
By Neto Baptiste
Technical Director for football in Antigua and Barbuda, Sowerby Gomes, believes there should be a limit to the number of foreign-based players allowed in the senior national team during international fixtures.
Gomes, a former national defender who made the disclosure while speaking recently on the Good Morning Jojo sports show, added that coaches should be looking to strengthen the young local stock by having them feature more prominently in the senior squad.
“It’s too much. I think we could handle at least four or five maximum, no more than that, and then our aim is to bring our younger players up to speed. They are not going to have the experience when they go in, but how else will they gain the experience unless you give them that opportunity? But if you bring in more it means that we have less to give the opportunity and to gain the experience. My aim is not to have that maximum number of players being brought in at the national level but give our younger players a chance,” he said.
Although the sentiments may seem strange coming from a technical director, Gomes said his responsibility and power to influence stops at the national under-20 level, which means he cannot dictate with happens with the senior squad.
However, Gomes said he has made his sentiments known on numerous occasions.
“My suggestion from the onset has been that and if we fail in following that, then we are going to be having a failed system. We are going to need some experienced players and there is no doubt about that; but we don’t need so much,” the TD said.
Coached by former player and UK-based Mikele Leigertwood, the Antigua and Barbuda Benna Boys have had a lukewarm run in the ongoing Concacaf National League, second third in the four-team standings in League B, Group D with four points from four matches.
The Benna Boys, with an excess of eight UK-based players on a consistent basis, have won one, drawn one and suffered two losses. Guyana leads the group with 12 points after the same number of showings, while Puerto Rico is second with six points, also from four matches.
The Bahamas are at the bottom of the standings with just one points.