The Independent Voice of West Indies Cricket

Bravo: “I am very disappointed”

Sat, Jul 12, '14

by MICHELLE MCDONALD

Trinidad & Tobago

‘Trinidad & Tobago’ stripped from CPL team’s name

Never one to shy away from saying what is on his mind, Captain Dwayne Bravo did not mince words in his reaction to the news he received Saturday morning of the removal of the words ‘Trinidad & Tobago’ from the Red Steel team’s name.

Bravo was speaking to a group of journalists in Grenada after the Red Steel defeated the Barbados Tridents in the first of Saturday’s double-headers in the Limacol Caribbean Premier League (CPLT20) T20 competition. In the midst of talking about his team’s victory, Bravo took advantage of the make-up of his audience to share his thoughts.

He said “I was very disappointed to hear that the ‘Trinidad & Tobago’ has been removed from the Red Steel team. Whoever made that decision, it was uncalled for.” He said that he was told by commentators at the toss that they would not be allowed to use the island’s name. Though not offering any speculations as to the reason for it, Bravo went on to say that 90% of the team are from Trinidad & Tobago. (A check of the CPLT20 website shows that of the 15 players listed, 8 are from Trinidad.)


He further added “we are using the national colours. All the other islands are proud to use their country name whether it is the Barbados Tridents, the Jamaica Tallawahs. Why not TT Red Steel?” before stating again how disappointed he was.  

The Red Steel Captain went on to use analogies of teams in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and National Basketball Association (NBA). “You have the Chennai Super Kings and the Mumbai Indians. Not all the players are from Chennai. Not all the players are from Mumbai. You have the Miami Heat, not everyone is from Miami. What’s the big deal?” Bravo said.

Calling the decision-makers a “bunch of jokers,” a peeved Bravo said that they needed to understand sports and that “there are other things they should be taking on.” Defiant in his utterances, the Red Steel Captain said that he is prepared to get in trouble for continuing to use the name ‘Trinidad & Tobago’. “Every time I am leading this team, I am going to use Trinidad & Tobago and ensure that my country gets full mileage from this big international tournament,” Bravo asserted.

CaribbeanCricket.com was told by representatives of the organizers that CPL changed the name of the Red Steel based on a request from the Minister of Sports. Mr. Anil Roberts is Trinidad & Tobago’s Sports Minister.

The Red Steel team has three games at the Queen’s Park Oval in Trinidad beginning the 24th July. Bravo said that he knows the fans will support the team regardless of the situation. He feels that “the people and the fans are the ones who are going to suffer the most to know that our country has been removed.”

Bravo says he is not calling this a protest but he felt that it was his duty as captain and leader of the team to let the Trinidad & Tobago fans know that their country’s name has been “stripped off our team.” He said “at the end of the day, we are representing Trinidad & Tobago and that brand is very important for me and I am going to continue to use Trinidad & Tobago Red Steel. Maybe I might get in trouble for it but so be it. It’s the right way.”

Will the CPL now have the task of removing the Trinidad & Tobago name from all Red Steel’s kits, gears and their social media sites? Will they have to instruct their partners to use the new logo and name in all of their print material? We will be watching as this story develops.

For the full video clip of the relevant section of the press conference, click here