Jerry Hospedales, chairman of T&T Pro League two-time defending champions, Clico San Juan Jabloteh says the club is still hopeful of holding onto coach Terry Fenwick.
A former England international and coach of English clubs, Crystal Palace, Portsmouth and Northampton Town, Fenwick did not travel with Jabloteh for its 3-1 Caribbean Football Union Club Championship second-leg win over Inter Moengo Tapoe of Suriname on Monday night to complete a 5-2 aggregate win at the Andre Kamperveen Stadium, Paramaribo.
Hospedales said, “When Clico was assumed by the state they had to rationalise what it was doing in terms of its support to our club. They understood the contribution we are making in the community and a decision was taken that they would help the club’s senior team but at a lower level than in previous years. Hospedales pointed out that the club’s directors decided that they had to look at things in terms of importance and put them in perspective. “The financial support to the senior team, director of coaching, youth teams, women’s football team, netball team and Concacaf Championship all had to be put in order in terms of priority.
“So far we have been able to get help from TSTT to use the Blink Broadband services brand in the CFU Club Championship and the youth teams will also carry the Blink brand in the Pro League Youth Divisions.” Fenwick, led Jabloteh to three League Championships in the past five years and has been the most rewarding coach in the club’s history. With back-to-back Championships in 2007 and 2008, Fenwick finished last season with the Toyota Classic and Lucozade Sport Big Six titles with Jabloteh.
Due to the club’s financial woes, senior players ex-captain Trent Noel (Petrotrin), Cyd Gray (Petrotrin), Cornell Glen (Petrotrin), Nigel Daniel (Petrotrin), Daurance Williams (bmobile Joe Public) and assistant coach Angus Eve (Ma Pau) have left for other clubs. Regarding the departure of several top players from the club, Hospedales said, “We are unable to meet the salaries that these players want and in the business of football and sport in general, you would always have movement of players due to circumstances like these.”