Former national great Leroy DeLeon, not one known for mincing his words in the past, found reason to compliment the T&T Football Association (TTFA) for some of its development work when he attended the recent Youth football community clinic in Point Fortin on the weekend.
DeLeon, a past standout player for the national men’s team as well as Washington Darts in the North American Soccer League, feels that the efforts being made by the local governing body could bear fruit in the future.
“I’ve seen some good things happening. These kind of clinics are important and I know it takes effort. I see Chevrolet as the sponsor and I must say thanks to them and the president Raymond Tim Kee for following through with these initiatives. I see a lot of good things happening and hopefully this can bring us some reward in the future,” he said.
DeLeon, now attached to Point Fortin Civic Centre’s Pro League outfit, said he would be willing to assist the development of the game.
“I don’t want to be involved with the national senior team but if anyone’s listening, I am definitely available to offer my support in whatever area possible. I see Mr Hart doing some good things with the team and I’m happy about that but I want to see our football continue to grow and I’ll be happy to assist wherever I can.”
DeLeon said, though, he was not accepting excuses.
“Sometimes I listen to the comments made by the coaches after some of these games and I don’t like what I hear. I wish I could have them all in a forum to discuss a few things. When we don’t play well and we lose there must be reasons for that and not excuses.
I look back at the women’s team recently where they lost 7-3 after being ahead and then I heard excuses about fitness. That should never be the case. You cannot go into a tournament and then say you were not fit enough to finish a game on top.