Beenhakker plays ‘wait and see’

Among them was Trinidad and Tobago coach Leo Beenhakker who arrived with fellow Dutch coaches Guus Hiddink (Australia), Dick Advocaat (South Korea) and Marco Van Basten (Netherlands).

Also in the group was TT assistant coach Wim Rijsbergen who was also a past Holland World Cup player.

Beenhakker created as much sensation from the media normally reserved for the coaches of the bigger known teams as England and Brazil.

Sven Goran Eriksson, Carlos Alberto Parreira, Marcelo (Lippi), Luiz Felipe Scolari (Portugal), Karel Bruckner (Czech Republic), Zico (Japan), Luis Aragones (Spain), Bruce Arena (USA) as well as Hiddink were all checked in at the Renaissance Hotel.

Beenhakker, not only known as a past Dutch national team and Real Madrid coach, but now noted for leading TT as the smallest nation ever to World Cup qualification, had to stop for at least half dozen interviews from different television crews before he could eventually check in at the front desk.

At his earlier arrival a half hour before at the Westin, Beenhakker was also greeted by Bora Mulitinovic and the legendary Pele also passed by as he tried to depart the lobby with another large number of mediamen in tow.

"We don’t know who it’s going to be. Let’s just wait and see who we will be playing," Beenhakker told TTFF Media.

"It’s the same process for all the other teams. They all want to know who will be the three other teams they will face in the tournament and aside from the teams that have been seeded, there’s not much else to say until tomorrow," he said.

He spoke of the site selected for TT’s training base in Rottenburg, referring to it as "lovely with really good facilities and excellent training grounds." Beenhakker along with Warner and the rest of the TT contingent also attended a FIFA banquet dinner at the Messe Leipziger Messe, the same venue for today’s draw.