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Author Topic: Touching base with Keith Look Loy.  (Read 21360 times)

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Offline SWF Reporter

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Under the hood: Look Loy reviews T&T’s unsuccessful U-20 campaign
By Lasana Liburd (Wired868)


(Part One)

“They lost because of individual errors,” said CONCACAF technical study group member Keith Look Loy. “But, as a general statement, I cannot be satisfied with the statistical performance of the team. Seven goals in five games are not good enough…

“Five against Aruba and none against Panama, none against Guatemala and none against the United States… You’re not going anywhere with that.”

Look Loy, a former national player and coach at youth and senior level, covered the 2015 CONCACAF Under-20 Championship in Jamaica alongside Wired868 and was generous enough to give his insight on the tournament in general and Trinidad and Tobago’s performance in particular.

The following is the first in a three-part interview that touches on the performance of the teenaged “Soca Warriors” but also goes on to discuss the merits of the local school and professional game, the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association’s (TTFA) responsibility to football development, exactly what football fans should expect in the short and long-term future and a CONCACAF model for success:

Wired868: How long have you worked on the CONCACAF technical study group?

Keith Look Loy: That started with myself and Luis Hernandez, who is the president of the Cuba Football Association, and we started this work two years ago with the last (CONCACAF) Under-20 tournament in Puebla, Mexico. Since then we have multiplied the group and have well over a dozen people working as you saw in Jamaica.

We look at all the tournaments, male and female and all age groups, and by that I mean not only CONCACAF but CFU and UNCAF as well. We analyse the games and the technical capacity of the players and the tactical organisation of the teams and their strategy and, most importantly, their weaknesses and we look at the statistics as well. We issue reports based on that and have been doing that since two years ago. All of those reports are ultimately published on the CONCACAF website.

Wired868: What was your view on the recent CONCACAF Under-20 tournament?

Look Loy: This was an expanded tournament. We normally have eight teams with three group matches (instead there were 12 teams with five group matches each)… The concept here, mainly looking at the Caribbean and some of the Central American teams, (was that) they come to the tournament unprepared with a shortage of international tournaments and experience. So the thinking was to give them more matches. So this was novel…

The four teams that qualified and even some of the others like El Salvador and Trinidad and Tobago, I thought that we saw a good level from them. The level generally was good and I fully expect the four qualifiers will hold their own in New Zealand…

(He was particularly proud of tournament runner-up Panama’s continued improvement at CONCACAF level).

Fifteen years ago, Panama were seen as a baseball and boxing country and they were not taken seriously. But they put in the work and you are seeing the results now.

Over half of their players at this tournament played at the last Under-17 World Cup. And what Panama has been able to do over the last decade or so is build up a reservoir of players who now have junior World Cup experience.

They have now qualified for their fourth junior World Cup in the last six (tournaments). And they have played in most of the recent Under-17 tournaments. So they now have a pool of players in senior football who have World Cup experience and that is why they have been in the last two Gold Cup finals and conceivably will be fighting for honours in the next one as well.

Consistent investment with thought guiding it pays dividends and they are seeing that…

Wired868: Trinidad and Tobago and the United States were both beaten quarterfinalists at CONCACAF Under-17 level two years ago but now the US is heading to the World Cup. What can we take from that?

Look Loy: This is one of the weakest United States teams we have seen in a junior tournament and they had their problems but in the end big fish know how to survive.

As we said in Jamaica, it is not a two year jump to under-20 football it is a three year jump. (Some players, like Duane Muckette and Neveal Hackshaw, who were too old for the under-17s two years ago were able to join them as under-20s now). So you would have the possibility of including players who were not in the last programme.

But, two, whereas our players went on playing school football, their footballers have gone on to the German Bundesliga, the English Premier Division, the Scottish Premier League, etcetera, etcetera. In those two years, they have left high school football behind. So the level and quality of their experience has added to their ability to come now, having failed two years ago, and qualify for a World Youth Cup. There are no secrets here and I know you know that full well.

Wired868: What tactical trends or patterns did you notice at the tournament?

Look Loy: Most teams played with 4-4-2 with different variations… One team played with three defenders which was Jamaica and that didn’t help them at all. (Coach Theodore Whitmore) never fielded the same line-up in any match, he changed the position of his players from match to match and even within the same matches. He was never at ease with his team. Never…

The best teams had a stable line-up. Panama for the duration of the tournament made only three changes to their starting line-up in six matches and those three starting positions were in regular rotation (between the same six players).

Mexico changed once when they rested players after they had already won the group, Honduras was stable and, after the second game, United States also became stable and that speaks to preparation.

(Trinidad and Tobago made 15 changes in four group matches after their opening 2-2 draw with Jamaica. Just four of those changes were due to either suspension or injury).

The coaches of these teams came knowing their best line-ups; they were not guessing… If there is a trend to be pointed out here, it is that the best teams came prepared and the Caribbean teams all came unprepared including Trinidad and Tobago and the host, Jamaica.

Wired868: What would you say Trinidad and Tobago added to the competition?

Look Loy: At an individual level, there was general consensus that Trinidad and Tobago had good players and, from a technical standpoint, it was one of the best teams that Trinidad and Tobago sent to a CONCACAF tournament for a while now.

The players have ability and not just physical ability but technical ability… We liked the tactical ability of Neveal Hackshaw from North East and the skipper (Shannon Gomez) who came to our attention immediately in the first match but then kind of faded during the tournament. But you could see the boy is a capable player.

We liked (Duane) Muckette who is my player. But he is coming off a serious injury and he didn’t really impress himself upon the tournament as I really believe he could… But everybody recognised his importance to the team.

Akeem Garcia is a very tricky, dodgy guy and he has ability. Ricardo John is a useful player. We were very surprised not to see him appear at all against the United States. He played by himself upfront against Panama and did very well. I was personally shocked (not to see him against the US) because I thought as a lone forward he had a very good game upfront against Panama holding the ball and moving off the ball. He was physically strong and quick and so on. But the coaches would have their reasoning.

These were the outstanding players but we could see generally the pool (of Trinidad and Tobago players) was a good one on a technical level.

Wired868: And what did you think of Trinidad and Tobago’s performances?

