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Football / Warriors fans split over lawsuit.
« on: February 01, 2007, 08:10:03 AM »
Warriors fans split over lawsuit.
By: Lasana Liburd (Express).
"I will not fault any of the players that plan to sue the TTFF," said "RasIred". "They had an agreement and TTFF did not live up to its end of the bargain. You have to take a stand for something, otherwise you will always get run over.
"It shows they have a back bone. TTFF should not have promised something they could not deliver!
"However I will support any player that wears my national colours."
RasIred is one of thousands of football fans who visit the "Soca Warriors Supporters Club" website on a daily basis. The site, which was founded by 34 year old computer technician, Inshan "Flex" Mohammed, and sponsored by Nigel "Tallman" Myers is almost nine years old. Almost certainly, it is the most popular forum for foreign and local Trinidad and Tobago football fans to express themselves on issues relating to the national team.
Predictably, last Thursday's announcement by Athletes 1 Legal that 17 members of Trinidad and Tobago's 2006 World Cup squad, dubbed the "Soca Warriors", were on the verge of filing a lawsuit against the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation (T&TFF) over bonuses owed from their qualification sparked a race to the keyboard from hundreds of fans.
RasIred's sentiments struck at the heart of the matter.
Can one support the absent Warriors without ignoring their replacements? Does one owe loyalty to the national players or is it to the team they represent?
An interactive poll on the website showed that 69 per cent of its voting members were "behind (the players) 100 per cent", while 30 per cent felt they should "put aside financial issues and represent".
But exactly what "100 per cent" support means is another story and, judging from the posts, the aggrieved Warriors should not expect too much from their fans just yet.
"Dreamer" left little doubt as to his dissatisfaction with the T&TFF.
"Jackula must be brought down or least contained with a stiff no-fly-zone surveillance," he wrote. "Cancer never says: 'Let me just spread to yuh brain and ah promise to be good after dat and spare yuh life eh'. Jackula is the epitome of cancer of the most voracious variety. He makes a killing and wants more and more.
"If we don't stand up to Jackula now in united fashion and avoid his divide-and-conquer-socawarrior agenda then we will be irreversibly conquered by his greedy malignant tentacles".
But Dreamer did not offer a radical blueprint for his crusade. Like RasIred, he suggested that fans split loyalties between supporting the present squad as well as the World Cup outfit.
"Fight Jackula/TTFF but support the warriors at the same time," said Dreamer, "even though yuh feel dat Jack geyyin' de last laugh when yuh go to de stadium.
"It seems conflicting but it could be done and many of us are doing it. Just bide yuh time. He is hoping that we geh confuse with this choice."
Not everyone was as sentimental, though. "TriniInfinite" was already looking forward to Trinidad and Tobago's next major tournament and posted his thoughts on the best available team for the 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup tournament.
It earned him a stern rebuke from his fellow "forumites".
"Ah find you overs the World Cup Warriors real quick in this debate," wrote Mr MC. "You only focused on who could get to sweat now. That kinda harsh in my books.
"Yes, no matter who take the field is the Soca Warriors and we go support them but it seems to me that you not even sparing a thought as to how these fellas have been treated. You done picking squad and ting already."
"JahYouth", "#8" and "Peong" were also unimpressed with TriniInfinite.
JahYouth felt fans should appreciate that football was the players' sole source of income and they could not be faulted for standing up for themselves. #8 reasoned that the team which finished second at the recently concluded Digicel Caribbean Cup competition was a poor replacement for the World Cup squad and could not match up to more illustrious CONCACAF opposition.
Peong felt that the T&TFF and not the players were the culpable party.
"The players not bigger than T&T but neither is the TTFF," posted Peong. "Whoever causing the problem is the one you should criticise. And the root of the problem is the TTFF not the players."
But TriniInfinite stood his ground.
"Trinidad and Tobago first; dem fellahs come after," he wrote. "Dey were supposedly promised a certain something and didn't get it (but) T&T bigger than dem (and) we have players tuh take we again.
"I just care about our nation qualifying for the World Cup If de players want tuh fight for what they believe is theirs, then cool but Trinidad football must move on.
"Right now players playing for those who not coming back, I don't see nothing wrong with dat."
"Cowen" appeared to agree.
"I will love to see the familiar faces back in the squad," stated Cowen. "But, at the end of the day, once I see that flag flying and the anthem playing in South Africa, all is good with me."
"DCS" pointed out that the Warriors' fight was eroded by the absence of an active union for the players while "Weary 1969" warned forumites to keep a close eye on coach Wim Rijsbergen's future team sheets. But, by then, the verbal sparring between TriniInfinite had diluted the discussion.
By Monday evening, the two main discussion rooms which catered to the impasse between players and administrators had received just fewer than 800 visitors each. Only 82 of these persons took time to post an opinion on the matter while just 60 voted in the interactive poll.
In contrast, 1,894 forumites showed an interest in Stern John's move to England Championship Division club, Sunderland, while 139 persons commented on local Pro League team Vibe CT 105 W. Connection's Caribbean Club Championship 3-2 semi final victory over Jamaica's Harbour View.
"Ah aint mad at nobody (as a matter of fact ah kinda proud of dem fellas)," posted Davidephraim. "However, I am not going to be held hostage by the situation. De Team must go on because my job remains de same.
"I am de fan. They get paid to ply their trade. I spend money to ply my hobbie."
Despite the criticism directed towards TriniInfinite, the apparent disinterest shown by many of the site's visitors suggested that his and Davidephraim's opinions seemed to be the prevailing views in the end.
