Just fix it.
By: BC Pires (Express).Sunday, May 27th 2007
Kelvin Jack, goalkeeper of the World Cup Soca Warriors, is one of the players who appear to have been blacklisted for selection ahead of next month's Gold Cup.
Q: What did going to Germany mean to you?It was an unbelievable achievement. For me, personally, it was a lifelong ambition. Ever since I was a young boy, my goal was having a successful football career, and Trinidad and Tobago didn't even have a professional football league then. When we qualified, the feeling was undescribable [sic]!
Was there a highpoint?I was supposed to play the first game against Sweden but, the week before, I had a calf strain, which was disappointing. Although I was absolutely distraught when I couldn't play, looking at the team walk out against Sweden, it made me get goose bumps, made me realise we were finally there on the big stage and were going to compete against the world's best players.
Of course I was [personally] disappointed. For the next four days, I didn't sleep one wink at night. Thankfully I have a very strong girlfriend who supported me through that difficult period; I always take my hat off to her for that. The comforting thing was, I knew the team did well and I was extremely proud about that. I was very happy for [alternative goalkeeper] Shaka [Hislop] as well. We get along very well. He's a good professional and, although I was playing in front of him, I was so happy to see him play and do well.
You got a substantial financial reward from the state of Trinidad & Tobago?Yeah. They didn't have to give anything because all the boys would have run through a wall for Trinidad and Tobago, such was the passion we all had in representing these great people. The Government were top class in that regard. They were able to come up with something substantial and we'll always be grateful to them for that.
The TTFF didn't treat you so well, though; what bonus payments were Soca Warriors expecting, ballpark estimate?Well, I cannot go into the financial aspect of it.
But you weren't expecting TT$5,000?[Laughs aloud] I think maybe Trinidad & Tobago were stunned with what was offered to us. I know we, as players, were stunned. If you compare what other players from other countries got from their federations, that was maybe .0002 per cent of what they received. But, you know, we're working hard to try to sort this issue out and, well, everything must come to an end.
It's not going to go on forever. It may seem long because people want all the players back, representing the country in the Gold Cup- and that's what the players want as well. Everyone wants to play! Amongst the players, the consensus is we have a good chance of at least getting to the semi-final. This issue will be sorted out eventually and Trinidad & Tobago football would prosper after that.
The "blacklisted" players are available for selection for the Gold Cup?Well, we have made ourselves available for selection. All the boys are fit-with the exception of me [chuckling]-and want to play. We really want to let people know how proud we are to represent the country. It's an unbelievable feeling, hearing that anthem. That alone is reason enough to want to play for Trinidad!
If you all just said, we won't bother pursuing that bonus thing, you could play, couldn't you?We don't want to fight with the [Trinidad & Tobago Football] Federation. We just want a fair result. There was a contract. We as players felt we have always respected the Federation and many times the Federation has respected us as well.
This is an issue we feel is extremely important for the future of [our] football. We hope it could be sorted speedily. I don't think it's a matter of us saying, "It's water under the bridge". We've already committed ourselves to having this sorted out fairly. Maybe in the next couple of days this could all end.
Is there a blacklist?Well, it's quite clear there is a blacklist. It's the biggest kept [open] secret per se. If you have the country's best players available and you're not selecting them, it's very sad. Maybe it's a bit childish, as well, on their part. It shouldn't have a blacklist. Hence the reason for us wanting to form a players' association.
We're in the process of selecting the board. If we had a union in place before this dispute, the union would have been the one discussing things with the TTFF. They would have been around the table, making sure this would have been sorted out one way or the other.
The formation of the players association is not provocative, then?No way! It's not to oppose the Federation in any way! We have to make that crystal clear. We have been trying to copy the PFA in England. It is to help its members in whatever way possible, from the player in the local professional league to the junior player. Whether it's financial advice, insurance if your career is cut short by accident-you might lose a leg or arm in a car crash, you never know.
There is life after football and maybe we could have the right connections to get fellas into the right positions. A player might want to educate himself further after his football career. We're exploring that option, if we could help players go back to school, maybe even get a degree. It will be a very positive thing for [our] football!
Other countries with players' unions are strong football nations?Very strong! We will only be the 43rd country to have a players' union. It shows the ambition we have here, to give players benefits [similar] to the likes of the US, Germany, Italy, France and those countries. They are World Cup countries. We are a World Cup country as well and deserve those benefits.
You don't think Mr Warner might think you all are getting a bit big for your boots?I doubt it very, very much! Maybe I've criticised Jack Warner but he's also done very good things for football in Trinidad. He's a FIFA vice-president so surely he will support this venture because FIFA have stated a player should have a union to turn to for help. I think we all will be stunned if Jack Warner doesn't endorse the players' union because FIFA actually encourages them.
What can you as an individual and the other players as a unit do to resolve the impasse?All we could do is continue making ourselves available for selection [and hope] for this to be sorted out fairly, for dialogue to get an agreement, and ask the people to continue to support football and sport in general, because sport could even reduce the crime rate. We need to let the young kids realise you could do well from sport.
That is one of our goals at the players' union: to give youngsters the assurance that, when you can get into football, it's the same as becoming a doctor or lawyer, the benefits they have, it's just that you play for ten years. You'll have a pension scheme, insurance, the opportunity to educate yourself further after football, get into coaching. So it's a viable career, making me a more rounded human being.
You could stop making a fuss about those bonus payments?I'll turn this question to you: if you have an agreement with your employer and your employer did not keep his end of bargain-I think you wouldn't be happy at all. Especially when you give that employer all the respect and you have sacrificed a lot as well. I think, right there, you could probably answer that question.
So this is not about the blacklisted players?Forming this players association have absolutely nothing to do with the dispute with the Federation. It's just principle. We think it's overdue. It has been attempted many times in the past, most recently about four or five years ago, when there was a dispute with the Federation.
For one reason or another-I think we were far too inexperienced to make it successful-it didn't start up then. But people like Brent Sancho have always spoken about it. It's something we really want to give to the local professional players here. They deserve it. We were local players as well. I was a local player four-and-a-half years ago. I know the problems local players face and the benefits they should receive.
Suppose you never play for Trinidad & Tobago again?That is not in our mindset at all! This must be resolved at some point! There is no way I could envision [sic] this going on through the next qualifying campaign.
We are far too intelligent for that-meaning ourselves and the Federation. I don't think I've played my last game for Trinidad and I'm sure the rest of the guys feel the same way.
UNBELIEVABLE ACHIEVEMENT: Kelvin Jack, goalkeeper of the World Cup Soca Warriors.
