Former Netherlands and Real Madrid manager Leo Beenhakker has replaced Bertille St Clair as the new head coach of the Trinidad and Tobago senior football team, effective immediately.
By Kern De FreitasThe announcement was made yesterday afternoon via a press release from Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation media officer Shaun Fuentes and signed by TTFF general secretary Richard Groden.
The 62-year-old Dutchman Beenhakker-who has an impressive resume as trainer and manager of several prominent European football clubs, including Ajax and Feyenoord of Holland and Real Zaragosa in Spain-will come to Trinidad on Monday to take up his duties as T&T national coach.
Since returning as coach early last year, St Clair had 35 matches in charge, with 19 wins, 13 losses and six draws.
But in World Cup qualifying, the national team's record has been quite dismal and in the final round of qualifiers, T&T are currently at the bottom of the table with one point, from Wednesday's goalless draw with Costa Rica, after three matches, suffering a 2-1 loss at home to the United States last February and a 5-1 drubbing away to Guatemala last Saturday.
St Clair's removal is just part of a major shake-up by the Football Federation.
Former national captain Russell Latapy, who currently plays for Scottish club Falkirk, will take up the position of assistant coach, alongside David Nakhid, another former T&T skipper, in place of Ron La Forest, who has been reassigned to the national Under-23 squad.
Former RBTT manager and Queen's Park vice-president Bruce Aanensen has been chosen to succeed Richard Brathwaite as team manager, while George Joseph was appointed assistant manager for public relations and Joseph "Sam" Phillips has been named assistant manager for player logistics and apparel.
Only team doctor Terrence Babwah and physiotherapist Zephyrinus Nicholas have been retained in their position on the technical staff, with all other previous appointments being "terminated with immediate effect", according to the TTFF release.
The changes of the technical staff were revealed after meetings yesterday with the TTFF technical committee, including TTFF technical director and former national goalkeeper Lincoln Phillips, Alvin Henderson and Muhammad Isa, and chaired by Rudolph Thomas. Also attending the meeting were Groden and TTFF special advisor, Jack Warner.
After the meeting, Lincoln Phillips told Express Sports the plans for a new coach had been in the making for some time and were resultant from the poor performance of the team in the World Cup qualifiers.
"We have looked at it for quite some time, and you always have to make contingency plans," Phillips explained.
"Basically, we have contingency plans based on our performances. If the coach was doing well, fine. If he wasn't doing well by so many games, then we would change him."
Phillips also disclosed that the players had an input into the choice of coach.
"I didn't make the decision alone. Myself, the technical committee, the players...the players were heavily involved in the style of coach. They felt comfortable with a Dutch coach, and two Dutch coaches were offered, both of them were called, and Beenhakker was the one that everyone agreed on. They had the decision of who would be the final coach."
"We want to stay in the Dutch structure," Phillips added. "That's the direction that the national team is heading in. We've got to find somebody that is a little closer to our style."
As to the TTFF expectations of the new coach for the national team, who play their next World Cup qualifier at home against Panama on June 4, Phillips was optimistic.
"We have hired the coach to take us to Germany. That's the expectation. It is our feeling that we needed to make a change. If you are playing a game of football, and the team is not playing well, you have to make a substitution. No one is guaranteed a win from this substitution."
