Thousands of jubilant supporters crowded the lobby of the Piarco International Airport, the car park and environs, and the roads along the East/West corridor to welcome their heroes— the T&T football team the country had named “Warriors.”
The team created history in Bahrain on Wednesday, when it became only the second English speaking Caribbean nation to advance to the World Cup finals with a 1-0 win at the Rafa Stadium, in the capital Manama.
T&T also became the smallest country to make it to football’s biggest gathering and the and yesterday’s welcome reflected the appreciation and happiness of the nation.
The youngest member of the team, former St Anthony’s College’s Kenwyne Jones was, like the rest of the history-making Warriors, overjoyed at being a member of the team that has finally taken the country to the World Cup finals.
Jones, 20, said the feeling at the final whistle of referee Julian Oscar Ruiz Acosta was”definitely indescribable.”
Amidst the Warriors’ celebrations on the pitch of the stadium in Manama and the violent protests and sobbing of the Bahrain supporters and players that engulfed the venue at the end of the match, “I had to shed some tears” revealed Jones.
He said unlike the tears of his opponents, his were tears of joy.
“It was definitely a good feeling for me, especially since T&T has been waiting for this since (the disappointment of) 1989 and I’m a part of it in only my first two years with the team.”
Of the much-heralded performance of the two-year qualifying campaign Jones said:
“We did what we had to do and now we’re here.”
He praised Dutch tactician Leo Beenhakker.
“The coach knows what he is doing, I think he made the appropriate changes at the appropriate times,” Jones said.
One of Beenhakker’s major decisions, to start Jones ahead of midfield maestro Russell Latapy, paid dividends, as it introduced a more physical, attacking dimension to T&T’s play against the Bahrainis’ strong defence.
Jones said there wasn’t much pressure in the T&T camp before the all-important, last step on the road to Germany and said “it did not matter who scored the goal.”
The importance of what he and his fellow Warriors achieved did not escape Jones, who hopes their victory will bring the nation together and help solve our numerous problems.
Prime Minister Patrick Manning greeted the team in the VIP Lounge in what he described as a proud moment for T&T.
While the din of the crowd could not reach the Warriors, Manning let them know that the whole of T&T was elated and that celebrations had continued late into the night and well into the early hours of this morning.
He remarked that the feat was well timed and assured the Warriors that the country would reward them for their effort in getting T&T to the 2006 World Cup in Germany.
Former head of the Jamaican Football Federation, Captain Horace Burrell, who accompanied the Warriors on the chartered flight to Bahrain, joined the chorus of congratulations coming from around the region.
When asked how he felt about T&T’s qualification he said, “I am feeling great, really elated that after it eluded you (T&T) in 1989, you have finally made it.
“I’m really proud of you all.”
The crowd went wild at the first sight of the Warriors, among them the goal-scorer Dennis Lawrence, Jones, goalkeeper Clayton Ince, Stern John, Silvio Spann and Carlos Edwards, as well as the architect of the team’s success, T&T Football Federation (T&TFF) Special Advisor Austin Jack Warner.
As they made their way out of the airport, the sea of red followed them through East Trinidad into Port-of-Spain, where the celebration continued on the Brian Lara promenade, where thousands had been waiting for up to four hours to show their appreciation to the the gladiators who have made the name of T&T known all over the world by their valiant effort.