‘Mango’: Don’t blame coaches and players
T&T GuardianEarl “Mango” Pierre, the founder and representative of the T&T Players Association in Brooklyn, New York, strongly believes that neither the national coaches nor players should be blamed for the present state of football in the country. “It is heartbreaking to see the state our football is in at present,” Pierre said on Saturday after being honoured by Defence Force Masters at an over-40 tournament on La Puerta Recreation ground in Diego Martin. “The problem is not our coaches nor players—it is the T&T Football Federation administration,” he said. “If Russell Latapy was given the right resources and our players received the right incentives, the outcome of the recent Digicel Cup would have been different,” he insisted.
“I have a serious problem with outstanding footballers who have qualified by getting their coaches licenses or badges and don’t have managerial experience. These coaches are allowed to coach at both national and professional level, but they never last.” He drew as examples Alan Shearer (Newcastle), Roy Keane (Sunderland) and Maradonna (Argentina). “In Latapy’s case, he should have started with our national youth programme and make his way up. If the decision to move him from the senior national team is taken, then he should be placed at the youth level which really needs professional help. “For our football to get back where it once was, I believe Jack Warner has to pay the players the money he owes them and the exploitation and wrong decision-making has to stop.
“As for our players, they need to let the T&T Football Players Association (TTFPA) and Shaka Hislop represent them. “When the Jamaica Football Association (JFA) tried to underpay their footballers, the players went on strike and they (JFA) had to pay them what they asked for. And, this is what I like about the Jamaicans. They always stand up for their rights. Our players (some) are too weak and afraid, hence the reason why they need representation. “Warner and Oliver Camps have been around for over 40 years and I think is high time they retire and allow other persons to run the show.”
