Disrespect for Trinidad and Tobago’s colours, symbols continues

THE EDITOR: The Qatar 22 World Cup match between Puerto Rico and TT saw our national flag being flown upside down. This is disgraceful and falls at the feet of the team's management who failed to pay due attention to details. These highly paid officials have not even offered an apology, perhaps in the expectation of this being soon forgotten.

The disrespect to our national colours and symbols continues. In 1982 in Jamaica, while the spectators were standing for our anthem, to our surprise the accompanying music was to the tune of Penguin's A Deputy Essential. No known action was taken against the officials.

Managers like Ollie Camps, Ivan Carter, Desmond O'Brien, Ralph Brown, Peter Rampersad, to name a few, were so competent that such a situation would never have occurred, even when the technical staff was limited to only three volunteers, unlike today's up to nine contracted.

Our friendly against the US also saw our players in blue jerseys, nothing of our red, white and black. Selection on our national teams brings with it a legitimately owned right and expectation to wear our national colours. Yet for all the large contingent of officials we are seeing faux pas after faux pas.

Certainly the time has come for a fixed design of our national jersey instead of each sponsor bringing a new design. For as long as we know it, many teams are identifiable by their outfit – Brazil, Mexico, Germany, Jamaica, England, US, Argentina, among others.

Respecting our colours should be adhered to at all times.

LENNOX SIRJUESINGH

Former FIFA referee