Latapy tipped to become next Bajan coach

FORMER NATIONAL men's football team playmaker, captain and coach Russell "Little Magician" Latapy is expected to be announced as the new coach for the Barbados' team later this week, according to a story yesterday on the Barbados Nation newspaper.

According to the article, "While president of the Barbados Football Association (BFA) Randy Harris is keeping details close to his chest ahead of a planned media conference at the BFA’s Wildey, St Michael headquarters on Wednesday, high-level sources close to the situation confirmed the stunning development (on Sunday) afternoon."

The 50-year-old Latapy, a member of the Soca Warriors team who participated in the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany, has a record of 29 goals from 81 international appearances from 1988-2009, and also had a distinguished club career in Portugal and Scotland, from 1990-2009.

He held assistant coaching roles with Scottish clubs Falkirk and Inverness, as well as Boavista in Portugal, but his coaching duties with TT teams would be remembered for his public utterances over lack of payments from the the TT Football Association (TTFA).

After he was dismissed as men's coach in 2010, Latapy took the TTFA to court for unpaid salaries. However, he was hired as the TT youth team coach by president David John-Williams in August 2016, though he continued to harp about the failure of the local governing body to honour their agreed commitments towards him.

Latapy's last major coaching duty was the TT Under-20 team's ill-fated campaign at the CONCACAF Championship in Florida, United States last November.