...Fenwick: T&TFF still hunting Latas replacement.
No fewer than 12 international coaches, none of which are local have applied for the job to be coach of the Soca Warriors, currently held by under fire Russell Latapy. This was stated by a source close to the T&TFF yesterday.
The source added that most of the applications have come in from Brazil and Holland, while surprisingly no English coaches have applied for the post even though it was rumoured that former England international and current San Juan Jabloteh coach, Terry Fenwick had thrown his name in the ring.
Contacted for comment, Fenwick said, “I have not made myself available to be coach of the team because I have not got a chance.”
The former Northampton coach and World Cup player also believes the T&T Football Federation is still far off from finding a suitable replacement for Latapy’s who tenure in the post seems likely to be over after T&T’s dismal showing at the Digicel Caribbean Cup Finals, in Martinique earlier this month where it failed to reach the semifinal, and also missed out on qualifying for the Concacaf Gold Cup in the USA next year.
The T&TFF top officials headed by president Oliver Camps and its special advisor, Fifa vice-president and Concacaf boss, Jack Warner will meet on Wednesday December 22, to discuss the future of Latapy.
The meeting which will be held among the T&TFF Executive Committee members is to discuss the way forward for T&T football and will be held at the federation’s headquarters, Dundonald Street, Port-of-Spain.
However, speaking yesterday, Fenwick thinks the reason for the push back in date in the meeting was because the T&TFF is finding it difficult to come up with a coach.
“I don’t think the T&TFF is close to finalising a name for the position because if they had it would have been done already.”
“The name Jean Tigana of France has been talked about, but he is in a very good coaching position at Bordeaux. ‘A lot of other big name coaches who maybe available may also have second thoughts about the position based on T&T’s recent history with coaches.
Fenwick cited the T&TFF’s hiring of 13 coaches in the last ten years as a deterrent to some international coaches who he says will be put off by that especially if they are from Europe.
“With regards to a South American taking up the post, Fenwick said the language barrier will always be a problem as was the case with Colombia, Francisco Maturana, the man in the position before Latapy.
In his opinion, Fenwick said, the coach should come from Europe or North America because T&T players need a particular type of coach to deal with the players here.
“The players in T&T are not the easiest to deal with as majority of them have a poor work ethic and it will take exceptional managerial skills to produce good players and a good team.”
Fenwick also was of the view Latapy should be kept on in some capacity. “I don’t just think about Latapy, but there are some other local coaches, past and present who shall all be groomed because they all have something of contribute. “Some of them have played the game at the highest level and I believe they all have something to offer,” added Fenwick.