W/Warriors coach Waldrum discovered TTFA rejection through press

Former Trinidad and Tobago National Women’s Senior Team head coach Randy Waldrum, who took the “Women Soca Warriors” to within one goal of a FIFA 2015 Women’s World Cup place, allegedly found out about his rejection for the post through the media.

Photo: Former "Women's Soca Warriors" head coach Randy Waldrum (left) talks to Trinidad and Tobago defender Arin King. (Courtesy TTFA Media)
Photo: Former “Women’s Soca Warriors” head coach Randy Waldrum (left) talks to Trinidad and Tobago defender Arin King.
(Courtesy TTFA Media)

Last week, Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) president Raymond Tim Kee told the Trinidad Express that the football body decided against re-appointing the Texan, due to his inability to commit fully to the job of national head coach.

Waldrum is also the head coach for US National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) team Houston Dash.

“I would not like to excommunicate Randy from the coaching staff,” Tim Kee told Wired868, “but we have two tournaments around the corner and we don’t have the luxury of time… In my mind, he is not entirely out of it. But for this Olympic and Pan Am (tournaments), we have to make a serious decision going forward.”

Tim Kee suggested that he would consider re-hiring Waldrum in the future. But the coach was not thrilled at finding out about his rejection through the media.

“I have not been told anything other (than) being sent the (Express) article,” Waldrum told Wired868.

Tim Kee admitted that he only asked general secretary Sheldon Phillips to contact Waldrum on Saturday, after TTFA’s decision not to re-appoint him was already public.

Photo: Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) president Raymond Tim Kee (right) and general secretary Sheldon Phillips. (Courtesy Wired868)
Photo: Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) president Raymond Tim Kee (right) and general secretary Sheldon Phillips.
(Courtesy Wired868)

And Phillips, according to Waldrum, sent him the URL for the Express article.

The football president suggested that Waldrum was partly responsible for the TTFA’s poor communication for supposedly failing to inform the football body of the extent of his club commitments.

“I have not (called Waldrum) but I asked the general secretary to give him a call… after the article was published,” said Tim Kee. “Randy and I had a long conversation (last year) about going forward but this thing with (Houston Dash) was never part of the conversation.

“I didn’t think I (should have) to call him and ask what is going on. He could have called me. I’m not making any excuse…”

However, the football president conceded that “it creates a problem for me too” when he learns about decisions through the media and insisted he did not mean to disrespect the Texan coach.


“I have huge respect for the relationship he was able to build with his players,” said Tim Kee. “There is no animosity or disrespect (towards him), (the decision) was just about having someone fill in for these two tournaments. I would probably call him tonight.”

Photo: Former Trinidad and Tobago head coach Randy Waldrum (right) speaks to his players during a practice session in the United States. (Courtesy TTFA Media)
Photo: Former Trinidad and Tobago head coach Randy Waldrum (right) speaks to his players during a practice session in the United States.
(Courtesy TTFA Media)

For his part, Phillips said his interaction with Waldrum on Saturday was informal and not meant to be official confirmation of the TTFA’s decision.

“I only sent the article to Randy to ask whether he had seen it,” said Phillips. “Up until that point, as far as I knew, there had not been a final decision. I spoke to Randy again on Sunday about the decision although it was more of a chat.

“To be honest, the article had a tone of finality which wasn’t the case… It is just the schedule means he is unavailable for that period of time.”

Tim Kee said he will meet technical committee chairman Richard Quan Chan on Thursday to discuss potential head coaches for the National Under-20 and Senior Women’s Teams for the immediate future.

At present, St Ann’s Rangers women’s coach Jason Spence, who is the assistant coach for the under-20 and senior teams, has run combined sessions for the two squads with assistance from St Augustine Secondary coach Desiree Sarjeant.

Photo: Trinidad and Tobago National Senior Women's Team star Ahkeela Mollon (right) tries to get past Ecuador player Ingrid Rodriguez during the 2014 FIFA Women's World Cup Play Off first leg. (Copyright Rodrigo Buendia/AFP 2015)
Photo: Trinidad and Tobago National Senior Women’s Team star Ahkeela Mollon (right) tries to get past Ecuador player Ingrid Rodriguez during the 2014 FIFA Women’s World Cup Play Off first leg.
(Copyright Rodrigo Buendia/AFP 2015)

Tim Kee claimed that Waldrum declared himself unavailable for the Toronto 2015 Pan American Games and requested that assistant coach Jason Spence handle the team in his absence. He also supposedly requested that his son, Benjamin Waldrum, and an unnamed US-born physio be contracted by the TTFA.

Tim Kee said he balked at both suggestions although he revealed that Spence is now being considered for the post of National Under-20 Team head coach.

“My opinion is we have people here who I believe should be given an opportunity to be exposed at that level under a coach they can learn from,” said Tim Kee. “I don’t want to bring three or four coaches from abroad.

“I always believe in training people and having them as understudies… So I was thinking about the transference of knowledge.”

