TTFF News - TTFF bosses meet Senior team members

Photos show Jack Warner and Densill Theobald shaking hands after the meeting at the Ato Boldon Stadium. Second photo shows Oliver Camps and Warner at the head table with the rest of the team in the meeting. Photos courtesy TTFF Media.


TTFFbosses meet senior team members

Issued by Shaun Fuentes, TTFF Media Officer, April 4, 2007

National team head coach Wim Rijsbergen has recalled midfielder Kerwin Jemmot to the squad for preparations for the upcoming CONCACAF Gold Cup in the United States.

Jemmot was among the players who turned up at the Ato Boldon Stadium this week as the team has had sessions since Monday. But on Wednesday CL Financial San Juan Jabloteh coach Terry Fenwick pulled his players from the national team session, forcing Rijsbergen to have only 14 players at his disposal including captain Densill Theobald, back from a knee injury. Jemmot was left out of the squad for last friendly with Guadeloupe after failing to show for the first training session following the resumption of the programme last month. There were no new additions from the squad that drew 2-2 with the French islanders.

Also on Wednesday, TTFF Special Advisor Jack Warner, TTFF President Oliver Camps and General Secretary Richard Groden met with the players and staff at Couva. The opportunity was used for both officials and players to exchange their views with the aim of ensuring the right conditions were in place for the team’s progress. Match allowances were also made to the members of the team for recent international matches.

Warner also relayed to the players that CONCACAF and the CFU, seeing the importance of proper management of its members national teams had arranged to stage a workshop for national team managers in United States in May. Two managers from each territory will be sent for the course conducted by the United States Soccer Federation.

“We see the importance of the proper management of teams. The manager is responsible for a lot that goes on within a national team and must be like a father to the players. And this is part of the reason we have agreed to have this workshop for managers in the United States. We will have the Americans conduct the workshop because they are experts when it comes to administration in sport and football teams in particular,” Warner said.

Meantime, Dwight Yorke is expected to be back in the Sunderland start team for this weekend’s clash with Wolverhampton Wanderers and Carlos Edwards is available for selection but not sure to play.

“I’m recovered now and I’d love to be back in the team. I am available for the manager’s pick. It’s up to him and the end of the day,” said Edwards who is making a comeback from a shoulder injury. Sunderland are expected to play before a full house including a special group of Warrior Nation T&T fans based in the UK who have made arrangements to represent at the crucial Championship Division fixture.

In related news, the National Under 17 team, preparing for the CONCACAF Final round of qualifying towards the FIFA Under 17 World Championship, are currently engaged in a training camp at the Dwight Yorke Stadium, Tobago. They played a Stokelyvale Under 20 outfit on Monday, winning 5-0 and will face St Clair Coaching School from 4pm at the Yorke Stadium on Thursday. Head coach Anton Corneal is hoping to take his team t to Venezuela later this month for another training camp leading up to the CONCACAF finals in Jamaica from April 28. Previously mentioned plans of a training camp in the USA were shelved as Corneal and his staff felt that the purpose of the two training games there could be met by playing Pro League teams in Trinidad. “Here we are getting the same kind of contest we are looking for at this stage with regards to physical and tactical preparation. The local teams are also into their preseason as well so they can give us the type of games we want before going into the final tournament in Jamaica,” Corneal told TTFF Media.