Warner: Beenhakker willing to stay

This was revealed by FIFA vice-president and Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation (TTFF) Special Adviser Jack Austin Warner after yesterday’s match against Paraguay which the “Soca Warriors” lost 2-0.

There have been calls for Beenhakker, dubbed the “Silver Fox,” to stay on as national coach, an expense which was taken up single-handedly by Warner since May last year.

Following a request for him to stay on by Warner earlier this week, Beenhakker the former Netherlands and Real Madrid boss said he would consider the offer.

But following yesterday’s defeat by Paraguay in their Group “B” match in Kaiserslautern, Warner revealed that Beenhakker was willing to stay on as coach.

But Warner indicated it would take an effort from corporate Trinidad and Tobago as well as the government of the day for this to happen.

“I alone cannot do it,” Warner said in an interview yesterday, after the “Soca Warriors” disappointing defeat which booted them out of further participation in their first-ever World Cup.

Warner who is also CONCACAF president, made it clear that everyone came on board at the end of the campaign, instead of the beginning where we needed to ensure that we have the best team and the best players, get the best exposure, the best training and the best coach.

He noted that luckily for us, we have the best coach now but he said I would repeat for the 10th time, Jack Warner alone cannot do it. Warner reportedly spent more than $17 million to fund the team during the World Cup campaign which included a number of international matches overseas and more recently the introduction of Beenhakker as a replacement for Bertille St Clair.

Meanwhile, Elizabeth Edwards the mother of midfielder Carlos Edwards was delighted with the performance of the “Soca Waarriors” despite their defeat.

She said she was still optimistic even after the team went behind to an early goal, that we could have equalised and go on to win the game.

Edwards said she wanted to travel to Germany to watch her son and the team play but was unable to do so. She noted that despite the result she was proud of the team and her son.

“I love the team and the way they played. They showed us that they were making an effort to make the country look big,” she said yesterday.