By: Lasana Liburd (Express).
"I will not fault any of the players that plan to sue the TTFF," said "RasIred". "They had an agreement and TTFF did not live up to its end of the bargain. You have to take a stand for something, otherwise you will always get run over.
"It shows they have a back bone. TTFF should not have promised something they could not deliver!
"However I will support any player that wears my national colours."
RasIred is one of thousands of football fans who visit the "Soca Warriors Supporters Club" website on a daily basis. The site, which was founded by 34 year old computer technician, Inshan "Flex" Mohammed, and sponsored by Nigel "Tallman" Myers is almost nine years old. Almost certainly, it is the most popular forum for foreign and local Trinidad and Tobago football fans to express themselves on issues relating to the national team.
Predictably, last Thursday's announcement by Athletes 1 Legal that 17 members of Trinidad and Tobago's 2006 World Cup squad, dubbed the "Soca Warriors", were on the verge of filing a lawsuit against the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation (T&TFF) over bonuses owed from their qualification sparked a race to the keyboard from hundreds of fans.
RasIred's sentiments struck at the heart of the matter.
Can one support the absent Warriors without ignoring their replacements? Does one owe loyalty to the national players or is it to the team they represent?
An interactive poll on the website showed that 69 per cent of its voting members were "behind (the players) 100 per cent", while 30 per cent felt they should "put aside financial issues and represent".
But exactly what "100 per cent" support means is another story and, judging from the posts, the aggrieved Warriors should not expect too much from their fans just yet.
"Dreamer" left little doubt as to his dissatisfaction with the T&TFF.
"Jackula must be brought down or least contained with a stiff no-fly-zone surveillance," he wrote. "Cancer never says: 'Let me just spread to yuh brain and ah promise to be good after dat and spare yuh life eh'. Jackula is the epitome of cancer of the most voracious variety. He makes a killing and wants more and more.
"If we don't stand up to Jackula now in united fashion and avoid his divide-and-conquer-socawarrior agenda then we will be irreversibly conquered by his greedy malignant tentacles".
But Dreamer did not offer a radical blueprint for his crusade. Like RasIred, he suggested that fans split loyalties between supporting the present squad as well as the World Cup outfit.
"Fight Jackula/TTFF but support the warriors at the same time," said Dreamer, "even though yuh feel dat Jack geyyin' de last laugh when yuh go to de stadium.
"It seems conflicting but it could be done and many of us are doing it. Just bide yuh time. He is hoping that we geh confuse with this choice."
Not everyone was as sentimental, though. "TriniInfinite" was already looking forward to Trinidad and Tobago's next major tournament and posted his thoughts on the best available team for the 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup tournament.
It earned him a stern rebuke from his fellow "forumites".
"Ah find you overs the World Cup Warriors real quick in this debate," wrote Mr MC. "You only focused on who could get to sweat now. That kinda harsh in my books.
"Yes, no matter who take the field is the Soca Warriors and we go support them but it seems to me that you not even sparing a thought as to how these fellas have been treated. You done picking squad and ting already."
"JahYouth", "#8" and "Peong" were also unimpressed with TriniInfinite.
JahYouth felt fans should appreciate that football was the players' sole source of income and they could not be faulted for standing up for themselves. #8 reasoned that the team which finished second at the recently concluded Digicel Caribbean Cup competition was a poor replacement for the World Cup squad and could not match up to more illustrious CONCACAF opposition.
Peong felt that the T&TFF and not the players were the culpable party.
"The players not bigger than T&T but neither is the TTFF," posted Peong. "Whoever causing the problem is the one you should criticise. And the root of the problem is the TTFF not the players."
But TriniInfinite stood his ground.
"Trinidad and Tobago first; dem fellahs come after," he wrote. "Dey were supposedly promised a certain something and didn't get it (but) T&T bigger than dem (and) we have players tuh take we again.
"I just care about our nation qualifying for the World Cup If de players want tuh fight for what they believe is theirs, then cool but Trinidad football must move on.
"Right now players playing for those who not coming back, I don't see nothing wrong with dat."
"Cowen" appeared to agree.
"I will love to see the familiar faces back in the squad," stated Cowen. "But, at the end of the day, once I see that flag flying and the anthem playing in South Africa, all is good with me."
"DCS" pointed out that the Warriors' fight was eroded by the absence of an active union for the players while "Weary 1969" warned forumites to keep a close eye on coach Wim Rijsbergen's future team sheets. But, by then, the verbal sparring between TriniInfinite had diluted the discussion.
By Monday evening, the two main discussion rooms which catered to the impasse between players and administrators had received just fewer than 800 visitors each. Only 82 of these persons took time to post an opinion on the matter while just 60 voted in the interactive poll.
In contrast, 1,894 forumites showed an interest in Stern John's move to England Championship Division club, Sunderland, while 139 persons commented on local Pro League team Vibe CT 105 W. Connection's Caribbean Club Championship 3-2 semi final victory over Jamaica's Harbour View.
"Ah aint mad at nobody (as a matter of fact ah kinda proud of dem fellas)," posted Davidephraim. "However, I am not going to be held hostage by the situation. De Team must go on because my job remains de same.
"I am de fan. They get paid to ply their trade. I spend money to ply my hobbie."
Despite the criticism directed towards TriniInfinite, the apparent disinterest shown by many of the site's visitors suggested that his and Davidephraim's opinions seemed to be the prevailing views in the end.