Beenhakker works out football details

DUTCH Soca Warriors coach Leo Beenhakker and members of the  TT/Germany 2006 management team have met at their Administration Centre, Kantac Plaza, Arouca, to work out details of the proposed training camps for locally-based footballers. He will also make known his squad for that Carnival Tuesday (February 28) friendly international against Iceland in London. Dutchman Beenhakker who returned here on Monday together with assistant Wim Rijsbergen met with Soca Warriors manager Bruce Aanensen and his assistant George Joseph, and assistant coach Anton Corneal.

The Soca Warriors coach said he was firming up dates for training camps in Austria and England and will also meet with chosen locally-based players tomorrow at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, Mucurapo. While here, Beenhakker will be based at the newly renovated Kantac Plaza along with Aanensen, Joseph and chief operations officer Horace Reid. Before his return, the Dutch duo went to the United Kingdom and Holland having a look at overseas-based Soca Warriors in action, and together with international relations consultant Mike Berry visited training camp sites in England and Austria.

Meanwhile, West Ham United goalkeeper Shaka Hislop and other members of the Soca Warriors  players’ committee expressed delight at Beenhakker’s return as they look ahead to reassembling as a team for the first time since their victory over Bahrain, ahead of next month’s international against Iceland. Hislop said it would be a special reunion in London next month. “It definitely will be a special one because it will be the first time since the match in Bahrain and I think everyone is really excited.”

He also shared his thoughts on the inclusion of Fulham goalkeeper Anthony Warner. “It’s just one of those things which goes to say that he’s a player who will come into the team and hopefully add value to it. “It’s not something that we are going to be bitter about in any way, and at the end of the day the competition will just help in bringing about the best out of the other keepers like myself, Clayton (Ince) and Kelvin (Jack) and in this regard I think he (Warner) will be a decent addition to the set up.”