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Trinidad and Tobago Men’s National Senior Team coach Dennis Lawrence is set to become the longest serving football head coach in his country’s history, after the TTFA’s board of directors approved a two and a half year extension for him tonight.
The decision means that Lawrence is contracted to the local football body until mid-2021 and is expected to oversee the Soca Warriors’ Qatar 2022 World Cup bid. No coach has ever taken Trinidad and Tobago from one World Cup qualifying series to the next—in fact, no T&T coach has kept his job for an entire World Cup campaign since Everald ‘Gally’ Cummings in 1989.
Costa Rica won 2-1.
(Courtesy Allan V Crane/CA Images/Wired868)
At present, Trinidad and Tobago’s two longest serving coaches are Stephen Hart (2013-2016) and Bertille St Clair (1997-2000).
Hart led the Warriors to back to back Concacaf Gold Cup quarterfinal places and a FIFA ranking of 49th in the world.
St Clair was the first coach to take the Trinidad and Tobago football team into the knockout phase of the Gold Cup and got as far as the semifinal rounds in 2000, while he also snagged two Caribbean Cup titles.
The board’s decision to stick with Lawrence, which was taken via secret ballot, was overwhelming but not unanimous. Remarkably, the decision was made despite the board being denied the opportunity to review either Lawrence’s initial two year contract or the extension that will now be handed to him by football president David John-Williams.
The president did not divulge Lawrence’s salary to the board—as, for instance, Public Utilities Minister Robert Le Hunte revealed TSTT CEO Ronald Walcott’s financial remuneration to Parliament—but, instead, offered a combined salary for the technical staff which supposedly included the head coach.
(Copyright Alan V Crane/CA-Images/Wired868)
At present, the TTFA does not have a functioning technical committee or even a technical director. Anton Corneal, who fulfils the latter responsibility, has downed tools due to unfulfilled contractual obligations. Regardless, the board voted that John-Williams essentially award Lawrence whatever terms he sees fit.
Central Football Association (CFA) representative Collin Partap said he had no idea what the terms of Lawrence’s contract will be, even though the constitution mandates the the TTFA board—and not the president—to appoint the Warriors’ technical staff.
“No information was given to us regarding financial terms [and] there were some members who wanted a performance appraisal and key performance indicators placed into the contract itself,” said Partap. “But the board [collectively] decided to pass it as is… I don’t know what the terms will be.”
Partap said he agreed with fellow board members that the team should not be disrupted before the June Concacaf Gold Cup, which the Warriors qualified for automatically once former coach Stephen Hart got them into the Hex. However, he felt Lawrence should have been further assessed after the Gold Cup; or, at the least, that there ought to be exit clauses inserted in his contract for poor performance.
“I agree that we need a head coach and didn’t think we should have disruptions before the Gold Cup; but after the Gold Cup, I felt if we didn’t have the performances and results we wanted, we should have been able to look at the situation again,” he said. “Some of the board members, including myself, wanted to know what the expense would be if we wanted to change the coach within the next two and a half years—because we are $42 million in debt.
(Copyright Nicholas Bhajan/CA-Images/Wired868)
“But it was approved for two and a half years anyway, although the details of the contract I don’t know and don’t think I will ever know; and that was a bit frustrating.
“I am a lawyer, so I would love to see the terms of the contract and the exit clauses. I would love to find out if there were other applicants for the post of head coach or if it was even advertised.”
John-Williams did not have his way on the matter of the general secretary, though, as the board refused his proposed choice of Camara David as replacement for the incumbent, Justin Latapy-George.
“The way I see it, if the constitution wanted to give complete prerogative to the president regarding the hiring and firing of the general secretary,” said Partap, “he would have [explicitly been given] the authority to appoint or dismiss; and that would be the end of it.
“Myself and some of the members—if he tries to push through the hiring of [Camara David] without the board’s approval—have decided that we will take legal action; because he is trying to circumvent the power of the board.”
The TTFA president is not believed to have conceded and he declined the chance to put the matter to a vote tonight. Instead, he is likely to try to get his man appointed again when the board reconvenes next week.
(Copyright TTFA Media)
Partap believes that, with just months left on his presidential term, issues like his insistence on a new general secretary—a decision taken by John-Williams after Latapy-George admitted that the president asked him to deceive the board on Salazar’s resignation—was an unnecessary distraction for the board.
“These are issues that we shouldn’t be dealing with,” said the CFA representative. “He has seven months left on his tenure and we have the Gold Cup coming up, the Under-17 World Cup qualifying series, we have grassroots football matters to deal with… This issue of him trying to force a change of general secretary at the moment is really trivial and wasting the time of the members.
“I also think we need a board meeting once every month on a statutory date set, like the first Tuesday or Saturday of every month—that way everyone keeps that date clear, instead of the way it is being run. This is the first board meeting since November and we are in the last week of February.
“One board meeting every three months? That doesn’t fly.”
The fate of the Trinidad and Tobago Men’s National Under-17 Team, which is due to start its Peru 2019 World Youth Championship campaign in May, is undetermined as their case will also be discussed next week.
The Under-17 Team have not trained since April 2018 and they do not have a confirmed coaching staff at present.
Kesar would hope to represent the National U-17s this year.
(Courtesy Allan V Crane/CA Images/Wired868)
John-Williams will also try to get two vice-presidents on the board next week, as replacements for Allan Warner and Joanne Salazar who both walked out on the TTFA boss over the past two years.
