LOCAL football coaching is to benefit from seminars to be conducted by national coach Leo Beenhakker. According to Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation president Oliver Camps on Wednesday, these seminars have been planned with the hope of Dutch coaching staff transferring their knowledge, both practical and theoretical, to local coaches. The long-serving football administrator told Newsday that the seminars would be organised and arranged by technical director Lincoln Phillips. But he said, however, such seminars could not be carried out at this point in time, and would have to wait until after the World Cup qualifying campaign.
The local football boss made it clear that Beenhakker could not and must not be distracted by anything apart from the World Cup qualifying series. Camps said, “Right now I want the coach to focus only on taking this country to the World Cup and nothing else.” He said the Dutch coach would have a lot more time when this country has qualified for the World Cup finals in Germany next year. Trinidad and Tobago are bottom of the six-team chart with just one point from two matches. But the forthcoming round-three qualifier against Panama, June 4 at the Hasely Crawford Stadium is expected to not only begin their climb up the standings, but instil some hope back into the hearts of local fans, with a string of victories. Camps said the seminars would be opened to all local coaches so they could have a chance to improve themselves.
Mathematically Trinidad and Tobago could move into third position with a victory over the Panamanians, but they would need the assistance of some of the other qualifying teams. For instance, a win for the Warriors would take them to four points, while the results of the other games could help them maintain that position going into the fourth round. The call for the coaching seminars came after plans to utilise ex-national captains Russell Latapy and David Nakhid as player/coach with the current squad has not materialised. But Beenhakker requested and brought his own assistants, after Lebanese-based Nakhid accepted the invitation, but Latapy declined, and has since re-signed as player/coach at Scottish club Falkirk, who won promotion to the Premier Division.