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The Trinidad and Tobago National Senior Team was plunged into further disarray this morning as Tom Saintfiet quit his post as head coach, just before lunch—barely one month into his tenure with the Soca Warriors.
And, almost in keeping with the farcical business of the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA), the announcement was made, not through a media release or press conference, but via a Facebook post.
(Courtesy Chevaughn Christopher/Wired868)
“I resign as National Team Coach of T&T!” posted Saintfiet, on the wall of his social media account.
The Belgian coach confirmed that his stance was genuine and said he already shared his feelings with the foreign media. He said he no comment to make to the Trinidad and Tobago media or public at the moment.
Saintfiet’s last job was as coach of the Bangladesh football team, which is ranked 185th in the world by FIFA. His record as Warriors coach comprised of losses in both competitive matches against unheralded Suriname and Haiti, coupled with a win and a loss away to Central American minnows, Nicaragua.
Off the field, he fell out or omitted a remarkable number of senior players including: captain Kenwyne Jones, leading scorer Joevin Jones, goalkeeper Jan-Michael Williams, ace midfielder Kevin Molino, winger Cordell Cato and defenders Daneil Cyrus and Triston Hodge—not to mention management at Pro League and Caribbean champions, Central FC.
However in a statement relayed to Wired868, which Saintfiet presumably sent to the foreign media, he claimed that the TTFA did not provide him with the right environment for success.
“I would like to inform you all that I have decided to resign, today Tuesday 10 January 2017, as National Team coach of Trinidad and Tobago. Given the mandate to guide the team past Panama and Mexico in the coming World Cup qualifiers of March 2017, I have come to the conclusion that I can’t be successful in this environment.”
Looking on is new general secretary Justin Latapy-George (far left) and technical director Muhammad Isa.
(Courtesy Wired868)
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Saintfiet revealed that he felt let down by TTFA president David John-Williams from his very unveiling on 7 December 2017.
John-Williams told the media that Saintfiet was not his first choice but was merely the most affordable person on the shortlist. And he promised to sack his new coach within three months if he did not deliver four points from two World Cup qualifying games against Panama and Mexico on 24 and 28 March 2017.
“[Saintfiet] was not our first choice—for sure,” said John-Williams. “Our first choice was way out of what we could have afforded. And I make no apologies for saying that. And I can tell you who our first choice was as well. Philippe Troussier. And Tom knows that.
“I will also tell you this… if he doesn’t get the job done on the 24 and 28 of March, he will be looking for a job. And I make no apologies for saying that. He is laughing but we’re very serious.
“Because if we don’t get the job done on the 24th and 28th of March, we might as well kiss our campaign goodbye.”
(Courtesy Chevaughn Christopher/Wired868)
Saintfiet said his biggest regret was not leaving Trinidad there and then.
“From the first day of my unveiling, I did not get the support of the TTFA and its President,” stated Saintfiet, “support which is needed to be able to do my job in a professional and successful way. I never got the chance to work with the players nor staff requested.
“Perhaps I should have taken this decision right from day one of my appointment, after the President openly second guessed his own choice of employing me. But I gave him at the TTFA the benefit of the doubt.”
Wired868 asked John-Williams for comment on his sudden resignation, whether the football body now believes that it erred in hiring the obscure European in the first place and on his coach’s suggestion that he did not feel supported by the football body. He had not responded up to the time of publication.
However, in a media release after Saintfiet publicised his departure, the TTFA claimed he resigned formally to John-Williams last night.
“The Trinidad and Tobago Football Association wishes to advise that Tom Saintfiet issued a letter of resignation as head coach of the National Men’s Senior Team to TTFA President David John-Williams on Tuesday night.
“The TTFA President then referred this letter to the Technical Committee of the TTFA and the Committee recommended that Saintfiet’s resignation be accepted and be ratified by the TTFA board.”
(Courtesy Nicholas Williams/Wired868)
John-Williams appointed a stream of interim employees since he became president on 30 November 2015, which were perceived to be a means of creating instability for his employees so that he could dictate to them.
If so, it backfired spectacularly with Saintfiet, who publicly criticised players from John-Williams’ W Connection football club before his dramatic walk-out—just hours before the technical committee was due to meet to discuss his start as coach.
At his first meeting with the media, Saintfiet bragged that he had never been fired as a coach. It seemed a bizarre claim for a man who has rarely lasted more than nine months at any job—most of which were in second and third tiers teams in Africa.
