The Metamorphic Warrior.
By: Hannibal Najjar.[/size]
A Sincere Appeal
This article is meant to petition our football leaders to look at the bigger developmental gains as they consider the demands on the national youth players to withdraw from the Secondary Schools Football League.
The SSFL is facing a showdown with the T&TFF who is drawing on the “country before school” appeal that may be especially strong coming on the heels of our senior team’s World Cup performance. The T&TFF wants to embark on a long-term training plan in preparation for the CONCACAF Youth World Cup Qualifiers due to take place at the end of the first quarter of 2007. The T&TFF is accusing the SSFL of being unpatriotic, disorganized, and of a low standard. Is the T&TFF being fair, or practical? Is their recommendation best for the overall good?
The September, 4th Express quoted Anton Corneal as saying that, “the low standard of the SSFL would erode the forward steps made by his players in their third place finish at the 2006 Caribbean Football Union (CFU) Youth Tournament.” I believe this to be a strange, inaccurate, and politically incorrect statement. It is sad to hear people blame any one organization in our psychologically changing country for the apparent low standard of football. In the September 14th Express, another technical person stated that, “more should be done to improve the quality of football in schools”. And, if that citation is true, which it is, how can removing the best players from the SSFL system, assist in over-riding that status and achieving the desired objective? Furthermore, on what grounds are we to judge our third place finish, in a tournament, played at home, as substantial and of a sizeably high quality? Is it because we defeated Jamaica? Where were we in our other games against Barbados (0-0 - tie) and Haiti (0-1 - loss)? Winning one game of substance gives us the right to redicule the production possibilities and product capabilities of the SSFL? We have an ideal situation looming and available to us at this time – we have a vibrant and very hyped SSFL season currently in full stream, where these young national players can engage in constant competition that would see them through November-December. Thereafter, they could be “handed over” to the new caretakers, the T&TFF, who would still then have adequate time to build on the emerging foundations and minds as we set our sights on the CONCACAF U-17 Youth World Cup Qualifiers, due to take place sometime in April-May, 2007 (?).
The September 14th Express also reports that National Team coach, Wim Rijsbergen is insisting that “national training take precedence over all other interests”. No one is ever agruing that National duties should not take precedence over others, this especially the case for those persons who vie to perform on the national stage. But, is it wise to take away the “spark plugs” and the “light houses” from the SSFL when there is no urgent need? Would we not then be propelling the SSFL into certain “low quality”? Isn’t this the very reason that Wim Rijsbergen seemingly withdrew the national team from playing our two International “Friendlies” against Mexico and Columbia? Wasn’t the reason for this decision that, the pro-players and the Pro-League were not good enough, i.e. Rijsbergen would have played the games if he had the World Cup nationals available for those encounters? Then, wouldn’t we be yielding the same fate if we sought to remove the “stars” from the SSFL? There seems to be little foresight, even hindsight and, care with this proposition. These national coaches are arguing that it would serve the young national college stars best if they would entrust 8 months or so (Aug ’06 – March/April ’07), in the care of the Federation. The alternative is that the SSFL players ensue the next 4 months in the up-and-running, vibrant SSFL, and thereafter, the following 4 months (Dec ’06 – March/April ’07) could be spent in preparation for the all-crucial U-17 CONCACAF tournament, where 5 of 8 countries would qualify for the Youth World Cup in Korea in 2007.
The Dutch Model – Pro Level?
Apart from the parallel I see between cancelling the “friendlies” and the pulling of the SSFL players, I would like to state clearly that I think cancelling the games against Mexico and Columbia, is a huge mistake. Personally, there has to be more in the reasoning behind the cancellation of these two friendlies than the verdict that, ‘the Pro-League and pro-players aren’t good enouigh’. I met the man, Wim Rijsbergen once on my last trip home in July-August, and I dare say that this decision would not be made in Holland, and so I say, he had to be misunderstood or misrepresented.
