Watch The Massacre!
On Sunday 16, 2008 Barbados was humiliated in a World Cup football qualifier at the feet of the USA 8 goals to zero. The game was played some where in Los Angeles which is on the West Coast. A long trip our boys from Barbados would have had to make. Most Barbadians and indeed the world would have recognized this game for what it was, a David and Goliath match-up, some may even have stretched it to say First World versus Third World (we hate the term!).
In the build up to the game, Barbadians were told that with the infusion of overseas players, the Barbados team would have been able to compete with the USA. The blind recruitment of footballers who had minute traces of Barbadian blood by the Barbados Football Association (BFA) has become the topic of humorous discussion in the US media. The drama heightened when when two players snatched from their country of residence were not allowed to play with the team. The reason reported in the local media suggests that passports were not processed on time.
For Barbadians the sequel to the humiliation will continue on Sunday (23 June 2008) when the return match is scheduled to be played at Kensington Oval. If it is any consolation for the Barbados team, it has been reported that the USA has rested ten players for the return game! The US football team is currently practicing in Florida, the plan is to fly in a few hours before the game on Sunday. It is accepted that most teams in this situation would have preferred to practice in Barbados to quickly become acclimatize to game-day conditions. The arrogance of the American team!
We have taken an interest in the administration of football in Barbados over the years. It is public knowledge that football administrators are more concerned with the trips abroad, and the other perks which are on offer, rather than working hard to strengthen the current football structure. Sadly the same can be said about the policies of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) policies. If Barbados were to have had a realistic chance to restrict the USA to four goals or less, the BFA should have focussed on good preparation. The fact that they lost to Bermuda in a warm-up game should have been a good indicator that the Barbados team was not ready. Bermuda is currently ranked below Barbados in the FIFA rankings.
Maybe the BFA should have forfeited the game!
It has been reported in the local Press that it cost the BFA $500,000.00 to prepare for the qualifiers. The Head of the BFA is Minister of Education Ronald Jones. We are forced to asked Minister Jones what message is the BFA sending to the public in light of this latest fiasco? Maybe a more pertinent question for the Minister is to justify the $500,000.00 expense against the background that the team was under-prepared. Minister Ronald Jones is the Head of the BFA which has failed to generate the required funds to build a football facility, heads should roll.
BU recommends that the BFA should focus on the domestic football structure for the next two years. The sport does provide an outlet to the youth. This is especially true of individuals at the lower end of the socio-economic spectrum. During this time the BFA should suspend participation in international competitions.
The blogmaster invites you to join the discussion.