TTFA goes Hart-less: John-Williams sacks Soca Warriors coach at Ruby Tuesdays

Stephen Hart is out.

The Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) officially sacked its National Senior Football Team head coach this evening, after a meeting at fast food restaurant, Ruby Tuesdays, in Valsayn.

A TTFA release said that president David John-Williams wishes Hart “every success in his future endeavours.” John-Williams vowed to announce a new coach “in the shortest possible time.”

Photo: Trinidad and Tobago National Senior Team head coach Stephen Hart (left) and Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) president David John-Williams enjoy each other's company during a press conference at the Hyatt Regency hotel in Port of Spain on 19 May 2016. (Courtesy Wired868)
Photo: Trinidad and Tobago National Senior Team head coach Stephen Hart (left) and Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) president David John-Williams enjoy each other’s company during a press conference at the Hyatt Regency hotel in Port of Spain on 19 May 2016.
(Courtesy Wired868)

No information was provided on the fate of Hart’s backroom staff, which included assistant coaches Hutson “Barber” Charles, Derek King and goalkeeper coach Michael “Brow” Maurice.


Hart took over the Soca Warriors in mid-2013 and led them to quarterfinal finishes at the 2013 and 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup tournaments as well as the Hex of the ongoing Russia 2018 World Cup qualifying campaign.

However, Trinidad and Tobago’s form dipped considerably in 2016 and his team lost seven of their last 10 outings. At present, the Warriors are at the foot of the Hex with zero points from two games, along with the United States who axed coach Jürgen Klinsmann on Monday.

The decision to fire Hart was made by an ad-hoc committee headed by John-Williams, which is believed to have included technical committee chairman and Pro League CEO Dexter Skeene, technical director Muhammad Isa, Eastern Counties Football Union representative Sherwyn Dyer and vice-president Allan Warner.

According to the TTFA’s constitution, only the board of directors can hire or fire coaches. But the board opted to allow a sub-committee to make the call.

Photo: Trinidad and Tobago coach Stephen Hart (right) passes on instructions to left back Aubrey David during 2018 World Cup qualifying action against Honduras in San Pedro Sula on 15 November 2016. (Courtesy Allan V Crane/Wired868)
Photo: Trinidad and Tobago coach Stephen Hart (right) passes on instructions to left back Aubrey David during 2018 World Cup qualifying action against Honduras in San Pedro Sula on 15 November 2016.
(Courtesy Allan V Crane/Wired868)

John-Williams was easily the most influential person in the room, since he appointed Skeene and Isa to their current posts—he also works with Skeene at Pro League level—while Warner campaigned alongside him in his successful bid to be elected football president in November 2015.

Skeene and Isa, incidentally, had already ruled on Hart’s future on Monday when, in a technical committee meeting, they recommended that the board of directors make changes to the technical staff. That initial decision by the technical committee was made without bothering to speak to Hart in person or read his report on the Warriors’ 3-1 World Cup qualifying loss away to Honduras, which had not yet been submitted.

The potential flaw in the technical committee’s verdict—coupled with the backlash from the bizarre resignations of Dr Terence Babwah and Dave Isaac from the team’s technical staff, might have prompted a stay of execution for Hart—as the board ruled that Hart should have a chance to speak before a decision was made.

But that only bought the beleaguered coach an additional 24 hours.


Incidentally, only seven of the 13 board members turned up to the Wednesday meeting, although the low turnout might have been influenced by the 5.30pm start in the middle of the work week.

Photo: Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) president and W Connection owner David John-Williams (left) has a word with Soca Warriors coach Stephen Hart during Pro League action at the Ato Boldon Stadium on 4 November 2016. (Courtesy Chevaughn Christopher/Wired868)
Photo: Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) president and W Connection owner David John-Williams (left) has a word with Soca Warriors coach Stephen Hart during Pro League action at the Ato Boldon Stadium on 4 November 2016.
(Courtesy Chevaughn Christopher/Wired868)

Hart’s exit completes the clear-out of coaches at all significant levels under the new football president.

In under a year, technical director Kendall Walkes, women’s senior coach Randy Waldrum, under-20 coach Derek King and under-17 coach Ken Elie were all replaced. King and Waldrum were both Caribbean champions in their respective categories.

In truth, Hart’s performances fell away drastically since the change in local football presidents.

In the last nine matches before John-Williams replaced Raymond Tim Kee, the Warriors defeated Guatemala (twice), Cuba and Panama, with draws against Mexico (twice), the United States and Nicaragua. While their solitary loss came via kicks from the penalty mark in the Gold Cup quarterfinal contest against Panama.

