Sorry for my prolonged absence. As you can imagine, a lot has happened since my last blog; most of which contributed to my literal silence.
So let me and try to get you up to speed. There was a levy, a movie, carnival, a death, a birthday and, somewhere in between that, a so-called firing.
Let me start by saying that taking chairs, tables, trophies and so on from the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation’s (TTFF) office was the worse day in football for me.
How did we get to this point?
We went from qualifying for a senior World Cup in 2006 to being not only knocked out by Guyana from the Brazil 2014 World Cup but also bankrupt.
I know most fingers point to one man and his dog but, as much as he deserves the bulk of the blame, there are many others than can share that prize. Let’s face it; this empire was not built in a day and surely wasn’t solely one man’s doing.
So who helped build this empire?
Well, just look around.
Many ask why such a small country has such high crime, corruption and every other ill that seems to maim any progressive seeking society. But we are a very selfish society.
I mean, let's face it; if your house is on fire and my house is out of harm's way, then don't expect me to pick up a bucket much less a hose. That is that kind of thinking that creates a breeding ground for the type of empire I am referring to.
The "Soca Warriors" were greeted by hundreds of thousands when we landed at Piarco in June 2006 and lauded as heroes and chased around for autographs. But where did those fans disappear to during our six-year battle?
Even our Prime Minister ignored two letters we wrote her that asked not for money but transparency. She used that word, "transparency", throughout her election campaign and, even as Prime Minister, she was happy to fight for Jamaican Chris Gayle over his plight with West Indies' cricket.
So why is she mum on her the plight of her Chaconia gold medal winners?
The silence is deafening. And, speaking of silence, another major component of the empire is our media.
The majority of the media in this country failed not just the 13 Warriors but the entire footballing nation. The media's job is not to be opinionated but to seek and report the facts of any story, no matter the race, religion or economic status of the personality involved or even if the person names a dish after you.
Your job is to report the facts to the citizens of this country and to not be biased.
We were so desperate to get the facts to the people that we tried to pay for a full page advertisement in the Trinidad Express. They turned us down on the grounds that our statement, in their opinion, was not factual.
On the same weekend that newspaper printed a full page ad for the one man and his dog who won the internal UNC elections by an overwhelming margin.
The empire cannot be complete without loyal soldiers. Soldiers who would put their necks on the line by signing on as the sole proprietor of a crooked business or who are always ready to tell the man and his dog how great they are while sharing the coldest glass of Johnny Walker and coconut water.
Soldiers that said, during our levying, that "allyuh players too selfish, allyuh ain't care about the Olympic team and the girls' team."
These were the same soldiers that turned their backs when the one man and his dog misappropriated over $100 million of taxpayers' money.
Now that the empire has run its course, one man and his dog could walk off without batting an eyelid.
As he leaves, he posts an ad in the Trinidad Express: "Old empire for sale, owner left to build new one in the government."