Today, Saintfiet arguably gave a demonstration of his ability to dodge the axe and leave on his own terms, with a plausible reason for his failures to boot, as he waved goodbye to the two island republic.
“It was an honour and privilege to work for a beautiful nation like Trinidad and Tobago,” said Saintfiet, “and I wish the players, staff, TTFA, fans and the whole football family the very best.”
(Courtesy Chevaughn Christopher/Wired868)
The TTFA promised to name Saintfiet’s replacement “in the shortest possible time.” Local coaches Russell Latapy and Jamaal Shabazz served as the Belgian’s assistants in the recently concluded 2017 Gold Cup playoffs, in which Trinidad and Tobago finished bottom of a three-nation group that included Suriname and Haiti.
“The Technical Committee has advised that a replacement for the post of Men’s Senior Team Head Coach will be found in the shortest possible time and the TTFA will make an announcement on this in due course.
“The TTFA wishes to thank Mr Saintfiet for his efforts over the period he served as head coach of our National Men’s Senior Team and takes this opportunity to wish him well in his future endeavours.”
Former Trinidad and Tobago World Cup 2006 and England Premier League goalkeeper Shaka Hislop, now an analyst at ESPN, commented on Saintfiet’s resignation on his Twitter page:
“T&T football. I don’t know if to laugh or cry.”
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He can’t quit cuz dey dun tell him if he fail… Dey wud fire his ass. He jys tk in front not to spoil his rep…
What a joke TTFA is. They should also resign for this farcical situation.
Earlier in this thread someone indicated that maybe now he (Saintfiet) will tell the true story about what happened. Amongst that individual, Saintfiet and/or Lasana Liburd hopefully we will hear what really happened.
There’s a lesson to be learnt here: always interview a candidate before you give man the job
Well cut uh salary n lets salvage sum pride…
The problem was never Tom Saintfiet. It was DJW and his lackeys. They should all follow Saintfiet and resign, but that will never happen. The circus continues!
I admit being a simpleton of sorts so I am asking a simple question: Why in the first place would you hire a coach whose last job was coaching the 185th ranked team? Do educate me TTFA , the hirer as to what I am missing. ..
Just now they will put names in a hat and pick the next coach, I still can’t understand why they got rid of the last coach… sorry to say but T&T football keep getting worse and worse.. what a shame.
What exactly has been improving?
To much ah friend friend thing, that need to cut out, preparation is very very poor, more friendly, they need to put the right ppl where there need to be.
I think David Rudder’s ‘Madness” is an apt description of the TTFA. I wish the whole TTFA administration would Saintfiet. In a sane organization that would be the appropriate thing to do, but in the asylum call the TTFA, INSANITY reigns supreme. Lord help us the fans!
The man like football, but like football eh like he…lol
Hahaha how football does like yuh KW
Haha
Anyway but the way it like The Saint…or dislike the Saint
Doesn’t matter which coach you hire, the organization is the problem. Time for govt to stop funding this folly. You aren’t adhering to good governance practices then no tax payers money for you.
Agreed. Lack of governance should equate to lack of funding.
And then how is the racket to be run?
Dreams are there to be what they are we still dream of another 2006 but, we do not have the quality to go to the top tier of the region, is it because we lack the technical ability, yes our players are found wanting in the areas that matter the most. Our players have to learn to play the game in their heads too and learn to solve problems on the pitch. Coaches that joystick usually fail we need to start building the young players in the right ways, have appropriate sessions for the age groups, an over seas coach told me there are Pro Coaches and development coaches no one ever knows the development coach only the Pro coach but there are lots of us who want to develop and forget about what is the right thing to teach the age group we only concentrate on the “W”
We bring pep is licks
I hope he buss all of them up to the media
Our football is at the lowest ebb of its long depression. DJW must put his hands up and admit that he has mismanaged this organization and that for the sake of Trinidad’s football, he must resign.
Terry Fenwick?
Nigel Tyrell P. Reid very true we need to implement better football development measures for the youths only then we’ll grow but on another note, you take really dope pics bro… especially with the young ladies lol
The plan to reappoint Latas is now officially ahead of schedule.
Well Cheyenne he have nothing to lose now let him keep singing…The media should interview him to get details…Unless DJW gag him.
That screams blacklist of players and a staff thrown upon him (Latapy, Babwah and Isaac especially)
This is the most telling line from his quotes :
“I never got the chance to work with the players nor staff requested.”