But, under the new president, the Warriors only managed wins against St Vincent and the Grenadines (twice) and the Dominican Republic in the whole of 2016 with losses to the United States, Costa Rica, Panama, Haiti, Martinique, Peru, Uruguay and China and draws with Guatemala and Grenada.

During that period, Trinidad and Tobago dropped from 49th in FIFA and fourth in CONCACAF to 78th and ninth respectively.

Photo: Trinidad and Tobago coach Stephen Hart reacts to the final whistle in the 2016 Copa America play off contest at the Rommel Fernandez Stadium, Panama City on 8 January 2016. (Courtesy Allan V Crane/CA-images/Wired868)
Photo: Trinidad and Tobago coach Stephen Hart reacts to the final whistle in the 2016 Copa America play off contest at the Rommel Fernandez Stadium, Panama City on 8 January 2016.
(Courtesy Allan V Crane/CA-images/Wired868)

Hart insisted that the bad run was no more than a dip in form and vowed to turn things around by shaking up his player squad. But John-Williams and his board members were unconvinced. And the former Canada head coach and St Benedict’s College past pupil had to go.

He was told that he was surplus to requirements for the John-Williams-led football body at a popular fast food restaurant.

TTFA press release:

The Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) and Senior National Men’s Team head coach Stephen Hart have agreed to part ways with immediate effect.

This follows a meeting held this afternoon between Mr Hart and members of the TTFA board of directors.

President David John-Williams, on behalf of the TTFA, thanks Mr Hart for his services over the past three years and wishes him every success in his future endeavours.

Mr John-Williams confirms that the announcement of a new head coach for the TTFA Senior National Men’s Team will be made in the shortest possible time.

Photo: Trinidad and Tobago midfielder Khaleem Hyland (second from right) is helped to the dressing room by defender Yohance Marshall (centre) while captain Kenwyne Jones (right) looks on after 2018 World Cup qualifying action against Honduras in San Pedro Sula on 15 November 2016. (Courtesy Allan V Crane/Wired868)
Photo: Trinidad and Tobago midfielder Khaleem Hyland (second from right) is helped to the dressing room by defender Yohance Marshall (centre) while captain Kenwyne Jones (right) looks on after 2018 World Cup qualifying action against Honduras in San Pedro Sula on 15 November 2016.
(Courtesy Allan V Crane/Wired868)
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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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473 comments

  1. What really going this morning like the rain get to you people

  2. Fortunately Shabazz not in the race now or ever Cheyenne. So no need to include the bloke.

  3. I didn’t realize T&T and CFU teams have such a consistent history of getting out of groups in Gold Cup history – for Hart doing it twice not to be considered a strong part of his legacy smh

  4. Anyway it’s done . Let’s hope they get a proper replacement in and not some local coach who will have no effect on this group of players . Sorry but none of the crop here are good enough and I’ll include Latapy in that list. These boys need a proper foreign coach who will come in with great enthusiasm and hopefully the boys respond to his methods .

    If allyuh think them men going to respond to Shabazz , Stuart Charles or Latapy etc ???

  5. I would agree the results this year were not good enough but you also have to factor in WHY they weren’t good enough .

    The team has been beaten over and over and over again by the TTFA and it is not coincidence that our worst period comes with DJW in charge who has interfered with the first team (something tim Kee and Phillips never did)

    Results wise over the last 3 games including losing to Martinique is not good enough especially as it puts us at risk for no gold cup 2017 and World Cup hopes look faded but that happens , teams go stale , coaches go stale but don’t pretend it’s just that reason . A lot of this is to do with the working conditions set by the TTFA and DJW’s interference having a negative effect sweep through the team since January .

  6. This is beyond ridiculous…”exciting games”? That’s Hart’s legacy? I appreciate the sentiments and Hart battling with and within a poor administration but at the end of the day football is about results…not sentiment. Once a team gets out of its group in the gold cup they reach the quarter finals…that is not any achievement to be lauded. Come in guys…I like Hart…but he simply wasn’t cutting it anymore

    • Only two Trinidad and Tobago coaches ever got Trinidad and Tobago beyond the group stage. Bertille St Clair and Stephen Hart.
      The list of coaches who failed to do that includes Rene Simoes and Leo Beenhakker. Francisco Maturana and Russell Latapy failed to even get them to the group stage.
      I think we have unrealistic expectations if we don’t see that as an accomplishment.