Look Loy: On a tactical level, we were impressed with the fact that they could hold their defensive organisation for 60 or 70 minutes. But the problem is the team lacked physical fitness, which has to do with preparation. Even within those minutes and especially after those minutes the team was very, very vulnerable and this is when they lost.

They lost because of individual errors. As a general statement, I cannot be satisfied with the statistical performance of the team. Seven goals in six games are not good enough.

Five (goals) against Aruba and none against Panama, none against Guatemala and none against the United States; that isn’t good enough. You’re not going anywhere with that. Extract Aruba from the equation, you can’t score two goals in four games against your main rivals and go anywhere.

The team had real problems with goal scoring and the missed chances against Jamaica hurt them very, very badly. It was a match they should have won. And, despite good collective organisation in defence, you had a catalogue of defensive individual errors.

Look at the goal conceded by the goalkeeper (Johan Welch) against Guatemala, which was the second goal after an own goal to open the scoring. I don’t want to point fingers at him but look at the goal that Panama scored. There is no collective training to address (errors like) that or to address the goalkeeper coming and looking to dribble a man 35 yards from his goal and giving away a goal. There is no training to deal with that.

Yes, the players have individual ability and yes they were able to maintain some quality level and defensive organisation for most of the match. But then that faded and individual errors and errors of positioning and discipline cost them.

Look at the game against Panama. A match you are fighting for your life and then (Kadeem Corbin) makes a foolish tackle, which is a lack of due concern and care and you find yourself (sent off) and then an elbow to the face (by Akeem Humphrey). And then from being able to fight for a place for the World Cup, you are down to nine men.

These are individual errors of concentration. The coach can’t cater for that… And then it fell apart and another opportunity fades away.

Wired868: Can you talk more about the preparation of the team?

Look Loy: The TTFA is consistently failing national teams in that regard and we can go back in time and say the TTFF as well. When the TTFF wanted to find the means to support a team, they did it you know whether it was Jack Warner’s money or whoever else’s.

Let us not forget the last Under-17 women’s team that played in that very Catherine Hall Stadium was the worse team in the tournament. They didn’t score a goal and didn’t get a point and came home disgraced. And yet that was the successor to the National Under-17 team that Even Pellerud had that beat Chile in the World Cup and gave a good account of their selves.

They found the means to prepare Pellerud’s team but they didn’t find the means to support the team Marlon Charles had and that is the kind of lackadaisical don’t care attitude that transcends into the modern era with the TTFA.

That Under-20 team wasn’t prepared. And if it had been prepared you cannot guarantee success in football but they would have been better able to fight for a World Cup place…

Preparation is not only about lasting 90 minutes. Panama and Mexico played six group matches in two weeks and were asked to play extra time and if you saw those Panamanians run you would think it was their first match. And why? Because they were mentally and physically prepared to play six games in two weeks. Trinidad couldn’t do that…

(He speaks about a CONCACAF pre-tournament model he wrote for coaches on planning, physical preparation, tactical preparation and match analysis).

Part of your preparation is: okay, we are going into a tournament that has six games in two weeks, so let’s do that. Let’s play six games in two weeks. I don’t care if you play against North East, south east, whatever you could get; but six games in two weeks. So (your players) have a mental experience of doing that. When they get to the tournament we have done that before…

If you have the money to go through Central America and play Panama, Costa Rica and all of them in two weeks, then okay fine. It depends on your resources. But preparation includes dress rehearsal for the event and we don’t do this…

That has nothing to do with money. That is planning, vision and foresight. But nobody in the TTFA is thinking like that.

« Last Edit: February 02, 2015, 03:39:31 AM by Flex »

Offline coache

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 :cursing:I wonder what would be done differently in the future by My Loy and his partisans to prevent  these short comings which he was so careful to  point out...he obviously had little difficulty in identifying them since these are the very same shortcomings and deficiencies which have been plagueing the various national teams for many years.

Offline dreamer

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Might have been an inspiring guy long ago, with good contributions here & abroad yesteryear & doing something good for Santa Rosa
but daiz about it. I doh take President seriously anymore since suspected to be corrupted by Jackulito, Scampito, Rodent, Uncle Tim & the rest. Cushy position, occasional talk and dats it. When time to make a stand and do what's right ...... silence, deafening silence.
Stay right there wriiting yuh occasional comment for T&T public to hear ... and please don't try a power grab for the TTFA again.
Supportin' de Warriors right tru.

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Look Loy: Schools football is hurting the Soca Warriors
« Reply #93 on: February 03, 2015, 11:09:50 PM »
Look Loy: Schools football is hurting the Soca Warriors
By Lasana Liburd (Wired868)


Part two of a three-part interview:

“When we have boys who should be fighting for a place in W Connection or Central’s first team at 17, 18 and 19 choosing to play schools football,” said CONCACAF technical study group member and FC Santa Rosa coach Keith Look Loy, “where they can do what they want and where they keep all their bad habits and still be stars. It is a joke.”

Look Loy, a former national player and coach at youth and senior level, covered the 2015 CONCACAF Under-20 Championship in Jamaica alongside Wired868 and offered his insight on the tournament in general and Trinidad and Tobago’s showing in particular.

The following is the second in a three-part interview that touches on the performance of the teenaged “Soca Warriors” but also discusses the merits of the local school and professional game, the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association’s (TTFA) responsibility to football development, exactly what fans should expect in the short and long-term future and a CONCACAF model for success:

Wired868: The Trinidad and Tobago National Under-17 team leaves for CONCACAF battle next week. What should fans brace themselves for after their disappointment with the under-prepared Under-20 Team?

Keith Look Loy: This Under-17 team is also unprepared and I won’t say I don’t expect much from them but I am saying if they come home after the group stage it won’t surprise me. No doubt they have talent and I have a player too in that team (FC Santa Rosa midfielder John-Paul Rochford) who is 14 years old. But when we look at the best players in these tournaments, we are sending schoolboys to play and they are sending professional players.

Yes, they may not be all be professional players who are starting in first division teams although some of them are. (The Mexico Under-20 team had two first team players in Liga MX and the United States had a starter who got extensive playing time in the England Championship).

