Trinidad and Tobago national football team icon and former captain Russell "Little Magician" Latapy will weave the final spell of his career in front his home fans from 6.30 p.m. today as the "Soca Warriors" host Peru in a friendly international at the Hasely Crawford Stadium.
By Lisana LiburdLatapy, who plays for Scotland Premier League (SPL) club Falkirk, announced last week he will end his playing career at the 2006 World Cup, which starts on June 9 in Germany.
Today's friendly gives local football enthusiasts the opportunity to witness the send off of the pint-sized playmaker who represented his country for nearly two decades-give or take his premature retirement in 2001.
It is uncertain whether Latapy will perform his tricks in front of a full audience today, though.
An official, who preferred to remain anonymous, explained that the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation (T&TFF) expect a last-minute rush for tickets today.
Neil Mollineaux, who is overseeing the T&TFF's sale of tickets for the friendly, was unavailable for comment but it was clear the game was not yet sold out.
Tickets for Trinidad and Tobago's last two international fixture on home soil-both World Cup qualifying matches played at the Hasely Crawford-were gone within hours of going on sale and there were reports of stampedes and injuries at the various ticketing venues.
Oliver Camps, T&TFF president, claimed that his organisation changed the method of ticket distribution to avoid a repeat of such incidents. Team sponsor, bmobile, which is locked in an intense cellular phone war with rivals Digicel, received the go-ahead to distribute tickets via a lottery system that rewards its customers who request tickets by sending text messages to the company.
A louder and arguably uglier sideshow to today's encounter with the respected South American nation lies in the cost of the tickets.
The T&TFF set prices at $300 (uncovered stand) and $500 (covered stand), which is more than double the admission fee for the Warriors' qualifying matches and might be the highest fee for a sporting event in the country's history.
Sport Minister Roger Boynes said the T&TFF promised to keep the prices at $100 (uncovered stand) and $200 (covered stand) and explained that his government already agreed to sponsor the team based on revenue expected from lower ticket prices. He urged the T&TFF, represented publicly by special adviser and FIFA vice-president Jack Warner, to reconsider the high prices.
Warner refused on the grounds that the extra money would go towards the development of football.
The response from the Trinidad and Tobago public so far has been underwhelming and pales in comparison with tickets sales for last year's fixtures against Mexico and Bahrain.
Bmobile refused to comment on sales and referred all queries to the T&TFF, but an official admitted they had not sold out their quota to the public. The company had no problem selling tickets to their own employees, though.
Staff members were allowed to purchase a ticket for $50 and, according to the marketing official, bmobile's internal sales were "overwhelming".
KFC outlets were brought in to help the T&TFF reach the public last Friday, when tickets were made available at branches in Westmoorings, Maraval, St James, Independence Square, Library Corner and Arima.
At KFC, like at bmobile and T&TFF, officials were reluctant to discuss sales on record. But a senior KFC official explained, although there was "a steady flow", none of the six venues had sold out its allocation by yesterday evening.
Barring a late change of heart by the public, the hesitant approach from local fans might suggest a cooling in relations between patrons and the T&TFF which peaked after the Soca Warriors clinched a historic World Cup berth last November, but dipped steadily thereafter amidst concern about Warner's financial involvement with the team.
Last February, Warner was found guilty of violating FIFA's code of ethics by monopolising the sale of Trinidad and Tobago's 2006 World Cup tickets, although he was subsequently pardoned after pleading his ignorance about what constitutes a "conflict of interest".
Today's friendly marks the Warriors' first outing on home soil since qualifying for the World Cup and dozens of European journalists made the trans-Atlantic trip to Trinidad in anticipation of a Carnival atmosphere.
Latapy, arguably the country's best loved player, usually turns out to packed grounds in his homeland with supporters drooling over his dribbles, close control and incisive passing. He would expect no less today.
But, in a climate made tense by Warner's financial initiatives, it is uncertain whether Trinidad and Tobago fans would be ruled by their hearts, purse strings or principles as regard an ongoing battle that has little to do with the success of their football team.
