Media reports today indicate that the TTFF and the English FA are in talks to have England play Trinidad and Tobago's Soca Warriors in commemoration of TTFF centenary celebrations. The plan will be halted if FIFA VP, CONCACAF President and TTFF Special Advisor Jack Warner does not retract his recent statement about English football.
Warner would like England to play Trinidad and Tobago in June of this year. The FA are very high on the idea of playing a game in the Caribbean as new head coach Fabio Capello has indicated he would like to play "a match against a testing opponent at the end of May followed by a trip abroad where the England manager can spend some time with the players in a low-pressure environment."This proposed arrangement would also hopefully bolster England's World Cup bid in 2014, since Jack Warner is one of the most influential administrators in world football. The plan might have been finalized already if it was not for Warner's outburst while in England a couple months ago. Warner publicly stated that "'England has never had any impact on world football, England at no time has had the love and support of Europe; for Europe, England is an irritant."
In addition to requesting a formal retraction of the statement, the FA is closely monitoring the current issue involving the dispute between the Soca Warriors from World Cup 2006, with the TTFF, over monies owed to the players. Warner is also actively involved in this dispute.
On the other hand, the fans of Trinidad and Tobago would relish the idea of England playing an international friendly in Trinidad.
