I Pledge Allegiance…

It’s not easy being Dwight Yorke. Going from hero to villain at Manchester United, that whole Jordan affair, facing allegations of being over the hill. You finally settle down at Sydney FC - only to realise that you might be facing having to decide whether to suit up for your club - for a crucial match - or for your country for an important pre- World Cup friendly. At which you’re supposed to sport the captain’s arm band. What’s one guy to do?

Ideally, Yorke would avoid that unpalatable scenario entirely. His club, Sydney FC, needs to win against a major rival, Adelaide United, this weekend, and so sail through to the final of the Australian A-League on March 5th. If they don’t, they will have to play a preliminary match on February 25th. This will be tricky, given that Yorke is scheduled to head lead the Warriors against Iceland in London three days later.

Sydney FC has thus far excused Yorke from his league game responsibilities twice this season, both times for World Cup (and so FIFA-sanctioned) qualifiers. The friendly on the 28th doesn’t meet the FIFA exemptions - so Sydney FC is under no obligation to release the Tobagonian.

The situation remains complicated even if the club acts with stunning generosity and releases one of its star players. If Sydney lose on this weekend and have to play on the 5th of March, there’s the likelihood that Yorke would be tired/jetlagged after the Iceland game. Sigh.

To quote one of the regulars on the Soca Warriors’ Online discussion forums, “Sydney FC betta win.”