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It turns out that the Trinidad and Tobago Men’s National Under-20 Team were not the only party unprepared for last night’s crucial Concacaf Under-20 Qualifying clash with Canada.
The Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA), still run by a Fifa-appointed Normalisation Committee, has apologised to an unspecified number of ticket-holding supporters who were unable to gain entry to the game at the Hasely Crawford Stadium.
Photo: Daniel Prentice/ Wired868
The TTFA, through a message on its social media page, blamed the mishap on “safety and control challenges at the entrance gate” but did not specify. However, fans outside the stadium, according to a Newsday report, were allegedly told that there were insufficient Fire officers inside to accommodate them.
Bizarrely, rather than a refund, the TTFA offered aggrieved fans the promise of “an indepth review” and the chance to watch an upcoming National Senior Team friendly match against Jamaica—with the ticket meant for yesterday’s crunch fixture.
“The Trinidad and Tobago Football Association would like to offer our apologies to all fans who were not able to access the Concacaf Men’s U-20 Qualifier between T&T and Canada,” stated the release.
“[…] We have launched an indepth review and will ensure that the necessary steps are taken to facilitate a smooth and friendly fan experience at our upcoming friendly versus Jamaica and World Cup qualifiers beginning in June at home to Grenada.
(via TTFA Media)
“[…] If there are any ticket holders that did not get the opportunity to present their tickets to enter the match on Tuesday night, these physical and/or unscanned digital tickets will be valid for the friendly versus Jamaica.
“We will provide details on this game on Wednesday.”
The TTFA noted that there were 7,225 fans at last night’s game, which it claimed was the largest crowd at an under-20 home qualifier “surpassing even the matches in 2009 when T&T qualified for the 2009 Fifa U-20 World Cup in Egypt”.
It was an obviously false story for anyone who remembers, for instance, the bumper crowds that Dwight Yorke’s National Under-20 team played in front of during Trinidad and Tobago’s successful 1991 World Cup qualifying bid.
Photo: Daniel Prentice/ Wired868
At present, the TTFA is run by Fifa-appointed Normalisation Committee chair Robert Hadad and general secretary Amiel Mohammed.
Last night, Trinidad and Tobago’s bid for the Peru 2025 Under-20 World Cup came to an early end after an emphatic 3-0 loss to Canada, in a match the young Soca Warriors had to win.
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“Normal” crap