Richard Brathwaite was saying Trinidad and Tobago would have qualified for the World Cup finals when very few would go on record in saying so.
"Yuh going to any way, forget Guatemala. You just concentrate on getting your ticket for Germany. When we on the plane to Germany, I will remind you Ian Prescott what I told you today."
Trinidad and Tobago had returned from Guatemala with a 5-1 defeat, Brathwaite confided, off the record, that he had resigned because it was the ethical thing to do, but his faith in the team qualifying for the World Cup finals did not waver. "We still going to Germany," I clearly remember him saying.
History will show that after the Guatemala game, local coach Bertille St Clair was fired and replaced by Dutchman Leo Beenhakker, while a release from the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation seemed to indicate that manager Brathwaite had also been axed, although many in the media knew he had previously willingly given up the job.
Brathwaite will not comment on whether T&T would have qualified had they remained under the previous management which included himself and coach St Clair. But, he is assured that the recruitment of senior players to the team lifted the spirit of the younger ones.
"One of the problems I picked up very early was that the players lacked confidence in themselves. That is where Dwight Yorke and Russell Latapy and Beenhakker himself were important," he says.
Brathwaite said that the big difference between the side which had previously gathered just a point in three matches and the ones who won five and drew one of their last six matches was the addition of Dwight Yorke as team captain.
"He has been absolutely brilliant. I have said that once Dwight Yorke had come back and accepted the captaincy we would qualify."
Brathwaite also commends Beenhakker for adjusting his tactics for the second match. Needing to score a goal, Beenhakker made the brave choice to drop veteran 37-year-old Russell Latapy for the young leg of less accomplished, but very promising Southampton 20-year-old Kenwyne Jones. Many national coaches would have cringed at having to drop Latapy, considered one of the best players every produced by Trinidad and Tobago and also the first T&T player to play in the Champions League during his days with Porto.
"I think the tactics used in Bahrain was spot on. I think using Stern John and Kenwyne Jones up front were the ideal pair given the style of Bahrain.
In a speech delivered at a Breakfast Meeting of the San Fernando Business Community at City Hall, San Fernando, two days after the team qualified, Brathwaite said:
"The past few days have been unprecedented in the annals of local sporting history and the whole country is now buzzing with excitement and euphoria. This is as it should be because our national football team has performed with distinction and they deserve to be celebrated. Qualification for the World Cup was not a surprise for me and I was confident from the very start of the campaign, moreso when Dwight Yorke returned and accepted the captain's armband. His inspirational leadership together with the remarkable tenacity of Jack Warner were critical factors in this historic journey to Germany."
Brathwaite further sees the Warriors' qualification for Germany as a perfect means to turn around some of the social ills in society. He is of the firm view that policing alone will not eradicate delinquency, crime and other such ills from our society.
"I am emphasising this because the Dwight Yorke story is an important one and it contains many valuable lessons, especially when we are discussing the role of sport in socioeconomic development. The real surprise, however, is that it has taken such a long time for us to recognise the value of sport in nation-building and the development of youth. I hope that this new found love for football is more than opportunism and that as a nation we will finally give sport the support and emphasis that it deserves. For those who continue to ignore the power of sport, it may be useful to refer to the classic work by the great CLR James, Beyond the Boundary, attesting to the impact of sport on his own personal growth, James wrote: 'As soon as we stepped on to the cricket or football field, all was changed. Rapidly we learned to obey the decision of the umpire without question. We learned to play with the team, which meant subordinating your personal interest to the good of the whole. I acquired a discipline for which the only name is Puritan. I never cheated. I never jeered at defeated opponents. My defeats and disappointments I took as stoically as I could. This code became the moral framework of my existence. It has never left me'.
"I am certain that there are thousands in south Trinidad who can readily identify with the positive influence that sport has had on their own development. It is therefore more than puzzling that as widespread anti-social behaviour sweeps the nation, especially among the youth, sport has not been consistently used as a weapon against juvenile delinquency, drug abuse and crime.
"Perhaps this has to do with a traditional mindset, which perceives sport as mere idle recreation and something to keep children busy and occasionally get them out of the house. Because sport is not generally regarded as important, funding and sponsorship are often confined to high-profile events and the critical, long-term process of development is ignored. The emphasis is therefore on tokenism."
Brathwaite did not shy away from taking a swipe at the corporations who consistently refused to assist when the T&T Warriors were down, but have now raced unto the bandwagon, using the accompanying spotlight to their own gain.
"For instance, there is one highly profitable company that has consistently refused to support sporting activities, claiming that its corporate focus is on 'youth and education'. The education view stems from a failure to see the difference between education and schooling as well as ignoring the fact that sport is also an effective medium for youth development. To my consternation, just last week, this same company had the gall to publish an ad boasting about its support for the 'Soca Warriors'. Fortunately, there are some corporate citizens who have adopted a more enlightened approach and invest significantly in sporting programmes."
Brathwaite preaches that it is the ideal mechanism for motivating many of the youths of the so-called "lost generation" since their frustration stems mainly from a lack of self-esteem and self-worth. However, he said that many who can help, simply do not.
"The real tribute, therefore, that can be paid to the Soca Warriors is for the country to invest heavily in the long-term development of sport. Do not wait until it becomes fashionable or popular to do so. Do not wait until the bandwagon is already rolling to jump on board. Come forward and help plant the tree and do not only wait to pick the fruits. There are future Dwight Yorkes, Leroy De Leons, Warren Archibalds and Russell Latapys, all over the country, and they need our help right now."