, reuniting with manager Peter Jackson who originally brought him to Huddersfield Town
. Jackson hailed Sinclair's "determination, his personality and his will to win", and said that both Wycombe Wanderers
and Brighton & Hove Albion
were interested in signing the player.
In March 2009, Sinclair made the surprise move to Wycombe Wanderers on loan from Lincoln City. His presence helped Wycombe to achieve promotion from League Two. In May 2009, he was one of seven players released by Lincoln City.
on November 11, 2011 as a favour to Junior Lewis
.
in their bid to qualify for the 1998 FIFA World Cup
. The other English-born players were Deon Burton
, Marcus Gayle
, Robbie Earle
, Paul Hall
, Fitzroy Simpson
and Darryl Powell
. All seven went on to play in the finals tournament in France. In total, Sinclair appeared 28 times for his country.
Leicester City
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
-born Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
n footballer who plays for Hendon
Hendon F.C.
Hendon Football Club are an English football club based in Hendon, in the London Borough of Barnet. They currently play in the Isthmian League Premier Division.In the 2003-04 season they finished fourth in the Isthmian League Premier Division...
in the Isthmian League
Isthmian League
The Isthmian League is a regional football league covering London and South East England featuring semi-professional and amateur clubs. It is sponsored by Ryman, and therefore officially known as the Ryman League. It was founded in 1905 by amateur clubs in the London area...
Premier Division.
Chelsea
Sinclair started his club career with ChelseaChelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
, joining as an apprentice in April 1988 and turning professional in May 1990. He had a short loan spell at West Bromwich Albion
West Bromwich Albion F.C.
West Bromwich Albion Football Club, also known as West Brom, The Baggies, The Throstles, Albion or WBA, are an English Premier League association football club based in West Bromwich in the West Midlands...
in the middle of the 1991–92 season
1991-92 in English football
- First Division :The last-ever league championship before the creation of the Premier League was won by Leeds United who overhauled Manchester United thanks to the efforts of, among others, Gordon Strachan, Lee Chapman, David Batty, Gary Speed and Gary McAllister...
. He impressed on his Albion debut, which came in a 1–1 draw away at Bradford City
Bradford City A.F.C.
Bradford City Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Bradford, West Yorkshire, playing in League Two....
on 14 December 1991, but was sent off in his second match for the club two weeks later in another 1–1, this time at Exeter City
Exeter City F.C.
Exeter City Football Club is an English football club, based in Exeter, which is owned by its fans through the Exeter City Supporters Trust.The club was a member of the Football League from 1920 to 2003...
, when he was involved in a clash of heads with the referee and later received a hefty fine.
Sinclair returned to Chelsea before the end of the 1991–92 season
1991-92 in English football
- First Division :The last-ever league championship before the creation of the Premier League was won by Leeds United who overhauled Manchester United thanks to the efforts of, among others, Gordon Strachan, Lee Chapman, David Batty, Gary Speed and Gary McAllister...
and two years later played in the FA Cup final
FA Cup Final
The FA Cup Final, commonly referred to in England as just the Cup Final, is the last match in the Football Association Challenge Cup. With an official attendance of 89,826 at the 2007 FA Cup Final, it is the fourth best attended domestic club championship event in the world and the second most...
against Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
, but his foul on Andrei Kanchelskis
Andrei Kanchelskis
Andrei Antanasovich Kanchelskis is a Ukrainian-born Russian football manager and former association footballer who played as a right winger. Kanchelskis is the only player in history to have scored in each of the Glasgow, Merseyside and Manchester local derbies.Currently, he is managing FC...
in the second half saw him give away a penalty which was scored by Eric Cantona
Eric Cantona
Eric Daniel Pierre Cantona is a French actor and former French international footballer. He played for Auxerre, Martigues, Marseille, Bordeaux, Montpellier, Nîmes and Leeds United before ending his professional footballing career at Manchester United, where he won four Premier League titles in...
to force a 2–0 lead for United, and Chelsea went on to lose the game 4–0.
However, Sinclair still had an opportunity to play in European competition the following season
1994-95 in English football
-Premiership:Blackburn Rovers ended their 81-year wait for the league title thanks to the strike partnership of Alan Shearer and Chris Sutton which scored a total of more than 50 league goals. Manchester United would have made it three league titles in a row if they had been able to turn a 1-1 draw...
, and helped Chelsea reach the semi-finals of the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup
UEFA Cup Winners' Cup
The UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was a football club competition contested annually by the most recent winners of all European domestic cup competitions. The cup is one of the many inter-European club competitions that have been organised by UEFA. The first competition was held in the 1960–61 season—but...
