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Does one glass of Bailey’s on New Year’s Day constitute excessive drinking for a professional athlete?
Phyllis Andrews, the “aunt” of 26-year-old Trinidad and Tobago National Senior Team defender Daneil Cyrus, insisted that national head coach Tom Saintfiet has defamed the Soca Warriors player. And she is urging Saintfiet or the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) to clear Cyrus’ name.
(Courtesy Nicholas Williams/Wired868)
Saintfiet dropped Cyrus and 22-year-old national midfielder Jomal Williams and told the media that the players missed their noon check-in at the Cara Suites hotel on New Year’s Day and smelt of alcohol.
“Two of the players came one and a half hours too late in camp and had still decent smell of alcohol around him (sic),” said Saintfiet. “That was Daneil Cyrus and Jomal Williams. Both were immediately sent home, back to party—but are replaced in the squad.”
Aunt Phyllis admitted Cyrus was late for their residential camp in Claxton Bay. However, she is offended by the insinuation that the versatile W Connection player turned up for national duty reeking of alcohol.
“If [Saintfiet] says the other fella was drinking, he has to prove that too but that is their business,” said aunt Phyllis. “You can drop [Cyrus] for any other reason but don’t say he was stink of alcohol. That boy never came in my house stink of alcohol. And I open the door most of the time for him because he always loses his keys…
“So I want them to clear that up.”
Cyrus did, she admitted, have a glass of Bailey’s. The national defender told Wired868 yesterday he did not touch alcohol that morning. However, he confirmed that he had one drink.
(Courtesy Allan V Crane/CA-images/Wired868)
She insisted there was a social context that should not be overlooked, though. It was New Year’s Day and just one glass of “weak” alcohol. Don’t players in England, Belgium and other European countries, she asked, have a drink to celebrate too—once they do not end up drunk?
“He slept by me that night and he left from my house to go to camp,” she told Wired868. “We had a family lime and my children don’t get to have much time with him anymore, so they are always happy when he is around.
“He had just one drink and they were laughing at him and saying ‘Bailey’s boy?!’ I have all the alcohol in the world in house and he would hardly drink. All he would say is ‘Ms Andrews, I am taking a shandy’.
“So I really, really take offence to this. This is tarnishing the boy’s name.”
Aunt Phyllis first opened her Santa Rosa Heights home to Cyrus a decade ago when the Plymouth-based teenager needed a place to stay in Trinidad to train with the National Under-17 Team.
She was friends with the mother of National Under-17 forward Stephen Knox. One day, Knox’s mother introduced her to then National Team manager Chris De Silva who asked whether she would give a place to stay to a teenaged boy she had never met.
(Copyright AFP 2014/ John Amis)
“[Knox’s mother] asked me if I could take him and then Mr De Silva and Daneil’s mother came and met me,” said aunt Phyllis. “Daneil was 15 and he has been with me ever since. I have two younger children and everyone welcomed him with open arms, so we are all like family.
“If anything, my children felt I spoiled him. But they are like brothers and sisters.”
Cyrus went on to play in two World Youth Cups for Trinidad and Tobago—the Korea Republic 2007 Under-17 and Egypt 2009 Under-20 World Cups—and cement his place in the National Senior Team.
Aunt Phyllis gave her account of what happened on New Year’s Day, as Cyrus set off for his noon check-in time with his national teammates in Claxton Bay.
“He left [Santa Rosa Heights] about 11am and, when he was in the back of St Helena, he got a flat,” she said. “So he had to call another partner [to come and help him since he did not have a jack]. He called and spoke to the manager [Azaad Khan] and the manager said: ‘Okay come… The coach is really upset but still come’.
“[Cyrus] wasn’t sure of the time [he spoke to Khan] but he thinks it was before 12… I know he left by me a little late and he could have been earlier. But he would have been on time, if not for the flat he had.”
Looking on is new general secretary Justin Latapy-George (far left) and technical director Muhammad Isa.
(Courtesy Wired868)
Aunt Phyllis said she called W Connection co-founder and TTFA president David John-Williams to complain today.
“I called John-Williams and he said he is not charge of the team and that is the [coach’s responsibility],” she told Wired868. “But he said that could be fixed. He said: ‘you know he has a reputation of being late for Connection practice’. But what does that have to do with this? I am dealing with the defamation of character with the [coach claiming the] boy was smelling of alcohol.
“I don’t have a problem with him being dropped for being late. But not for alcohol.”’
Wired868 asked John-Williams to confirm if he said said Cyrus’ issue could “be fixed” and what he would have meant by that. But, although he read the message, he did not respond up to the time of publication.
The website was unable to get further comment from Saintfiet, Jomal Williams or national team manager Azaad Khan.
The Soca Warriors face Suriname from 7pm at the Ato Boldon Stadium on Wednesday in the first game of a round-robin series, which also includes Haiti. One of the three nations will advance to the next Gold Cup playoff round against Central American opposition.
