How Finnish football changed my life.

[Flex]

How Finnish football changed my life.
By Brent Sancho (wired868.com).

It seems like only yesterday that I got a call from the team manager of my former football club in Queens, New York asking me if I would like to go on trial with a team in Finland. It was actually 1999.

Now what made this request especially strange is my dream of playing professionally was basically extinct at the time and I was just grateful that football had paid for my just completed Bachelor's degree at St John's University. My life was as a counselor in a school for autistic kids and, as far as I was concerned, the playing-football-professionally train had swooshed past me.

I hesitated at first but eventually said "yes" and the rest, as they say, is history.

I boarded a plane, destined to meet my potentially new team mates at top flight Finnish club MyPa at their pre-season camp in Germany. The thing about flying is that it gives you time to think and all I remember going through my mind was: "What the hell am I doing going to a country where I don't know one single person, much less the language?"

On arrival, I was greeted by a smile and a sign that said "Sancho de Trini"; I felt at home already. Little did I know then that Suomi (the Finnish word for Finland) would have such a remarkable and profound effect on my future international career.

The memories returned as I sat in the commentary booth before Sunday's friendly international between Trinidad and Tobago and Finland at the Hasely Crawford Stadium.

I had been there before as a player; well almost.

It was the Saturday before our game against Finland in January 2003 and national coach Hannibal Najjar pulled me aside to have a chat. He said: "Son, you have been tremendous both on and off the pitch and I want you to lead the boys out against Finland."

WOW!

Me as captain of my country's national team? Words couldn't express the joy that filled me and, later that day, my family as well. Reality soon hit home however.

At Monday's practice, I had a very disgruntled bunch of comrades. It had been two months of extremely demanding physical training in scorching hot temperatures with no available Gatorade/chilled water, bandages, ice, training gear, food or any of the basic necessities that anyone would expect at a major or even minor football team.

We, as a group, decided to write to the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation (TTFF) and ask for these basic requirements as well as a match fee for the friendly against Finland. Read More.

[Bakes]

Very nice read... hopefully one day the rift can be healed between Sancho et al and the Federation, so that these former pros could visit with the up and coming players and share their experiences in person.

[Jack Horner]

How my life changed when you scored the own goal in the World Cup.

[vb]

Good article.

I am sometimes in awe of the shamelessnes of the TTFF.

The Editor's note was a bit confusing.

VB

[D.H.W]

How my life changed when you scored the own goal in the World Cup.

  lol u jokey yes

[lefty]

I feel dais horner is Olli camps

[Football supporter]

I feel dais horner is Olli camps

You really feel Camps is smart enough to work a computer? And forget about him logging on to the interweb or starting a facetube account 

[diamondtrim]

This article brings back memories as well..............I had just come back from college (Najjar had assisted in my recruitment) and my mom told me that Najjar called asking me to come to practice the next morning. I naturally thought that it was probably a screening session of some sort for players hoping to get scholarships as Najjar had organised a couple sessions like that before and would ask a few players he knew to join in (for numbers i assume). Anyway, I returned his call and was told that it was for the senior team. The senior team? Jus so? I was more than confused, but like the typical youngblood, was more than happy to push out my chest and tell all my friends and neighbours that i had just been called to the national team.

Right before I left for college in 99 I was on the u23 team preparing for the CAC games and for a few weeks Bertille had the u23 training with the seniors. Playing, I should say training, alongside Nakhid, Stern, Dwarika and a few sessions with Yorke (the senior team were to play South Africa in a friendly) was inspiring for me and I looked forward to a similar experience. My girlfirend at the time, now my wife, would come to the stadium and watch us train....I had 'reached'. Unfortunately, I had to leave in early August for college and had to leave the training squad. Didnt thinkI would have made the final team anyway, as Rahim, Rojas and Fitzpatrick were coming back from abroad to guaranteed spots and the pro league, or semi pro at the time, had just begun so the cliques were in full force. I was always the odd man out when we had to get into groups of 3. But I always regretted that decision not to at least see what would have happened.

So the call up to the senior team was viewed as a second opportunity. So for the next couple hours after talking to Najjar I was on cloud 9. Fully prepared to 'see what would happen' this time.

My dad was a trade union leader and promptly told me not to attend the sessions. I had no idea why, but apparently he had gotten wind of the jackass document that the 'real' team was asked to sign. I never forgot his exact words to me..."Dont let nobody pappyshow yuh". He of course launched into his reasons - principle, solidarity, example etc.

I never showed for the sessions, and while I kinda regret not showing up....perhaps I would have played the game of my life and gotten a trial at Real Madrid....especially as a friend of mine got called and played all of 5 minutes, a fact he is happy to recall up to this day as he officially has 1 cap and refers to himself as 'former national player', the TTFF left me with a bitter taste in my mouth. They 'pappyshowed' those new players and insulted the members of the 'real' team. The blacklist started that day...not in 06. I promised myself never to have anything to do with trinidad football again. Only Latapy could have pulled me out in 05 to see the Guatemala game.

Apologies for the story....but it seems like Finnish football changed my life too

[Bakes]

Yeah... it Finnish yuh international career.