But we are doing the reverse. (Our Pro League is) already at a lower level than the clubs I am talking about and they are electing to leave that and go and play schools football. This is a joke.

Wired868: What role do you see the Secondary Schools Football League (SSFL) playing in the local game?
(Look Loy is a former national title winning coach with Malick Senior Comprehensive).

Look Loy: There was a time when the colleges’ league, which transformed to become the secondary schools league, played a very important role. I played for St Mary’s College in the 1960s and early 70s. It played a role because there was no organised youth football in Trinidad and Tobago at the time. You couldn’t find the youth football that exists today. A lot of the youth football today remains disorganised but at least it exists. There was nothing then. The only organised youth football was the colleges’ league…

Today, the secondary schools league is an obstacle to the best youth talent in Trinidad and Tobago. The standard is low regardless of what the media might write. You know it and I know it and anyone who goes to the game knows it.

When we have boys who should be fighting for a place in W Connection or Central’s first team at 17, 18 and 19 choosing to play schools football where they can do what they want and where they keep all their bad habits and still be stars. It is a joke. We saw how Levi Garcia looked (in the CONCACAF Under-20 tournament). He was terrible. He had no impact on the tournament at all. He couldn’t even hold a first place team.

He was lucky to have been seen here (in the Caribbean cup) and get a contract because if he had been judged on the CONCACAF tournament in Jamaica he wasn’t getting a contract. Tell me I’m wrong. For a player like that what does it do for your football development to play against schoolboys…

And I know the political pressure (student footballers) are put under by school principals and what not. But a boy doesn’t pass his exam and enter school at form one to play football, he enters as a student. I think it is absolutely incorrect for some principals and coaches to tell students we wouldn’t let you repeat or we wouldn’t give you a form six place unless you represent the school. They don’t have the boy’s best interest at heart. Because that boy should be allowed to come to school and do his school work but play in the environment that does the most for his future prospects as a player.

Wired868: So you think the schoolboys’ league has outlived its benefits?

Look Loy: I will tell you a story. In 1992, I went to Brazil for two months to do a course at the Brazilian football academy and (Sebastião) Lazaroni was one of the instructors in that programme. And one day we were talking outside the formal context of class and I asked him tell me about school football in Brazil and he said what do you mean. And I said football among schools. And he said ‘I don’t understand.’

I said when the schools have a representative team and they play a league against other each other. And he said: ‘Oh, okay. But that is for the boys who don’t have talent. Any boy in school who has talent is in a club.’

If we are serious, we have to get past the emotional attachment we have with school football for developing boys. Let the boys who cannot get in a team play for their schools… For the best talent, playing school football is a waste of time.

Wired868: The stated mission of the SSFL’s Premier Division is to create a more concentrated pool of talent. Do you think that would lift the standard of the schoolboys’ game?

Look Loy: I don’t buy that. It will ensure that there will be promotion and relegation and teams will fight for that. So it will have the best teams in the top division, which is quite apart from the best talent.

There is no guarantee that the good players from Chaguanas when they are demoted will all transfer to St Benedict’s College. (Those players) will be forced to play second division football. But that hypothetical boy doesn’t need to be playing in a second division league with Pleasantville. He should be fighting for a place with Connection or Club Sando or whatever and be in a tougher environment for his football development. That is when Trinidad and Tobago football will go to a top level.

‘Gally’ Cummings and them were not playing for Fatima College beyond 14 or 15 years old. Ask them. They were not playing school football. In the football world, that is for boys who cannot make a good club team.

But we have to ensure that the clubs are structured and provide a proper environment and the TTFA has to introduce requirements for clubs depending on its level to ensure that if a boy says he is not playing for St Mary’s College (and) he is going to play for Maple, there is an environment there that is proper to ensure his football development.


Feb-01st.

« Last Edit: February 04, 2015, 03:01:43 AM by Flex »

Offline Richard G.

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Shaka: Here’s why T&T football needs the SSFL
« Reply #94 on: February 04, 2015, 04:37:18 AM »
Here's Shaka's take..

Shaka: Here’s why T&T football needs the SSFL
By Shaka Hislop (Wired868.com)


Before I get going in earnest let me start by admitting my own bias. I haven’t actually lived in Trinidad and Tobago for well over 25 years now. As much as I’ve tried to keep up with the local game, it’s been through the media and I fully appreciate that being ‘on the ground’ provides an invaluable insight into our footballing landscape.

Also, I am a product and a huge fan of the Secondary Schools Football League (SSFL)—or the Colleges League at it was called back then. As much as I represented T&T at just about every youth level as far as I can remember, without my ‘escape’ to the Colleges League, I can say with some certainty, I would’ve quit the game by age 16.

So please don’t try to convince me that the Secondary Schools Football League is detrimental to our game. Please, don’t.

Over the last few years I’ve been afforded the opportunity to interact with some of the major stakeholders and decision makers in the game, regionally and globally. Regionally, particularly in the United States and Mexico, the approach can be summed up by the saying “a rising tide lifts all boats.”

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard that phrase used over the last 18 months or so. The objective isn’t to gleam the cream off the top, but to raise the standard of the game at every level. By doing so, those at the top would ultimately benefit most.

And let’s be honest here, taking the best players out of the league would effectively kill the SSFL, and with it the opportunity for those players who may not be deemed good enough or do not want to play at a Pro League academy. At 16 or 17, I would’ve fallen into one of those two categories.

Apart from which, why is the SSFL to blame when “we have boys who should be fighting for a place in W Connection or Central’s first team at 17, 18 or 19 choosing to play school’s football?”

There are any number of people you can castigate for that: the TT Pro League, the clubs, their academies, the coaches, the player, the player’s parents, look you can blame Brer Anancy for all I care. But you surely can’t blame and consequently punish the SSFL for giving a player an opportunity that he enjoys.

Through all the talk and suggestion about what or who is at fault for our recent failings and how it should be addressed, I believe it is high time that we have an honest and earnest discussion about our football. We need to define our footballing identity and let that be the foundation on which all of our game is built. We have to get away from this four-year shifting of focus, that merely reflects who won the last World Cup. (We aren’t the only ones guilty of this by any means).

