The Gold Cup is a major challenge, and indications are that Belize’s National Team coach Le Roy Sherrier Lewis is not convinced that the FFB’s National Team Committee is ready to make the necessary inputs and adjustments needed for him to take the team to the next level, a requirement if we are to make an impact in the Gold Cup tournament which is only five months away.

The vibes we got from the players is that there is no turning back. We must work things out with coach Sherrier Lewis, who has demonstrated his commitment to excellence and whose strategic plan has placed the National Team program on the road to success.

Unfortunately, we were not able to get a first hand explanation from coach Sherrier Lewis of the concerns that prompted him to reportedly announce his relinquishing of the coaching job, and opt to remain with his family in Costa Rica

We asked FFB President Ruperto Vicente to comment on the situation regarding the tenure of coach Sherrrier Lewis in light of reports of his leaving the post. The President’s reply was, “I want the coach to continue the program. I’m waiting for him to respond to us; but I will discuss the details of the coach’s situation on Wednesday during our press conference. But certainly, we want the coach back.”

All the members of the National Team that we spoke to were overwhelmingly in favor of Sherrier Lewis’ return.

Elroy Smith summed it up best: “The coach is like a friend… He treats everybody on one level; he doesn’t try to feel like anybody is better than anybody else. He has a lot of discipline. A man like that is somebody that we always need around the team… I am 100% per cent with the man. To me, the coach is supposed to come back. He already started a process; he has to come back and maintain it. Because if another coach comes here, he will mess it up… This is a process that we have to maintain. We are already at a level right now with one coach; you bring a next coach, we will drop right back down to where we were. We are not here to go “backway”… If the President and the FFB want this thing to succeed, he has to come back.”

From all we can gather, our team is happy, our team is motivated, our team is producing, and our team is inspired with coach Le Roy Sherrier Lewis. Let’s work out the details and get back to work, serious work, on the road to Gold Cup 2013.