Trinidad and Tobago can now have the services of English-born Bolton Wanderers striker Ricky Shakes after the player was granted his Trinidad and Tobago passport on Tuesday.
FIFA Vice President and Special Adviser to the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation Jack Warner thanked Joseph for his input, adding that he hopes that the application for Brazilian-born player Jose Luis Seabra for citizenship will also be dealt with similarly.
“On behalf of the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation and on my own behalf, in my capacity as Special Adviser, I do hereby wish to thank Senator Martin Joseph, Minister of National Security, in particular, and the Trinidad and Tobago Government, in general, for having issued a Trinidad and Tobago passport to Mr Shakes today. He is therefore now eligible to represent Trinidad and Tobago at the World Cup senior and under 20 level, with immediate effect,” Warner stated.
“It is my hope that the application for Mr Jose Luis Seabra for citizenship will be dealt with expeditiously as well, in the interest of football in Trinidad and Tobago.
“Having arrived from FIFA meetings in Zurich only last night, news of the outcome of Mr Shakes’ application reached me upon my return today from the rainbow funeral of Mr Peter Stone. He was truly a friend of football. Mr Stone helped people from all walks of life and it is my hope that more of our citizens would try to emulate his example not only at this time of year but in their daily lives,” Warner added.
Shakes’ mother Leonora, who also received her T&T passport and now lives in London, met with Warner on Tuesday evening but the player was unable to as he was in training with the National Under 20 team at the Ato Boldon Stadium and he will train with the Senior Team at the same venue on Wednesday morning before departing for London in the evening.
”I am very pleased that he got his passport and can now help Trinidad and Tobago in their football. I know for sure he will be looking forward to just giving his best efforts on the football field for the country. I haven’t been here in six years and I never thought we would get the chance to come home through football. I always knew he wanted to play because since the age of nine he had been saying ‘Mom you know one day I would like the chance to play for Trinidad and Tobago.’ Now he finally has gotten that chance and we are truly delighted about that. We would also want to thank the football authorities for their appreciation and assistance they have given to us,” Shakes’ mother Leonora said. Shakes too was thrilled to have his T&T passport.
“I think it’s the first step to a lot of other better things to follow hopefully and it’s in a way a very important Christmas present for me as well. So once I can get into the team and make a valuable contribution then I’ll be even more pleased,” Shakes told TTFF Media.
Meantime, Trinidad and Tobago’s Under 20 footballers will continue their preparations for next month’s CONCACAF final Under 20 qualifying phase with a day of training on the Manzanilla Beach on Wednesday.
Coach Anton Corneal will take his players to the site in early morning and they will spend the duration of the day undergoing running and other physical exercises under trainers Wayne Lawson and Gilbert Bateau.
The team played a training game against Central champions Couva Players United at the Ato Boldon Stadium on Monday. Shakes started the match and dropped into midfield before coming off midway through the second half. T&T fell behind in the first half but goals by Makan Hislop, Kevin Crooks and Cordelle Samuel gave Corneal’s team a 3-1 win.
T&T open its final round against the United States in California on January 12 and will also face Panama and Costa Rica that same week, The top two teams from the group will advance to the 2005 World Youth Championship in the Netherlands.
Meantime, the National Senior Team will resume training at the Ato Boldon Stadium from 9am on Wednesday. This will be their first session since Sunday’s 2-0 win over the British Virgin Islands in the Digicel Caribbean Cup second round fixture. T&T will meet St Vincent and the Grenadines in the third round on January 9 and 16.