England v Trinidad & Tobago, Thursday, 2pm.

Trinidad and Tobago are lands of contrast. One part of it is Trinidad, and the other is Tobago, so that's a contrast of sorts.

On one hand, they are islands full of colour, Calypso drums, and smiling, carefree, simple Caribbean people with no Western trappings like big cars or money.

(Shot of some smiling people with fruit on their heads dancing around to Calypso drums)

But it's also a country with a dark past. In 1990, 114 men of the Jamaat al Muslimeen, led by Yasin Abu Bakr (formerly known as Lennox Phillip), stormed the Trinidad & Tobago Parliament at the Red House, and the only TV Station in the country at the time, and held the country's government hostage for six days.

(Shot of some Trinidadian in a suit looking concerned)

It's also a country with a burgeoning football team. This year they've qualified for their first-ever World Cup tournament. World Cup Weekly caught up with Port Vale midfielder Chris Birchall, the only member of the national side who isn't black.

BIRCHALL: This has been a really enervating experience for me, with-
TRANSLATOR: Of course, it's not going to be easy.
BIRCHALL: I'm English.
TRANSLATOR: No you're not, you're Trinidad and Tobagan. Now pipe down. Of course, it's not going to be easy. England are a good team, and have some good players, like Beckham, Rooney, and Jermaine Jenas. So it's not going to be easy. But we have spirit and determination, and we know that if we try hard and play well, we can cause them problems. Leo Beenhakker is a good coach, and we have some good players of our own.

It's been hard for me, being the only white player in the team. All the other players like improvised jazz and gangster rap, and are all Rastafarians, and I like Ned's Atomic Dustbin, so it's been difficult. There's been arguments over the stereo, and Dwight Yorke gets particularly violent. Nonetheless, we have a good spirit, and we think we can do well.

Can Plucky Little Trinidad & Tobago do really well aqainst England and only lose by a few goals? Tune into the World Cup this week to find out.

Togo is a country of contrasts.

Posted By: World Cup Weekly, Jun 13, 11:22:12