National Football

“A loyal and humble servant to football”; ex-T&T player and coach, Clyde Leon, dies at 37

Former Trinidad and Tobago Men’s National Senior Team player and national youth team coach Clyde Leon passed away last night following a heart attack, according to a press statement from the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA). He was 37 years old. Leon, who played as a deep-lying midfielder, made …

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Downer: ‘I don’t want to be the lone wolf!’ TTFA stakeholders mum as Hadad flounders

Trinidad and Tobago football is comprised of international teams, domestic leagues, zonal bodies, administrative support staff, coaching education and player development—all overseen by standing committees which report back to the board of the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA). Some of those components have been laid low by the Covid-19 …

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Hadad betrayed us! National players and staff fire back at normalisation committee

Trinidad and Tobago Men’s National Senior Team players have accused Fifa-appointed normalisation committee chairman Robert Hadad of betrayal, as roughly 40 percent of the local-based players skipped practice today. The training sessions are usually attended by roughly 28 players, but only 16 showed up today. And, according to a source, …

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Barney’s bible: The SSFL’s backward rule change; and what Yorke and Jordan did that our youths abandoned

So far I have only touched on youth development from a ball manipulation and decision-making viewpoint. However, playing in competitive games non-stop can also hinder the physical development and health of players.  Again, the local adage that ‘the more you play, the better you get’ is misleading on this count. …

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Warriors join Montserrat on BOL’s roster, company targets teams ‘not typically showcased’

The Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA), which is under the control of the Fifa-appointed normalisation committee, confirmed a two year deal with unknown Miami-based sportswear company BOL today. Both parties would hope their relationship gets off to a better start the second time around. Wired868 was told by a …

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Barney’s bible: ‘The more games you play, the better you get’ fallacy leaves T&T players underdeveloped

Youth development in Trinidad, simply put, consists of tournaments and competitions. The Secondary Schools Football League (SSFL), Youth Pro League (YPL), Republic Bank Youth League, Next Level U-19 Tournament and Commissioner’s Cup are the main players in this arena.  I will use the SSFL as the starting point of the …

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Barney’s bible: Does T&T player development follow best practices? Are our youth competitions helping or hurting?

A question on The Burdie and Barney podcast during our discussion with former England Premier League and 2006 World Cup goalkeeper Shaka Hislop lingered long after that episode was over:  Have we been developing players? Or were we just blessed with talented players previously and, now, not so much?  At …

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Human trafficking? Or just a horrible trial? Lamb and McFee respond to police commissioner’s claims

In October 2020, former Trinidad and Tobago national youth team footballers Isaiah ‘Mal’ Garcia and Jaheim McFee boarded a plane at the Piarco International Airport with the intention of becoming professional players in the Egypt First Division. Six months later, both young men are rooming with relatives in London and …

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