Monday, March 24 2008

EX-NATIONAL stalwart defender Tyrone De Labastide passed away yesterday in Whitby, Ontario, Canada.

The Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation wishes to extend condolences to the De Labastide family.

Popularly called the “Tank”, De Labastide was a member of the first ever National team to participate in a World Cup qualifying competition for the 1966 World Cup Finals.

In 1959, the ex- St Mary’s, Dynamos and Maple great was also part of the TT contingent of players on a Caribbean team to tour England.

TTFF technical director Lincoln Phillips and former TT forward Bobby Sookram were both team-mates of De Labastide. Phillips said De Labastide was actually the person to influence him to become a goalkeeper. “Tyrone was the one who influenced me to get involved in goalkeeping,” Phillips said.

“I had just left QRC and I had the option to go to the team that I loved – Malvern, but joined Maple instead.

It was 1961 and Tyrone was playing for Dynamos but moved to Maple to win a championship and went on to play 20 games without conceding a goal.

Sookram also recalled his days growing up with De Labastide in Diamond Vale which dated back four years.

“I started with St Benedict’s and I first met him at a Red Cross North/South game when he was playing for North and also for the national team I was a 19-year-old representing South in front of the grandstand at the Queen’s Park Savannah. We both went on to play for the country.”