    • That’s the acceptance of mediocrity….the reality is that a Gold Cup quarter finals is simply not any significant achievement when put in its proper context. To paraphrase…I think we have unrealistic expectations period

  7. Stephen Hart on behalf of the fans of Trinidad and Tobago football I want to thank you for the tremendous job you did in restoring a measure of RESPECT to the National Team Shirt. While others have chosen to forget or ignore that in our previous World Cup campaign a German Coach could not even GET us to the Hex. In fact he led us to early elimination after defeats by CARIBBEAN “SUPERPOWERS” Bermuda & a Jamal Shabazz-led GUYANA. You took the helm and from the word go got us fans BELIEVING AGAIN… T&T’s 4-4 draw in the Gold cup was voted the most exciting game ever played in that competition by leading commentators in the US. Since the arrival of the new TTFA President a year ago your and indeed ALL our National Football teams at EVERY age-group level have fallen…Is it not passing Strange that when teams fail Coaches get fired and players dropped but the ADMINISTRATORS who run the show remain? I for one will miss your selfless Patriotism sacrificing time away from family and friends in Canada to do a job in which at times your salary was late in coming. May God Bless you with success and happiness in your next endeavor S.H. you are a GIANT among men!!!

  8. Hart had plenty courage, commitment to stay with a handicap:- no money for foreign camps/matches, no money to scout players. Bunch of jokers!!!!

  9. Results wise getting us to a Gold Cup QF in 2013 having inherited the team right before and played one friendly . Beating Honduras 2-0 in that tournament was the highlight … then the 2 games in Saudi Arabia were pretty exciting . 3-3 with UAE and beating the hosts 3-1 . Unfortunately going out on penalties in the 2015 gold cup QF but some of the results included beating Guatemala , drawing 4-4 with Mexico . Then the 3-3 with Mexico shortly after . Winning a friendly in Panama and also winning in Guatemala in the group of 4 WCQ was a special result . Even the draw at home to USA was solid .

    I think what’s more remarkable about Hart’s time here was his loyalty to the team under these conditions of no support from the TTFA since he’s here , to deal with Tim Kee and then this dictator president John Williams and all the abuse and disorganization is remarkable in a world where loyalty and selflessness is dead .
    Hart gave this thing his absolute all . Any other coach would have walked away .. maybe he should have but as a fan of the Warriors I’ll always hold him in the highest regard for his actions more than his on the pitch results (and they had many positive results)

    Cheers Hartie ! ?

  10. TTFF strikes again….clueless leadership or just selfish. T&T football pays the price. Good luck coach Hart and thanks for the professionalism you brought.

  11. They couldn’t just bring back latapy and put him in charge of a junior team, they want to make him coach of the senior team

  12. Change is needed if we are to qualify for the world cup, kudus to Hart he did a great job but I don’t think he could take us to Russia just my thoughts.

  13. I hope they also remove the captain to

  14. No surprise here Colin Sue….i only hope we get a competent replacement….sighs

  15. What exactly were Stephen Hart’s accomplishments as national coach?

  16. Bunch of jokers. I could rant but saw it coming, was told by someone associated with TTFF about 2 months that they looking to make Latapy the coach again, the fact that they hired his brother….. im waiting to see how continually poor thier judgement is….

  17. Ruby Tuesdays is the new board room for the TTFA. This is how the meeting went five drinks each lets fire hart.

  18. I want to publicly thank Mr Stephen Hart for his great work with the Trinidad and Tobago national football team, it is with a heavy heart that i say goodbye to a man i have respected as a brother. I wish him well in all his future endeavors, u was a class act and returned respect and stability to the national football and for this true football lovers are forever grateful. It is my wish that your are allowed to continue making a contribution to national football at some level bc u have much to offer!! God blessings, stay strong my brother u did us proud a true trini to d bone!!

  19. IMO, they have done Hart a tremendous favour. I thought he should have left a long time ago but not under these circumstances. Hopefully, they will get a coach with more experience and less decency. Hart is too much of a gentlemen to survive among guttersnipes.

  20. Half of that football side should go also

  21. Fired @ ruby Tuesday I can’t believe it

  22. What do you know…another tin-god and paper tiger comes to town…

  23. Mark my words…this will put paid to any chance we had of making it to Russia in 2018, as slim as they were in any case. Just a dotish move in my view.

