Those with the right DNA

There are football people who blend in, and there are football people who leave an imprint. Former national football captain David Nakhid has always belonged firmly in the latter category.

Long before his current role as Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Sport, Nakhid was a captain and midfield general during a defining era for Trinidad and Tobago football. In the 1990s, when the Caribbean Cup became our playground, his influence went far beyond ability on the ball. He led with presence, with personality, and with a competitiveness that demanded standards. Teams responded to him, and opponents felt him.

That edge, the same one that drove him in midfield, has never really left.

Some will tell you David is too outspoken. That he can be forceful. That his commentary, at times, cuts deep and rubs people the wrong way. Maybe there’s truth in that. But history shows that progress rarely comes from silence or comfort. Change, especially in sport systems that have grown comfortable with inefficiency, often needs disruption. It needs voices that refuse to whisper.

Nakhid’s football journey itself reflects that refusal to conform. From early days in Europe with Grasshopper Club Zürich and Malmö FF to playing under the respected Leo Beenhakker, he was exposed to environments where standards were non-negotiable. Those experiences shaped not just his footballing mind but also his sense of personal responsibility.

That sense of responsibility followed him well beyond the pitch. One story still stands out. While on World Cup qualifying duty in Panama in October 2005, Nakhid confronted a member of Beenhakker’s staff over discriminatory remarks directed at a hotel waitress at the dinner table. It wasn’t a moment that earned headlines, but it revealed someone unwilling to separate football from basic human decency, someone prepared to stand alone if necessary.

The same instinct surfaced during his time playing club football in Lebanon. In the mid-1990s, Nakhid became embroiled in a dispute involving the treatment of foreign players and a controversial transfer situation. His vocal defence of fellow African and Caribbean players placed him at odds with local authorities, and in 1997 he was briefly detained following allegations linked to that dispute.

It was a testing moment far from home, one that required intervention at the FIFA level, including assistance from Jack Warner, before the matter was resolved. It was not a glamorous chapter, but it reinforced a pattern: Nakhid was willing to accept personal risk when he felt fairness and dignity were being compromised.

Today, that same mindset is visible in his work with the DNA Community League in Trinidad and Tobago. Yes, there are reservations. There always are when new structures challenge traditional pathways. Some question the league’s direction, others its execution. But the core idea matters.

Not every talented player is spotted at 14. Not every footballer fits neatly into elite academies or traditional scouting pipelines. The DNA League offers hope and visibility to players who would otherwise slip through the cracks.

Serious football nations understand this. They are stacked with figures who push alternative pathways, demand accountability, and apply pressure where systems fall short.

In those countries, there are many David Nakhids. That’s why development moves.

Since returning home and entering public life as a senator, and now as parliamentary secretary, Nakhid has remained deeply connected to former national teammates.

For some time now, the FA has had an ex-players guest list for major international matches. But recently, his personal involvement was noticeable. He took a genuine interest in ensuring players from his era were welcomed, recognised, and accommodated at major matches, not as an afterthought, but as part of the football family.

We saw that clearly during the recent World Cup campaign. Nakhid was present, engaged, and willing to assist wherever possible because he understands the space.

That’s a reality within our sporting circles, whether we choose to admit it or not. It’s not something to fight or avoid; it’s something to manage wisely.

That intensity, that fire, has always been part of who he is. I saw it firsthand during one of my early assignments with the national team at the 2000 Gold Cup in Los Angeles. After Trinidad and Tobago’s 1–0 semi-final loss to Canada, a match in which Nakhid missed a penalty, I asked him a simple question outside the team bus. “Why did you take the penalty? I asked, “When you don’t normally take PKs for T&T.” He charged back at me, upset, “Who tells you I don’t take penalties? Have you ever heard that before?”

Such were his ways. It wasn’t malice. It was pride. It was ownership. It was a player who never hid, never deferred responsibility, and never shrank from the moment, even when the moment went against him.

His presence and influence, one hopes, will only bolster the local sporting fraternity and the ministry itself. While some may not always agree with his directness, societies like ours, shaped by personality, history, and strong opinions, need to find ways to incorporate figures like David Nakhid, not sideline them. The goal should always be to maximise ability and place people where their impact serves the bigger picture.

Sporting, and moreso football, development does not thrive on comfort, politeness, or unanimous approval. It thrives on urgency, conviction, and people willing to absorb criticism while pushing forward anyway.

And whether you agree with him all the time or not, Trinidad and Tobago sport needs more figures prepared to do exactly that.

Editor’s Note:

Shaun Fuentes is the head of TTFA Communications. He was a FIFA Media Officer at the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa and the 2013 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Turkey. He has travelled to over 90 countries during his journey in sport. “Pro Look” is his weekly column on football, sport, culture and the human side of the game. The views expressed are solely his and not a representation of any organisation. [email protected]