Doctors have postponed surgery to the right foot of national midfielder Keron Cummings today.
Cummings, 27, was shot while returning home from a boat cruise lime around 2 am on Sunday at Bagatelle, Diego Martin.
Speaking from his hospital bed, Cummings said yesterday he was in extreme pain and discomfort.
Asked about why he believes he was shot, Cummings replied:
“I went to lime with some of the other national players and when I reached home the gunman was waiting on me. I feel because of my gold but I had on none that night and they maybe just decided to shoot me instead.”
Cummings said he was told that arrangements were being made for a transfer to a private hospital for further medical treatment.
Cummings’ head coach at North East Stars, Roland Clarke said the injured player, who remains warded at the Port-of-Spain General Hospital, was in a depressed state because his injury has caused him a major set back in his career.
Clarke said that not only would the 27-year-old be missing out on the Copa América Centenario qualifying play-offs against Haiti on January 8, next year in Panama City, Panama but also his first signing with Orlando City in Florida, United States.
“The guys, his teammates met this morning (yesterday) in camp and they are in a sombre mood. Keron is really the life of the camp and you can see how this has had an impact on them but they had to pull themselves together and do what needs to be done,” Clarke said.
Clarke, who was on his way to visit Cummings at the hospital said that the surgery had been postponed until Wednesday.
“It is because the bullet is still lodged in his leg. The bone is also broken and they are trying to achieve some sort of stabilisation before they proceed to operate,” Clarke said.
President of the T&T Football Association, David John Williams said in spite of the attack on Cummings, there was no need to increase security around the other national players.
Speaking with the T&T Guardian yesterday, John Williams said: “There is no evidence to suggest that security should be beefed up around the other players at this time.”
John Williams described the incident as very unfortunate.
“This is so sad and unfortunate and it could happen to anyone. It could happen to you and it could happen to me,” John Williams said.
Cummings was dropped off near Bagatelle and was heading to the home of a woman when he was approached by a masked gunman, who shot him in the leg before running off.
According to an investigating officer, some headway has been made into the investigations but was unwilling to divulge any information as the probe had reached a sensitive stage.
Investigations are continuing.