T&T’s footballers will test their level against respected European opponent Romania from 1.45pm TT time (8.45pm Romania time) today at the National Arena in Bucharest.
Ranked 34th on the FIFA World rankings, the hosts have appeared in eight World Cup Finals and are hoping to secure a ninth booking for 2014. Romania crowned their FA Cup Champions on Saturday at the Arena as Petrolul Ploiesti beat CFR Cluj 1-0.
Football is without a doubt the most popular sport in Romania with Gheorghe Hagi who played for Barcelona and Real Madrid being their most popular player to date. He is likely to attend today’s match according to local officials.
Inigo Ocariz Gaubeca, the UEFA licensed match agent who arranged the match said Romanians were delighted to host T&T.
“It is not everyday you get an interesting team like T&T to play in Europe. Romania were looking for an opponent and when we came up with your country, it was a done deal because we think it will be a good contest.
“Of course we know about T&T from the 2006 World Cup and how well you played, especially against Sweden. And now we are pleased to arrange this game to help you prepare for the Gold Cup and for Romania to prepare for their World Cup qualification. There is a lot of interest here and we are excited about the match,” Gaubeca added.
T&T’s players had a lively training session yesterday at the Dinamo Bucharest Stadium where Finnish-based duo Shahdon Winchester and Ataullah Guerra joined the session moments after arriving from Helsinki.
Skipper Denzill Theobald will be hoping his experienced teammates such as Chris Birchall, Cornell Glen and others like Andre Boucaud, Justin Hoyte, Darryl Roberts, Radanfah Abu Bakr, Joevin Jones, Winchester and Guerra among others can deliver for T&T.
Co-head coach Jamaal Shabazz described the conditions as perfect for football.
“The surface was impeccable and we understand the match venue will be similar which is what we want. This is good for our preparation.
We know Romania will be difficult but we’ve been through some difficult experiences so it’s not new to us,” Shabazz said. The Caledonia AIA coach accompanied Hutson Charles and Theobald at the pre-match press conference at Dinamo yesterday.
“We are here to try and make things difficult for Romania and at the same time improve our reputation. It’s not so much about results for us at this stage but we would like to make a great impression and open doors for our football,” Shabazz added.
Middlesbrough defender Hoyte is fired up over his forthcoming debut for T&T, currently ranked 82nd.
“Things have gone really well. It’s been good to meet the new players and the players and staff have been really welcoming. I’ve enjoyed the training so far,” Hoyte said yesterday.
“I will be fully committed whenever I’m called upon to represent the country. I’ll help out whenever it need be. It’s just great to be part of the set up and hopefully we can have a successful campaign. As long as I’m healthy and fit I’d like to play as long as I can.
“It’s a really big game to be making my debut. They are going to be a tough side. They have showed in European and world competitions that they are a great team with a lot of great players. It’s going to be a tough challenge for all of us including myself but it’s something I’m really looking forward to and hopefully we can out on a good performance,” Hoyte said.