After 1998 when France won, there were calls for a Bloemfontein-esque national football academy. Then in 2002, we needed to play more beach soccer and futsal—a game I’m a huge fan of as a development tool, but that’s for another day—like the Brazilians do.

After 2006, we needed to be better defensively and tactically just like the Italians. In 2010, we needed more tikki-takka (more on Spain in a minute) as Spain rewrote the way the game was supposed to be played. And now we have to be more disciplined, just like the Germans.

When and where will this nonsense stop?

I read somewhere that, late in the last century, Spain’s footballing minds sat down to have a look at their consistent failings and how it should be addressed. They admitted that they’d never be able to match the likes of the Germans and the English in a physical game. Their fans didn’t want to see them playing defensively like the Italians, even if it meant winning 1-0. But they knew they were very good technically.

The resulting philosophy was simple, if we had the ball the opposition didn’t, they couldn’t hurt us and we’d dictate the game for the most part. And so tikki-takka was born.

They then set out to certify as many coaches as possible, at every level—Spain has more certified coaches than almost anyone—so that everyone, from the bottom to the top, understood the philosophy.

Yes, they were buoyed by Barcelona playing similarly, and the success that they had. And, yes, the style may vary slightly depending on the personnel or the coach. And, yes, you may criticize tikki-takka itself. But what you cannot question is the success that having a clear national footballing identity has brought to the Spanish national team.

Back in the early 2000s, I met with the newly appointed Minister of Sport, Roger Boynes—I really can’t remember what was the intended nature of the meeting—as it happened, the soon-to-be Minister of Sport Anil Roberts was also present. The TT Pro League was still in its infancy.

I suggested that the approach of the league could better benefit all of our football. I felt, and still do, that clubs should align themselves with schools in their region. The clubs would have first ‘dibs’ on the players coming out of those schools, that’d ensure a natural progression of the talent coming out of the SSFL.

Probably more importantly, given the crowds at Pro League games, there’d also be a natural progression of the fan base—the SSFL was well supported back then.

The Pro League club would also be responsible for sending coaches to oversee and assist in the coaching of the school teams, ensuring that all the players were exposed to the professionalism it takes to earn a living playing the game, the best players were well educated in the club’s philosophy and the club’s young and upcoming coaches were given an opportunity to gain valuable experience.

The investment and benefit would be mutual without affecting either’s autonomy.

As luck would have it—and, yes, I’m fully aware of how politicized our football has become—there is a TTFA Presidential election and a general election coming up this year. Regardless of their outcomes, whoever wins will have the minimum security of a four-year term to properly address the game.

It’s high time to get all our game’s stakeholders—the TTFA, TT Pro League, SSFL, Primary Schools Football league, Ministry of Sport, Ministry of Education, coaches and commercial partners—to define our own footballing identity.

How can we lift all boats? Let that be our New Year’s resolution for 2016.

Progress, after all, is not a zero-sum game.

« Last Edit: February 07, 2015, 01:56:03 AM by Flex »
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Offline Deeks

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Re: Look Loy: Schools football is hurting the Soca Warriors
« Reply #95 on: February 04, 2015, 07:13:45 AM »
I suggested that the approach of the league could better benefit all of our football. I felt, and still do, that clubs should align themselves with schools in their region. The clubs would have first ‘dibs’ on the players coming out of those schools, that’d ensure a natural progression of the talent coming out of the SSFL.

There in lies the question. Keith right or Shaka right? I have heard this above statement quoted above by Shaka many times. But I eh sure that will work. They can try it. But at the end of the day, the school want their pro-affiliated players playing in the inter-col and for the SSFL league champs or to fight from being demoted. At the end of the day, the clubs want their young players to fit into their scheme. Who will have he upper hand ? The clubs who investing their money or the principal who is in charge of educating the students?

Offline Mose

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Re: Look Loy: Schools football is hurting the Soca Warriors
« Reply #96 on: February 04, 2015, 12:35:27 PM »
I think what is required is a change in the (local) cultural mindset so that the best players are encouraged to seek out the pro-league contracts. However, we may find ourselves fighting against the lure of the US college system, in that students who have pro-league contracts may not be eligible for athletic scholarships to those schools, so players/students who see that as their opportunity may still decide to go the SSFL route as opposed to pro. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong on this.
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Re: Look Loy: Schools football is hurting the Soca Warriors
« Reply #97 on: February 04, 2015, 01:17:00 PM »
I think what is required is a change in the (local) cultural mindset so that the best players are encouraged to seek out the pro-league contracts. However, we may find ourselves fighting against the lure of the US college system, in that students who have pro-league contracts may not be eligible for athletic scholarships to those schools, so players/students who see that as their opportunity may still decide to go the SSFL route as opposed to pro. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong on this.

We've been losing players to the US College system for a long time. But it really doesn't matter, because football as a career is not the main priority for those who take up scholarships.
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Offline Mose

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Re: Look Loy: Schools football is hurting the Soca Warriors
« Reply #98 on: February 04, 2015, 01:48:59 PM »
I think what is required is a change in the (local) cultural mindset so that the best players are encouraged to seek out the pro-league contracts. However, we may find ourselves fighting against the lure of the US college system, in that students who have pro-league contracts may not be eligible for athletic scholarships to those schools, so players/students who see that as their opportunity may still decide to go the SSFL route as opposed to pro. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong on this.

We've been losing players to the US College system for a long time. But it really doesn't matter, because football as a career is not the main priority for those who take up scholarships.

What about players like Da Silva (sp?) and Leston Paul? Didn't they take the US scholarship road? Shaka himself went that route. I'm sure there are others as well, but I don't know the full numbers. It could be that it's not significant but that there will always be exceptions who go that route but end up making a career of it. Either way, I believe, like Shaka said, there needs to be some sort of discussion on how to move forward.
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Offline Deeks

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Re: Look Loy: Schools football is hurting the Soca Warriors
« Reply #99 on: February 04, 2015, 02:12:26 PM »
I think what is required is a change in the (local) cultural mindset so that the best players are encouraged to seek out the pro-league contracts. However, we may find ourselves fighting against the lure of the US college system, in that students who have pro-league contracts may not be eligible for athletic scholarships to those schools, so players/students who see that as their opportunity may still decide to go the SSFL route as opposed to pro. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong on this.

