FIFA comes to Trinidad

This September, Trinidad and Tobago host the 8th FIFA Under-17 World Championship. Five new stadiums have been prepared for this grand moment, from which football lovers can expect to glimpse the next Yorke, Verón, Beckham. By Georgia Popplewell

By Georgia Popplewell | Issue 51 (September/October 2001)

Trinidad and Tobago Under- 17 football team. Photograph by Naimchand Bissessar/ TTFF/ COTT

Trinidad and Tobago Under- 17 football team. Photograph by Naimchand Bissessar/ TTFF/ COTT

Trinidad and Tobago is an old hand at staging large-scale events. Each year the country’s famous Carnival erupts in a whirlwind of rhythm and colour as thousands take to the streets in costume, and in 1999 the country was the venue for the Miss Universe Pageant. This September, the twin-island nation can add an international football tournament to its résumé, when, from September 13-30, it plays host to the future stars of world football during the 8th FIFA Under-17 World Championship.

Trinidad and Tobago is the first Caribbean nation to have been chosen as a venue for this prestigious youth event. Sixteen teams (see box), including Trinidad and Tobago’s Team 2001, will vie for the Championship title, which is currently held by football powerhouse Brazil.

Local football fans and the many visitors expected for the event will converge upon the five FIFA-standard playing facilities that have been specially prepared for the tournament, hoping for a glimpse of the next Pélé or Maradona. These stadia, four of which were built from scratch, have been sited at strategic locations across Trinidad and Tobago, and have given the country the opportunity to pay tribute to five of its outstanding sporting personalities: 1976 Olympic 100m gold medallist Hasely Crawford (National Stadium, Port of Spain); sprinter Ato Boldon (Couva, central Trinidad); West Indies Test cricketer Larry Gomes (Arima, eastern Trinidad); Manny Ramjohn, who brought the country its first gold medal in 1946 (Marabella, south Trinidad); and Manchester United footballer Dwight Yorke (Bacolet, Tobago).

The Championship will kick off on 13 September with a grand opening ceremony. Coming from the people who stage an annual Carnival dubbed “The Greatest Show on Earth”, this alone should be something to see.