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07
Thu, Nov

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Trinidad soccer officials today braced themselves for showdown with players of the National squad now preparing for the World Cup preliminaries against Haiti in November.

The players last night declared they will boycott training sessions conducted by English coach Kevin Verity, if the Trinidad Football Association does not withdraw suspensions slapped on six key players. The disciplinary committee of the association last week threw Ulric Haynes, Wilfred Cave, Leroy Spann, Trevor Leiba, Godfrey Harris and Renwick Williams out of the squad for violating a directive not to play for their club in national championship tournaments, currently contested. Scarcity of adequate venues for the players to train at caused the members of the squad to be idle.

Verity, brought out from England to put the team in World Cup form, has complained that during the past month he has not yet been able to arrange a proper session and the shut-in squad, in its decision to boycott the sessions, said they are fed up with strenuous exercises and not sufficient match-play work.

"It is for these reasons Haynes and the rest of the fellows decided to ignore the ban on appearances for our clubs," a spokesman for the disgruntled players said.

Officials of the association declined to comment.