We've been losing players to the US College system for a long time. But it really doesn't matter, because football as a career is not the main priority for those who take up scholarships.

What about players like Da Silva (sp?) and Leston Paul? Didn't they take the US scholarship road? Shaka himself went that route. I'm sure there are others as well, but I don't know the full numbers. It could be that it's not significant but that there will always be exceptions who go that route but end up making a career of it. Either way, I believe, like Shaka said, there needs to be some sort of discussion on how to move forward.

DeSilva and Paul are the exception in this time period. Long ago, college players would be drafted into clubs. But time has changed. This has changed since the USSF created their academy in florida.

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Re: Look Loy: Schools football is hurting the Soca Warriors
« Reply #100 on: February 04, 2015, 02:44:18 PM »
I think what is required is a change in the (local) cultural mindset so that the best players are encouraged to seek out the pro-league contracts. However, we may find ourselves fighting against the lure of the US college system, in that students who have pro-league contracts may not be eligible for athletic scholarships to those schools, so players/students who see that as their opportunity may still decide to go the SSFL route as opposed to pro. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong on this.

We've been losing players to the US College system for a long time. But it really doesn't matter, because football as a career is not the main priority for those who take up scholarships.

What about players like Da Silva (sp?) and Leston Paul? Didn't they take the US scholarship road? Shaka himself went that route. I'm sure there are others as well, but I don't know the full numbers. It could be that it's not significant but that there will always be exceptions who go that route but end up making a career of it. Either way, I believe, like Shaka said, there needs to be some sort of discussion on how to move forward.

Yes, there are exceptions, but the numbers are small. But even look at two of the names mentioned. De Silva is 25 and Leston Paul will be 25 in March. Where are they in their respective careers? Now compare that to Molino, Hyland, Bateau, Cyrus etc. who were on the same U-20 team as them.
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Re: Look Loy: Schools football is hurting the Soca Warriors
« Reply #101 on: February 04, 2015, 03:06:54 PM »
Were Hyland, Cyrus, Molino etc academically inclined or were they more concered with putting food in their mouths and money in their pockets?
I think a case could be made for sending players/footballers to the US for scholarships at the age of 16 instead of 18/19 etc. Also remember that different people have different priorities. I think Paul and DeSilva would have attended St Mary's College and completed their advanced levels. Compare that to players like Molino, Hyland etc who would probably be attending their school with one purpose only, football and ssfl.

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Re: Look Loy: Schools football is hurting the Soca Warriors
« Reply #102 on: February 04, 2015, 09:01:17 PM »
Nothing not hampering football besides football

It have nothing to do with school football or pro league or youth development or anything like that.

At the end of the day it comes down to the ambition of each player as an individual and their application to improvement

Sometimes you have to excel irregardless of environment

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Re: Look Loy: Schools football is hurting the Soca Warriors
« Reply #103 on: February 04, 2015, 11:36:59 PM »
I wonder why Mr Loy is saying these things. Some of the things he is saying I can  agree with but he seems to be taking the stance that the present state of football in Trinidad and Tobago is in disrepair.

I thought guys like Loy were partly responsible for it's present state but I was wrong. Loy wants to see change and he is very dissatisfied right now.

I hope Loy can come up with some solutions ..but saying that school football is hurting the National set up ...rubbish.

Why not find a real solution to the problem...kids want to play for their school..kids don't play football everyday like the old days..kids don't play in the streets like the old days..principals don't allow kids to go outside at sweat during recess, lunchtime and after school any more..San Fernando Tech and John D are no longer in the league..

These are some of the reasons why the players aren't as good as the players of yesteryear..they spend more time playing virtual soccer than actually playing the real thing..having them go and train with an academy under some coach who lacks real qualification is certainly not the answer..that is not how stars are made..they are made on the playground, on the streets , in the school yard, the academies are for special players who are managed and supervised by experienced qualified coaches and trainers..I don't think those so called academies in Trinidad are suitable for honing such talent.

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Re: Look Loy: Schools football is hurting the Soca Warriors
« Reply #104 on: February 06, 2015, 07:51:23 PM »
Recently, I was watching a video of Naparima College vs St. Mary's College and after watching part of the first half I became increasingly bored and disgusted by what I saw. So, I immediately went to another sports channel and saw that Real Madrid had recently signed a young baller, aged 16 or 17 years old, with Messi and Ronaldindo like skills and vision. And it dawned on me that this kid was so lucky to not be plying his trade in Trinidad at that tender age and how misguided he would have been. So, I youtubed the kid and I was absolutely blown away by this 16 year old's technical and tactical abilities. He truly reminded me of Ronaldindo and he looked like the reincarnation of Messi and it so happens that he is left footed just like Messi. Not knowing anything about who nurtured his abilities or his training, the kid is Norwegian, I can almost guarantee you that he would have been wasting his time playing in the SSFL. I am not talking about Thiago Alcantarra, but speaking about Thiago. He is another young superstar that would have died in SSFL as a starlet. This kid is a midfield general, that if he stays healthy, he will replace Xavi as Spain's next midfield ace. Do you think that these two starlets would have been this successful plying their trade in the SSFL in Trinidad? Yeah, I don't  think so. They would have been misguided by selfish individuals, wasting their time just to make a schoolboy hall of fame or the talk of the town.

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« Last Edit: February 06, 2015, 08:07:21 PM by King Deese »
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Re: Look Loy: Schools football is hurting the Soca Warriors
« Reply #105 on: February 06, 2015, 08:12:20 PM »
Recently, I was watching a video of Naparima College vs St. Mary's College and after watching part of the first half I became increasingly bored and disgusted by what I saw. So, I immediately went to another sports channel and saw that Real Madrid had recently signed a young baller, aged 16 or 17 years old, with Messi and Ronaldindo like skills and vision. And it dawned on me that this kid was so lucky to not be plying his trade in Trinidad at that tender age and how misguided he would have been. So, I youtubed the kid and I was absolutely blown away by this 16 year old's technical and tactical abilities. He truly reminded me of Ronaldindo and he looked like the reincarnation of Messi and it so happens that he is left footed just like Messi. Not knowing anything about who nurtured his abilities or his training, the kid is Norwegian, I can almost guarantee you that he would have been wasting his time playing in the SSFL. I am not talking about Thiago Alcantarra, but speaking about Thiago. He is another young superstar that would have died in SSFL as a starlet. This kid is a midfield general, that if he stays healthy, he will replace Xavi as Spain's next midfield ace. Do you think that these two starlets would have been this successful plying their trade in the SSFL in Trinidad? Yeah, I don't  think so. They would have been misguided by selfish individuals, wasting their time just to make a schoolboy hall of fame or the talk of the town.

