PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, (CM)C – Trinidad and Tobago’s all-time leading goalscorer, Stern John has called for Dwight Yorke to remain as head coach of the national side even if he fails to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
T&T currently sit third in Group B of the CONCACAF Qualifiers on five points, behind leaders Jamaica on nine points and second placed Curacao on eight points, with only the top two teams assured of an automatic spot in next year’s World Cup.
They will face Jamaica in a must-win fixture at home on November 13 in their penultimate game, with their final game coming five days later against winless Bermuda.
Yorke was hired by the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) in November 2024, and given a mandate to qualify for the 2026 World Cup.
Speaking during an interview on Isports on i95.5 FM, John, the all-time Central American/Caribbean men’s top goal scorer in international football with 70 goals, said Yorke should not be dismissed if he fails in his bid to get them to the World Cup.
“Of course, of course they should [ask him to stay on] because we need stability. We can’t just keep changing coaches every couple of months and sacking coaches. We need some kind of structure in our football again,” John, the current head coach of Saint Lucia said.
However, he said he still believed T&T could cause an upset and defeat Jamaica in their crucial clash next Thursday.
John said while Jamaica will be driven to win to give their country something to cheer about following the devastation left behind by Hurricane Melissa, T&T had the quality to beat them at home.
“We have to win. I think when you look back at the World Cup Qualifiers you have to make your house a fortress, you have to win your home games. And once you win your home games and pick up a couple points away from home then you can have a good chance of qualifying, but you need to win the home games. It’s important that you win the home games,” John maintained.
“It’s not going to be an easy game, obviously. Jamaica has a lot riding on this game too, because they want to go to the World Cup too and they were just devastated by this hurricane, so they have a lot to play for, a lot to prove, and they’re playing with a whole country behind them, but I think that at home we can turn them around, so hopefully we can do that.”