It wasn’t the number of responses to last week’s ‘Zero to hero’ that surprised me. I expected that.
What caught me by surprise was that not one single piece of corespondence disagreed with my call for Prime Minister Patrick Manning to leave the politics out of the success of the Soca Warriors and honour the contribution made by Austin Jack Warner.
Stephan DeFour, a Trini living in Idaho wrote:
“I was very proud of our national football team on qualifying for the 2006 World Cup. I would like to extend on your sentiments about Jack Warner being honoured for what he has done.
When Jack Warner became a Fifa vice president, he made Fifa add another team and then another, which brought the total to four giving us more chances to get us where we are. I don’t think people look at these things.
I would like to thank Warner for all his hard work, his drive, his belief and faith. I played with one of Jack’s team back home and I know his whole life is football. I would urge Government to honour Jack Warner now, not when he is dead.’
This one is from a former schoolmate, John Charles:
“I read your article on zero to hero, and though I’m not in the habit of doing this, I felt compelled to respond, for I’ve shared these sentiments for a long while.
My close friend, Peter Stone (deceased), a very close friend of Jack, always told me back in the eighties: ‘Johnny, people don’t know the man and the passion and vision he has’.
In those years, late eighties and onwards, just to say anything positive about the man would cast a question on your own integrity as a person. Peter must be laughing from above with all these high praises now. He may even view the hypocrisy of it all.”
Darryl Dopwell, from Atlanta, was simple and straightforward:
“Yes mih bredda. I fully agree with your article.”
And there was George Spencer in Toronto:
“Kudos to you for nominating Jack, I believe that he totally deserves it.”
And hundreds more echoed these sentiments—not one, I tell you, was negative.
I attended a wonderful function organised by the T&TEC Sports Club on Saturday night, in which Warner gave the feature address, pointing out that a national award was neither here or there with him. He spoke of people meeting him on the streets and in the marketplace and giving him personal messages of appreciation.
Said Warner: “I went in the market looking for ah piece of pudding and this very aged Indian woman, she couldn’t be less than 60 years, came up to me and said, “Beta, thanks fuh all de things you doing fuh the country with the football. Doh stop, nah.”
That, according to Warner, is much more than any national award.
Last week’s call to honour Warner was not my first. I have, in fact, done it on two previous occasions and both were turned down.
It is ironic that while most of the responses then were positive, there were several which condemned my call.
How the wheel has spun!
No such negativity now. I believe that those who condemned my appeal then have since come to the realisation that our country has a national hero in Warner.
And even if Manning and the Government fails to respect that, there is a growing band of citizens for whom that has now become a fact.
The rum shops, the bars, office lunch rooms, police stations, at the gym, in the grocery...you name it, once football is being discussed the view is the same.
Whether he wants it or not, whether we give it to him or not, history will show that it was on the shoulders of Jack Warner’s dedication, inspiration and vision that T&T went to Germany in 2006.
And award or no, nothing will change that!