National Football Team leaves for Grenada match

Next week Tuesday, the Belize National Football Team will face Guatemala. It is the first time that a Guatemalan football team will be playing on Belizean soil. But today, the Belize team is on its way to Grenada where it will take on the Grenadian selection on Friday.  It’s a long way to Brazil 2014, and the team sported official jerseys for the first time since the National Sports Council reached a compromise with the Football Federation of Belize.  News Five spoke to team captain Shane Orio and FFB’s Senior Vice President at the airport this morning.

Bernaldino Pech, Senior Vice President, F.F.B.

“We have a delegation of twenty-five travelling to Grenada this time around in the second round of the World Cup Qualifiers towards Brazil 2014 and it is always nice to be able to leave the proper way with our teams in their team kits and to have the support of the Belizean public as well. We are carrying the hopes and aspirations of the entire Belizean nation as we go out to try our luck on Grenadians soil and we hope to make Belize proud out there.”

Shane Orio

Shane Orio, Captain, Belize National Football Team

“From day one like I mentioned a time ago, it’s a team that has been together for the past ten years and in that span we have represented Belize in numerous competition. The inconvenience that we had before, it didn’t get to our heads. We spoke about it internally in the team and it is the same responsibility with same goals and the same aspirations that we will be able to go out there and do our best.”

Jose Sanchez

“So there is lot more focus now?”

Shane Orio

“We have not lost the focus or our goals. We know it’s going to be hard, difficult and back with the problem that the government and the federation had; we knew it was going to be much more difficult. But now, we just have to worry about the game and playing the game. So it is a bit more relaxing and hopefully we will be able to enjoy the game a little bit more and enjoy the wins a little bit more.”

Jose Sanchez

“I know we are looking at Grenada on Friday, but next week at Guatemala. Give me your impressions or what feelings are going into next week Tuesday’s game?”

Shane Orio

“It’s very difficult to think about next week Tuesday’s game. Our focus presently is the Grenada game. And hopefully we will be able to win in Grenada. They are the head of the group—in ranking there are much superior than us, but hopefully we will be able to pull it together and be able to win in Grenada and after that we will be thinking about Tuesday. But right now the team is focused and we are only thinking about the game on Friday.”

Jose Sanchez

“How formidable is the team you’re going up against?”

Bernaldino Pech

Bernaldino Pech

“Well they are ranked above us certainly in the FIFA world ranking, but we have an excellent coach who really prepares for game and really has a game plan for every team that we meet. So the boys are confident, the boys have been training really hard. Our professional players: Shane and Harrison Roches and Delroy Smith just joined the team this morning actually, but we are confident that the game plan is there and we are confident that we will put up a good showing.”

Scores for Friday’s Grenada game can be checked at fifa.com and as we said, there’s anticipation for Tuesday’s match at the F.F.B. stadium in the capital. That game will be carried live on this station.