- NEWSDAY.CO.TT - A la Une - Hier 19:35

TTFA boss: No one broke camp, players fully committed

TRINIDAD and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) president Kieron Edwards has made it emphatically clear that players did not break camp to attend Bare Vybez, a Juneteenth Afro-Caribbean-themed party at Tikila’s Bar in Houston on June 19. He was speaking to Newsday on June 22, in a response to a Trinidad Guardian article titled T&T footballers break camp to party after disastrous start to Gold Cup. TT are currently bottom of Group D following a 5-0 defeat to USA (June 15) and a 1-1 draw with ten-man Haiti (June 19). However, a win for TT against Saudi Arabia in their final group match on June 22 coupled with a USA win over Haiti would be enough for TT to advance to the quarter-finals. The Guardian article mentioned 2016 incidents involving national players who broke camp to attend a boat ride under former coach Stephen Hart. Current national captain Kevin Molino was one of the players. The Carenage-born player was omitted from the TT squad for a Caribbean Cup game vs Martinique for repeated infractions after being previously fined. However, Edwards said the incidents cannot be compared as the players all got permission to attend the Juneteenth event and relax with friends and family. Juneteenth, which became a US holiday in 2021, commemorates the end of slavery in the US on June 19, 1865. "Permission was given to the players. To get something to eat, to engage (with fans). Absolutely no one broke camp," he said. He said the event was held next to a popular jerk spot. Asked how many players were granted leave to attend the event, Edwards said, "All players were given permission to be able to engage with their families or be able to go and get something to eat or to leave the hotel." Asked about any specific restrictions given to the players for the evening, including whether there was a curfew or ban on consumption of alcohol, Edwards said anyone leaving camp – even to go shopping – is given certain guidelines on "how long to stay, what to do, that kind of stuff." He said there are also restrictions on engaging with the media. Pressed on what time the players were allowed to stay outside until, Edwards said he did not have the specifics, but he knows timelines are usually given. He said there are currently no disciplinary issues in the camp concerning that night. He said the public must remember that some of the players have been with the national squad for almost a month featuring at the Unity Cup in London (May 27-31), then for Fifa World Cup qualifiers vs St Kitts and Costa Rica (June 6-10), followed by the ongoing Gold Cup campaign. Edwards said allowing players some downtime was important to de-stress and refocus on the enormous task ahead with their final group game against Saudi Arabia. "That's the reason behind why the permission was given. It would have been the area with our biggest home support. It was just one that you give them some time to just relax, stretch their legs, get in a different environment, and get back to the job. "Sometimes you need to (take a break)... I don't know if persons will understand the strain on professional players. We have players playing whole season. This is their actual break time. This is not an official international window. They're committed to the national team, to Trinidad and Tobago." He said players have foregone their vacation time to represent the red, white and black and should not be castigated for one evening of downtime. "They've been in the camp from since the ending of May to now, and they've been committed to it. You demand plenty of the players. We now had a game that was a disappointment for many and you just freshen up minds, let persons engage with common persons they know, talk to friends, talk to family and refocus again. It's an important game against Saudi Arabia to qualify into the next round." He said when managing athletes, it is important to remember that you are dealing with humans and emotions. He said the defeat to USA and draw with Haiti should not dictate how players are treated. "It's something separate. You don't look at things like that to come and punish a group. So you look at ways to get the best out of your players. "Do you continue to just keep them in camp, keep them isolated, or do you just take a breath and refocus? Persons need to understand that it's a toll being taken on these young men and these, well I won't say all young men because we have some seniors in the group, but it's a toll being taken on individuals...And if we then say that we're going to punish – what's the reaction you'll get out of the last game against Saudi Arabia?" He said the TTFA has mental coaches on board and decisions are guided by advice given. "It's easy for persons looking from the outside to say, 'Well, it wasn't a result you wanted to get, punish the group, let them go to bed.'" He said head coach Dwight Yorke and assistants have set a high standard for the national programme and he is extremely confident about the work they are putting in. "Coach Yorke and his staff have been total professionals. I think if anyone really understood, knows Dwight Yorke, they know how obsessed he is about training and fitness and discipline and that kind of stuff.." He said he has noticed Yorke's attention to detail, insistence in punctuality and tremendous work ethic. "I wouldn't say the culture has changed because I would not have been around other coaches, but it's one to make sure that we continue this culture that is being built with coach Yorke and his coaching staff." The post TTFA boss: No one broke camp, players fully committed appeared first on Trinidad and Tobago Newsday.