Trinidad and Tobago end Deaf Futsal Championships 10th after loss to England

The Trinidad and Tobago deaf futsal team ended their participation at the World Deaf Futsal Championships in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on Thursday, as they placed tenth after succumbing to an 8-1 loss to England in their ninth-tenth place playoff match.

TT captain Kushaiah King, who scored a brilliant hat-trick in TT's 8-6 win over Paraguay in their ninth-12th place playoff match on Tuesday, shrugged off an injury to score the lone item against the English to cut the deficit to 5-1 at one stage. King, the brother of TT beach football player Hakeem King, had dedicated his hat-trick on Tuesday to his newborn baby.

The TT team will attend the tournament's closing ceremony on the weekend and will return home early next Tuesday morning (TT time). TT coach and former Strike Squad captain Clayton Morris, left Brazil on Friday to attend to a pressing matter back home, the team's media liaison Akil Pegus told Newsday.

Morris said his players will benefit greatly from the experience in Brazil.

"This competition has once again provided opportunities for continued growth for me as the head coach/staff and the players, which will benefit futsal on our twin island of TT. The players individually and as a team have shown improvement in most areas which is a plus toward contesting the next championship," Morris said.

He says the players are now equipped to impart the knowledge they have gained from the fifth staging of the World Deaf Futsal Championship.

"There were a lot of lessons learnt over the seven months of preparation, and these 12 days of international exposure would definitely make the players not just better futsal players, but also improved human beings in their homes and the respective communities.

"I strongly believe their homes and communities will be richer now once they are given the chance to share and express their experiences with respect."

TT lost their two group A matches to Brazil (8-0) and Iran (19-0), before contesting for places in the ninth-12th place playoffs.