It may sound a bit harsh but it’s necessary and it’s a sacrifice. At least that’s how Under-20 forward Jerrel Britto sees the decision by head coach Zoran Vranes to ban all players from accessing the Internet via their laptops and cellphones over the next two weeks as they head into the Concacaf Under-20 final qualifying round in Guatemala.
The team has been away for three weeks in Colombia and the players were allowed regular usage of the Internet but as they arrived in Honduras on Tuesday, Vranes laid down the law, allowing Internet use only prior to meal times so at least the players can be in touch with their loved ones via Facebook.
Vranes used the same policy with the 2009 squad during their final build up and their actual participation in the Fifa Under 20 World Cup in Egypt. “Well it’s a sacrifice we will make because it’s comforting to be able to communicate with the family and friends via Facebook when we are away from home. But this is important.”
“We have to focus on football only and performing well is our aim. We must qualify for the World Cup,” said Britto. Internet bans are nothing new for football sides as during the 2010 World Cup in South Africa several coaches felt social media would interfere with player’s performances.
Teams such as Spain, Brazil, Mexico, Holland, Germany, Argentina and England banned their players from using social services such as Twitter during the tournament. Coach of Marcelo Bielsa of Chile, banned all social networking and even put a ban on Internet usage.
T&T opens its final round against Cuba on Wednesday and faces Mexico two days later. Prior to that they tackle Honduras in friendlies tomorrow and were scheduled to face them yesterday.