Trinidad and Tobago football captain Dwight Yorke is not yet thinking about once more retiring from international football, but wants to focus on the coming weeks of preparation for the 2006 World Cup.
By Kern De FreitasAs the "Soca Warriors" checked in at Piarco International Airport yesterday evening ahead of their flight to London and their one-week camp in Manchester, Yorke said he was not ready to make that decision, following such an announcement by teammate and longtime friend, Russell Latapy.
"At this point in time I just want to concentrate solely on being the captain of this team and giving 100 per cent to my country, and then after that I will sit down around the table with my advisers and people who are important to me, my family, and then make a decision from there," Yorke explained.
"But right now, as far as I am concerned, (the main thing) is that I'm fully focussed on doing well in the next five weeks and representing my country. It's a special moment, it's an historic moment for our country and our people."
Yorke, as were most of the other players, was visibly excited to be making the trip that heralds their entrance into the top tier of world football.
"This is the moment we have all been dreaming of," he added, "and I'm really looking forward to it. We're four weeks away from playing in the World Cup."
T&T Football Federation special adviser Jack Warner was also very enthusiastic about the team's departure yesterday.
"This is history in the making," the FIFA vice-president told the media at the airport. "Whatever happens now, or in the future, this particular point in time will never happen again."
Warner also thanked Traffic Branch police officers for their contributions in providing security for the team during Friday's road tour, which he said is an event he would never forget.
"I've never seen such a mixture of humanity at every level, and in areas traditionally our heroes don't go...It was absolutely super and if anything will remain etched in my memory, it would be yesterday's (Friday's) experience."