Edwards is the captain of the current Soca Warriors team.
(Copyright AFP 2016/Odd Andersen)
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In sport, your preparation, training and effort is gauged in match day.
End of story Richard Zen O’Brien. Glad you like the narrative so far. But he is hear to win games.
Only politicians get to stick around based on PR. In sport, you have to actually achieve something.
And to win games he has to have a disciplined team. You are tying yourself up in knots
To win the game, you need to score more than the other team.
Sport is simple like that. Ask Maradona, Romario, Cruyff, Ronaldinho and Yorke about that.
Lasana Liburd You are an even greater philosopher than Popeye
I am what I am. Lol.
Fact:We have been losing more than winning with this bunch and their behaviour.New coach,new rules.Let’s wait.
Fact: we are in the hex for the first time in six years and got to two gold cup quarterfinals consecutively.
Now is Saintfiet’s time to show what he can do. On the field. Not in front the tv camera.
Lance we have accepted Kenwyne that shithound
..And he will be judged by Sunday when we play Haiti. Let the side play shite and everybody will forget who he drop..
Molino was suspended for the last two games.
You would admit what we have been accepting from these players has not gotten us very far.
So he is a success if we lose because he dropped players Richard Zen O’Brien?
The beauty of sport is the final whistle says if you were good or not. Don’t try to change that.
Whether he can coach or not is debatable.We are not privy to what he is looking for in his players.What we might consider bizarre might be normal for him.The catch here is,he is the coach.
Nah Lasana, you have to cut him some slack. Yes he was brought here to win games, but we cannot realistically expect wins and progress without some level of professionalism. Getting wins after establishing a winning culture may take some time. I think you’re setting up the argument that he’s a failure if he doesn’t win those games (yes, the TTFA did this and they were wrong)but we shouldn’t be playing that game.
Thanks eh
No. We are speaking about whether he is doing a good job.
To gauge that on dropping players seems bizarre.
True dat,but the question of the coach’s ability is not in question here.Aren’t we speaking about disciplining the players?
Aren’t you now judging talent wrongly too Lance? You’re equating Tom’s ability to tell time and tell players off to his ability to coach.
Lance, any school teacher can drop Jomal for turning up late. Doesn’t mean he can coach now does it?
I think we judge talent wrong. What do we see as talent? I think I have made the same mistake myself. We judge talent by people’s ability to strike a cricket ball. The sweetness, the timing. That’s the only thing we see as talent. Things like determination, courage, discipline, temperament, these are also talent. Rahul Dravid
t’s a starter for me,because if players are indisciplined off the field,it might also be affecting their onfield performance Lasana.We have stories of players going on boat rides etc.Maybe,if the squad was winning their games,the coach might not have had to take such stringent measures.
I think the coach was brought here to win games and help us get to the World Cup. That is what he was told.
All very nice that he might have gotten Jomal to see the importance of sobriety. Lovely. lol.
Football coaches impress football people by what they achieve on the football field.
Thats why HART was fired !!! He had a terrible win record…..
Every two words out of your mouth are “Kenwyne” and “Hart” yes.
So Lasana Liburd and all the rest of naysayers, allyuh admit that the coach was 100 % right nah or allyuh too big to admit that? What about you Keith Look Loy? Folks we need to raise the bar and that’s what the Coach is doing.
Anslem you aint understand yet!!!! There are people on wired868, praying for Tom failure !!! They got long knives
Trini Don I fully understand now.
And if you listen keith and lasana, you would think, he should leave everything wrong, and faulty like hart did, and still did not win matches….he has to instill a new culture, which is apparently stinks
Thankfully, Hart can point to what he did. Two Gold Cup quarterfinals, Caribbean Cup finals, CONCACAF Hex… You have to win games to get all of those things.
Now it is Tom’s turn. Let’s see what he can do.
Mouth open, tory jump out.
Sure
Oh dhit
Jomal Williams apologises and admits to a couple drinks: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qElRU_0pdww&app=desktop
Nuff respect to jomal !!!! Big man thing
Growth begins… self-respect, respect for your fellow team members, management and leadership.
After he say he got a flat his aunt Phyllis said he had one glass of baileys lmao
Can she read does she even follow directions? Does she follow rules or is it ok for him to not do so from time to time because he’s her nephew
Well look how stupid she is
In workplaces it’s unacceptable to turn up late or to have had even one drink. Only in Trinidad are such excuses acceptable to so many
Steups!
When will we accept responsibility for wrongdoing?
I am disgusted at the kudos this manager is getting for being strict ,,
Hart has 1/2 as strict, and got mash up by these hypocrite trini fans, for “being too strict” ..
how the ras, could the fans boo Hart for being too strict and then give this “cant” , kudos for being an unreasonable cya cya hole ?