 SSFL vs Pro Football 0 & 2.


Shaka say if he didn't have intercol he would have quit.
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Re: Look Loy: Schools football is hurting the Soca Warriors
« Reply #106 on: February 06, 2015, 08:37:36 PM »
Recently, I was watching a video of Naparima College vs St. Mary's College and after watching part of the first half I became increasingly bored and disgusted by what I saw. So, I immediately went to another sports channel and saw that Real Madrid had recently signed a young baller, aged 16 or 17 years old, with Messi and Ronaldindo like skills and vision. And it dawned on me that this kid was so lucky to not be plying his trade in Trinidad at that tender age and how misguided he would have been. So, I youtubed the kid and I was absolutely blown away by this 16 year old's technical and tactical abilities. He truly reminded me of Ronaldindo and he looked like the reincarnation of Messi and it so happens that he is left footed just like Messi. Not knowing anything about who nurtured his abilities or his training, the kid is Norwegian, I can almost guarantee you that he would have been wasting his time playing in the SSFL. I am not talking about Thiago Alcantarra, but speaking about Thiago. He is another young superstar that would have died in SSFL as a starlet. This kid is a midfield general, that if he stays healthy, he will replace Xavi as Spain's next midfield ace. Do you think that these two starlets would have been this successful plying their trade in the SSFL in Trinidad? Yeah, I don't  think so. They would have been misguided by selfish individuals, wasting their time just to make a schoolboy hall of fame or the talk of the town.

 SSFL vs Pro Football 0 & 2.


Shaka say if he didn't have intercol he would have quit.
Don't misunderstand me. I didn't say T&T Pro Football. I said Pro Football meaning professional football in the outside world where the term is synonymous with real professional football. Maybe, if Shaka had an agent to guide him or maybe if he was good enough at that early age to sign with an EPL club, he would not be talking that shit. Afterall, he is still an Englishman with Trini linkage.
« Last Edit: February 06, 2015, 08:40:34 PM by King Deese »
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Re: Look Loy: Schools football is hurting the Soca Warriors
« Reply #107 on: February 07, 2015, 07:47:51 AM »
I still stand by my opinion that the pro league teams have to have academies with their own teachers or tutors. Depending on the college league to help them will not work. The SSFL has their league to boost students moral. What does that have to do with the pro league. Schools primary job is education first, sports second. The first priority of the pro is football. The SSFL probably look at the pros as trying to kill college football.

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Re: Look Loy: Schools football is hurting the Soca Warriors
« Reply #108 on: February 07, 2015, 08:39:57 AM »
Lose one Shaka, gain three. Not a problem.

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Re: Look Loy: Schools football is hurting the Soca Warriors
« Reply #109 on: February 07, 2015, 09:50:59 AM »
So Look Loy didn't know all this when he was T&T technical director?

Or like he was to busy playing marble pitch with Jack Warner nuts like de rest of them.

« Last Edit: February 07, 2015, 10:10:43 AM by Sam »
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Re: Look Loy: Schools football is hurting the Soca Warriors
« Reply #110 on: February 07, 2015, 05:25:55 PM »
Thanks Sam. these guys were in charge of Technical development & restructuring. What was Look Loy and Anton Legacy. They left no structure and the current crop of players can be traced back to their development.
T&T have one footballer right now Molino. He is the only player clubs really want. The rest struggling to find a decent club and playing all in Vietnam, Lithuania and far out leagues like Star Trek, where no man has gone before.

 What he did mention is what all of us saying & Hart said it as well. We need money that can be invested in the football. Not just teams, but schools & Academy. Look Loy talk with out giving any real answers. . :frustrated: Sancho not going and do nothing for football, watch :banginghead:

My friends all say that football finish in T&T. Skeen not doing one thing after 10+ years of pro league.
Nobody watching  and the football standard real poor. Last year I was home and watch some Intercol, not a single player look like he have a future in ball outside the local league. Went to see a South zone game also, talk about shit.

Start supporting Red Force we, because that is where money going.

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Re: Look Loy: Schools football is hurting the Soca Warriors
« Reply #111 on: February 07, 2015, 06:55:56 PM »
Dudes, Keith and them had all technical this and that to their name. But nothing eh happen because Jack eh make it happen. Who was controlling TTFA.? Keith? Look over the years Jack, And camps had all kind of reports about football and eh do shit about it. Jack eh listening to nobody but himself. Jack was a FIFA vp and you think he could not get reports and technical advice about improving TT.? Actually  we all know he had the funds to do it. But kept it for himself. He build the so called Fifa   Center for excellence. He brought in LP as a TD and sideline him for much of the time he was there. Breds get Allyuh thinking heads in order,nah!
« Last Edit: February 07, 2015, 06:59:33 PM by Deeks »

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Re: Look Loy: Schools football is hurting the Soca Warriors
« Reply #112 on: February 07, 2015, 07:04:35 PM »
When did it become the job of the SSFL to produce players for national selection? I thought the SSFL like other school sports was to nurture a student into a more all round individual? If the pro league clubs want to invest time and money to develop and nurture their own players then so be it. We can't be blaming the standard of the SSFL for our football woes.

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Re: Look Loy: Schools football is hurting the Soca Warriors
« Reply #113 on: February 07, 2015, 07:44:10 PM »
Deeks, shut yuh ass nah.

These men under Jack Warner for over 20 years, they accepted de terms, now they not in T&T football anymore and all of a sudden they know everything.

Please...

Go and drink some ca-ril-lie bush and purge yuhself out of all that shit yuh eating.

They sell they soul for peanuts, now they reeling in like a fish who get hook.

