PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC-Trinidad and Tobago football coach, Hudson Charles, says the inclusion of Jamaal Shabazz as a second head coach will bolster the soca warriors chances as they compete in the finals of the 2012 Caribbean cup in Antigua from tomorrow.
Shabazz, coach of leading club Caledonia AIA, is expected to provide a lift for the Warriors as they take on Haiti, the Dominican Republic and host Antigua and Barbuda in group A.
Charles says he does not have a problem with the fact that, a year ago, Shabazz coached the Guyana team that booted T & T from 2014 World Cup qualifying.
“Most of the guys are professionals. Although Jamaal had his work with Guyana, he knocked out the T&T team, I don’t think anybody is holding that (against him). What’s in the past is in the past; now he’s here, (and getting) from everybody full, full, full support” Charles said in an interview with the Express newspaper.
“At the end of it all, he’s still (from) Trinidad and Tobago. Whoever we could get to enhance the T&T team to carry it to the next level we welcome it. He has been a great addition to the team and we all support it.”
A 20-man team was scheduled to fly out of Port of Spain yesterday for Antigua following a series of practice sessions in which the squad was cut from 27.
According to Charles, preparations have been “going pretty good” and there are “high hopes” from the players themselves of a strong performance in the upcoming tournament.
T&T did not advance to the knockout stage of the competition in the last two years and therefore failed to qualify for the Gold Cup.
Trinidad secured a place in the Caribbean cup finals despite controversy surrounding the lack of funding for the team and other issues plaguing the T&T Football Federation (TTFF).
“As I tell them before whatever happens off the pitch, there are people to deal with it,” Charles said.
“We have to do our part and just perform. The better we perform, more doors will open for us in terms of getting that support from our stakeholders”.