[Sando]

This article brings back memories as well..............I had just come back from college (Najjar had assisted in my recruitment) and my mom told me that Najjar called asking me to come to practice the next morning. I naturally thought that it was probably a screening session of some sort for players hoping to get scholarships as Najjar had organised a couple sessions like that before and would ask a few players he knew to join in (for numbers i assume). Anyway, I returned his call and was told that it was for the senior team. The senior team? Jus so? I was more than confused, but like the typical youngblood, was more than happy to push out my chest and tell all my friends and neighbours that i had just been called to the national team.

Right before I left for college in 99 I was on the u23 team preparing for the CAC games and for a few weeks Bertille had the u23 training with the seniors. Playing, I should say training, alongside Nakhid, Stern, Dwarika and a few sessions with Yorke (the senior team were to play South Africa in a friendly) was inspiring for me and I looked forward to a similar experience. My girlfirend at the time, now my wife, would come to the stadium and watch us train....I had 'reached'. Unfortunately, I had to leave in early August for college and had to leave the training squad. Didnt thinkI would have made the final team anyway, as Rahim, Rojas and Fitzpatrick were coming back from abroad to guaranteed spots and the pro league, or semi pro at the time, had just begun so the cliques were in full force. I was always the odd man out when we had to get into groups of 3. But I always regretted that decision not to at least see what would have happened.

So the call up to the senior team was viewed as a second opportunity. So for the next couple hours after talking to Najjar I was on cloud 9. Fully prepared to 'see what would happen' this time.

My dad was a trade union leader and promptly told me not to attend the sessions. I had no idea why, but apparently he had gotten wind of the jackass document that the 'real' team was asked to sign. I never forgot his exact words to me..."Dont let nobody pappyshow yuh". He of course launched into his reasons - principle, solidarity, example etc.

I never showed for the sessions, and while I kinda regret not showing up....perhaps I would have played the game of my life and gotten a trial at Real Madrid....especially as a friend of mine got called and played all of 5 minutes, a fact he is happy to recall up to this day as he officially has 1 cap and refers to himself as 'former national player', the TTFF left me with a bitter taste in my mouth. They 'pappyshowed' those new players and insulted the members of the 'real' team. The blacklist started that day...not in 06. I promised myself never to have anything to do with trinidad football again. Only Latapy could have pulled me out in 05 to see the Guatemala game.

Apologies for the story....but it seems like Finnish football changed my life too

Very interested......

[vb]

This article brings back memories as well..............I had just come back from college (Najjar had assisted in my recruitment) and my mom told me that Najjar called asking me to come to practice the next morning. I naturally thought that it was probably a screening session of some sort for players hoping to get scholarships as Najjar had organised a couple sessions like that before and would ask a few players he knew to join in (for numbers i assume). Anyway, I returned his call and was told that it was for the senior team. The senior team? Jus so? I was more than confused, but like the typical youngblood, was more than happy to push out my chest and tell all my friends and neighbours that i had just been called to the national team.

Right before I left for college in 99 I was on the u23 team preparing for the CAC games and for a few weeks Bertille had the u23 training with the seniors. Playing, I should say training, alongside Nakhid, Stern, Dwarika and a few sessions with Yorke (the senior team were to play South Africa in a friendly) was inspiring for me and I looked forward to a similar experience. My girlfirend at the time, now my wife, would come to the stadium and watch us train....I had 'reached'. Unfortunately, I had to leave in early August for college and had to leave the training squad. Didnt thinkI would have made the final team anyway, as Rahim, Rojas and Fitzpatrick were coming back from abroad to guaranteed spots and the pro league, or semi pro at the time, had just begun so the cliques were in full force. I was always the odd man out when we had to get into groups of 3. But I always regretted that decision not to at least see what would have happened.

So the call up to the senior team was viewed as a second opportunity. So for the next couple hours after talking to Najjar I was on cloud 9. Fully prepared to 'see what would happen' this time.

My dad was a trade union leader and promptly told me not to attend the sessions. I had no idea why, but apparently he had gotten wind of the jackass document that the 'real' team was asked to sign. I never forgot his exact words to me..."Dont let nobody pappyshow yuh". He of course launched into his reasons - principle, solidarity, example etc. I never showed for the sessions, and while I kinda regret not showing up....perhaps I would have played the game of my life and gotten a trial at Real Madrid....especially as a friend of mine got called and played all of 5 minutes, a fact he is happy to recall up to this day as he officially has 1 cap and refers to himself as 'former national player', the TTFF left me with a bitter taste in my mouth. They 'pappyshowed' those new players and insulted the members of the 'real' team. The blacklist started that day...not in 06. I promised myself never to have anything to do with trinidad football again. Only Latapy could have pulled me out in 05 to see the Guatemala game.

Apologies for the story....but it seems like Finnish football changed my life too

Your Dad is obviously a man of principle and character. Dey coulda neva handle he on the TTFF.

VB

[Big Magician]

good read Brent...respect to wired868

nice read also Diamondtrim

[Brownsugar]

hhhhhhmmmm....diamondtrim......hhhhhmmmm.....nice read......it leave mih a lil confused but nice read.....

[tempo]

'trim, your ol' man is a boss. Don't lament or think of what could have been. You were advised how to keep your dignity and you took the advice. That is something that can never be taken away. Nice story.

[diamondtrim]

hhhhhhmmmm....diamondtrim......hhhhhmmmm.....nice read......it leave mih a lil confused but nice read.....

why yuh confused brownie?..............tell mih