But is he self drop players….so who he wanted to work with? Dwight Yorke and Stern John?
Maybe he was forced to drop certain players … I wonder where those instructions came from
He was instructed to say the things he said too? I think yeah he got instructions but he also did thongs of his own accord too…
Definitely like making out Joevin and them for not coming to training etc
Well the man was a disciplinarian you know Alana Morton and when my players break the football rules eh I use to bus their throats the same way eh, but Maximus Dan carnival song 2017 really sums it up about our people in our sweet country eh, “We eh business nah” hahahahaha and ask Dwight Yorke why he also got his throat busted when he was to return to play for my greatest team in the universe but instead when he got to the Piarco airport said to himself look “To hell with Ferggie eh I going back and lime with meh boys Brian Lara and Russell The Magician Latapy eh, Trini Sweeeeeet” hahahaha or when the Magician who also got his throat busted by his Manager when he got into and accident while he was out partying and drinking plenty rum with his friend Dwight Yorke eh and his team Rangers lost the final eh, so you see it is a very long time that our players really have discipline issues eh when comes to representing our sweet country and the beautiful game so nothing is surprising me with the younger generations nah and maybe it is a “Trini thing” and we just will never understand it nah hahahahaha Them really good yes.
Earl Mango Pierre that song is a big tune
And as for displine it starts at home remember that
So my dictator president hired my Foreign Base Coach Tom so that he could loose eh, and to embarrass our sweet country eh, well as I have been always saying if we don’t have the right players to compete with the real professional players abroad and stop being on their own personal agendas, my dictator president and the corrupted TTFA could hire my greatest manager in the universe, we won’t be going anywhere but only backwards and soon will be a forgotten football so call nation eh. Them really good yes.
Earl, dem nuh ready for SAF inno. They nuh ready for that kind of professionalism…
Alana girl I told them that since after my corrupted uncle Jack Warner sold out our sweet country to my second sweetest country in 1989 eh and of course plenty of them was so blind and naïve that they told me they didn’t believe that eh, well the madness will continue until the right folks like the same like our wired member Keith Look Loy and others really had enough and start the football revolution to once again get our football back to where it suppose to be eh. Them really good yes.
Sir Alex Ferguson
BOOM.
Tell them uncle Earl
DJW didnt support you….WE NEVER SUPPORTED YOU! WE NEVER WANTED YOU! Lol
So now that Tom Saintfiet is gone, I personally think that either Terry Fenwick or Zoran Vranes should be given the Job as the new coach of the Trinidad and Tobago Men’s National Football team. Any of these 2 would certainly Trinidad and Tobago playing great football once again and is absolutely our best chance of qualifying for the World Cup in 2018.
Mel he look around and realized wey he was.
Can’t blame the guy..
He stay a whole month!
The job was setup for Latas,watch and see.
He should have never come in the first place.
Very irresponsible!
Yeah but I sure de man was looking forward to some free bumsies for carnival. Ain’t even get in a good boat ride much less the Soaka fete or a Tribe ice
The new coach run away?
Yes I’m apart of the site…What really going on boi… March is right there
Looks like Saintfiet is now the proverbial fool on the hill.
He was set up to fail
You could bring Jesus himself to coach the Trinidad and Tobago Football Team, you would get the same result.
The only way Trinidad and Tobago will have a successful football team is if it is comprised exclusively of foreigners with no connection to Trinidad and is based and administered in a serious country far from Trinidad.
Ouch. What a jukk of truth and reality.
John I can’t be the only Trini who’s noticed that Trinidad and Tobago has had a continuous record of consistent failure in all things since independence!
Vernal Damion Cadogan “Because we like it so” really means to T&T this is what feels normal and therefore comfortable.
We could fog up a bread and bread sandwich.
Or dramatically fail to arrange getting drunk at Carib’s brewery.
Exactly. Tom is NOT to blame here!!!
U like all dis football and u not on dis site lol
I’m pretty sure all of them will reject this job after they do their homework
Wta is this I reading here ????
Well what do you expect eh, is mediocrity that is representing our sweet country at all levels from in the TTFA / professional league down to the players themselves and when I does be calling them bootleg eh some people does be vex with me and they really expect and believe that our sweet country really have what it takes to always represent against the real professional countries/players and tournaments abroad to eh Hassan C Araujo. We won’t be going back to any World Cup for a very long time if the standards of the TTFA administration and our football doesn’t raise to compete with the outside World and the right Coaches isn’t pick for the job and given all the support that he needs to be able to be very successful in order to qualify for any future men/women tournaments/ World Cups and I done talk,Them really good yes. steeuuppss.