We need these international friendlies to help develop our younger senior-team players. In addition, we owe it to the world and FIFA, CONCACAF, CFU, and T&T, given the commendable performance of our Warriors at the recently concluded 2006 World Cup. It took more than two decades of football development to see us qualify for the World Cup. Why not try to make in one decade this time around? They should be sculpturing a plan to make it happen in eight years, for the 2014 World Cup. Or, maybe we can be creative and continue with the momentum of our 2006 WC performance, and get ourselves ready for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. We should not cancel the games because they are assessed as to be too difficult to overcome. Who did the scheduling of these games anyway, and why? There are no easy games anymore in world football; if you don’t show up, you’ll be shown up! Playing those “friendlies” is a way to continue to “bait” the local players to push themselves. Otherwise, the very accusation being made of the Poe-League’s standard of play, instead of being temporarily true, would become a permanent fixture in our football and worse still, in the minds of our players and future hopefuls.
The Dutch Model – Youth Level?
From my understanding of the Dutch Model as described in the September 14th Express, it suggests that our “youth national players assemble in the early morning, and then again after school to train with their SSFL team”. Who is suggesting this? This proposal is seriously flawed and we must consider the complications and implications before implementing. In this day and age, such a proposition would result in a social, educational and emotional catastrophe. It would be a logistical fiasco if we were to ask these young U-16 and U-17 student-athletes, to get to a designated site for early a.m. training with the National Team. Then, the players are to get freshened up, changed into school clothes, find transportation to get to school in time. Thereafter, these student-athletes are to get into the right frame of mind to learn in their academic setting! During school hours, these student-athletes would be engaging in much thought, measuring themselves either, for the scheduled training, or game in the p.m. Who is saying that this thinking is a workable model for our youth today? Apart from time constraints, there would be chaos in the minds of these adolescents as they deal with the deciphering of same-day training and game objectives for both, the national team and their SSFL school team.
The Nation’s Best
Back to my main point on the SSFL. I submit that the SSFL is, as it has always been, the best run, least contentious football organization in the country. They should be commended for their efforts and achievements – congrats Azad Khan and company. If there is some merit in suggesting that the quality at the SSFL level could be better, then assist in this “adventure”. The national coaches and technical directors should submerge themselves in this project and not seek to remove the youth from their “nursery bed”, but assist in the development process. This is the very forum that will shape their personality and positively affect their confidence, creativity, and in the end, their national pride.
I submit that, it is by this nurturing, that the student-athlete will learn to realize and attain their fullest potential. I believe that the challenges and rivalries of sports for the Under-16 and U-17 age group levels are best left to take their natural courses in the school environment, where the best opportunities for development and leadership naturally evolve. The T&TFF should be encouraging the SSFL and its student-athletes to make the most of the season. They should be inspiring the better players to dream of playing for their country by setting the right tone at this stage. This would allow for the realization of their dream to be seen as the crowning honour at the end of a season in which they gave of their best both, in their training and on the field of play. These T&TFF technical men should see that the retention of the chosen stars in the SSFL, will inspire and improve other, not-yet-chosen student-athletes, to reach their potential and challenge the already-chosen national players, to maintain their position on the national team – the school environment would be the ideal push-pull operative, for our young football hopefuls.
SSFL – The Football Bakery
If this line of reasoning for the developmental role of the SSFL does not appeal to those advocates who seem bent on cutting the umbilical chord of the college player from his school, let them cast their minds back to their SSFL (formerly, CFL) playing days. Would the following stand-out student-athletes, and I am writing as they are coming to mind, have wanted such a decision to be made when playing for their St. Mary’s, QRC, Fatima or Belmont, or Malick or whichever school they attended? Did they suffer by remaining in the SSFL? The list of players that have been nurtured and refined by the SSFL in the Who’s Who in Trinidad and Tobago football archives – from that self same Anton Corneal, Alvin Corneal, Lincoln Phillips, Sedley Joseph, Tyrone DeLaBastide, Warren Archibald, Leroy Deleon, Leo “Twinkletoes” Brewster, Andy Aleong, Jean Mouttet, Gerold Figarreau, Clive Pantin, Pat Gomez, Joey Golnsalves, Richard Nieves, Willie Rodriguez, Raymond Moraldo, Ian Bain, Alvin Henderson, Brian Rigsby, Richard Chinapoo, Michael Wiley, Ian Clauzel, Trevor Leiba, Roger Mathews, Ken Butcher, Russell Tiexiera, Everald Cummings, Ray Roberts, Bobby Banfield, Wifred Cave, Steve David, Russell Latapy, Leonson Lewis, Marlon Morris, Clayton Morris, Craig Demmin, Sheldon Bennett, Dwyane Demmin, Avery John, Mickey Trotman, Lester Felician, Emmerson Dubisson, Shaka Hislop, Dwight Yorke, Stern John, Arnold Dwarika, Andre Toussaint, David Nakhid, Ron Laforest, and Hannibal Najjar ……...just kidding, and others too many to mention. I apologize to those that I failed to mention, it is just a case of time, space and memory constraints!
