Zamora says injury stopped him from playing for T&T
Trinidad Guardian
Published: Thursday, October 11, 2012
by Shaun Fuentes
In 2005, English-born striker, Bobby Zamora, along with defender Jlloyd Samuel, turned down invitations to play for T&T in the qualifiers, and at the 2006 World Cup Finals in Germany. Zamora definitely would have made the final squad for Germany, but blanked T&T for the chance of an England call up, which still did not come until late 2009.
During the qualification for the 2010 World Cup, Zamora earned two further invitations to join the T&T team. This week he confirmed that another injury ruled out his T&T debut while he still regrets not being able to play in a World Cup.
“If I had been fit in 2009, I possibly would never have played for England,” the 31-year-old told Standard Sport.
“The tickets were sorted and everything was ready to go out there. It was just a case that I played on the weekend before and couldn’t complete the game. So I couldn’t go to play for Trinidad. I turned it down in 2005, just waiting to see if I could progress and make the step up with England but only injury stopped me four years later.”
In 2010, the Achilles tendon injury flared up again and Fabio Capello left Zamora out of his final squad for South Africa. That made Zamora regret even more his earlier decision to blank T&T. At age 33 in 2014, it’s not likely he will make the England squad for Brazil.
“I missed the World Cup with my Achilles, which is gutting. I am still a bit gutted about it,” he said.
“I broke my leg as well and that was a big blow. I suppose injuries are part of football. That’s just the way I see it. Maybe the one for Trinidad worked out because I got to play for England but then again I missed out on the World Cup. I’m just glad to be playing every week now.”
Lack of fans shocks visitors
Visiting officials from Central America were amazed at the lack of spectators at the Ato Boldon Stadium for last week’s Concacaf Champion’s League game between W Connection and Chivas de Guadalajara.
“Oh my God, the people don’t really like football in Trinidad don’t they?” was the question they asked.
They could not understand how at $40 (less than US$7), there was not even 300 fans at the venue with one of the most powerful clubs in the region and most popular in Mexico on location.
I myself couldn’t understand. I thought even if you’re not a W Connection fan or perhaps unhappy with the results of the national team, at least you would want to come and see a top club which boast four members of the Mexican 2012 Olympic Gold medal winning team.
In the away match two weeks earlier, just under 6,000 fans showed up at the OmniLife Stadium in Guadalajara. So I asked myself, what about the various coaching schools in Trinidad, the secondary school players, the so many coaches and administrators, the sport management and media students and recent graduates? Are they not curious to be up close to a world rated club? Don’t they want to see how Concacaf puts on a game that still managed to have a world class look on Fox Sports and ESPN despite the empty stands.
Some 30 million persons reportedly watched the match live on TV in Mexico. At least they learnt that the Ato Boldon Stadium is located in a placed called Couva in Trinidad and they saw Clyde Leon’s spectacular free kick goal.
Aside from his goal, the other highlight for me was hearing an eight year-old kid tell his father, “Daddy’s that a big side we watching play football.”
At least there’s the chance that twenty years down the road he will recall the day he saw Chivas live and up close.
• Shaun Fuentes is the media officer for Soca Warriors/TTFF. Follow him on Twitter @ProLook2006