|
 Trinidad and Tobago's performance in a 0-0 draw with Guadeloupe in an international friendly on Ash Wednesday at the Queen's Park Oval, Port of Spain, drew little praise from local fans.
And T&T Football Federation special adviser Jack Warner was bitterly "disappointed" with the showing, to say the least, the Sunday Express reported.
"I was very disappointed. It was a most disappointing game for me," Warner told the media yesterday when quizzed about his impression of the match. "When you bring back some of the top players you expect them to perform [better than that]."
Warner was speaking at the Courtyard Marriott Hotel during the launch of the T&T leg of the three-day Digicel Kick Start Football Clinic, which features former England international John Barnes.
"I said to my friends who were with me," Warner recounted, "Thank God it was Guadeloupe. If it was Jamaica, we would have been in trouble."
The FIFA vice-president added that he was even forced to apologise to newly-appointed interim national coach, Colombian Francisco Maturana, after the poor showing on Wednesday, which he described as an "aberration".
Warner did not single out any player, but criticised the foreign-based footballers, many of whom were blacklisted last year over a compensation dispute with the T&TFF over bonus money generated by the T&T Soca Warriors qualification for the 2006 World Cup in Germany.
"At the end of the day, there is no substitute for hard work," Warner emphasised. "You could talk whatever 'big bucks' you want, you could talk whatever football organisation you want, whether you are a trade union or not. At the end of the day, you judge how you play on the field, and we as a country have been disappointed by the performance."
Warner said details on the friendly match being negotiated between T&T and England to celebrate the T&TFF's centenary would be released towards the end of March, adding that a miracle was needed to get T&T in shape for their next game, against Jamaica in Kingston next month.
"I could only hope that between now and March 26, some miracle takes place that makes the team perform better," he remarked grimly.
But Warner still expressed confidence T&T can qualify for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, although the team have been pushed off track by certain "irritants", principal among which are the negotiations with the players over their World Cup pay packages.
"Once those irritants have been solved," Warner asserted, "we can go on to qualify."
Digicel kick starts coaching clinic in Trinidad
Digicel Kick Start Clinic head coach, John Barnes, a former Watford, Liverpool and England star, has stated that when it comes to digging up new football talent, the Caribbean region is being viewed as the next Africa for developing players.
Barnes, was speaking at the launch of the T&T leg of the Digicel Kick Start Clinic at the Courtyard Marriott Hotel, Invaders Bay, Audrey Jeffers Highway, Mucurapo, yesterday.
Looking as fit as he was in his glory days for Liverpool, Barnes said that this should be the beginning of the large export of talented players from the Caribbean to Europe.
“It is already known that players of the Caribbean have the talent, but once they are put into the right environment and giving the encouragement and experience, there is no telling how good they can get,” said Barnes.
Referring to some of world’s top players who have Caribbean roots or were born in the Caribbean, Barnes noted that Frank Rijkard, Ruud Gullit, Edgar Davids and Clarence Seedorf all have Suriname roots.
However he questioned had they stayed in Suriname if they would have reached the level they have.
He added, “Sol Campbell, Rio Ferdinand also have Caribbean roots, but without moving to Europe I doubted very much they would be where they are today in the sport.”
With regards to the future of Caribbean football, Barnes indicated that he would like to see relationships emerge between countries in Europe with the region just as countries like France, Holland and Belgium have formed relationships with African countries.
“It will be very nice to see England develop a better relationship with its fellow Commonwealth countries in the sport of football.”
Barnes, who is in T&T as part of a three-day Digicel Clinics which began at the Marvin Lee Stadium, Macoya yesterday and ends tomorrow, warned young players that success does not come overnight as their was no magic formula.
“Hard work is the only way for you to get to the top. You must also have the right work ethic and discipline allied with the natural.”
Over the next three days, the ex-Liverpool winger said he was eagerly looking forward to working with the local coaches and the Under-20 players.
With regards to the three-day clinic, members of the national Under- 20 team who has been preparing since the launch at the beginning of January have a chance to become one of the six footballers from around the Caribbean chosen by Barnes and the national coaches of each country visited, to travel to Premier League club, Sunderland to spend one week’s training with the club’s Academy of Light.
The national Under-20 coach, Zoran Varnes, said of the upcoming clinics, “The whole team has been looking forward to the Digicel Clinics and has been training very hard to use this opportunity to improve their football skills and hopefully be one of the chosen six to go to Sunderland.
“We have a wealth of talented young footballers in T&T who will be the next generation of Soca Warriors and hopefully compete in a future World Cup.”
The clinic continue today from 10 am to 2 pm. On the third day, the winner of the Digicel text competition, Joe Public FC Under-20 team will get the chance to spend the third day of the clinic training with Barnes, followed by a life-coaching seminar.
The clinics conclude with a friendly match between the Joe Public Under-20 Pro League team and the T&T Under- 20 team.
To choose the winning Under-20 Pro League team, persons needed to text 6474 and the name of their favourite team to enter the competition. (Feb 9, 2008)
|
