Frustrated by money woes.
How many would survive if not paid a salary for a couple of months? Before he departed to take up a four-year post last week in his native Norway as head coach of that country's senior national women's team, Norwegian football coach Even Pellerud had not been paid his salary by the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation (TTFF) since March 2012.
In August 2011, Minister of Sport Anil Roberts released figures on salaries which the TTFF had asked Government to pay as part of its funding request. Those figures showed Pellerud's salary to be approximately US$20,000. He was also to receive a monthly housing allowance of TT$72,000, and a $32,000 monthly vehicle allowance.
Having led Norway to the 1991 Women's World Cup and also having established Canada as a top team in women's football, Pellerud was brought to Trinidad and Tobago in 2009 by then TTFF special adviser Jack Warner to prepare the National Under-17 women's team for the country's hosting of the 2010 Women's Under-17 World Cup.
Warner was then the main TTFF financier and also a vice-president of FIFA, the governing body of world football. Warner fell from grace in 2011, amidst a FIFA bribery scandal which saw him resign his posts as Caribbean Football Union and CONCACAF president.
FIFA dropped their investigation of Warner when he quit his FIFA positions- on the condition that he never returns to football. However, Warner's departure from football led to the TTFF falling into financial difficulties.
"Unfortunately the TTFF has let a lot of coaches down over the last year," Pellerud commented. "I am just one of many coaches that have been working without pay since the month of March."
Pellerud said that for most of the year, efforts to recover his salary had fallen on deaf ears.
"In spite of having a written contract with the Federation, and in spite of repeated commitments to receive my due compensation, nothing has happened," Pellerud said. "The TTFF has a new president, and he will now face the big task of cleaning up this big issue."
Nevertheless, Pellerud spoke glowingly of his time in Trinidad and Tobago where he had a positive effect on the women's programme and led T&T to a credible showing at the 2010 World Cup where they beat Chile 2-1 and were competitive against Nigeria and Korea.
"It was an interesting experience to work in Trinidad and Tobago and to be employed by the TTFF. I have learned a lot about a quite different culture and a very different mentality, about life and about sports. I am lucky to have had this opportunity!"
"I am pleased with what we accomplished with our 2010 Under-17 World cup team. During 18 months of hard training, we drilled the young girls and coached them to a level that I had never expected to see when I first met them in January 2009," Pellerud said.
Pellerud added that before his departure they had to create a domestic training base, the "Elite Player Programme", which saw 60 of the best women footballers in T&T training four times a week at different locations to keep them fit.
He said the one drawback was that there was no funding for international matches after a public fallout between the TTFF and Government, another major financier.
"The TTFF then ran into deep financial problems, and 2012 was a dormant year and can only be written off as a wasted year for national football in the country. This is very unfortunate, because the infrastructure was solidly built up and ready to take off at the time when the TTFF and the Government clashed."