What de f00ck Anton, Look Loy and who ever else under Jack did for T&T football?

They work under de devil for 2 decades, now they trying to wash they hands.

I feel Jack did own you once too.

« Last Edit: February 08, 2015, 04:46:16 AM by Sam »
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Re: Look Loy: Schools football is hurting the Soca Warriors
« Reply #114 on: February 08, 2015, 05:20:43 AM »
Look Loy: T&T football running on pipe dreams; but we can save it.
By Lasana Liburd (wired868).


“We no longer have the pool of players and that fountain of experience we had when we qualified for Germany in 2006,” said CONCACAF technical study group member and FC Santa Rosa coach Keith Look Loy. “(We had) men playing in the English leagues and Scotland Premier League and so forth for years… Now, with all due respect, we have men in India and Vietnam.

“It is hardly the same. And therefore the level of expectation, I think, should not realistically be the same.”

Look Loy, a former national player and coach at youth and senior level, covered the 2015 CONCACAF Under-20 Championship in Jamaica alongside Wired868 and offered his insight on the tournament in general and Trinidad and Tobago’s showing in particular.

The following is the final instalment in a wide-ranging three-part interview that discussed the performance of the teenaged “Soca Warriors”, the merits of the local school and professional game and the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association’s (TTFA) responsibility to football development.

Now, Look Loy says what local football fans should expect in the short and long-term from their national teams and identifies a model for success based on the remarkable rise of a fellow CONCACAF nation:

Wired868: Should we be encouraged or concerned by the National Under-20 Team’s showing at the CONCACAF Championship and recent trends within the Confederation?

Keith Look Loy: I am going to marry this Under-20 tournament with the last (senior) Caribbean Cup tournament in Montego Bay. Trinidad and Tobago lost on penalty kicks (in the 2014 Caribbean Cup finals) to Jamaica but the performance of that team gave no encouragement for the 2015 Gold cup and the 2018 World Cup qualifiers. I’m being frank.

Never mind the fact that we got to the final. The performance was poor. We were able to survive against Jamaica in the final because we were very defensive. Quite frankly, that Senior Team had 11 players on the field but it was short because certain big name players didn’t pull their weight.

For us to have any kind of chance, starting with the Gold Cup and continuing into the World Cup qualifying campaign, that pool at senior level has to be prepared properly and the final eleven has to pull their weight. Without calling names, it was the talk of the stadium after that final and even during the tournament that certain big name players wearing Trinidad and Tobago shirts were doing absolutely nothing on the pitch and were burdens to the team. They have to do better.

They have to be prepared better and they have to be prepared to come on the field and give everything if they have to have any chance because that was not Jamaica’s best team.

Wired868: Do we have the calibre players who can take us to glory in the short term?

Look Loy: Our real potential is going to be challenged shortly in the Gold Cup and that is in a matter of a few months. Whether the TTFA is going to make it possible for whichever team (Stephen) Hart selects to play on the FIFA dates and to have preparation matches is an issue that is always up in the air. But they are going to have to do that.

Secondly, we no longer have the pool of players and that fountain of experience we had when we qualified for Germany in 2006. (We had) men playing in the English leagues and the Scotland Premier League and so forth for years… Now, with all due respect, we have men in India and Vietnam. It is hardly the same. And therefore the level of expectation I think should not realistically be the same.

We no longer have a Yorke and a Latapy and a Shaka Hislop and Marvin Andrews and all of these guys… That is not to say the players we have are untalented but they don’t have the experience that these guys brought to the table. That is just a fact.

We are facing two questions. Firstly, the preparation of a team to proceed into a tournament and we consistently fail to prepare teams properly. Select the right coach give them the resources, let them train, give them the practice matches, etc, etc. That is team development or preparation.

Then there is the longer team issue of player development. You know what I mean. The players we want to be in the men’s team for Qatar and thereafter, we have to be producing those players now. That speaks to the preparation I just referred to but it also refers to player development in Trinidad and Tobago as a whole.

We need to be preparing from under-10 and under-12 today and that speaks to coach development and coach education, which is non-existent in Trinidad and Tobago and under the umbrella of the TTFA. The coaches in every nook and cranny from Chaguaramas to Toco to Fyzabad and Palo Seco who have to be providing these boys from now at age 6, 7, 8, 9 and coming up the line. We have to be preparing coaches to do that.

And, secondly, we have to be talking about club development and giving the clubs and the players the best possible environment the country can afford to prepare the next set of national team players at whatever level.

The TTFF/TTFA is doing nothing to demand clubs improve their standards and to provide support for clubs to improve their standards. It is just draw up a fixtures and let them come and fight and we go on to the next season. The so-called big clubs: how good are they by international standards?

I’m talking about not their level of football on the field but their internal organisation and their structures. It is a joke. You know what I’m saying is true. But we want to talk about how we want to win CONCACAF Champions League. Pipe dreams!

Wired868: So how do we get there?

Look Loy: We have to establish the infrastructure. I love to talk about Panama because they are taking the painstaking steps to develop infrastructure at every level: club football, national teams, coaches’ education. That is how you create a consistent product, which is what the United States did.

As I was telling one of my colleagues, in 1989 Trinidad and Tobago and the United States were at the same level. They sent a team comprising university students here and beat us 1-0 at the stadium. And between that time and now they have developed the nascent infrastructure they had in place. Look at the route they travelled and where we are. One could argue we have gone backwards in certain areas.

Now, they have a national league that is the sixth largest by attendances in world football. Whereas we talking about we going Russia. We always talking about going here and going there but they’re doing it.

United States is consistently in the last 16 at World Cup level while Panama is now looking for its third Gold Cup final and to win it this year… We’re still holding on to pipe dreams because we will not do the hard work and take the hard decisions.

But let me get back on point about what it takes to get there. I like to talk about Panama because I was the FIFA development officer in charge there and the first thing they did was to develop a FIFA technical centre using their FIFA Goal money. Trinidad and Tobago does not have a technical centre that belongs to the association but we build that centre for them on behalf of FIFA back in 2003 and FIFA financed that.

Two, they put significant monies, millions and millions of dollars, into coaching education.

