Refereeing has always been a problem for Trinidad and Tobago in World Cup qualifiers and Wednesday night’s loss to Mexico was another statistic of that.
The Warriors conceded a 63rd minute off-side goal that secured the win for the home team, well before the final whistle had gone.
Coach Leo Beenhakker was seen probably fisting the atmosphere around him, as the Mexican players as well as the fans could have hardly believed, not only the luck of that goal, but the audacity of the referee to allow it.
Mexican striker Jared Borgetti stood almost rooted to the ground when an earlier shot by Ramon Morales came off goalkeeper Kelvin Jack and unto his boot.
Well he could have blown on the ball and it would have scored, so close was he to the goal line, but chose to go for safety.
The Dutch-born coach employed a few tactics thereafter, with the use of strikers Hector Sam and Gary Glasgow in an all out attack for an equalising goal. The Warriors’ attempt to silence the home crowd could well have come when Brent Rahim, who was introduced for Autis Whitley in the midfield, fired a low grounder which goalkeeper Oswaldo Sanchez pushed wide of a post, diving to his right.
Trinidad and Tobago’s Football Federation (TTFF) president Oliver Camps said he was totally dissatisfied with the level of refereeing but noted sadly it always happens to this country. He said, "From where we were sitting, it was a plain off-side goal but as usual the referee allowed it to the home team."
The local football boss added that the game against the Panamanians here at the Hasely Crawford Stadium on Sunday last was even more dissatisfying, as the Jamaican-born referee Peter Pendergast allowed a number of fouls and other bookable offences to go past him.
In 1973 a star-studded Trinidad and Tobago team including football icons Leroy Deleon, Everald "Gally" Cummings and Steve David hammered six goals past Haiti but was robbed of the chance to go to World Cup ’74 finals in Germany by Canadian officials who waived off five and Haiti scored late through Sanon to win 2-1.
Camps lamented we have not been very lucky with referees during World Cup qualifying matches and noted, it has been that way for a long time now.
He, however, said hats-off to the local team which did a good job, this despite the final result.
He made it clear that the team would have to make up the lost points in other matches.
Camps said the team has improved a lot, which is reflective of the work that they have put in, in such a short space of time.
He said with more improvement, the team is almost certain to secure a place in the World Cup finals for the first time in our history.