CARIBBEAN INSIDER BLOG

Although the Caribbean this year has not succeeded in qualifying for the prestigious FIFA World Cup, with both the most likely representatives the Reggae Boys (the Jamaican team which qualified in 1998) and the Soca Warriors (the Trinidadian team that qualified in 2006) not involved, we still have our flags flying for our Caribbean nationals and Caribbean descendants.

Already a major contributor for the English football team scoring the winning goal for England’s move into the next stage of the tournament, Jermaine Defoe has a St. Lucian mother and a Dominican father. 

Also, a well known player for England, Emile Heskey has an Antiguan father and a Barbudan mother.  Emile has invested in the country of his parents’ birth seeking to set up an Academy of Excellence for youth with sporting potential and also in a gated ocean view villa development. 

Ashley Cole is another major player on the England team with Caribbean heritage, his father is from Barbados. There are others on the England team of Jamaican descent including Aaron Lennon, and Shaun Wright-Phillips who also has Grenadian influences.

Rio Ferdinand was named captain of the England team and but for the injury suffered in training in South Africa before a match had been played, would have been the first England World Cup captain of Caribbean descent, since his father Julian hails from St. Lucia.

Among the French team, descendants of Martinique are represented by Eric Abidal and Thierry Henry (along with his father from Guadeloupe), and French Guiana where Florent Malouda was born. The Netherlands has a Surinamese born footballer, Edson Braafheid, and the USA team has players with Haitian roots, Jozy Altidore, and Trinidadian roots, Robbie Findlay.

Regardless of which team they are playing for, we will support our Caribbean brothers, so on that basis, I am backing England to win the World Cup! Who’s your favourite?