(they were able to compete in this competition as United had qualified for the European Cup as Premier League champions). He also helped them reach the FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
semi-final the following season
FA Cup 1995-96
The FA Cup 1995-96 was the 115th staging of the world's oldest cup competition, the Football Association Cup or FA Cup. The competition was won outright by Manchester United, who won the final through an Eric Cantona goal five minutes from the end of the game. It gave Manchester United a league and...
.
He was an FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
winner with Chelsea as they beat Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough F.C.
Middlesbrough Football Club , also known as Boro, are an English football club based in Middlesbrough, who play in the Football League Championship. Formed in 1876, they have played at the Riverside Stadium since August 1995, their third ground since turning professional in 1889...
2–0 in the 1997 final. The following season, Sinclair scored for Chelsea in the League Cup Final
1998 Football League Cup Final
The 1998 Coca-Cola Cup Final was a football match played between Chelsea and Middlesbrough on 29 March 1998 at Wembley Stadium. Chelsea, under new manager Gianluca Vialli, won with two extra time goals and would go on to win the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup later that season...
, again over Middlesbrough, in a 2–0 win, but his first team chances were starting to become limited as new manager Gianluca Vialli
Gianluca Vialli
Gianluca Vialli is an Italian football manager and former player. Since retiring, he has gone into management and punditry and is a commentator for Sky Sport Italia....
built a new team which consisted mostly of continental
Continental Europe
Continental Europe, also referred to as mainland Europe or simply the Continent, is the continent of Europe, explicitly excluding European islands....
stars. He was not in the squad that won the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup that season.
Leicester City
He moved on to Leicester CityLeicester City F.C.
Leicester City Football Club , also known as The Foxes, is an English professional football club based at the King Power Stadium in Leicester...
in August 1998, for a fee of £2,000,000. He was part of the team that won the 2000 League Cup
2000 Football League Cup Final
The 2000 Worthington Cup Final was played between Leicester City, in their third final appearance in four years, and First Division side Tranmere Rovers at Wembley on 27 February 2000...
, beating Tranmere Rovers
Tranmere Rovers F.C.
Tranmere Rovers Football Club are an English team based in Birkenhead, Wirral. The club currently compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system...
2–1 at Wembley. During his time with Leicester, Sinclair developed an unfortunate reputation for scoring own goal
Own goal
An own net occurs in goal-scoring games when a player scores a goal that is registered against his or her own team. It is usually accidental, and may be a result of an attempt at defensive play that failed or was spoiled by opponents....
s. This was caused initially by two own goals in consecutive weekends in 1999. The first was a great leap at Highbury
Arsenal Stadium
Arsenal Stadium was a football stadium in Highbury, North London, which was the home ground of Arsenal Football Club between 6 September 1913 and 7 May 2006...
to give Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
a 2–1 win. He managed to refrain from putting through his own net against Coventry
Coventry City F.C.
Coventry City Football Club, otherwise known as the Sky Blues owing to the traditional colour of their strip, are a professional English Football league club based in Coventry...
the following Wednesday, but then scored another at home to former club Chelsea, where he beat Tore André Flo
Tore André Flo
Tore André Flo is a Norwegian football striker, who plays for the Norwegian club Sogndal. He initially retired after being released by the Milton Keynes Dons in 2009, but announced his comeback in March 2011. His brothers Jostein Flo and Jarle Flo, and cousin Håvard Flo are also professional...
to the ball to smash it into his own net and lose Leicester their one goal lead. The importance of these goals was accentuated by the fact that both came in the last minute of the match, and both caused Leicester to drop points, although it wasn't enough to prevent him from remaining a first team regular.
Sinclair was fined two weeks wages by Leicester in September 2001 for his part in an incident at a Heathrow
London Heathrow Airport
London Heathrow Airport or Heathrow , in the London Borough of Hillingdon, is the busiest airport in the United Kingdom and the third busiest airport in the world in terms of total passenger traffic, handling more international passengers than any other airport around the globe...
hotel. Sinclair, along with four Chelsea players, had gone on a five-hour drinking binge
Binge drinking
Binge drinking or heavy episodic drinking is the modern epithet for drinking alcoholic beverages with the primary intention of becoming intoxicated by heavy consumption of alcohol over a short period of time. It is a kind of purposeful drinking style that is popular in several countries worldwide,...
and had stripped off, swore and vomited in front of American tourists just hours after the September 11th terrorist
Terrorism
Terrorism is the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion. In the international community, however, terrorism has no universally agreed, legally binding, criminal law definition...
attacks which killed nearly 3,000 people in America.
