#BTEditorial – Barbados football still missing the ‘goal’

Local football players and fans certainly had an entertaining month of June.

Our senior men’s team sadly continued its downward trend by losing all of their qualifying matches in the CONCACAF Nations League and have now plummeted to number 166 in the world based on the most recent FIFA rankings.

On return there were renewed calls for the sacking of coach Russell Latapy from pundits and former national players, but shockingly the defeated players made a public stand by declaring they would quit if Latapy was sacked.

While the Barbados Football Association (BFA) was mute on the subject, they were saved from walking back their words of ‘No Sacking of the Coach’ in an earlier press briefing because Lapaty flew the coop and resigned effective immediately on June 26.

Based on media reports he has taken up the post of assistant coach of Macarthur FC for the upcoming 2022/23 Isuzu UTE A-League Season (Australia), where he and former Trinidad and Manchester United player Dwight Yorke will re-unite as Yorke is the head coach of the squad.

We wonder what will become of the local players who threatened to quit if Latapy was sacked.

Will Latapy repay the blind loyalty of those players and others by taking them to the A-League with him or will they remain and rally with the new coach when appointed?

While the embattled coach seems to have landed on his feet, we in Barbados are still stuck in a rut when it comes to the beautiful game.

Many believe that while there was a resignation, it was not the resignation that was needed for the sport to move on and develop further. The administration of the BFA has to be looked at and questioned as on-the-field results are merely a reflection of those in leadership roles at the BFA.

There is no doubt this team was badly prepared for the CONCACAF Nations League as one must ask what is being done to get these young men ready for the challenges at hand both physically and mentally.

The apologists point to the fact that Barbados football went on hiatus for the past two years due to COVID-19, but the teams that defeated the Tridents so clinically also faced similar conditions. Antigua, especially, who have never beaten Barbados in regional football managed to get it right.

Cuba at the time were ranked at number 177 and Guadeloupe didn’t even merit a FIFA ranking while Barbados were at number 163 in the world.

Some lamented that our guys were playing against professionals.

Taking a look at the players for Antigua, Guadeloupe and Cuba, one would hardly call them professionals as they are scattered across various lower leagues across the world with no serious professional credentials and mostly amateur leagues, even if overseas nevertheless.

Not one English Premier League player, MLS, La Liga or any substantial league standout was present for these recent games in which we were defeated. However, what is equally baffling is that Barbados does have a few players overseas and they were not called to the team.

Barbados opted only to call defender Krystian Pearce but left off their most recognized overseas player, striker Thierry Gale, who is based in Hungary.

Gale was noticeably absent in the Tridents’ 9-0 flogging against Trinidad and Tobago Soca Warriors and a 5-0 mauling by the Guyana Jaguars during a recent tri-nation international friendly series at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, in preparation for the CONCACAF Nations League.

There has been no official reason as to why he wasn’t called to the Barbados team but that decision was with the BFA and former coach Latapy.

While we await the start of the domestic football hinted to commence in August, to what end are we achieving the goal of a successful national team if it is the same warmed over soup we have been fed for the past 10 years.

The BFA General Secretary Edwyn Wood said at a press conference the BFA is in the process of introducing a 2022-2025 strategic plan.

Wood is quoted as stating: “Our strategic plan is firmly entrenched in delivering quality developmental programmes and opportunities to those involved in football in Barbados at all levels.

“We have a variety of initiatives either underway or in the planning stages to ensure that we fulfil our commitment to continue to further develop our players, officials, clubs, coaches, and facilities. The appointment of our new technical director Emmerson Boyce, our innovative FIFA Talent Development partnership, and the exciting progress made in the laying of new turf at our Wildey facility are just some examples of key projects that are already in progress and speaks volumes to the BFA’s dedication to guiding the growth of local and national football for all.”

 

Amazing revelation indeed. After 10 years in office and several crushing defeats we now get a development plan.

 

Who knows, maybe in hindsight Lapaty saw the writing on the BFA wall and decided that the A-League was better than No-League.