“[…] No matter how poorly the [West Indies] teams play, there are no consequences for the regional boards because they operate under the CWI. The CWI is basically a sponge they created to absorb the repercussions of their own ineptitude and incompetence at the territorial level. “Is it CWI president …
Read More »MSJ: New year, old politricks—Dr Rowley’s New Year message is classic misdirection
“[…] The difference between 31st December and 1st January is but a change in date… as we see the old politricks being played out in this new year. Firstly, there was the Prime Minister’s New Year’s Message in which he announced that there will be a series of public consultations …
Read More »Dear Editor: St Benedict’s training ground shames its football teams and Dom Basil’s legacy
As we enter the new year, let me extend already mountainous congratulations to the St Benedict’s College senior and under-14 football teams. Theirs was an outstanding season. As a past student not that many moons ago, it is beyond heart-warming to see the fruits of the rebuilding of a once mighty and …
Read More »Mia Mottley: The Black Stalin was a maestro, griot and true Caribbean leader
“[…] Black Stalin was one of our region’s finest masters of calypso. Both his lyrics and his melodies expertly captured the rhythm and vibe and voice of the Caribbean. “He was acutely conscious of our shared history, culture, passions and concerns and expressed them in his songs in a way …
Read More »“The undisputed People’s Calypsonian!” Gov’t pays tribute to the late Black Stalin
“[…] Black Stalin was a standard bearer of Carnival traditions whose work spans from pre-independence to the present. In the 1950s, Stalin began as a limbo dancer, then later devoted the next 60 years of his career to developing the Calypso art form…” The following statement on the death of …
Read More »Berry: Hadad’s unsuitability is T&T football’s biggest problem, not identity of next TTFA president
“[…] Robert Hadad has spent more than two and a half years plodding along whilst receiving a nice monthly sum from Fifa, for achieving what? “[…] By March 2023, he will have personally been paid about US$220,000 (TT$1.49m) and you can more than double that for his cronies—while creditors have …
Read More »Dear Editor: Now TTFA’s members know who they climbed in bed with, after accepting “normalisation”
“[…] It is sadly laughable that those who now demand democratic elections on 18 March have never demanded that Fifa or its Normalisation Committee respect TTFA democracy. “[…] They never engaged the broad membership in any discussion regarding a way forward for Trini football. Their ‘governance model’ doesn’t allow for …
Read More »Dear Editor: We can’t increase Caribbean integration when it’s cheaper to fly to Miami than Barbados
“[…] Decreased airfare is one way to stimulate intra-regional travel for both business and leisure. “Studies show that increased visitor arrivals lead to increased economic activity—more tax collection, increased employment, and general stimulation of economies…” The following Letter to the Editor on the disproportionately high airfares within the Caribbean was …
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: Play Whe is emblematic of Trini superstition—and it could be a bonding exercise
“[…] My father used to religiously record the Play Whe results until my inquisitiveness caused him to give way, and he reassigned the task to me. It was a good bonding opportunity for us, and I became his diligent understudy, scribe, and good luck charm. “[…] To my delight, he …
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