“APPOINT Everald ‘Gally’ Cummings as coach of the Trinidad and Tobago football team now.”
His call comes on the heels of the Soca Warriors’ disappointing 3-0 defeat by the United States in the final round of World Cup Qualifiers on Wednesday last.
Thompson said yesterday that Cummings who took the national team to within a point of qualifying for the 1990 World Cup in Italy in 1989, should be given the responsibility of coaching the team, if we are to have a chance of qualifying for the South Africa World Cup next year.
Trinidad and Tobago have just two points from three games and are at the bottom of the six-team standings which is headed by the United States.
He described the performances of the team in their three matches as poor and blamed the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation (TTFF) for the problems.
Thompson noted that football administrators have been turning their backs on people who are capable of doing the job.
”We have people like former national footballers Leon Carpette, Sammy Llewelyn, Steve David, Selris Figaro and David Nakhid who are all knowledgeable and experienced in the game and are capable of coaching the team,” Thompson said.
“Appoint the right people if you want to get the right results. There is need for change both in the football federation and the sport itself,” Thompson added.
Thompson who just missed out on a place on the ever famous 1973 football team which was robbed in Haiti, is calling on “Gally” to be handed the position of coach as well as the opportunity to select whoever he wants to be his assistants.
Thompson also lashed out at the football federation’s decision to appoint foreign coaches at the helm of the national teams because of the language barrier.
“This happened with Yugoslavian coach Zoran Vranes who could not speak a word of English when he came here many moons ago. Now we have Colombian Francisco Maturana who still cannot speak English properly. The players cannot understand what he is saying and therefore it means that there is still a dependency on our local coaches,” Thompson said.