German-born football coach Otto Pfister has made a call for all stakeholders and officials in local football to stop fighting among themselves and instead start working more collectively.This he says will be a key ingredient for the country to succeed in its quest to return to some form of prominence in the game."Football in the entire country has to change. I never bad talk my Federation or Association. Right now we don't have a president and my boss is Richard (Groden) and I never bad talk these people in such position because I think we have to work together always.
"Nobody wants to lose but the Professional League in this country has to improve. Right now it is zero and many other things in your football have to improve. What happens here happens nowhere else where football is serious my friends," the German-born added."But I think that with proper planning and preparation we have a very good chance to qualify for the next Gold Cup and then 2018. You have to work more and more together. In every big football country, the people work together to achieve one goal.
"You have to make the investment and plan and prepare from very early. You cannot wait until 2016. And you must have the best in everything from early for your preparation. Do not take things lightly and say okay maybe we can manage it this way. "As for me, I don't know my future but football is played all over the world and I have been through it all. I can get a job easily tomorrow. It's my decision to take it if I want. I chose to come to Trinidad because I saw an opportunity to help a country like yours. The money is no problem for me. I can get more money in other bigger countries but this is not the point I am making here. I want to see the football improve," said Pfister, who turns 74 on November 24.
He commended the staff that worked with him on the national team."My only worry is my staff here. These men worked very hard and give a lot of effort. You do not get this everyday in a lot of other countries and I can tell you this from experience. So what happens to them now? Will they get the chance to improve and to serve? Or will they be put away. I think you must keep these people and allow them to build on this and use their experience for the benefit of your football."There must be something where your football continues and then you can prepare to take on the bigger countries and achieve success," Pfister concluded.
Shabazz: Opportunity for T&T to push on its programme.
Guyana national team head coach Jamaal Shabazz believes that the time is right for T&T to see its immediate future in football as the ideal opportunity to have continuity by engaging in a full fledge and properly orchestrated programme that can see the country's national teams rise again to the top of Caribbean football and become a respected opponent in Concacaf.
"Not because T&T is out means that we should shut down the national team programme. All it means is for us now is to focus on the younger, upcoming players using every one of the FIFA dates because we have seen how not doing that can affect our programme," Shabazz said.He mentioned that he is still very much interested in remaining as a coordinator of the T&T Football Federation (TTFF) coaching education programmes, a position he held for the past year working alongside Anton Corneal and other local instructors in conjunction with the Dutch Royal Academy.
Molino waits on Pachuca word
Mexican club Pachuca FC is reportedly very interested in national midfielder Kevin Molino, who spent a few days on trial with the club following T&T's appearance at the recent Pan American Games in Guadalajara.But the hold up could be whether Orlando City puts a price tag on the player that would not turn away the Mexican outfit."I think they were impressed with us. We all played well in a couple of the matches there and the coaches were very interested. But I can't say for sure what the situation is now so I'll be waiting to see what transactions could take place between the two clubs," Molino said.
Fellow T&T teammates Jayson Joseph and Micah Lewis were also on trial at Pachuca. All three will now be looking ahead to their Caribbean Football Union (CFU) final round of Olympic qualifiers in St Kitts/Nevis from November 24-28.
Olympic qualifiers to be shown on Telemundo, Universal
CONCACAF has announced partnerships with Telemundo and Universal Sports Network for both the women's and men's 2012 CONCACAF Olympic qualifying tournaments. T&T's men team is likely to feature in that competition as they contest the CFU final round in St Kitts/Nevis later this month.Telemundo will provide exclusive Spanish-language television coverage of both tournaments in the US. Universal Sports Network's rights include exclusive English-language telecasts of all matches featuring the United States and the finals from each of the tournaments.
The women's tournament will take place from January 19-29, entirely at BC Place in Vancouver, Canada. The two finalists will qualify for the 2012 Olympic Games in London from July 27 to August 12.The men's tournament will be played from March 22 to April 2. The group stage will be played at The Home Depot Center in Carson, California, and Nashville, Tennessee's LP Field. The semifinals and final will take place at the new LIVESTRONG Sporting Park in Kansas City, Kansas. Once again, the two finalists will qualify for the Olympic Games.
