PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad (CMC) – Well-travelled Belgian Tom Saintfiet was yesterday appointed head coach of the Trinidad and Tobago national side but could face the sack after just two games in charge, if he does not keep the twin-island republic in contention for the World Cup finals.The 43-year-old was announced by the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association(TTFA) as the replacement for Stephen Hart who was fired last month after the country’s poor start to the CONCACAF World Cup qualifying final round.
Saintfiet, who has already coached in multiple countries, will be in charge of the national side for their two upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Panama and Mexico next March, and TTFA president David John Williams said he would be held to a very high standard for those two encounters.
“He came highly recommended as well, he worked in difficult situations in Africa and we feel he can do the job for us,” John Williams told a media conference here.
“I will also tell you this, if he doesn’t get the job done on March 24 and 28 (2017), he will be looking for a job and I make no apologies for saying that.
“We are very serious because if we don’t get the result on March 24 and 28, we may as well kiss our campaign goodbye.”
Trinidad lie one from bottom in the six-team final round without a point, after losing both their opening games last month.
They went down 2-0 at home to Costa Rica on November 11 and four days later, suffered a 3-1 defeat to Honduras away in San Pedro Sula at the Estadio Olímpico Metropolitano.
Hart, who led the squad for 3-½ years, paid the price with his job and John Williams argued that results was the nature of professional football.
“Football and professional sport is a brutal game,” he pointed out. “World Cup qualifying, it’s about results and getting to the World Cup. If the results don’t go your way you have to do something different.”
Saintfiet has coached extensively in Africa, leading Namibia, Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, Togo and Malawi, as well as a stint with Asian nation Bangladesh.
Facing the media for the first time, he praised Trinidad and Tobago as a country with a “huge history” but with a “more huge future” and said he believed he could play a role in advancing the national programme.
He said he also believed T&T could still rescue their World Cup dream of reaching Russia 2018.
“I believe it’s possible. Two games have been played. We are in fifth position and we have to be in the top three or if needed, to be in the fourth position for the playoffs but they are still eight games to go,” Saintfiet said.
New Trinidad and Tobago head coach, Tom Saintfiet said with positive results against Panama and against Mexico, we are back in the running and everything is possible to go to Russia.
“If these results are negative, then it doesn’t matter how long your contract is, every coach knows that he is in the end responsible for that, and I take it like that.”
Meanwhile, former Italy striker Carolina Morace has been appointed to lead the women’s national side on a 2-½ year contract.
The 53-year-old, who made over 150 appearances for Italy and scored over 100 goals, has also in the past managed Italy and Canada’s women side.