TTFF News - 'Woooh Trinidad' as Koreans wave T&T flags

‘Wooooh Trinidad’ as Koreans wave T&T flags

 

Issued by Shaun Fuentes, TTFF Media Officer in Cheonan, August 14, 2007

 

At least 150 Koreans from the city of Cheonan greeted members of the Trinidad and Tobago National Under 17 footballers at the IT technology centre training pitch waving miniature T&T and Korean flags on an overcast Tuesday morning.

 

It was the first official training in Korea for the young “Soca Warriors” for the FIFA Under 17 World Championship which kicks off in Korea on Saturday and the local organizing committee arranged a special welcome ceremony for Anton Corneal and his players as they arrived at the facility just around 10:30 am. All other FIFA protocol kicked in from Tuesday as well with regards to accreditation, equipment and aid supply as well as other provisions relating to the team’s participation in the tournament.

 

The driveway leading the ground was lined with both adults and youngsters who shouted “wooooh Trinidad” and later made presentations of bouquets to captain Leston Paul and Corneal. It was a stirring welcome for the T&T boys after a light earthquake shook the Onyang Hot Springs Hotel a bit after midnight.

 

They also played traditional calypsos, most notably from the late Roaring Lion over the venue’s open air speakers during the early minutes of the training session which lasted for two hours and was endured by the players under a consistent downpour. Similar to Monday’s venue, again the pitch was situated up in the Hejo mountains which took T&T roughly half hour by bus to arrive at.

 

The German team meantime didn’t have it that smoothly, having to travel for close to an hour for their venue and after the Ghana team checked in at the Onyang Hot Spring Hotel, they learnt that their training pitch was even further. Word was that T&T would be enjoying the best training pitch of the lot and Corneal and his boys made proper use of it with a thorough session in the morning. They later occupied the indoor facility for the evening session which went for just over an hour before reporting for their official accreditation process at the hotel.

 

‘It’s definitely an ideal ground for training and we will make the best use of it this week,” Corneal told TTFF Media. “I think you could see it out there for yourself today that the boys were enjoying it and when players can do that especially in what is a strange country for them in terms of them being here for the first time, then it says a lot. Having eager players is a plus for any coach,” Corneal added.

 

The question as to whether he or the players were under any pressure to perform with the opening game against Ghana now less than a week away, Corneal didn’t budge much.

 

“I think any team going into a tournament like this for the first time after qualifying will have some butterflies about it and that’s only natural because they are still kids who are maturing and this tournament will provide a great step for them. Our aim is to play football and let everything else handle itself. As for me as a coach, I will not say it’s pressure as such but I obviously want to see the team give a good account of itself and every coach wants results with that. We will not put unnecessary pressure on ourselves at this point,” Corneal affirmed.

 

FIFA officials at the Onyang Hotel said that they are expecting a full house for each of the games being played at the Cheonan Sports Complex for Monday’s games as well as T&T’s second match with Colombia. The stadium holds 26,000 and already 23,000 tickets have been pre-sold for Monday’s game.

 

In fact, chairman of the Local Organising Committee, Chung Dong-Chea, revealed to FIFA.com that the ticket sales for the tournament are well above what had been previously anticipated.

 

Korea Republic's games against Peru and Costa Rica at Suwon's 27,100 capacity Sports Complex have already sold out much to the delight of tournament’s chairman FIFA Vice President Jack Warner who is expected to arrive in Seoul on Wednesday.

 

The city of Cheonan,where T&T is based, will host five group games and two second round matches, is preparing for a big festival ahead of the tournament. On the eve of Saturday’s opening ceremony , the city will hold a light show in front of Cheonan Sports Complex, with tens of giant LED towers and a tunnel-shaped fountain.

 

The FIFA U-17 World Cup Korea 2007 will be broadcast live to 52 countries all over the world on TV, as well as on FIFA.com.

                                                                                      

“It’s coming closer and we are getting ready. I hope the fans back home can watch us on TV too and wish us well. We are here to do our best,” skipper Paul quietly added.