CATEGORY:SPORTS (FOOTBALL)



By Wallace J.A (Inside Grenada correspondent)


OCTOBER 11, 2006 - News coming out of T&T seems to suggest that all is not well with the soccer fraternity in the twin-island republic. The Soca Warriors, who represented Trinidad at the recent Soccer World Cup in Germany earlier on this year (June 9 - July 9), are threatening to retire after today’s (Wednesday) friendly against Panama.

Late last week – on Friday October 6 - Soca Warriors captain, Dwight Yorke, surrounded by his fellow World Cup teammates, called a press conference at the Hasely Crawford Stadium during which he read out a well-prepared three page letter to the news fraternity.

Based on the contents of this letter, it would seem that the dispute between the Soca Warriors and the T&TFA is rooted in the players’ perception that the T&TFA had reneged on agreements made with them (before their qualification for the World Cup) and the parent body no longer seemed willing to honor their promises and contractual commitments to the players.

It was against this background that York informed media officials that the players were considering an early retirement from international football after Wednesday’s game with Panama since they could not build on anything if the contracts they had entered into (with T&TFA) were ‘not worth the paper they are written on.’

The T&TFA is said to be surprised by recent developments and warned about the deleterious effects of refusing to play for their country after releases have been secured from FIFA. The players involved in the row, according to T&TFA, received international fame while playing for Trinidad and Tobago.