Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation Technical Adviser Keith Look Loy maintains that this country cannot afford to underestimate any of its opponents in Round 2 of the 2014 World Cup qualifying campaign which begins in September.
T&T will face Barbados, Bermuda and Guyana in a round-robin format with the group winner advancing to Round 3 where they will clash with Mexico, Costa Rica and the winner of Group A which includes El Salvador, Cayman Islands, Dominican Republic and Suriname.
T&T had to depend on a 2-0 win away to Bermuda to advance to the semi-final stage after losing the first leg 2-1 at the Marvin Lee Stadium in 2008.
Speaking from Colombia where he is currently present for the FIFA Under 20 World Cup, Look Loy told TTFF Media : “ There are no easy opponents or matches in today's international football and at this early stage I will not even attempt to calculate our chances in the semi-final round. I expect the second round, where we begin, to present its own challenges. One well remembers the problems we had with the very same Bermuda in qualifying for South Africa 2010.
Look Loy added: “Beyond the technical qualities of our opponents, our preparation is obviously being undermined by the lack of funding. In fact, the cancellation of the August 10 match against Haiti is not only a problem for our immediate preparation, it also brings the TTFF and Trinidad and Tobago into international disrepute and undermines our effort to recruit foreign-born players to our cause. The government gave a commitment to support the Brazil 2014 campaign. I am advised that a draft budget was long submitted, and one would expect the government to follow through on its commitment.
“Nonetheless, we anticipate the beginning of qualification in September, and we will rely on the experience of our foreign-based players, in particular, to take us through to the semi-final stage and subsequently beyond,” Look Loy stated.