PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad (CMC) – Russell Latapy has been overlooked for a post on the coaching staff of Trinidad & Tobago men’s national team under Otto Pfister. Latapy, the previous Soca Warriors coach, was a palpable omission from the coaches recommended by his German predecessor.
“All I can say is that the coaches interviewed all who had experiences within the national set-up be it, senior or youth team level,” T&T Football Federation Technical Adviser Keith Look Loy.
“The new national coach has forwarded the names of the assistants with whom he would like to work, along with a goalkeeper coach, and that’s what he wants.”
Insiders said that former national players and youth team coaches Anton Corneal and Hutson ‘Baba’ Charles are Pfister’s two outfield assistants.
Also included on the staff is former national goalkeeper Jefferson George, whose expertise will be used to condition the team’s net-minders.
Following his appointment last week, Pfister said he intended to work closely with coaches from T&T, and expected his assistants to come from the two-island republic.
Since then, he left for Britain on Monday to meet with European-born players with T&T parentage, and overseas-based national players.
Pfister is expected to have a first view of the Warriors on the upcoming international matches dates on June 1 and August 10 against two “worthy” international opponents.
For those matches, the new T&T coach has stated he has no intentions of using half-strength teams for the purpose of experimenting.
The German already has a pool of 50 players he intends to invite for training camps inclusive of local and overseas-based players.
The first training session takes place on Monday, and will be conducted by the technical staff in accordance to the programme prepared by Pfister, who returns to T&T over the next couple of days.