Trinidad and Tobago will have six referees on Fifa’s international list of officials for 2023, after the Fifa Referees Committee accepted recommendations from the TTFA’s Referees Department. Crystal Sobers, Cecile Hinds and Kwinsi Williams were all accepted on Fifa’s referees list while Caleb Wales, Ainsley Rochard and Evelyn Douglas-Jacob got …
Read More »Orin: Sports, politics and bandwagons; the 2022 W/Cup was pregnant with resonance
“[…] North versus south, developed versus developing, small versus big, rich versus poor, colonists versus colonised. Matches were pregnant with meaning and resonance outside of football. “[…] The World Cup, Olympics and sports in general are proxies for fights over politics, history and geographical hegemony… Caribbean people in the UK …
Read More »Qatar 2022: Hart on Mbappé vs Messi and the tactical options open to France and Argentina
“[…] Kylian Mbappé has shown that he can beat almost every player for pace, but to say that is all he possesses would be an insult. He has shown he is not only able to elude his opponent on the inside and outside, but in tight spaces—as he demonstrated against Morocco—where his …
Read More »Qatar 2022: Hart looks beyond W/Cup drama to “cookie cutter” players and absent national identity
“[…] Perhaps I just long for the era that made me fall in love with the game—when national teams had distinct styles, based largely on the imagination and improvisation of their players. It has been, despite all that I have said, an enjoyable World Cup. “However, when I hear people marvel at an outside …
Read More »Dear Editor: TTFA Members put Fifa on the spot with EGM motion—will they have balls to stand firm?
“[…] The TTFA EGM adopted an amended motion that called on Fifa to end its control in March 2023 and to return TTFA to its membership, with a proposed election to be held on 18 March. “This is the most important development in local football in three years. And look …
Read More »Qatar 2022: Hart on Brazil and England’s elimination, Messi and Moroccan spoilers
“[…] Brazil’s substitutions were difficult to understand. Against Croatia’s compact block, surely the penetration of Gabriel Martinelli could have been an option. I also struggled with the question as to the role of Pedro. “[…] Argentina can be best described as pragmatic. In reality, they are a team based on …
Read More »Qatar 2022: Hart on relentless France, VAR and media hypocrisy
“[…] What is noticeable is that repeated sprinting power is now a priority, with most players and teams are willing to run… France, Senegal and Japan are mobile and relentless—with France, in particular, suffocating their opposition’s midfield very effectively. “[…] VAR, in my humble opinion, is killing the essence and …
Read More »Orin: The good, bad and the ugly of the 2022 World Cup
“[…] I told someone who knows Radanfah Abu Bakr that I liked the former T&T defender’s analysis. He replied: ‘Radanfah understands that less is more.’ “[…] CNC3 […] has had good moments, but overall coverage hasn’t been good enough. Things got off to an unpromising start when analyst Jan-Michael Williams …
Read More »“It’s past time it was held in Arab world!” Putting the “world” in the World Cup
“[…] It gets baking hot in Qatar, folks. Deal with it. The next tournament will be jointly hosted by the US, Mexico and Canada. Have you ever been to New York in July? “We have to put the ‘world’ in the World Cup, and it’s past time that it was …
Read More »Dear Editor: To World Cup football fans, when in Qatar, do as the Qataris do!
“[…] Former president of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, Noor Hassanali was a member of the Muslim faith. It was widely known that no alcoholic beverages were served at the official residence of the President when he was in office and he was the head of state for ten …
Read More »Defiant Warner suggests 3 more legal rounds, as Privy Council okays extradition of ex-FIFA VP
Trinidad and Tobago is now free to extradite former Fifa vice-president and Chaguanas West MP Jack Warner to face racketeering charges in the United States, after a ruling by the Privy Council in London today. Warner, 79, is likely to face up to 20 years in jail if convicted of …
Read More »Early Bird’s W/C recall: T&T dresses up—Jack Warner, Caligiuri combine to cancel our date…
“1990?” asks Bobby, a rueful look distorting his facial features, “What I remember best about that campaign is Philbert Jones incredible miss from the edge of the six-yard box. “But I will also never forget Kerry Jamerson’s run in the second half of the second half of the last game …
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