In 2002, Sinclair scored the most bizarre of his own goals. After 3 minutes into a game at Middlesbrough, he coolly slotted the ball past keeper Ian Walker in a seemingly laid-back situation. This resulted in a 1–0 defeat for Leicester. This own goal against Middlesbrough was not to be his last for the club. In March 2004, Sinclair and his Leicester City
Leicester City F.C.
Leicester City Football Club , also known as The Foxes, is an English professional football club based at the King Power Stadium in Leicester...
teammates, Paul Dickov
Paul Dickov
Paul Dickov is a retired Scottish footballer, turned manager who is currently in charge of League One side Oldham Athletic...
and Keith Gillespie
Keith Gillespie
Keith Robert Gillespie is a Northern Irish professional footballer who plays in midfield for Longford Town....
were arrested in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
over sexual assault charges, while on a training holiday. The charges were later dropped. Leicester released Sinclair at the end of the 2003–2004
2003-04 in English football
The 2003-04 season was the 124th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:Arsenal completed the entire campaign without losing a single league game....
season.
Burnley
In June 2004, Sinclair signed for BurnleyBurnley F.C.
Burnley Football Club are a professional English Football League club based in Burnley, Lancashire. Nicknamed the Clarets, due to the dominant colour of their home shirts, they were founder members of the Football League in 1888...
on a free transfer. He became an astute Bosman ruling
Bosman ruling
Union Royale Belge des Sociétés de Football Association ASBL v Jean-Marc Bosman is a 1995 European Court of Justice decision concerning freedom of movement for workers, freedom of association, and direct effect of article 39 of the EC Treaty...
transfer signing for the Clarets, and made numerous appearances across the defence, impressing throughout both the 2004–05
2004-05 in English football
The 2004–05 season was the 125th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:*2004–05 was the first season to feature the rebranded Football League. The First Division, Second Division and Third Division were renamed the Football League Championship, Football League One and Football League...
and 2005–06
2005-06 in English football
The 2005–06 season was the 126th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:*The rebuilt Wembley Stadium was due to open in time for the FA Cup final in May. However, in August 2005, The Football Association reserved the Millennium Stadium as a backup, as there was some doubt whether...
campaigns. This culminated in his appointment as club captain, a role he seemed to relish but of which he was relieved for the 2006–07 season
2006-07 in English football
The 2006–07 season was the 127th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:* The number of divisions at Level 8 of the English football league system increased from four to five...
in favour of Wayne Thomas. He scored his first and only Burnley goal in a 2–1 home win against Rotherham United
Rotherham United F.C.
Rotherham United Football Club are an English professional football club based in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, who compete in League Two, the fourth tier of English football. The club's colours have traditionally been red and white, although these have evolved through history...
on 12 March 2005.
Huddersfield Town
Brighton & Hove Albion F.C.
Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club are an English association football club based in the coastal city of Brighton & Hove, East Sussex. They currently play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system....
in a match which finished 0–0. Upon his return to Burnley, he was released on a free transfer. Sinclair signed a one year contract at Huddersfield Town on 14 May. He cited manager Andy Ritchie as a reason for staying on: "he's been successful in League One before", he told HTAFC.com. On 6 October 2007, he received his second red card of his short career at the Galpharm Stadium
Galpharm Stadium
The Galpharm Stadium, formerly the Alfred McAlpine Stadium, is a multi-use sports in Huddersfield in West Yorkshire, England. Since 1994, it has been the home ground of Huddersfield Town and Super League side, Huddersfield Giants.-The Stadium:...
, in Town's 4–0 drubbing at the hands of Walsall
Walsall F.C.
Walsall Football Club are an English association football club based in Walsall, West Midlands. They currently play in League One. The club was founded in 1888 as Walsall Town Swifts, an amalgamation of Walsall Town F.C. and Walsall Swifts F.C. The club was one of the founder members of the Second...
at the Bescot Stadium
Bescot Stadium
Bescot Stadium, also known as the Banks's Stadium for sponsorship purposes, is the home ground of Walsall Football Club. It was built in 1989-90 by GMI Construction with a reported build cost of £4.5m...
. He received his third during Town's 4–1 defeat by Southend United
Southend United F.C.
Southend United Football Club is an English football club based at Roots Hall Stadium, Prittlewell, Southend-on-Sea, Essex, who play in Football League Two. Their home ground is Roots Hall, and the club plan to move into a new 22,000-seater stadium located at Fossetts Farm.-Stadium:The club has had...
at Roots Hall
Roots Hall
Roots Hall is a multi-use sports stadium in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England, primarily used for football games and is the home of the Football League Two club Southend United. With a capacity of 12,392 Roots Hall is the largest football stadium in Essex, and is the current venue for the final of...
on 5 December 2007. Huddersfield released Sinclair at the end of his contract in May 2008.