Hart’s biggest problem was his faith in Jones, and his exclusion on Cornell Glen …
But, honestly, if we have to put up with this cya cya hole to get Jones off the team and Glen back on, then I am prepared to live with his stank attitude…
Clearly – Trini Fans/ Player/ Coaches,, have no clue what football is really about
you know,,
if he did not have a drink, he still has no excuse for being late.
the other guy had a flat tire.
being unable to get a taxi suggests that he was unfamiliar with the area he was travelling from…
being called to a national training, with a new coach is very, very important..
stopping off by a relative on the way was a poor decision, especially if he was travelling…
Also, the guy with the flat, should have called before hand and make the management aware of the situation.
It is not proper to show up over an hour late, and then present your case.
That was acceptable before the days of cell phones…
Hart had a lot to deal with, if this is the kindah shape the team is in now. Don Leo had the pedigree and experience to deal with Dwight and Latas on a level that got them to buy into the 2006 dream.
I can’t see the Belgian waffle doing that. Sorry.
I still like his no nonsense approach though. Whether he gets through is another story. Discipline has always been an issue with this and other teams generally.
I agree Dennis.
The Force is strong in this one…..Fulton…lol…bro…
Leh we just say this:
It doesn’t Mata!!
Does Baileys have Alcohol? Yes?
Then to ass was he!!!
“Clear up what Tanty” who is you???? That is just to show you how typical Trini behave. Late is focking late! No discipline…….. You could keep him there and give him more baileys.
Aunt Phyllis sounds like one of those who, when they love that child, that child can’t do no wrong.
If she were a better exampler maybe he would have left way ahead of time in the event he encountered any challenges on the way to camp.
Disciplining the “so-called stars” on the team sends a clear message to all, comply with no excuses.
No alcohol period.
If this kinda practice can be done across the board eh RE: All protective services, govt officials and gvt institution.
No discipline and lack to conform to rules…Get out!!
Well done coach
Where has dis coach bin all the time…exactly wut we needed #discipline no matter how good of a player u are ??? well done coach
Rules is rules no exception
Stephon Nicholas This thing feeling like an episode of Ballers or a sitcom. Nicholas Huggins
I love this manager already, not only did he drop KJ for non performance, he is demanding pros act like pros
At last a coach who is not taking bullshit!
Be quiet Aunty Phyllis……don’t support in discipline.
Aunt Phyllis???? Really?!?!?! National football, aspiring to the next world cup…Aunt Phyllis say…really allyuh?!?!?!
Thought he never touched alcohol doh???
Aunty you put the rope round the man neck .to get to a worldcup is rough not a excursion to maracas.
Aunty Phyllis ya wrong discipline is discipline if there is alcohol in the mix it is not allowed and the lack of punctuality is the lack of discipline ya wrong
Trinidad&Tobago: the words are DISCIPLINE TOLERANCE and PRODUCTION’ DR Eric Williams
thats why our players dont last long abroad. no dicipline at all. we always making some stupid excuse.they are professionals and should know better,they know the rules and feel the are “big boys” so they can get away with everything.no one is bigger than the country deal with them harsh! it have alot of talented young men waiting for a chance to represent this country, well done coach ! support u a million percent..finally someone has the balls to stand up and do their job
So Correct
This coach is no pet and powder man!!
Could it simply be that these guys were not picked because of disciplinary reasons…Full stop!
Ah glass of Bailey’s really ?????
Here we go again: Family jumps to our defence . ‘ he is ah nice boy’
One glass or two he was wrong no discipline!! ,this is not village or back yard football
Emotional reactions to simple disciplinary problems perpetuated under the watch of a negligent FA… From what I’ve heard these infractions are not new to our national teams – from before Latas time. If this is a continuous issue in the management of the team then a sterner look has to be cast there. This is not a matter of ‘he was a good boy’ so lehwe gih him a bligh. If we are to put precedents in place to deal with the future teams to come then it has to handled from a systemic/structural point of view. These young men need to be saved and re-calibrated/rehabilitated so to speak. We tend to look at that approach as being ‘soft’, therein lies our problem. I’ve heard that there are many players who feel ‘they reach’ and as result they may be unmanageable….then we need to examine how they ‘reach’ there in the first place. This is as much a management issue as it is a player issue….Hart was the FA’s scapegoat, but he had issues with this administration from day one, Noone is blameless here yet it is the players and coaches who are routinely sacrificed and I say ‘sacrificed’ bcz they don’t select or appoint themselves do they? I singled out Cyrus bcz I’ve never heard of any disciplinary issues surrounding him. Despite his gaffes on the field he doesn’t strike me as a player not committed to the cause having been in the national set up since his youth days. This whole thing seems out of character – or maybe we just now hearing about it. The lack of transparency with matters regarding the team and the FA make all this very worrisome for me and I for one am not quick to applaud any of these measures as the way forward. We must be careful of treating necessity with extremity and while some may argue ‘enough is enough’ and that extreme situations call for extreme measures….I say we trying to tend a garden with swiper!
We not serious ..that’s why our nation is struggling