North East Stars director Michael Awai and San Fernando Giants president Anthony ‘Cla Tones’ Clarke are believed to be John-Williams’ picks for the vacant roles.
One thing that is settled is that Lawrence will head the Warriors for the foreseeable future.
A rookie when he applied for the job, Lawrence was initially the TTFA technical committee’s third choice behind Stuart Charles-Fevrier—Lawrence’s current assistant—and Terry Fenwick. The technical committee, headed by Dexter Skeene and Alvin Henderson, resigned after the board ignored their recommendations and appointed Lawrence instead.
Lawrence, who previously worked as assistant to current Belgium coach Roberto Martinez at Wigan Athletic and Everton FC, had a mixed spell in his first job as head coach.
In 20 matches, there were five wins, four draws and 11 losses while the Warriors finished at the bottom of the Concacaf Hex—six points adrift of the second from bottom nation, USA—and slipped from 80th to 93rd in the FIFA rankings.
(Courtesy Chevaughn Christopher/Wired868)
However, Lawrence can point to a seismic 2-1 qualifying win over USA in Couva and a 2-0 friendly win over the United Arab Emirates in Spain as evidence of his value. The board agreed he was worth keeping.
Current TTFA board: David John-Williams (president), Ewing Davis (vice-president), Raeshawn Mars (Northern FA), Richard Quan Chan (Southern FA), Anthony Moore (Tobago FA), Joseph Taylor (Trinidad and Tobago Football Referees Association), Sharon Warrick (Women’s League Football), Julia Baptiste (TT Pro League), Collin Partap (Central Football Association), Keith Look Loy (TTSL), Bandele Kamau (Eastern FA), Sherwyn Dyer (Eastern Counties Football Union), Selby Browne (Veteran Footballers Foundation of Trinidad and Tobago).
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What do you do about poor management? Especially when there are always hanging on.
We continue to do d same thing an expect different reults….isnt d definition of dat call madness?
The handling of this whole matter is just plain disgusting. Carry on.
Sorry to say but dat board has some oximorons on it…how can u vote on something that u have no knowledge an details of…u extend his contract till 2021….one year before d world…supposin things dont work out by 2021 then we might be out WCQing for 2022…we start all over for 2026….den d cycle just continues….y didnt we extend his contract till after d gold cup an based on d results from dat den make a long term decision….brainless…thoughless…dunce…smh
Ancil Santana No comment.
The results of the national team under Lawrence are deceiving. Our opponents have played 2 friendlies in the international window when we only played 1. They have used their bench and others against us, whilst using a stronger team against higher ranked teams in the friendlies and the Asian Cup. Don’t hold your breath to see Bale play for Wales against us next month.
Do you all remember when Brian Lara called his captaincy of WI a period of modest success and devastating failures? I don’t think King David can even claim modest success for his tenure! He has poisoned football to the point where we have slipped into irrelevance on the world stage.
Damian R. Scott the scary part is I’m seeing movement where he is bringing in people to prepare for the next election so he can get another term….trying to replace the secretary with his own man plus bring in two vice president so he can get the votes……people think I’m joking when I compare him to Trump. Lasana Liburd this is why he is smarter than Gary Griffith……he is all about recruiting allies ……
Can the women’s team even get a coach? A discussion of the movement going forward? You know what someone call Coach Randy Waldrum he still has hopes for Trinidad and Tobago women’s football!
I give up on that so-called organization
The article has been updated with quotes from board member and CFA representative Collin Partap regarding Dennis Lawrence’s contract and president John-Williams’ push to replace Justin Latapy-George with Camara David.
Why dey doh stop pretending to be an organization?
Nigel Myers Yep the should be in the dictionary as the opposite of organised. ?
DJW could have given his other ‘mates’ a VP job too. There weren’t that many of them and they have his same bombastic communication style.
Nothing surprises me any more. Definitely not rumour of Anthony Clarke as VP. Seems like morality and ethics for sale in this place. Anyway, In my opinion, the board should never agree to secret ballot, after refusing to vote by email. It’s tantamount to the same. Is secret ballot enshrined as an option in the Constitution? Why would such an important vote, or any other be secret? It begs the question, What do board members have to hide, and from whom? On another note, why grant such a lengthy extension? It’s a pretty big risk in my humble opinion? Why not grant one through the Gold Cup and re-assess thereafter? Still believe the board should see and approve individual staff contracts, especially as technical committee and technical director are basically non-functional. Is there legal counsel ever at these meetings? Seems like so many decisions made run counter to “good governance” such that may be challengeable??
So the process of getting vice presidents is run by David John Williams personally selecting them? Is that the Constitutional process? I’m seeing shades of Trump….alot
I guess that since Coach Dennis isn’t complaining about being paid his monies the same like the TD I guess that he is being paid on time Them really good yes
Secret ballot? That’s how the board usually votes?
What was the for/against tally?
Chabeth Haynes It is probably a secret ?
Chabeth it is the first time that secret ballot was used at board meeting. Heard that Dennis had roughly 70 percent of the vote but unconfirmed.
Yeah. That’s a really odd, but telling way to vote on a matter at a regular meeting.
Hopefully there’s a proper exit clause in the contract in the event that there is need to replace DL before two and a half years are up.
Still the secrecy. Still the defiance. Still nothing about Women. ☹️