There was no room for talented young striker Nikita Gosine in Marlon Charles’ 18-man team to contest the coming Concacaf Under-15 Championships to be held here in T&T from August 5–11.
Charles and his staff of assistant coaches, Ayana Russell and Afiyah Matthias, selected players from the local Women’s Football League (WoLF) and players based abroad for the development championships.
However, Gosine, who is being labelled as one of the better players in the country based purely on potential, was part of the Under-15 programme but did not command a place on the team despite her soaring performances for local club Club Sando, which has featured in the two latest finals in local football.
One former coach told Guardian Media Sports on the condition of anonymity that the problem may have been disciplinary.
However, Gosine’s mother, Natalie Des Vignes, a former national striker, told Guardian Media Sports that she is unhappy with the treatment given to her daughter on the team.
Des Vignes is the mother of talented daughters Nikita and Natalia Gosine, both of whom have been with the women’s programme for the past two years. Des Vignes pointed to one issue that prevented Nikita from a place on the national team for last year’s Under-17 Concacaf Tournament here, saying Nikita attended a training session on December 9 on her birthday, the day before the team was to be chosen.
“She had to play in a futsal tournament, and I asked a staff member if she could have been allowed to play. The member said yes, but when the team was selected, she was not on it. That made me really disappointed, and for Nikita, the disappointment was worse,” Des Vignes explained.
Nikita, the 14-year-old prodigy, was the leading goalscorer in the Secondary Schools Football League (SSFL) last year with 57 goals while playing for Pleasantville Secondary School.
Now, even if she (Nikita) is called for the team at this 99th hour, she would not be able to play as both she and her sister will be off to the United States in August to play against a few colleges in Arizona and Mississippi with the Cox Coaching Academy. Des Vignes said:
Des Vignes made it clear as a player that she had been through the same treatment but was not accepting it for her daughters, saying they deserve a lot more than that.
The T&T Football Association is expected to meet with Des Vignes soon to trash out the issues affecting the parties.
Efforts to reach Charles for a comment proved futile. Guardian Media Sports understood the team had been in training.
SELECTED PLAYERS
1. Akeila Marryshow (GK- Trendsetter Hawks), 2. Jessica Nesbit (DEF- Eastern County Utd), 3. Hackeemar Goodridge (DEF- Trendsetter Hawks), 4. Kimani Wallace (DEF- Jewels SC), 5. Mateja Leben (DEF- Pro Series FC), 6. Mia Lee Chong (MF- Orlando City ECNL), 7. Jayda Herbert (MF- Trendsetter Hawks)
8. Rori Gittens (MF- Pro Series FC), 9. Shakilla Hamilton (MF- South Stars SC), 10. Mikalah Guerero (MF- Trendsetter Hawks), 11. Sanni Wilson (MF-Florida United Soccer Club), 12. Gyasi Lewis (MF- Combined Ballerz), 13. Shemaiah Toussaint (Cox Coaching School)
14. Alliyah Baptiste (Jewels SC), 15. Zyesha Potts (Jewels SC), 16. Taya Williams (DEF- Pro Series FC), 17. Scarlett Cole (Forward- Pro Series FC), 18. Zofia Richards (GK- Crown Trace FC)
STAFF
Marlon Charles- (Head Coach), Ayana Russell- (Asst Coach), Afiyah Matthias (Assistant Coach), Ricarda Nelson (Manager), Declan Squires (Goalkeeper Coach), Kiren Johnson (Team Medic), Raquel Russell (Equipment Manager), Kristin Fung (Team Doctor)
SOURCE: T&T Newsday