“SOCA Warriors” 2006 World Cup player Brent Sancho feels that the twin island players have to take a lot of the blame for the team’s poor showing at the Caribbean Cup Finals being played in Antigua and Barbuda.
T&T was slated to take on the Dominican Republic last evening and needed a win and hoped that Haiti defeated the host to qualify for the CONCACAF Gold Cup. The warriors, who have failed to reach the Gold Cup on the last two occasions, drew 0-0 with Haiti in their opening match.
They then suffered a 2-0 defeat at the hands of the home team in their second encounter leaving them on the brink of elimination.
He said while the administrative arm of the TTFF has contributed to this sort of performance in a number of ways, the players are to be blamed as well. “I think we as players have to wake up and smell the coffee.
There is no longer a time when we could just go on to a pitch and win the Caribbean Cup. We have to now come out and work hard, not just during the tournament but before the tournament. It clearly shows that we are no longer the perennial kings when it comes to football in the Caribbean,” said Sancho.
The 2006 world cup player said the twin island teams need to stop feeling that they are the top dogs in the region. “We are no longer favourites and we need to play like underdogs and go out there and get the job done. We need to approach our matches very seriously since we have lost the respect of the other teams,” said the Central FC CEO.
While Hudson Charles and Jamaal Shabazz are two good coaches Sancho said he did not agree with them both being in charge. “It was too close to the tournament first of all and a lot of questions will arise as to who is in charge and who has the final say. When you look at world football there are not many examples of dual-coach and this is because it does not work,” said the former defender.
Sancho said even if the Warriors were to advance to the Gold Cup, there will still be a problem. “We need to solve the holistic approach to football in TT as we are not doing well at the Caribbean level. It is not just the senior teams; we have seen the U-20 just being knocked out recently. The U-17’s still have a chance but all in all there is a problem and we need to solve it.”