Trinidad and Tobago’s senior team continue training at the Hasely Crawford Stadium on Monday ahead of Wednesday’s opening Digicel Cup preliminary round encounter against Puerto Rico at the Marvin Lee Stadium, Centre of Excellence.
In the midst of T&T’s qualifying bid for the 2005 CONCACAF Gold Cup through the Digicel Cup, the bigger picture remains the final round of the 2006 World Cup qualifiers which has placed T&T in a group along with United States, Guatemala, Panama, Costa Rica and Mexico. According to TTFF special adviser Jack Warner, the Digicel Cup is coming at a time when it will serve as part warm up for the final round of the World Cup qualifuers but efforts are also being made to get some useful warm-up matches against teams that play a similar style to those the “Soca Warriors” will face in the round of six.
Warner was also part of the meeting which took place on Saturday with several of the country’s top football minds involved.
“This was a collective opinion of our technical experts. I have made the point before that there are some people in this country who are able to make some judgment on the sport. They don’t have to like Jack Warner, they don’t have to eat with him nor do they have to sleep with him but surely they can discuss the sport with him for the national good,” Warner told TTFF Media.
He has also now estimated the final round to cost T&T another TT$5 million inclusive of salaries, player's match fees, training camps and other relevant expenses. So far, T&T’s campaign has cost close to TT$7 million.
“I have averaged the final round at another 5 million and that is in keeping with the 13 million that I had as the overall budget. I am prepared to go that distance even if I have to do it alone and I have told the players that they can sleep sound because I am aiming for the long haul,” Warner said, adding that not only will the next round “be big money but also big football.”
“I don’t think that the Government understands really what this sport means to the country and the people. In some ways I am sorry for the Government because they do not understand. No where in the world this happens. Things would definitely be different if this were in Jamaica, Honduras or even Guatemala. I would understand too that Jack Warner himself would be a pariah in the Government’s eyes because for a small country we are short sighted and we have people in particular corners who can’t see the big picture. I am sorry that it has come to this but I am not asking anybody for any help. If they decide to come on board, then we shall hold discussions on the matter,” Warner added.
Warner said talks will also be held with coaches from the region as well as other Government leaders in the Caribbean to see where they could join in T&T’s effort to get to Germany.
“It has to be a collective effort because Trinidad and Tobago right now is the Caribbean’s football mouthpiece and these neighbouring countries must be given a role to play and I am quite certain they will be happy to come on board.
“We have learned from our experiences. It may offend some people but no one person can do it alone and therefore we shall come together with these minds and come up with a consensus of what is good for the sport and where do we go from here. Before it was my team but now this is our team and Trinidad and Tobago and whoever else must participate in the team’s future and welfare,” Warner ended.