TTFA president: ‘Yorke appointment a steal of a deal’

THE president of the TT Football Association (TTFA), Keiron Edwards, has expressed that the finances surrounding newly appointed TT head coach, Dwight Yorke, is the best deal that the association could have gotten for a person of his calibre.

The TTFA appointed Yorke, a former TT World Cup star and Manchester United legend, on November 1 to take charge of the national team and carry the squad in a “new direction” for the next two years.

He will take his team through the Concacaf Nations League and FIFA World Cup qualifying in search of TT’s second appearance on the global stage.

Yorke will be paid by the TTFA through allocated funds provided by FIFA, Concacaf, the Ministry of Sport and several sponsors.

In a radio interview on i95FM on November 2, Edwards said that Yorke’s salary is below the average wage of coaches in other ambitious countries such as Jamaica. However “it’s not about money” for Yorke – and, for the TTFA, it’s a “steal of a deal.”

“I’m not going to state Dwight Yorke’s salary,” said Edwards, “but it’s nowhere close to those numbers (earned by other coaches, and) of the US$50,000 earned by Steve McClaren (Jamaica’s head coach).

“What Dwight has done for TT football, it’s not about money for him."

Edwards also said that Yorke’s main goal over his two-year contract is World Cup qualification or bust.

He expressed, “There will always be Key Performance Indexes (KPIs) in most contracts. We have those in our agreement with (Dwight Yorke) in terms of (World Cup) qualification.

“This project for Dwight, from our executive, is about qualifying for the World Cup. It’s qualifying for the World Cup or nothing.”

He continued, “I know Dwight’s pride. He would not stay on with the TTFA, or with any club, if he has failed to an extent to his high standards.

“(If Dwight doesn’t take TT to the World Cup), of course, we’ll have to restructure and relook the contract, and that’s straight-up management. That applies to any coach in the world.”

Prior to Yorke’s appointment, the TTFA shortlisted Yorke, former caretaker coach Derek King, and three other international coaches who Edwards did not disclose.

Edwards explained why the process of appointing Yorke took so long after Angus Eve’s sacking on July 31.

“Selecting a coach is not just about a coach,” Edwards said, “it’s about the process, the journey and qualifying for the World Cup.”

“So, we had to get the process right, (determine) where we wanted to go, and make sure that we had the right mechanics in the TTFA to get there before we sent out invitations for coaches – and I think we reached the best choice for the men’s national senior team coach.”

Edwards also expressed that, even though he supported Angus Eve when he was first elected, his priorities then changed to ensuring that TT got to the 2026 World Cup and the TTFA executive decided that the national team needed to be taken in a “different direction.”

Following parting discussions with Eve, the TTFA president said that the former head coach understood the reasons why the FA sought to change course.

King was retained as caretaker coach for his contrasting attacking tactics from Eve’s defensive style, as well as to “start the process” in search of a new permanent head coach. The beginning of the process included getting local fans “back on board” with supporting the national team.

Edwards believed that King’s attacking style would have attracted fans to the stadiums to be the team’s 12th man and prepare fans for the transition into a new era under the new coach.

Now, under Yorke, Edwards is adamant that TT have the quality of player, as well as the determination, to book a ticket to the 2026 World Cup.

Yorke is set to arrive in Trinidad on November 6 and he, along with his technical staff, will be officially unveiled on November 8.