I know this may be a while ago but does anyone have any info or can you give some insight to the 1955 game where T&T played Manchester united? anything will be great, Or any info concerning the 1969 T&T team??. I was looking at the pictures on the site and some info will be nice. Thanks.
I never hear anyting about Manchester United playing T&T. As far as I know, dey came to T&T twice in de early eighties. In 1982 dey played ASL twice, beating dem 2-1 and 4-1 and in 1985 dey played Southampton in de National Stadium and drew 1-1.
De 1969 team (excerpted from The Story of Trinidad and Tobago Football 1893 - 2000 by Valentino Singh):
‘The Tank,’ as Delabastide was called, took the team to the 1969 CONCACAF Senior Championships in Costa Rica.
It was a dismal series in more ways than one. Trinidad and Tobago played five matches, lost three, won and drew one.
They opened the campaign against Guatemala with a 2-0 loss but gave an improved performance in the second game in which they came from two goals down to beat Jamaica 3-2.
Everald Cummings, Keith Douglas and Ulric ‘Buggy’ Haynes scored and although Cummings scored in the next game against the Duth West Indies, they lost 1-2.
A goalless draw against Mexico followed but eventual winners Costa Rica, playing at home slammed them 5-0 to send them packing.
However, during the tour there were several problems and when the team returned home, 11 players and their trainer, Trevor Smith, were suspended by the Association pending an investigation into acts of indiscipline.
Reports indicated that the players almost took strike action during the tour in solidarity with Smith who was almost sent home after calling for better payment for the players.
On returning home, chef de misson Phil Douglin , manager Ernil Paul filed a report after wich the TTFA called an inquiry and suspended the following players: Leroy De Leon, Keith Douglas, Wilfred Cave, Kenny Joseph, Cummings, Gerard Figeroux, George Romano, Max Mascall, Mervyn Springer, Gwenwyn Cust and Haynes.
Those who escaped punishment were Delabastide, Arnim David, Mervyn Crawford, Selwyn Murren, Leo Brwester, Lawrence Rondon and Betrand Grell.
However, De Leon, Douglas, Cave and Joseph filed an injunction against the TTFA and following the investigation, the charges against the players were dropped.
Smith’s ban remained but he too, took court action against the TTFA, following which the TTFA were ordered to lift the ban.
It was a tumultuous way to end the decade of the sixties and start the 1970s.
