Hart replacement to be named soon, says FA chief

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC – Trinidad and Tobago FA president, David John Williams, says there has been an overwhelming response to the national head coach position, made vacant by the recent sacking of Stephen Hart, and expects the replacement to be named by next week.

Williams said among those applying were several top coaches and that fact the response had been so encouraging, showed the calibre of the country’s football.

“If the application of 26 coaches is any indication of the interest in Trinidad and Tobago football by these coaches [then interest is high],” Williams told C Sports here.

“We’ve had up to 26 applications for the job and that tells it all.”

Canadian Hart, a former T&T national player, was relieved of his duties after the country lost the two opening games of the CONCACAF World Cup qualifying final round.

They went down 2-0 to Costa Rica at the Hasely Crawford Stadium here last month and then lost 3-1 to Honduras away at the Estadio Olímpico Metropolitano in San Pedro Sula.

Though T&T’s next scheduled World Cup qualifier is not until March next year, Williams said his association expected to settle on a candidate shortly.

“We are very close to appointing a national coach. The process is being followed as we speak,” Williams confirmed.

“The technical committee is meeting regularly … they will meet again [this week]. Hopefully we’ll have the recommendation then. Thereafter when we get the recommendation it will go to the board for approval and hopefully within the next 72 to 96 hours, we will have an announcement on who’s the new national coach.”

Hart led the national side for 3-1/2 years, twice leading them to the quarter-finals of the CONCACAF Gold Cup.