How Finnish football changed my life.
By Brent Sancho (wired868.com).It seems like only yesterday that I got a call from the team manager of my former football club in Queens, New York asking me if I would like to go on trial with a team in Finland. It was actually 1999.
Now what made this request especially strange is my dream of playing professionally was basically extinct at the time and I was just grateful that football had paid for my just completed Bachelor's degree at St John's University. My life was as a counselor in a school for autistic kids and, as far as I was concerned, the playing-football-professionally train had swooshed past me.
I hesitated at first but eventually said "yes" and the rest, as they say, is history.
I boarded a plane, destined to meet my potentially new team mates at top flight Finnish club MyPa at their pre-season camp in Germany. The thing about flying is that it gives you time to think and all I remember going through my mind was: "What the hell am I doing going to a country where I don't know one single person, much less the language?"
On arrival, I was greeted by a smile and a sign that said "Sancho de Trini"; I felt at home already. Little did I know then that Suomi (the Finnish word for Finland) would have such a remarkable and profound effect on my future international career.
The memories returned as I sat in the commentary booth before Sunday's friendly international between Trinidad and Tobago and Finland at the Hasely Crawford Stadium.
I had been there before as a player; well almost.
It was the Saturday before our game against Finland in January 2003 and national coach Hannibal Najjar pulled me aside to have a chat. He said: "Son, you have been tremendous both on and off the pitch and I want you to lead the boys out against Finland."
WOW!
Me as captain of my country's national team? Words couldn't express the joy that filled me and, later that day, my family as well. Reality soon hit home however.
At Monday's practice, I had a very disgruntled bunch of comrades. It had been two months of extremely demanding physical training in scorching hot temperatures with no available Gatorade/chilled water, bandages, ice, training gear, food or any of the basic necessities that anyone would expect at a major or even minor football team.
We, as a group, decided to write to the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation (TTFF) and ask for these basic requirements as well as a match fee for the friendly against Finland.
Read More.