LEO HAS T&T FUTURE IN MIND (Injury for Gray)
Leo Beenhakker is considering the possibility of remaining on as head coach of this country’s national team following the run of the “Soca Warriors” at the ongoing 2006 World Cup.
This was the firm disclosure made by Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation Special Advisor Jack Warner after he met with the celebrated Dutchman at the team’s Landhaus Wachtelhof Hotel in Rotenburg.
Warner not only turned up to extend his congratulations and best wishes to Beenhakker and the “Soca Warriors” but he was intent on sitting with the former Real Madrid coach and discussing his future with T&T. And according to Warner, there was positive feedback which he hopes will turn out in the best interest of the country’s football after the Germany experience.
“The feeling has been excellent. There are some things you cannot describe in the world and this is one. More importantly I just spoke to Leo and he is interested in working with the team again….he and Wim (Rijsbergen) and this is extremely important once the conditions are right…. if it means that the Government needs to play an active part, the business sector has to play an active part . Jack Warner alone can no longer do it.
“What Leo has shown is that we can do it. Let’s just forget what divides us and let’s look at what unites us and if we do this our country will be a better place and what we are doing in Germany should serve as a catalyst for of course a bright future for the country,” Warner told TTFF Media
The FIFA Vice President believes that Beenhakker’s continued involvement with the team must be the next step.
“I came here to talk to him about that. He said to give him three days to consider it and I will. He also said that he wants to focus on the match on Tuesday and I respect that. But moreso, he said that he is positive about it,” Warner added. There remains no guarantee though that Beenhakker will make public his decision after such time.
“He says Tuesday he’s going for it and I expect that we shall win. He said to me Jack don’t forget that I have a player from (CL Financial San Juan) Jabloteh (Aurtis Whitley) marking Gerrard, a guy from Nelson Street (Densill Theobald) marking Beckham. When they ask what my players earn, it’s nothing compared to the England team and yet of course we gave them a very good performance. Had it been for a proper referee we would have had a draw. He said the second goal was irrelevant and that the first goal should never have scored,” Warner stressed.
And to how the CONCACAF President feels now among his FIFA colleagues,
“Oh I walk tall today. I walk taller than all of them. I tell all of them that ‘I told you so’. I made the point to them that I needed to get to this stage in order to show my worth and I have gotten it and we have done it as a country,” a proud Warner concluded.
He also presented Beenhakker with a signed copy of the recently launched book “Zero to Hero” which gives a detailed description on the journey of a man himself in Warner who has inspired T&T to its first World Cup. After that, it was time too for him to meet with skipper Dwight Yorke and other members of the players committee to discuss conditions pertaining to the team’s ongoing appearance on the world’s biggest sporting stage.
Gray ruled out Paraguay match
Defender Cyd Gray has been ruled out of Trinidad and Tobago’s final Group B encounter against Paraguay with a knee ligament injury sustained in the second half of the 2-0 defeat last Thursday.
According to team doctor Terrence Babwah, Gray suffered a partial knee ligament tear and could face the possibility of being out for up to two weeks even though the defender himself was confident of making a comeback in time for T&T’s possible second round appearance on June 24 in Munich.
“Getting this injury is not the best thing at this time but life goes on. I’m quite disappointed that I won’t be playing the Paraguay game. I would have liked to play in all three games. Based on the injury possibly maybe I may not be back but I really believe that if we go through to the second round I will make it back in time,” Gray told TTFF Media.
“I felt great to know that there are players who are making greater salaries than we are and we can also hold our own. It shows that not based on your salary means you can do as you want. You have to work just as hard all the time,” he added.
“Overall though we have worked hard and I feel pleased about that and about my personal performance. I think I have exceeded what people thought of me. I know I have in me but now I was able to bring it out on the field.”
There was better news for Marvin Andrews who took part in the small sided scrimmage in the one evening session held in Rotenberg on Saturday. The same went for goalie Kelvin Jack who took turns in goal along with Shaka Hislop and Clayton Ince
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