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Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) president Kieron Edwards has denied that Soca Warriors head coach Dwight Yorke and his support staff were already replaced early by the local football body, despite a report today in the Sunshine newspaper.
Edwards also denied that Yorke is owed US$150,000, which comprises five months’ salary.
Photo: TTFA Media.
Yorke announced his retirement from the national job this morning, after the Sunshine report.
His declaration took the TTFA executive by surprise, although he was not expected to be involved in the upcoming international matches away to Bolivia on 15 March and in the Fifa Series against Venezuela and Gabon on 27 and 30 March in Uzbekistan.
In Yorke’s resignation letter, he stated that: “[…] I had every intention of continuing that journey. Unfortunately, circumstances beyond my control have made that impossible…”
The game finished 1-1, which eliminated the Soca Warriors from contention for a 2026 World Cup spot.
Photo: Nicholas Bhajan/ Wired868.
A technical staff source told Wired868 that the TTFA issued termination letters to Yorke’s assistants, Russell Latapy and Neil Wood, without first informing the head coach.
However, Edwards allegedly told Yorke that it was a matter of renegotiating their terms rather than firing them. Sources described what followed as a cat and mouse game between the head coach and the TTFA president, over potential new contracts.
Yorke, according to sources, received a salary of US$30,000 per month, which made him easily the most expensive coach of the TTFA’s post-Jack Warner era.
In contrast, Curaçao coach Dick Advocaat, who led the tiny nation to a historic place at the 2026 World Cup, received roughly US$9,000 per month. He received salary increases along the way as part of an incentive agreement.
Wired868 understands that Yorke’s remuneration was negotiated directly with then prime minister Dr Keith Rowley, by the coach’s close friend and former West Indies cricket legend Brian Lara.
From third to left is Neil Wood, Russell Latapy, Derek King and Ross Russell.
Photo: Nicholas Bhajan/ Wired868.
Yorke’s support staff of Latapy and Wood were believed to be paid an additional US$30,000 combined, also from the state—for a total of US$60,000.
The rest of the Men’s National Senior Team technical staff, including assistant coach Derek King, were paid by the local football body.
Rowley, in one of his last acts as prime minister, allegedly offered to foot the bill for Yorke and his overseas-based staff with taxpayers’ money if they were hired.
Photo: Nicholas Bhajan/ Wired868.
The TTFA executive felt—based on those discussions with the government—that if they decided against Yorke and hired another coach, the local football body would have to find the money to pay him themselves.
Yorke, who had exactly seven months experience as a head coach at the time, got the job and the initial response from the Trinidad and Tobago public was electric, with sold-out stadia and sponsors rushing to get involved with the team.
But his final results were mixed.
Then prime minister Stuart Young (middle) and his predecessor Dr Keith Rowley (far right) joined in the celebrations.
Photo: Nicholas Bhajan/ Wired868.
During his tenure, Yorke led the Soca Warriors in 13 competitive matches with four wins, six draws and three defeats, with 21 goals scored and 18 conceded. His overall record spanned 18 matches with four wins, seven draws and seven defeats, with 26 goals scored and 30 conceded.
He led Trinidad and Tobago to the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup as well as the final World Cup qualifying group stage, although they failed to advance in both cases.
Trinidad and Tobago never lost a competitive home match under Yorke, after games against Cuba, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Curaçao, Jamaica and Bermuda.
Both men are former Manchester United employees.
Photo: Nicholas Bhajan/ Wired868.
However, Yorke never managed a win against a team perched above 100 in Fifa’s rankings—despite eight opportunities to do so in competitive matches against: Costa Rica, USA, Haiti, Saudi Arabia, Curaçao (twice) and Jamaica (twice).
The highest ranked nation that Trinidad and Tobago defeated during his tenure was Saint Kitts and Nevis, ranked 154th in the world by Fifa, while his final international outing was a 2-2 draw with Bermuda, ranked 169th in the world, at the Hasely Crawford Stadium in Port of Spain.
Edwards denied that Yorke, the two-island republic’s most celebrated player and 2006 World Cup captain, was owed five months’ salary, which might represent the duration of his existing contract.
Photo: TTFA Media.
Wired868 understands the nature of the financial deal between the TTFA and the state meant that money was released in tranches, so Yorke and his team allegedly accepted they would generally be three months behind on payments.
Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar has honoured the government’s financial agreement with Yorke and his staff.
Whether the current government was prepared to give Yorke a fresh deal under the existing terms was another matter altogether, although the indications were that the coach and his staff were willing to accept pay cuts.
Looking on are (from left) assistant coach Russell Latapy, head coach Dwight Yorke, Minister of Sport and Youth Affairs Phillip Watts, and TTFA media manager Shaun Fuentes.
Photo: UNC.
It was not clear whether the TTFA wished to retain Yorke and his assistants—even at a reduced cost, though.
Edwards claimed that he tried unsuccessfully to speak to Yorke, who lives in Dubai, about his future as head coach recently. (Editor’s Note: A subsequent TTFA statement claimed that Dwight Yorke was terminated “by mutual agreement” since 28 February.)
“Derek King has not been hired [as head coach],” Edwards told Wired868. “Derek King is already part of the national team staff—so how you mean hired?
Alongside Yorke are assistant coaches Neil Wood (left) and Derek King respectively.
Photo: TTFA Media.
“[…] The FA has gone through a process in terms of dealing with the national coaching staff and the process was completed a few weeks ago. But I have not been able to get on to Yorke, and now you know there are issues in the Middle East.
“But we are in discussions with coach Yorke in terms of financial remuneration and in keeping with our process. When that is exhausted, we will make an announcement.
“It would not be proper of me to make an announcement at this point in time.”
Photo: Nicholas Bhajan/ Wired868.
The TTFA is expected to make an announcement by this evening.
King served as assistant coach to five of Trinidad and Tobago’s last six head coaches—a list that includes Charles, Stephen Hart, Terry Fenwick, Angus Eve, and Yorke, in chronological order.
He also had a prior stint as an interim head coach, when he took the Warriors into four Concacaf Nations League matches against Honduras, French Guiana and Cuba.
Photo: Daniel Prentice/ Wired868.
Trinidad and Tobago lost 4-0 away to Honduras on King’s debut at the helm, before rebounding to snatch draws against French Guaina (home) and Cuba (away), and his maiden win (3-1) against Cuba at the Dwight Yorke Stadium in Bacolet, which saw the Warriors avoid relegation from the Nations League A.
King is expected to take Charles and Ross Russell as his two assistant coaches for Trinidad and Tobago’s upcoming internationals.
However, although the Soca Warriors leave next week, the TTFA technical committee is yet to meet on the matter of an interim appointment.
(via TTFA Media.)
Editor’s Note: The TTFA subsequently claimed, via a press release, that Dwight Yorke was terminated “by mutual agreement” since 28 February. Click HERE to read.
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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.
