Stage set for U-17 opener.
...Warner not impressed by steelband absence.
By: Shaun Fuentes (TTFF).
The stage is set for the feature opening day game of the 2007 FIFA Under 17 World Championship in Korea with Brazil taking on New Zealand before 30,000 fans in Jeju at 5pm (4am T&T time) Saturday.
Other matches set to take place include England versus Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Korea Republic and Peru and Costa Rica coming against Togo in Suwon at various times.
Trinidad and Tobago meantime, have two extra days before facing off against Ghana in Cheonan at 8pm on Monday.
A host of top FIFA officials including Vice President Jack Warner and President Sepp Blatter are expected to be in town to witness the kick off to FIFA’s third biggest event.
At the T&T camp at the Onyang Hot Springs Hotel in Cheonan, coach Anton Corneal had an intense two and a half hour training session before a light stretch was on the schedule later that day. And to help skipper Leston Paul and company take their minds away from the game a bit, some of the players engaged in some table tennis and all fours.
“It hasn’t been bad at all over the last couple days. Today was a little bit hotter than usual but we’ve worked hard and the guys have been allowed to get some time to relax away from the game a bit. Tomorrow will pick it up again. Of course we will have the official training session at the match venue and then Sunday we will have our final session before the game,” Corneal told TTFF Media on Friday. “I have a very good idea what the starting team will be barring any injuries between now and Monday and the boys have a feel already of how approach will be. We will not take our opponents for granted but at the same time we will not be overwhelmed by them nor the occasion itself.”
On Friday, equipment manager Esmond O’brien and team manager Christo Gouveia, after being on constant contact with TTFF personnel and kit coordinator Cheryl Abrams back in Port of Spain last couple days, were finally picked up the team’s uniform kit which Adidas supplied. Thhere had been problems getting it cleared in customs in Seoul which were eventually sorted out today. In between that, the T&T camp received a courtesy visit from FIFA Vice President Jack Warner and TTFF’s General Secretary Richard Groden just around 5pm on Friday.
As T&T prepare for its opening game on the actual stage before a 26,000 capacity crowd, Corneal has emphasized the need for patriotism and has asked his team to represent the nation at full length. And both he and Warner had different ways in requesting how the boys should go around that. Corneal has blanked the playing of any Jamaican music in the camp or on the team bus and strictly Soca and Calypso has been the order of the day. The boys do enjoy the Soca with Kes’ “Lion” and “Our Prayer” being the main team songs while the likes of Machel Montano, Maximus Dan, Destra, and other popular oldies getting play time in Korea. In the lobby, even some of the German team officials and Korean hotel workers were seen trying to move to the rhythms of T&T as they heard it from the phones of some of the players.
While Corneal has asked for the boys to be true “Trinis”, Warner meantime, in a very up close talk with the boys asked them to follow suit from the Jamaicans, “the only country from the Caribbean that knows what it is like to fight to the end”. He said if it was anything T&T should follow from its Caribbean neighbours was how to play for country with all heart and pride, going down fighting even when all seemed lost.
Warner added that he was obviously hopeful that the young team would represent well but added that once they gave of their best, winning was not a number one priority. Of course he’s hoping to get more bragging rights over T&T’s football and is keen to show a good enough follow up to last year’s World Cup in Germany to his colleagues in the FIFA.
“Don’t play for your girlfriends alone because the games will be on TV back home. Play for yourselves yes, your families yes but most of all, play for your country because nothing can be more important than that,” Warner told the players. “In more than one ways this tournament is very important because it’s the third time we have qualified for a World Championship and It’s a chance for me to again redeem myself regarding my country’s ability on the football field with m colleagues in FIFA who only changed their impressions of Trinidad and Tobago after we held Sweden and played so well against England.”
Warner also said he was not surprised to learn that a local school steelband would not be making the trip to Korea again. After an initial invitation from the organizing committee last month Warner said attempts were made to have the Government assist in funding the trip however after late arrangements, bookings for travel could not be obtained for the group until after T&T’s final Group game against Germany on August 26. Warner said it was part of the Government’s inefficiency in trying to spread the country’s culture,similar to the Germany experience and its failure to put things together for the cultural contingent at the finals.
“I am not surprised at all. After we got the invitation from the President of the Korean FA Dr Mong Joon Chung for the steelband because he was so impressed I brought one to Seoul a couple years ago, now the Government has again acted late and because of their inefficiency we have lost another chance to showcase our culture at a world event. It’s almost like what happened last year in Germany with the cultural contingent only this time I’m not surprised. But the show shall go on and football shall fly the country’s flag once again,” Warner stated.