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About Lasana Liburd

Lasana Liburd is the managing director and chief editor at Wired868.com and a journalist with over 20 years experience at several Trinidad and Tobago and international publications including Play the Game, World Soccer, UK Guardian and the Trinidad Express.

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42 comments

  1. TnT has to understand that you need to remove the third world mentality that seems to transcend into many aspects including sporting administrations.

  2. Lasana, I do hope u consider running for TTFA president. The administration of football in this country requires new blood and fresh ideas. Rememeber the universal accepted definition of madness is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.

  3. Randy boy that is ah blessing you get yes the further away from ttfa the better for you

  4. Very unprofessional but I’m not surprised. That has been the MO of this organization for a long time. Just as easy as he got the position without being interviewed it went just as easily.

  5. What did you think about this one Kester Lendor?

  6. HE SHOULD NOT ACCEPT THE JOB , IF THIS IS THE WAY HE FOUND OUT SHAME TO TIM KEE AN THE SPORT MINISTER.

  7. That’s how the whole country is being run lol

  8. The way the TTFA runs their affairs is crazy. No wonder their funding is always in jepody.

  9. maybe Waldrum should demand a public apology from Tim Kee the same way Tim Kee did to Waldrum when the TTFA had he begging for food for our WNT…….

  10. Mr Tim Kee should just shut up and resign. How long will he be allowed to embarass the organization and its few remaining stakeholders.

  11. Unavailable for one. Rejected for both.

  12. But what really going on here…..look not this morning nah, NOT this morning.

  13. Nothing the TTFA does surprises me anymore. They’re the joke of the Century.

  14. conflicting reports Lasana was he unavailable or was he rejected?

  15. True uncle, but them women players did rebell against Marlon Charles!! The same thing they did against Jamaal Shabazz and Ricard Hood!! See they done bad talking Jason Spence already!! Uncle if i was a national coach and i got beaten by that Ecuador on dec 2nd ttfa would not have to fire me my resignation would have been in!!

  16. Gordon Pierre but not only the coach wasn’t a good coach nah so what about our players to eh with respect to their ball skills, decision making , touches, etc, etc, eh, the real problem with our football is that our national junior teams in ah mess …..all skill, no brain, and bad attitude and most of all ah set ah bootleg coaches and could you imagine that Tim Kee is saying that our Coaches are understudies of the foreign base Coaches eh well I have been hearing that for the past 30 yrs or more yes after Papa Everad Gally Cummings was blacklisted along with some of the other senior older good Coaches in our sweet country. Them really good yes.

  17. And uncle he have ur big player yaya on thief head!! He want she he want she not he want she!!! Selling dreams!! Let him stay in Texas and twit, twitter!!

  18. Uncle mango!! Tonight i sharing licks watch urself eh!! Lol the man was not good anyway!! His record at the concacaf/ playoff stage i played 7 win 2 draw 1 and loss 4!! He beat haiti and guatamala who we does always beat in recent times!! He only reseason he full the staduim on d 2nd Dec is bc of the expanded world so concacaf had 3 1/2 spots and canada hosting!! Good rediance!!

  19. The man came to the America eh, and begged the football community for monies eh, and embarrass that corrupted TTFA eh, alyuh really thought that he was returning to our sweet country ever again to Coach any National team eh, I wonder what ever became of the $ 10, 000 US dollars that he collected in donations on behalf of the players. Them really good yes.

  20. Can’t agree with you there Colin. Disrespect and disregard on that level ceases to be funny. I’m not supporting violence, but if somebody collected several calpet over this, I would understand.

  21. Nah Kendall Tull the part where Phillips sent Waldrum the url of express article – hahah

  22. I’m with Savitri – I have passed my limit Lasana. Fully agree with the satire comment but I wonder if they believe what they say and more importantly, do they think that we do?

  23. HAA Savitri Maharaj yes Miss – what a day a breaking stories on wired86 surrounding incompetent officials of the two biggest sporting organisations in the Caribbean SMFH

  24. They have the wow factor Nicole Philip Greene? Lol. Like I said, no need to add satire to local football. It satires itself.

  25. Wow smh I don’t think my comments are appropriate for this thread smh

  26. Nooooo…please Lasana ah cyar take it no more

  27. Haha…. Nice one Lasana. If he was a yes man, he would have gotten the job.

  28. ….Nahhhhh….how long again we have to endure this mess???

  29. Kendall, there is no need to write satirically on sport. It would be redundant.

  30. How embarrassing geez! No common courtesy! A what’s app message to the man was still better than finding out about his rejection via the press.

  31. Any coach who agrees to work with the TTFA deserves what they get.

  32. The lack of professionalism is too real with this bunch!

  33. What kind of madness is that???
    You want Mr. Waldrum to be part of your plans in the future yet you don’t communicate with him to find out his plans and you say he didn’t inform you of his role with the Houston Dash? You are supposed to ask him…not him ask you…you (TTFA) want his services…c’mon TTFA come better than that.
    I have seen village parlours run better than your organisation

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