Three, they have significant private sponsorship and they put significant investment into youth competitions and by that I mean domestic competitions and their youth national teams. Their players go naturally from an Under-15 team to an Under-17 team to an Under-17 World Cup and an Under-20 World Cup on to the Senior National team. They have developed their pipeline.

And, four, they have established a serious professional league that has players from across South America. I have been to their professional games and you get a good crowd and a good level of football. In the CONCACAF Champions League they are not getting to the later stages but they hold their own. When you go to Panama to play against a professional team, no matter who you are, you have to send your good team and you’ve got to play (hard).

And lastly, (Look Loy laughs) they have a stable federation.

So you are talking about a stable professional environment and investment in coaching education, youth football and top level football. And without that you’re going nowhere.

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Offline Deeks

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Re: Look Loy: Schools football is hurting the Soca Warriors
« Reply #115 on: February 08, 2015, 07:55:35 AM »
Deeks, shut yuh ass nah.

These men under Jack Warner for over 20 years, they accepted de terms, now they not in T&T football anymore and all of a sudden they know everything.

Please...

Go and drink some ca-ril-lie bush and purge yuhself out of all that shit yuh eating.

They sell they soul for peanuts, now they reeling in like a fish who get hook.

What de f00ck Anton, Look Loy and who ever else under Jack did for T&T football?

They work under de devil for 2 decades, now they trying to wash they hands.

I feel Jack did own you once too.



Sam, go and jock yuh teetoe, nah!
« Last Edit: February 08, 2015, 12:23:15 PM by Deeks »

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Re: Look Loy: Schools football is hurting the Soca Warriors
« Reply #116 on: February 08, 2015, 12:36:50 PM »
Sam , I am not making excuses for them. But put yourself in anyone of their shoes. You would either quit or go with the flow and  bide your time. It took more than 20 years for that to happen. You with your coconut head full well know that Jack controlled football in that period because of being a Fifa vp. and Fifa has a rule of no govt interference. So imagine Keith or Anton going to Jack about building a TTFf academy like the USSF academy. You think Jack go use TTFf money to do that. Anton and Keith eh have the money to build a real academy. I talking about an academy with dorms, classrooms and teachers and tutors to accommodate the educational needs of the young players.
« Last Edit: February 09, 2015, 11:10:21 AM by Deeks »

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Re: Touching base with Keith Look Loy.
« Reply #117 on: November 01, 2015, 01:42:44 AM »
Look Loy: Caribbean back to pre-Jack Warner days.
By Walter Alibey (Guardian).


It’s back to the pre-Jack Warner days for T&T and Caribbean football, following the exclusion of ex-T&T midfielder and captain David Nakhid from the list of names for the Fifa presidency election in February. At least so says former national football coach Keith Look Loy yesterday.

Look Loy, who himself represented T&T in football, painted a very gloomy picture of football in the Caribbean as it now relates to football development, world representation and qualification of regional teams to the World Cup tournaments in the future and it is not because he felt that Nakhid would have made a difference either. In fact Look Loy, who was the coach of many national youth teams, explained that Nakhid just didn’t have the status or support to be elevated to the position of president of the World governing body for football.

“This is just how the politics go,” Look Loy said. Nakhid who has been campaigning throughout the Caribbean within the last few months saw his name not even included among seven other names when nomination closed last Monday. The reason was because he did not have the required five nominations after it was said that one of his supporters broke election rules and supported another candidate.

It meant the election committee decided not to consider Nakhid’s application as it did not meet the requirement of having five declarations of support. Fifa in a release stated: “David Nakhid’s candidacy has been invalidated due to the fact that he only received four valid football association nominations when candidates require five. It is understood that one national association nominated both Nakhid and another candidate.”

It stated also that: “Under the election rules such a situation would invalidate the nomination.”

Nakhid’s camp has since written to the Fifa to demand an explanation as to how and why he was debarred from running. When quizzed on this turn of events Look Loy said he did not expect that Nakhid would have been in such a situation as he thought the former T&T playmaker had already secured his five nominations. He explained further that Nakhid showed that he was unaware of the operations of the Fifa by this mishap.

Look Loy did not see Nakhid being left out of the election race as a concern for the Caribbean or Concacaf, but he said he is deeply worried about the position that the Caribbean region particularly, has found itself in with absolutely no representation on world football issues and decisions. “The Caribbean would just be some islands in the sea now with no concern about them,” Look Loys said.         

In the past under then Concacaf president and Fifa vice president Jack Warner the region secured additional World Cup spots which saw both Jamaica and T&T qualify for the France 1998 and Germany 2006 World Cups, respectively. Concacaf, as far as Look Loy is concerned does not need the Caribbean to stand firm in world football.

“Concacaf does not need us but I think the region definitely needs Concacaf, to make it in world football.” Asked about whether the progress made by regional associations T&T and Jamaica can help us stand firm in world football, Look Loy said no.

“Realistically, progress in football is determined by the ability to consistently qualify for World Cups and both T&T and Jamaica have done so just twice. But there is no doubt in the minds of the world, that the USA, Mexico and Costa Rica are accepted from the Concacaf region,” Look Loy said.

Meanwhile another football administrator William Wallace said Nakhid’s exclusion from the list of names to contest the Fifa election is unfortunate.

“I was happy that Nakhid was in the race because to me it would have been a statement on behalf of the region to the world,” Wallace said.

The real measure of a man's character is what he would do if he knew he would never be found out.

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Re: Touching base with Keith Look Loy.
« Reply #118 on: November 01, 2015, 07:27:38 AM »
I agree with Keith, there is semblance of the preWarner days. The Caribbean island will be cast aside. But if the Caribbean island speak with one strong voice, the can weather the storm. But I doubt that will happen. There is geographic factions and there is linguistic factions. There is also big island, small island political factions. Jack was able to grease the palms of all the association president, so he had their backings. This not the case now. Our head is under indictment. And I doubt a Trini will be elected to run CFU football in the foreseeable future. They could forget holding any significant post in Concacaf either.

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Re: Touching base with Keith Look Loy.
« Reply #119 on: November 02, 2015, 08:17:04 AM »
This article reflects either a poorly relayed message by Alibey or incompletely developed thoughts by Look Loy. Someone failed to connect all the dots.

 

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