All of the above footballers were never pressured into relinquishing their obligations when playing and developing at the SSFL. It was an honour to participate there and then to be selected for the next level as it carried with much pride to share your accomplishments with your classmates, teachers, principals, and on the playing pitch for your college. It was there and then that you knew that everyone knows your national acclaim and that brought the crowds out, and raised the standard of the game and the league. Truly, I know about this feeling, I worked very hard for that recognition and was rewarded with a glimmer of a hope for the National Youth Team in 1970. And boy, did that carry me through many a trial and into evey sphere of my life, and even as I speak to you today, it still does. I admired all those who were selected even though there was some envy and frustration for some who made it ahead of me. But again, was it good, and is it memorable!
Ask The Students
What I will challenge the T&TFF technical men to do is, to conduct a survey (anonymous) that asks the involved student-athletes themselves, which way they would rather go at this very point in time i.e. the T&TFF training or the SSFL and school participation? Like the turtle’s neck, I believe that the T&TFF would withdraw its head following the results.
Concluding Remarks and A Word from Two National Greats
Personally, there is too much danger in pulling these kids from representing their schools – it will literally remove them from the positive literacy statistic in our country, for without football and sport, we are sure to lose a fair amount of students from school. The sad thing here would be that, that statistic would befall the Afro-Trini population more than it would any other.
I contend that the youth should be allowed to relish and play in the “mud” and to learn to discover themselves, learn to share, resolve and solve, do battle with teammates as well as rivals, solidify relationships with teammates and compile a plan to confront the obstacles that they are destined to meet, particularly at the individual level. It is by this nurturing that, the student-athlete would learn which Nathan Hale they wish to be? Hale was a high school and Yale University student who became a Captain and patriot in the American Continental Army. He was most known for his famous, before-he-was hanged line “I only regret that I have but one life to give to my country”. It is by this nurturing that, the student-athlete would learn which Jonathan Livingston Seagull they would become? J. L. Seagull was a gull that did not want to remain as a scrap-getting seabird, but wanted to soar as eagles and sprint as the falcon. Without the challenges that are so naturally imminent and beautifully set in the workings and environment of the school, and in the rivalries of school sport and competition, the student-athletes would miss out on the awesome opportunity of learning the traits of leadership and “followship”, sacrifice, responsibility, accountability and the likes. These are the qualities that we so vividly saw finally emerging in our Warriors at the 2006 World Cup, and it began in the SSFL, taking many-a-year and trial to become what it is today.
Eric and Rudranath
In the final analysis, the transition from boy to man, from adolescent to adult, has to take its natural course. Such a transaction indicates that student-athletes interact with all of their life’s content, using their experiences, world knowledge, skills, motivation, and strategies to construct meaning in their lives and decision-making. Do allow our young men to be thoroughly feathered, physically nurtured, and emotionally and psychologically matured before we escort them to life’s new dawning!
We should try asking our great leaders of yesteryear, Dr. Eric Eustace Williams (PNM), and Dr. Rudranath Capildeo (DLP) what they would have us do. Both of these great men were QRC Island Scholarship Winners. I am a St. Mary’s boy and I would have preferred that they were too. By the way, Eustace captained his college’s football team and was known to be a “selfish forward” who always wanted the ball for he loved to score and did so often. I am certain that this contributed to his many “scorings” later in life. These men saw that the future was in our schoolbags, and in our school experiences, and in the hand-in-hand partnerships with the parents, churches, and communities. Now remember, if these young men are not playing sport, in this case, football, there will not be any schoolbags. This joint-ventured partnership will empower our student-athletes to impact, our nation, region, and eventually, the world for the glory of our lives, sport, work, and God. Let the young student-athletes, remain in their flow and keep up their glow. Allow them to bask in their school’s sun and environment unless of course, our country is under siege – then with absolute certainty, country shall take precedence over school.
In the short, before the “Warrior” can carry the sword or bear the weight of the armor, he must be strong, must know endurance, and the difference between skill and will, these, even if he does not until much later, understand his metamorphic nature.