  24. So my dictator president really went and hire this man to Coach our Soca Worries team eh. Them really good yes.

  25. If they don’t bring in someone like beenhakker or better this is a bad move.

    • My thoughts exactly…ok so accountabillity dor a string of horrible performances…right ok…so who is the replacement..and will the replacemebt do what is necessary to shake the squad up because much of the responsibility rests on their shoulders as well…i will be very disappointed if i hear latapy is the new coach….nothing against latas as a player and a rep for tnt or his coaching skills but hart brought us back from the lowest of lows so if you remove him the rplacement should be of beenhaker pedigree

  26. Dean a change was inevitable.. check his record. You’re a coach therefore you are aware of the business

  27. One setta low budget coaches and we have the money for better.

  28. When DJW consult others is a problem, when he doesn’t, he’s a dictator…alyuh good yes

  29. Hart did really say football is a paradox oui.

    Half the people quarreling for him to drop KJ, but vex he fired.

    So what yuh want ? Oh the irony !!!

  30. J W destroyed Wanderers cricket club and he will do the same to T&T footballer

  31. I don’t even think it’s follow fashion..just John Williams wanting his way

  32. Brethren and sistren, as many would have heard me say . . . .. this is about more than football! Frankly, fellow Trinbagonians, the way that football is being run is no different to anything else we are doing in TT. Nothing in TT works well. Governance doesn’t, the Judiciary doesn’t, the police doesn’t, the medical service doesn’t, etc. and the list goes on. We, as a nation are in the midst of a serious crisis. It is a crisis of leadership! As leaders get weaker, they become more egotistical, self-serving and aloof. A cursory look at the best leaders in the world and a comparison with what’s happening in TT would make my case easily. If we take in and digest for one moment the CEO of Pepsi in the attached link (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BDTVdX-enr4) speaking to vision, performance and purpose – one sees how real worldclass leaders drive actualization of purpose. Where do we see this come in TT? The performance of our national football team should not be viewed in a vacuum, as it is a manifestation of a bigger, deeper and more pervasive problem – leadership. The firing of Mr Hart is only a small reflection of this. Until we accept that there’s a bigger problem, it won’t be fixed. The fact that many immediately say that we should seek a foreign coach is also illustrative (please note that I’m not against having a foreign coach) of a sense that WE are not getting it done. Admittedly, a foreign coach who has worked at that level will bring something more and different! Most of all he won’t take the TTFF nonsense. I believe that deep down every Trini knows that better can and should be done, but there is a sense of resignation that we cannot get out of our own ways and are hamstrung by what we’ve come to accept as ‘our normal’ behaviors. So what do we learn from this latest fiasco? It is a point worth pondering. As I told Mr Livewire a few moments ago, its about time that we get together and discuss the issues that plague the TTFF, TTGF, Pantrinbago, TUCO, NCC, National Band Leaders Association, the Judiciary, the various state enterprises, medical services, JCC, etc. All of these institutions are underperforming. This is not an issue of talent!!!! Our people are bright and intellectually comparable to anyone anywhere. This is an issue of systems, structures, cultural norms. The way we select leaders is consistent with what we have come to accept. It is the way we run everything. So can we continue to do the same thing and expect better or different results? Remember the definition of madness. Right? What will we do? What should we do? TT is a good place for alcohol commercials – because we have to be drunk to deal with this crap, over and over and over again. Stay thirsty my friends.

    • Brian

      I totally agree with you that our institutions are failing and we lack professional leadership. However, where I disagree with you is that “it is not an issue of talent” and “our people are bright and intellectually comparable to anyone anywhere”. I appreciate your utilization of comparable as a qualifier and to have mutual understanding I take “bright” to mean smart.

      On the contrary, I find the majority of our population NOT to be bright and NOT to be intellectual. The cause is we continue to emphasize a learning process based on rote learning. This process has created some individuals we often term as “bright” but are no more than 10GB hard drives with little or no processing power. These individuals are often eloquent repeaters of data and systems but lack ingenuity, creativity and problem solving techniques so we can not expect them to be leaders. I have met with too many middle and upper level managers in our private sector and MP’s, Ministers and CEO public sector with Phd’s, MBA’s, CFA’s, etc and been shocked with the lack of cognitive ability. Sadly, we have not fundamentally evolved from a colonial then neo-colonial learning process that was engineered for dependency. Rote learning is not just in our classroom it is overemphasized through out the society.

      We continue to do the same things over and over again because we are a rote society; our political parties, our governance systems, judiciary are all repeaters. It’s not only rote but the strict disciplinary environment that the learning takes place. To bring this back to football, I heard Coach HART ask where are the dribblers, the boys/girls that are brave and creative to “tek” on. The reality is it has been coached out of them, I would say that our education process has also taught the creativity, thinking, reasoning and problem solving OUT of us. If we are so “talented” so “bright” so “intellectual” what was our last invention, creation, internationally recognized scholarship, etc..? Where is the prove?

