It’s 11:45 am at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Manama, just 15 minutes away from the team’s final meeting of the 2006 World Cup qualifying campaign and a little more than seven hours away from kick off to the match which could change all our lives forever.
October 1 made it five years since I joined the TTFF and by extension the National Team as Communications/Media Officer and I could not have asked for a better anniversary present than the two victories over Panama and Mexico. Stern John did it for me, my “Warriors” contributed, the fanatical support made my pores raise for days.
Now today, well aware that some players could not fall asleep, with the game on their minds as some fell asleep at 11pm and were up by 3am. But enough time was allowed for them to get the shut eye as breakfast was free until 10 am and group by group, the guys, smiling but focused, trickled down to the restaurant. Something about today has been different. The entire group started assembling at the lobby for the team meeting a level up. Before that, skipper Dwight Yorke and Leo Beenhakker with his assistants Theo de Jong and Wim Rijsbergen engaged in deep conversation awaiting the rest of the team.
Something about today has been different!
Why are you so excited? Kenwyne Jones asked me twice. I smiled. It was different today. Normally I’m the most tense on the eve of a match and moreso on matchday. But something about today has been different.
The biggest match of all our lives. So much can be determined today. At the drive back to the hotel, I thought, what if this is maybe the final ride back from a training session with Leo, Dwight,Russell, Shaka or Stern, together with the rest of the boys. Then instantly, I said to myself, No Way! This is just the final one of the campaign. There will be many after the time when we can say 2006 Journey to Germany – Arrived !