Lincoln City
Sinclair signed a one year contract for Football League TwoFootball League Two
Football League Two is the third-highest division of The Football League and fourth-highest division overall in the English football league system....
side Lincoln City
Lincoln City F.C.
Lincoln City Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Lincoln, Lincolnshire. The club are currently members of the Conference National in 2011–12 following relegation from the Football League....
on 1 July 2008, reuniting with manager Peter Jackson who originally brought him to Huddersfield Town
Huddersfield Town F.C.
Huddersfield Town Football Club is an English football club formed in 1908 and based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire. They currently play in League One...
. Jackson hailed Sinclair's "determination, his personality and his will to win", and said that both Wycombe Wanderers
Wycombe Wanderers F.C.
Wycombe Wanderers Football Club is an English professional football team from High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, which has been promoted to Football League One after finishing third in Football League Two in the season 2010–11. The club's nicknames are "The Chairboys" and "The Blues", and they play...
and Brighton & Hove Albion
Brighton & Hove Albion F.C.
Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club are an English association football club based in the coastal city of Brighton & Hove, East Sussex. They currently play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system....
were interested in signing the player.
In March 2009, Sinclair made the surprise move to Wycombe Wanderers on loan from Lincoln City. His presence helped Wycombe to achieve promotion from League Two. In May 2009, he was one of seven players released by Lincoln City.
Wrexham
Both Wycombe and Bury had expressed interest in signing Sinclair for the 2009–10 season, but he eventually signed a one year deal with Wrexham. He played a major role for Wrexham in the 2010/11 season, he played in the play-off semi final against Luton, where Wrexham lost 3-0 in the first leg and 2-1 in the second (5-1). He left the club in July 2011 after failing to agree a new contract on reduced terms.Hendon
Sinclair signed for Hendon F.C.Hendon F.C.
Hendon Football Club are an English football club based in Hendon, in the London Borough of Barnet. They currently play in the Isthmian League Premier Division.In the 2003-04 season they finished fourth in the Isthmian League Premier Division...
on November 11, 2011 as a favour to Junior Lewis
Junior Lewis
Karl Junior Lewis is an English footballer who plays as a midfielder for Isthmian League Premier Division side Hendon where he is also a coach.-Playing career:...
.
International career
Sinclair was one of a group of seven English-born players of Jamaican origin who opted to play for JamaicaJamaica national football team
The Jamaica national football team is the national team of Jamaica and is controlled by the Jamaica Football Federation. After decades in CONCACAF obscurity, they gained many fans throughout the world after they qualified for the 1998 FIFA World Cup...
in their bid to qualify for the 1998 FIFA World Cup
1998 FIFA World Cup
The 1998 FIFA World Cup, the 16th FIFA World Cup, was held in France from 10 June to 12 July 1998. France was chosen as host nation by FIFA on 2 July 1992. The tournament was won by France, who beat Brazil 3-0 in the final...
. The other English-born players were Deon Burton
Deon Burton
Deon John Burton is a Jamaican-British football striker who currently plays for Gabala.-Early career:...
, Marcus Gayle
Marcus Gayle
Marcus Anthony Gayle is an English born Jamaican former professional footballer who played as a striker or winger, though towards the end of his career he also played as a central defender...
, Robbie Earle
Robbie Earle
Robert Fitzgerald "Robbie" Earle MBE is an English-born Jamaican former international footballer who played as a midfielder. He played 578 league games in senior club football, scoring 136 goals....
, Paul Hall
Paul Hall (footballer)
Paul Anthony Hall , is a retired English-born Jamaican international footballer. He is currently a coach at Conference National side Tamworth, during his career, Hall was a striker who could also play on the right wing....
, Fitzroy Simpson
Fitzroy Simpson
Fitzroy Simpson is a former professional English-born Jamaican footballer. He was a midfielder, but also played frequently as a left back....
and Darryl Powell
Darryl Powell
Darryl Anthony Powell is an English-born former professional footballer who made more than 350 appearances in the Football League and Premier League and played international football for the Jamaican national team...
. All seven went on to play in the finals tournament in France. In total, Sinclair appeared 28 times for his country.
Honours
Chelsea- FA CupFA CupThe Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
: 1996–97 - League CupFootball League CupThe Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
: 1997–98
Leicester City
- League CupFootball League CupThe Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
: 1999-00