Trinidad and Tobago's football Technical Director Lincoln Phillips believes that Caribbean and third World footballers are given a harder time when they leave to compete for their national teams than say for instance a footballer playing an international match for England.
But even so, the outstanding former national goalkeeper and administrator believes that national associations, including the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation (TTFF) are better served by establishing good relationships and dialogue with foreign clubs rather than taking a confrontational approach to having their players released for international duty.
"Any England player coming back from Italy may not have as much problems as a player coming back from the Caribbean," Phillips said yesterday. "I think that Caribbean players and Third World player would face a lot more pressure."
Phillips was responding to reports that clubs from England, China and the United States were pressuring Trinidad and Tobago players to give up international football and concentrate on their club commitments.
Key striker Stern John, it has been reported, has been asked by his Coventry City manager Peter Reid to consider ending his international career.
"The problem is universal," Phillips maintained. "The international clubs have their coaches and those just don't want to let the player go for international matches."
Phillips said the ones most affected by such issues are national coaches, because they will always be guessing before naming their squad for matches. Phillips' solution is let clubs know that there can be a win-win benefits to having international footballers in their squad.
"Clubs are in the business of making money, so what we have to do is make them realise that a player's value increases with the amount of international caps he has. Also, once we qualify for a World Cup, the player's worth shoots up automatically," he suggested.
Phillips added that at times, Associations need to demand that clubs release players, but such approaches should not be the norm. Ultimately, he says, that such decisions hurt the player, especially one struggling to maintain a regular starting position within a club.
"I think level heads have to prevail.....All of us have to be mature. All of us are part of the problem and also part of the solution," he said.