National goalkeeper Jan-Michael Williams feels he is being made a scapegoat for what may be issues unrelated to him, after it was reported this week that two members of the national football team’s technical staff had resigned.
The resignations of Dr. Terrence Babwah and physiotherapist Dave Issac have prompted the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) to call a board meeting to deal with their resignations and other teams issues.
It was reported yesterday that the medical staff quit because of questions surrounding Williams’ fitness to play in last week’s CONCACAF final round World Cup Qualifier against Honduras in San Pedro Sula. Last night, the player expressed shock that such claims had been made.
“I don’t know if coach (Hart) and the medical staff has some kind of underlying tension or some issues going on. Obviously, I would not have been around, I would have not been around for six or seven months,” said Williams, who was returning to the team after recovering from a previous injury.
“My mind was blown. I could not believe I see something like that in the newspapers.”
Williams further said taht at no time did the team doctor indicate that he was unfit to play in Honduras. The Central FC goalkeeper admitted overstretching in the warm-up and having some soreness following Trinidad and Tobago’s World Cup qualifier against Costa Rica (on November 11 in Port of Spain). Williams said that after consultation with team doctor Terrence Babwah, he was given the all clear to travel to Honduras for the next qualifier two days later.
“We trained the Sunday, in which I participated in full training. After the training, the shoulder was a ‘lil bit sore, but I had movement, I had mobility, I had everything,”
Williams continued: “By the time we got around to the Monday when we had training in the stadium the day before the game, I had absolutely no pain or problem with the shoulder. So immediately after the training, he came to me and said what going on with the shoulder. I said, ‘Doc, no pain’. No problem, good movement. I showed him everything was on point and that was the last he ask me about anything.
“I can’t see yuh could essentially recommend that I didn’t play the game without telling me or without telling the coach. And the next time I hear about it is in the newspaper,” concluded the 32-year-old,
The TTFA board meeting is scheduled to start today at 5.30 p.m. The venue could not be confirmed up to press time yesterday.
The TTFA board of Directors comprises: David John-Williams (president), Joanne Salazar, Ewing Davis and Allan Warner (vice-presidents), Samuel Saunders (Central FA), Sherwyn Dyer (Eastern Counties Football Union), Karanjabari Williams (Northern FA), Richard Quan Chan (Southern FA), Anthony Moore (Tobago FA), Joseph Taylor (Trinidad and Tobago Football Referees Association), Sharon O’Brien (Women’s League Football), Wayne Cunningham (Eastern FA) and Dexter Skeene (CEO of the TT Pro League).
Yesterday, the TTFA issued a release confirming the resignations of Dr. Babwah and Isaac. However, TTFA president David John-Williams remained tight-lipped about the meeting’s agenda. When asked if the resignations of Babwah and Isaac were priority, he would only say: “It has to be ventilated properly.”
“Dr. Babwah, a member of the FIFA Medical Committee for over 10 years, cited that his professional integrity and that of the team’s medical staff had been compromised by decisions made leading up to the Honduras game. Mr. Dave Isaac, another clinical person who has been with the team for the past four years, also tendered his resignation, citing concerns about specialist advice being ignored,” a TTFA release stated.
The release added that despite its best efforts, the association had been unable to avoid the loss of these two critical members of the clinical team and that their departure, and the loss of accumulated knowledge of the players, individually and collectively, creates a significant gap in the clinical expertise, know-how and resources available to the national team.