      One last point, you make solid reference of our instant need for our foreign coach or foreign consultants as a reflection of what I view as our lack of confidence. I will take it a step further that even when we bring foreign coaches/consultants they can and do provide value often with detailed plans that require implementation. Since implementation, is a cognitive process not based on repeating we RARELY implement those plans. The many a corporate and ministry office file cabinet are full of coaches/consultant detailed plans we paid for begging to be implemented but as you said that requires leadership.

      Lastly, we do not need alcohol to accept this because we too have had our minds programmed to have a level of comfort and acceptance of the repetition and dysfunction.

      Naturally, I am with you that we must endeavor to free our minds to create a functional society.

      • Sean thanks for your thoughtful response to my post. I believe that where you see disagreement, we are actually in agreement. As I cited the various institutions, I was pointing to widespread collapse and system-wide failure. In my view, we need to engage in some real systems thinking to resolve these difficult issues. And yes, I think the change needed will be difficult for the exact reason you have cited – lack of cognitive abilities and the gradual de-intellectualization of our society. People do not think and are not trained to think, for we build a perception of progress and capability around passing exams so people simple study to pass exams and not think to solve problems or get things done.

        Regarding, whether we produce bright and/or smart people, I think we do, but they operate in a system where they don’t have to think and as you correctly stated “we simply repeat what we read and how we did it before”. As such we lose many of them by age 15. I have seen many of our citizens come out to the USA, Canada, and UK and perform very well – like you. I look at the energy industry where many of our engineers have multiple patents to their name – but it was not accomplished in TT – they did it when exposed and immersed in a different ‘system’, same thing in medicine and engineering. A few years ago I sat beside a senior police detective from Atlanta on a flight to TT, as he was going to POS to conclude an investigation which was being done jointly with the TTPS. I asked him his thoughts on the policemen in TT. He said, “I think that they have very good investigative skills and are well trained, but the system they work in will not generate successful prosecutions and crime reduction”. So placed within the right system we do well – suggesting that we have the raw material.

        We have never been good at implementation and I also agree with your sentiments in that regard.

        TT for many reasons has not kept up with world class practices. I think the people operate like they have lost hope. The reason why a foreign coach may be what we need at this point is exactly because he will be listened to and the local coaches we have will not command the same respect and don’t have the coaching experience or confidence on the world stage.

        I could go on and on but, its sad even writing about it.

    • Nice analysis Brian Harry, but it does ignore the ever-present influence of scale. Small is good when it sensationally magnifies our victories to the limits of the theatre also used by the big, but everything else about small is a handicap. Remember, we dance to the tune of our bigger mentors and partners while still giving them access to the minutiae of our processes. While Federation probably wouldn’t save us, it would at least show ambition. Trinidad is too darm small for all that big talk.

    • Danny, Trinidad is too small for what big talk?

  33. Foolish move…..follow fashion, except that they don’t have the resources the US does…..he has been the best manager in a long time.

  34. Mudda-So-An-So-Effin-TTFA-Jackholes!

  35. Well then you have to remove the entire staff ?

  36. That elbow man has been marketing himself for that job long time now made all the right comments during his commentary to undermine Hart we await the next chess move we might a management coaching team with the three stooges we wait

  37. I would state that the ex pats abroad will say what I say.. we done watching TT football unless Williams is removed and his minions… after reading this nonsense I’m done with local football

  38. I think Wini Schafer would make so much sense . Worked with Jamaica , similar in style of play. Obviously a very enthusiastic infectious type coach who inspires belief . Got them to the Gold Cup final and was unlucky to be in a group with both Costa Rica and Panama .

    Could be a masterstroke to put him on a 1 year contract and see what he can do …

    But it’s the TTFA so I fully expect it to be Latapy or SCF . Maybe some random Brazilian coach who DJW know for years .

    Schafer just screams sensible decision . Sadly the TTFA aren’t capable of making sensible decisions

  39. Good luck Harty. On to bigger and better things now that that noose around your neck is gone. Thank you for the yeoman service performed for your beloved homeland

  40. All indications point to a foreign coach. Probably South American.

  41. Hopefully we eh getting Stuart Charles or Latas as neither is ready for this level…

  42. Hart was good for T&T football. Funny enough, his team was the lone success story in the past year, even with their slide in form.
    Things look a little bit gloomier at the moment. Although I suspect DJW knows that he needs a familiar name to replace him with.

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