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Fri, Mar

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Trinidad and Tobago’s  senior footballers, scheduled to play local club North East Stars in a training match on Tuesday, will have another warm-up on the cards against Peruvian champion club Alianza Lima ahead of the June 4 World Cup qualifier at home to Panama.


The game, to be played here on May 18, was confirmed by TTFF Special Advisor Jack Warner during his visit to Peru on Saturday after  head coach Leo Beenhakker had requested a training encounter against a quality Latin American club team.

Warner was in Peru to announce arrangements for FIFA’s inspections for the World Under 17 championship which will be played there in September. He was at the JW Marriot Hotel in Lima for a media conference after meeting  with Government officials there to discuss the staging of the tournament which was also overseen by the CONCACAF President when it was hosted by Trinidad and Tobago in 2001.

Alianza Lima is Peru’s oldest club and has won the domestic title numerous times including the 1997, 2001 and  2004 seasons. The club also comprises Peruvian National team members such as goalkeeper Leao Butron, defender Guillermo Salas and midfielders Aldo Olcese,Juan Jayo and Marko  Ciurlizza.  Outstanding Peruvian striker Nolberto Solano is also a past member of the Lima club.

When asked whether the match in Port of Spain would assist in Peru’s support of T&T’s FTAA bid, Warner replied : “If it does do that, I would  be glad to have been part of the assistance in that regard as this match is the first of its kind in the footballing  history of the two countries. But more importantly the match comes at a fitting time in the build up to the next World Cup qualifying match and it is in keeping with the coach’s request to play against a top club from Latin America.”

Beenhakker continues training from Monday at the Larry Gomes Stadium.

“We begin our second training camp and then the third camp will continue going into the training game which will give us a good chance to see the players against a quality club team which is what I had wanted in the preparations leading up to the two qualifying matches,” Beenhakker told TTFF Media.