Trinidad and Tobago attained independence from England in 1962. The islands of Trinidad and Tobago was fiercely contested amongst the Spanish, French, and the English before England consolidated their hold following the defeat of France in the Napoleonic Wars in 1815.
The ethnicities of T&T are rich and varied, ranging from the majority African and Indian populations, with smaller groups of Chinese, Portugese, English, French, Syrian and Lebanese minoriities and their mixed races. But like Angola with Portugal, T&T has longstanding and friendly links with England. This is true for sports, soccer seeing its share, with many players playing for the English and Scottish league. Most prominent of them is Dwight Yorke, Sydney FC and ex-Man U striker, Shaka Hislop, West Ham’s goalkeeper, and Dennis Lawrence of Wrexham, who scored the all important goal against Bahrain that booked T&T’s first berth to the World Cup.
T&T will meet England in their group B encounter on Thursday, June 15. If T&T pull of the upset, then it will be bigger and better than their 5-0 blackwashes of England in the cricket test series in the 1980’s.
* Stacy- Marie draws my attention to Russell Latapy of Falkirk FC, who is as important to the T&T team as Dwight Yorke, Shaka Hislop, and Dennis Lawrence. Thanks , Stacy-Marie for the correct group encounter.