Success is measured in inches not yards. A fraction to the left or right can make the difference between a magnificent structure and a death trap.
Trinidad and Tobago football fans breathed a collective sigh of relief when Sport Minister Roger Boynes reiterated Prime Minister Patrick Manning's assurance that Dutch coach Leo Beenhakker's financial needs will be met, as he leads the national team into the 2006 World Cup qualifying tournament.
Beenhakker, who coached Holland at the 1990 World Cup as well as top European clubs like Spain's Real Madrid and Holland's Ajax Amsterdam, was an inspired choice by the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation (T&TFF) or, more precisely, its special adviser and FIFA vice-president Jack Warner.
Warner was rightly credited for bringing such a wily, experienced man on board on March 31 to improve on the work already started by local coach Bertille St Clair.
Yet, it could have turned out so differently; because, on April 1, the face staring at Trinidad and Tobago fans from the back page of the Trinidad Express was nearly that of disgraced football commentator "Big Ron" Atkinson.
Warner revealed Atkinson's imminent appointment to the national players on the morning of March 31, a day after their goalless World Cup qualifying draw at home to Costa Rica.
Team captain Dwight Yorke, who played under Atkinson at English Premier League outfit Aston Villa, objected strenuously and pointed to Atkinson's racist background. Goalkeeper Shaka Hislop, co-founder of England-based anti-racist organisation Show Racism The Red Card, also declared an unwillingness to play under someone who infamously referred to former World Cup winner and ex-Chelsea captain Marcel Desailly as a "thick, f***ing nigger" on England's Channel 4 television.
Atkinson may or not be a better coach than St Clair. He might well have matched Beenhakker's accomplishment. But Yorke and Hislop, despite their desire to succeed at international level, put a limit to what they were willing to sacrifice to do so.
The senior players rallied behind the pair and Warner relented-Atkinson subsequently claimed to have accepted the post, three days earlier. Beenhakker got the job instead.
Ironically, the T&TFF was again forced to deal with the ugly scar of racism at another crucial stage in the campaign.
On October 7, the eve of a key qualifier in Panama, team scout and ex-national captain David Nakhid claimed to have been racially abused by Beenhakker's assistant coach, Wim Rijsbergen. Eight days later, Nakhid was relieved of his post on the senior team.
The T&TFF never refuted Nakhid's allegation. As such, Warner-openly regarded as the embodiment of the local football federation-failed either to defend a former employee or protect the reputation of a present one; or both.
There is some sympathy for Warner's predicament at the time. A decision either way on the scrap involving Nakhid and Rijsbergen might have been disastrous to the football team who still had to face Mexico in a few days.
The euphoria that enveloped Trinidad and Tobago on November 16, after the self-titled "Soca Warriors" edged Bahrain 1-0 to qualify for the 2006 showcase tournament, might have vindicated his decision from a footballing standpoint.
But, like with Atkinson's proposed appointment, it also exposed the T&TFF's moral flexibility.
No matter. It was impossible not to be swept up in the emotion of the moment.
National flags fluttered everywhere and Trinidad and Tobago smiled again.
The scenes in Trinidad that greeted a group of returning players, which did not include Yorke due to his club commitments in Australia, were unrivalled since the "Strike Squad" headed to the National Stadium on November 19, 1989, to face the United States in an ultimately unsuccessful effort to qualify for the 1990 tournament.
It was an appropriately fantastic reception for the character and commitment of players who will be remembered fondly by history.
And what of Warner?
If not for Warner's single-minded desire and work ethic, Trinidad and Tobago would not have rescued this campaign. He too deserves the accolades and support that the Government is likely to offer its football heroes.
Boynes believes that the Government's largesse should come with checks and balances, though. I agree.
I cannot help but hear alarm bells when phrases like "state funds" and "the T&TFF" come in the same sentence.
I am proud of the Warrriors. But I would not give T&T's football hierarchy an open cheque book. Would you?
The lack of financial transparency within the T&TFF has tainted my perception of the organisation for years. In the 2002 World Cup qualifying campaign, T&TFF president Oliver Camps was unable to say what would be the federation's share of television revenue from the series.
Four years on, little seems to have changed as Warner is allowed to quote figures without pertinent questions from his interviewers like the value of television rights and kit sponsorship. Exactly how much, for instance, is Adidas' involvement worth to the T&TFF?
The football team seems to be property of the country when bills are to be paid and Warner's personal outfit when funds are flowing in.
On November 3, Switzerland police raided the offices of FIFA president Sepp Blatter and finance chief Urs Linsi after allegations of corruption and embezzlement regarding now defunct marketing agency, International Sports and Leisure (ISL). It should serve as a reality check for those who believe that sport administrators in general, and FIFA ones in particular, are above the law.
The question needs to be asked why Jamaica voted against former football federation president Captain Horace Burrell despite their team's success in qualifying for the 1998 World Cup tournament. Or why Antigua did away with ex-association general secretary Chet Greene although he features prominently on several FIFA committees.
Contemporary wisdom claims that every man has his price.
Yorke and Hislop knew what they were unwilling to pay. So too did Nakhid.
As we savour this historic occasion, Trinidad and Tobago must also square its heart with its conscience.
Sixteen years ago, Warner was castigated as a villain; today, he is considered a saint. Somewhere in between probably lies the truth.
There is much about Warner to admire.
In a televised interview on TV6's Total Football programme, he explained that his success was rooted in hard work and he did not believe in short cuts. It was a brilliant and timely message to a population struggling to deal with a greedy few, who use violence for quick returns.
Warner's ambition is breathtaking. Despite hailing from such a tiny nation, he is arguably the most powerful politician in the country while only Cuban premier Fidel Castro might have more global influence in any particular field.
Now, he has helped Trinidad and Tobago's football team to scale a similar height. But would you balk if you were to dissect his career, decision by decision?
People line up to sing Warner's praises now. Some persons praise him for political reasons, others for financial gains and more still because they believe it to be the popular thing to do.
Warner is considered the patron saint of Trinidad and Tobago football but your view changes-slightly or drastically-depending on what angle you look from. He is an inch away from deity. But, in some cases, an inch is as good as a mile.