Betting on Soca Warriors?

SHOULD Trinidad and Tobago win the World Cup final on July 9 in Germany, a punter can go home with $1,000 for every dollar spent.

Yes, that’s the reality of the betting at Fair Chance racing pool on Queen Street, Port-of-Spain. Recognised for its betting on just about everything in the world, Fair Chance has put Trinidad and Tobago Soca Warriors at 1000 to one to win the World Cup.

There is betting on several categories. Apart from betting on the World Cup itself, Fair Chance offers punters a chance to win on teams reaching the final, match by match betting, plus the group betting.

No other country in the history of the world has been given absolutely no chance of winning the World Cup as Trinidad and Tobago. In horse racing and other sports, there are upsets where winners succeed at more than 100 to one.

In its first World Cup finals, Trinidad and Tobago kick off its campaign in Group B on Saturday against Sweden. In that match, the Soca Warriors are 11/1 to win, with the Swedes at 1/4, with 16/5 for a draw.

It gets even worse when TT plays England on June 15. The British are 1/7 to walk away with the game, while TT has been given a 14/1 chance of winning. Punters can expect a 9/2 payout for a draw.

With respect to the group betting, TT has been placed at 33/1 to win the group. England, one of the fancied teams in the World Cup has an overwhelming 8/13 price, Sweden 15/8, and the South Americans, Paraguay at 7/1.

In the category for teams reaching the grand final, Trinidad and Tobago stands at the bottom of the 32-team ladder at 500/1. Brazil, winner of the 2002 World Cup in Japan, has been put at 11/10 to reach another final.

England is the second favourite at 3/1 to reach the final, with South Americans Argentina at 100/30 and host nation Germany at 7/2.

The outright betting category is even worse for the Soca Warriors. No other team, not even when Jamaica played in the 1998 World Cup finals, has any team been given a 1000/1 chance to walk away with the prestigious World Cup.

In this category, the betting is more spaced out. Brazil remains at the top at 9/4, but England drifts out in the market at 6/1. Italy, Argentina and Germany are tied at 8/1 with the Netherlands at 12/1.

The Czech Republic, rated number two in the world, has not been rated with much of a chance of success as that team has been rated at 33/1. It was only on Saturday that the Czech Republic defeated the Soca Warriors 3-0 in a final warm-up international.

Mexico, regarded at the number one team in CONCACAF, stands at 50/1 and the United States at 80/1. Paraguay, who is in the group with TT, has been given a 200/1 chance, although my Soca Warriors fans believe this is one match that TT can win.

Costa Rica, the other CONCACAF representative, stands at 500/1 in the betting.