Minister of Sports and Youth Affairs Anil Robert is of the opinion that the Soca Warriors must start competing against higher level opposition.
Speaking at the Digicel Caribbean Cup launch at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, Wrightson Road, Port-of-Spain on Thursday, Roberts, who was quick to lament the poor run of recent results said, “We have to ensure that we get higher level competition.
“At the moment we are not doing so well against the lower levels but from next year I will like to see us playing teams like Nigeria, South Korea and some of the bigger teams like Japan."
“We have Minister of Works and Transport Jack Warner as a resource and it’s going to be costly but if we want to go 2014 we have to lift our level so we have to play a lot of higher calibre matches.”
With regard to the road to qualifying for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil and coach Russell Latapy, the Sports Minister said, “We must not be in 2013 hoping that God loves T&T and something will happen in our favour or that someone will beat someone else.
“We have to go out there and compete against USA, Mexico and Costa Rica. “Warner has done so well for the region. Remember when Concacaf had one spot, then two, then three and now three and a half, I mean how much more help do we want?” Roberts asked.
“We have to help ourselves now. This is serious business, this is the country as stake and whoever puts on that red, white and black at the elite level has to perform.”
On the funding for the national football team and its staff, Roberts also stated the time, for one person paying the salary of the national football coaches and staff, must come to an end. “We have to ensure that the locals get a better salary, but with that we are going to have to sit down with them and hash out an agreement with performance base bonuses.”