These Panama boys may be street kids but I know they can trouble England’s stars
IAM incredibly proud. I have seen the sacrifices of these boys and their parents. This started off as a small dream and we thought ‘Maybe one day, far away, we can do a World Cup’. It’s unbelievable.
When I started working with the under-22 team in 1996, the facilities were as basic as you can get.
There were no showers. We trained on gravel. Players had holes in their boots. We had to borrow a water bucket from the local church. Even now, Panama does not have a professional league. The only proper grass pitch is the national stadium. Panama had heroes in other sports, such as boxing legend Roberto Duran and Mariano Rivera of the New York Yankees baseball team. Now we hope football has taken off.
The president, Juan Carlos Varela, was here for the first game against Belgium. There was a huge debate in the country, at cabinet level, about whether to have national holidays for each Panama World Cup game.
It was close but business pressure overruled it in the end. However, schools and offices let people watch the games during class or work time, everyone is going in with a red shirt on game day. There are big screens in parks, barbecues and street parties. Around 90 per cent of the population will tune in for the England game!
The real measure will be after the World Cup. Will there be progress? We hope so. After all, if Panama can qualify under these conditions, what could we do with a properly developed league structure?
MOOD IN THE CAMP
I AM one of four people the federation has invited to travel with the squad as a special guest, so I am on their chartered plane and spending time with the squad. It is professional. We have a chef, nutritionists and everything you would expect and our camp in Saransk is excellent. They are cooking Panamanian food in a healthy way, so lots of fish, chicken and rice.
The players felt they put up a great fight in the first half against Belgium. They didn’t make fools of themselves. These are street kids and they are relishing it. They are not locked away on PlayStations. They are
going into the town, mixing with fans, seeing the sights to broaden their horizons. They can cause England problems.
I saw Romelu Lukaku and Kevin De Bruyne becoming frustrated against us when things were not working.
Roman Torres, who scored the goal that took us to the World Cup, is one of the main men in defence. He started with me aged 17, one of 200 kids who came to a trial. Some had boots with holes, some had one boot on, one off. Roman was a forward on the street but so many forwards turned up to trial he pretended to be a defender. It’s that streetsmart thinking that took him to the World Cup.
SPLIT LOYALTIES
I AM known as a father figure by many of the players. There are social problems. They come from an environment where there is drugs and violence. It has been a difficult process but I’m so proud of what they are achieving. The number one question I get from everybody is who will I support.
In my professional life, Panama gives me a lot so I will support them. But I went to primary school and university in England, my wife is from Manchester — I want to see both teams do well!