GLASGOW RANGERS have found a loophole which have allowed them to hold on to Marvin Andrews, their Trinidad and Tobago defender, much longer than the five-day FIFA stipulation for a club to release players to do international duty with their national teams.
Apparently, Trinidad and Tobago's August 17 CONCACAF World Cup qualifier against the United States falls on a day that is not listed on the international match calendar for World Cup qualification.
Rangers, the Scottish club champions, have therefore successfully argued that they are not required to release the central defender five days before as stipulated by FIFA, the governing body for world football, and instead will only release him 48 hours before the game.
Yesterday the home-based members of the T&T Warriors, comprising nine players and team officials, left for the United States. T&T will play the Americans at 8 p.m. on Wednesday at Rentschler Field, Hartford, Connecticut.
The team travels via Miami, before settling in Connecticut where they reside at the Sheraton Hotel. There will, however, be no training session today, since the 'Warriors' are only expected to wing in near midnight. However, having left a few days earlier, assistant-manager George Joseph has already made sure that all arrangements are in place.
Expected to join them yesterday was captain Dwight Yorke, who will be among the first of the professionals to fly in. Several of the Scotland and England-based professionals have been allowed to play league games for their clubs today before joining the team in the USA tomorrow.
Andrews, however will play for Glasgow Rangers in tomorrow's Premier League clash against Aberdeen and will likely only join the team late Monday.
He may only be able to train on Tuesday, a day before the important USA encounter.
Trinidad and Tobago will take on the USA searching for their first point against the Americans in World Cup qualification in 16 years. The last time T&T left the United States with a positive results was February 19, 1989 in getting a 1-1 draw in Torrance, California. Having had limited preparation since last month's CONCACAF Gold Cup, Trinidad and Tobago's Dutch coach Leo Beenhakker has sent his team to the United States in a bid to have an intense training camp and also have his squad well comfortable with conditions in Connecticut.