Germans praise Soca Warriors

The praise came in Leipzig on Friday as the Grand Draw for the 2006 World Cup concluded at the Messe Hall.

Former winning captain and coach and now President of the World Cup Organising Committee Franz Beckenbauer had no qualms about it as he congratulated FIFA Vice President Jack Warner on TT’s qualification at the FIFA Banquet on the eve of the draw.

Warner, Special Adviser to the TTFF, attracted approaches and hugs from all directions as dignitaries and guests, and several leading personalities in the football world acknowledged him and TT’s success in getting to their first ever World Cup.

The Caribbean team is the smallest country to ever achieve such a feat.

When FIFA President Sepp Blatter announced all 32 qualified teams during his address, Trinidad and Tobago was the last to be uttered and there were quick shouts, prolonged applause as heads turned towards Warner’s table.

The Arouca-resident was justifiably proud to be a "Trini". Members of the TT contingent were also graced at their table by the presence of head coach Leo Beenhakker who also drew hugs and handshakes from several guests, coaches and other officials.

Beckenbauer later paid tribute to TT’s qualification.

"It’s indeed a tremendous achievement by such a small country like Trinidad and Tobago," he told TTFF Media. "To now be the smallest country ever to qualify is a major accomplishment and it means now that you are at a level where only the top countries on the world belong. This is the big stage," he said.

Current German head coach Juergen Klinsmann, a World Cup winning player in 1990, also congratulated the Soca Warriors.

"We are all preparing for this tournament now and I am sure Trinidad (and Tobago) must be feeling all the excitement because it’s the first time for them at this competition. It’s a wonderful feeling to be part of a World Cup and I wish them many good things," the former Tottenham Hotspur striker told TTFF Media.

He also expressed satisfaction with his team’s grouping along with Costa Rica, Poland and Ecuador.

"I think we got a good draw and it’s on the football now," he said.

And a former captain who lifted the World Cup when they defeated Argentina in 1990, Lothar Matthaus also felt the qualification was something TT should use as a stepping stone to achieve further success.

"There’s nothing better than qualifying for a World Cup especially when you come from such a small place and had to go through several struggles to get to it. That alone is a big success story," Matthaus said.

There were close to 4,000 officials and guests were at the Draw including German Federal President Horst Kohler, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and a host of German and international football stars, such as Pele, Johan Cruyff, current German captain Michael Ballack, as well as FIFA World Cup winners from Germany’s 1954 and 1974 campaigns — Horst Eckel and Beckenbauer.