TTFF sacrifice rookies.
By: Lasana Liburd (Express).[/size]
Fool's Gold.
Densill Theobald held the Digicel Shield trophy aloft on Wednesday night and led his teammates into an uninhibited victory dance after Trinidad and Tobago ’s 2-1 win over the Mexico national under-20 at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, Port of Spain.
Theobald, the present national captain, is the only member of the 2006 World Cup squad who remains in active duty. Sixteen of his teammates were ignored by the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation (T&TFF) after threatening legal action over a bonus dispute while three more players refused 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup invitations on principle and three, including Dwight Yorke and Russell Latapy, quit the international scene altogether.
Theobald will dream of a triumphant return at the Piarco International Airport on June 25, 2007—one day after the Gold Cup final in Chicago. In fact, it will be a minor miracle if the “Soca Warriors” get out of their group.
The Warriors have as much chance of survival as did the British Light Brigade in Balaklava, Russia on October 25, 1854.
For those unfamiliar with the infamous battle, immortalized by Lord Tennyson’s poem “The Charge of the Light Brigade”, 673 cavalry men were sent to attack 5,240 heavily armed Russian soldiers. The Russians initially thought their adversaries to be drunk and nearly half the Light Brigade were killed or seriously wounded before their retreat.
The reckless but futile bravery prompted the French Marshal Pierre Bosquet to proclaim, “C’est magnifique, mais ce n’est pas la guerre” or “It is magnificent, but it is not war”.
Trinidad and Tobago’s 22-man squad—all but one of whom plies his trade in the domestic Pro League—go to war next Thursday with fanciful notions of conquering the region for their flag.
In truth, the young men were badly let down by superior officers and it will be left to their Pro League employers to restore wounded pride later this month.
Only three members of the travelling party—Gary Glasgow, Silvio Spann and Theobald—have previous Gold Cup experience while 12 of coach Wim Rijsbergen’s 20-man squad have less than 10 international appearances each.
Rijsbergen had three games, including Wednesday’s stoppage time triumph against Mexican teenagers, to put them through their final paces. Tomorrow, they close their warm-up preparations away to a Honduran team that was whipped 3-1 at home to Haiti in April.
Compare this build-up to seven years ago when coach Bertille St Clair’s men tackled Canada, Costa Rica and a full strength Moroccan team before managing the country’s highest ever finish of fourth.
If the CONCACAF president was anyone but T&TFF special advisor Jack Warner, surely questions would be asked as to why a World Cup team has opted to treat the 2007 competition so shabbily and perhaps—as was this case with Togo at the Germany tournament—mediators might have been sought.
For administrators and players to disagree so bitterly in the face of a prior agreement is regrettable but not insurmountable. But for the T&TFF to submit its Gold Cup squad without attempting to meet its players and/or their representatives and following months of ignoring attempts at discussion by the Warriors’ lawyer smacks of foolhardy arrogance.
Literature recalls the brave British soliders of Balaklava but history is not so kind to their inept commanding officers.
Maybe Theobald and his men will also invoke a dashing tale from their efforts later this month.
The Pro League clubs would be thrilled at the prospect of such high profile exposure for their top players. But it could turn into a nightmare when the Warriors run into a full strength United States outfit on June 9.
Then, it will be worth remembering the circumstances that saw a bunch of brave Pro League players handed a task well above their station.
“Theirs not to reason why,” wrote Lord Tennyson, “theirs but to do and die.”
God help the survivors.