They living in lalaland..leave them nah..want to blame everyone else except themselves..is not a real country nah
Lets do some coverage on potential coaches names that have been presented or could be presented. I have two thesis:
1. An idea could be a Costarican coach who knows what it takes to get it done in Concacaf. Costa Rica with limited financial resources and small population has been doing a better job than Mexico and USA in producing players and I think that means the coaches know what they are doing. My best bet is Paulo Wanchope for multiple reasons. Was the assistant of Pinto during the World Cup run and then interim head coach until Ramirez was hired. He played in EPL and can recruit T&T players of heritage. He played in MLS and understands the players in that market. He is culturally a Caribbean guy and players will look up to him and respect him. He has done extremely well as Technical Director of Saprissa. He knows Aubrey David and will be introduced the right way.
Other worthy Costarican or Costa Rica baed coaches:
Carlos Watson
Jeaustin Campos (former Puerto Rico coach)
Mauricio Wright
Javier Delgado
Ronald Gonzalez
Odir Jacques
2 Second thesis. Go get an Italian coach with a winning mentality who can quickly play this team to its strength. That is a counterattack strategy. With the type players you have, you need a coach that will fix that defense and utilize the explosive players in counterattack. That coach should be paired with a local respected assistant coach who can guide him on the local players although 95% of them are not ready and Trinidad should focus first on all the players abroad.
Possible names from expensive to not so expensive. Walter Zenga, Christian Panucci (assistant for Capello with Russia), Luis Oliveira (comes from the poorest area of Brazil but is an Italian coach by formation been in Italy 25 years and played WC for Belgium), Paolo Di Canio (brings the EPL background), some of the others available especially the ones who have regularly coached small Serie A teams where they need to play counterattack to survive.
The only how we getting any of those mentioned coaches is if John Williams and his whole technical committee is gone. If not… look out for something disappointing…I like your breakdown though.
I say give the job to terry he has the experience and he knows the players and he is a no nonsense man the only thing is he is no puppet and they can’t take that they want to pull the strings
Marlon boy…..Terry is many tings but puppet…..nah….d first time DJW come rong with ah selection”requests” and terry tell ‘im to haul he…….dat will sadly be d end of dat
Jack laughing
Williams feel this will take the heat off of him ? Jack could come back cause he eh going no way , he use to rent from trump , ent ?
They real pappyshowing our senior national team with all this ….
A national joke!
Like most things in sweet trini ….
I’ve seen this movie so many times!
I spoke to a lot of coaches and I know what is realistic
Lasana Liburd I sent you my two thesis on messanger for discussion. I think they raise valid points worth getting public opinion on
30-50k is small money (maybe not to us) and i talking big coaches in europe mexico and brazil eh not the plebs…well esp europe
In the end have lasana coach dis shit side…in fact djw might coach himself
Since they have no money then who? Latapy again? Fenwick?
Lasana Liburd Yes and funny thing it generates more than MLS in USA
Mexico pays better than even many European countries. TV money makes a huge difference there.
Nigel Tyrell P. Reid, the Mexican league is generally the best paying league in the whole of the Americas. Only a handful of players/coaches at the very pinnacle of the Brazilian game might get higher salaries.
Saintfeit’s self preservation instincts finally kicked in?
A man as travelled as he is knows how to smell a sack from a mile away! Lol. It is his best quality–maybe his only one too!
I’m happy for him.
I pity anyone unfortunate enough to find their names included in Trinidad football’s chronicle of eternal failure.
He tried to use white off oui. Lol. Too late! He is part of the circus too.
FIFA needs to issue a warning internationally to alert non-Trinidadians about the pitfalls of getting involved in Trinidad football ….. in fact Trinidad altogether.
As usual we focusing on nonsense…the coach and his level…not that with how our football is run we have nowhere to go
Nigel Tyrell P. Reid The ones you know of can demand $30-50k/month in Liga MX easily
Yeah but that isnt high cost….compared to brazilian or european coaches
Wait nah! Man ent even get to take a lil wine fuh de Carnival?
Hahaha. The man is a professional oui! Lol
Clearly a professional temp. This must be his shortest stint though. And we still stuck with that joke for a president. So Saintdefeat having the last laugh ?
Hahaha. Yep. He already has his excuses as to why it wasn’t his fault… And he is good to go!