Jamaica’s Bailey Cadamarteri (left) drives towards goal while Trinidad and Tobago’s Kobi Henry (right) closes him down and his teammate Josiah Trimmingham looks on during their FIFA World Cup qualifier at the National Stadium on Tuesday, September 9. (Photo: Joseph Wellington)
PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad (CMC) — Austin “Jack” Warner has cautioned Trinidad and Tobago (T&T) not to underestimate Jamaica’s Reggae Boyz when they meet in their crucial Concacaf World Cup qualifier on Thursday.
Warner, a former FIFA vice-president and Concacaf president, says Jamaica will still be a threat even as they continue to recover from the devastation left behind by Hurricane Melissa.
The two sides meet at the Hasely Crawford Stadium in a must-win game for T&T, who sit third in Group B on five points, behind leaders Jamaica on nine points and Curacao on eight points.
Warner, who also served as the president of the Caribbean Football Union, says T&T need to be at their best if they are to have any chance of defeating Jamaica.
“I would like to urge the players to be calm, to take the game as normal as possible and hope for the best.
“Jamaica is a strong team and they must not believe at all that Jamaica is weak, not even because of Hurricane Melissa, should they feel so,” Warner cautioned during an interview on Isports i95.5 FM recently.
“So I urge them to take the game one step at a time, be very strong and I think that they can pull it off. If not that’s the end.”
When the two sides met on September 9 at the National Stadium in the first leg, the home side emerged victorious 2-0.
However, Warner said playing at home could sometimes be a double-edged sword.
“It is always an advantage to play at home, but if they were playing away I think it might have been better, because the thousands of fans will be beating down upon them, and this could cause some upset in the team’s psyche.
“On the other hand, I think a large crowd supporting them, urging them on can do wonders and that is what I hope will happen,” Warner said.
WARNER… Jamaica is a strong team and they must not believe at all that Jamaica is weak, not even because of Hurricane Melissa, should they feel so.
