TTFA bans U17 coach Shawn Cooper

DAVID SCARLETT

Trinidad and Tobago U-17 men’s coach Shawn Cooper has been banned from coaching minors indefinitely. This sanction was imposed upon him by the TT Football Association (TTFA) Safeguarding Department on March 15.

In an official statement by the TTFA, the nation’s governing body wrote, “In accordance with Section III, Article 29 of the TTFA Safeguarding Policy and Framework v3.0, age group restrictions have been placed on the safeguarding license of Mr Shawn Cooper with immediate effect. Mr Shawn Cooper is prohibited from coaching youth players (18 years and under) until further notice.”

Section III, Article 29 of the TTFA Safeguarding Policy states, “Where a person and or organisation is being investigated for abuse, a breach of the safeguarding policy, or for a criminal offence, the TTFA shall impose conditions on that persons or organisations license to work with children, youth players and vulnerable groups.

“These restrictions would include but not be limited to the following: supervision requirements; reporting requirements; age group restrictions; restrictions to specific groups; provisional suspension.

“Persons or organisations found in breach of the conditions imposed on their license, shall be suspended from all football related activity until such time as all their disciplinary matters have been concluded.”

Cooper recently led the TT U-17 national team through the 2025 Concacaf U-17 Championship where they fell just short of qualification for the 2025 FIFA U-17 World, as they fell 2-0 to Costa Rica in the final group match on February 16.

Cooper has championed youth football and youth development for decades, spanning from his role at the Dunstan Williams Soccer Academy, his title-winning tenures at Naparima College and Presentation College, as well as his leadership of the TT men’s U-15 team, the U-17 team and the women’s senior team.

At the time of publication, the reason for the ban on Cooper remains unknown.

Newsday attempted to speak with Gary St Rose, the head of TTFA’s Safeguarding Unit, who imposed the restriction on Cooper, on March 17. However, he declined to provide details on the matter.

TTFA president Kieron Edwards could not be reached for comment.

TTFA technical director Anton Corneal, according to Wired868, was unaware of Cooper's ban.

Efforts to contact Unified Coaches of TT interim president Jefferson George for a comment proved futile as he did not answer his cellphone.

Cooper is not the first to be slapped with a sanction by the Edwards-led national governing body.

In November 2024, St Rose and the TTFA Safeguarding Unit imposed a 90-day suspension on the Next Level Consulting Limited (NLCL) Community Cup, organised by Brian and Germaine Jordan, for breaching TTFA’s Safeguarding Policy.

The Jordans strongly disagreed with the decision and said they were willing to work with the TTFA Safeguarding Unit to ensure that all protocols were observed ahead of the planned NLCL U-19 Community Cup, which was scheduled to kick off on December 16, 2024.

However, TTFA stood their ground and the Jordans eventually accepted the ban.

The suspension ended on February 23 and the Jordans are now free to relaunch the NLCL U-19 Community Cup. But, the NLCL Organising Committee, ultimately, decided to suspend all NLCL tournaments for 2025 until a meeting with the TTFA president or the executive can provide a “satisfactory outcome.”

Unlike the NLCL tournament, Cooper’s ban does not have an end date which, consequently, means that he will not be allowed to take charge of his Presentation College teams (from U-13 to Premiership squads). Neither will he be able to manage his national U-17 team until further notice.

This leaves a dent in Presentation College’s football programme as Cooper was the mastermind behind their project with preparation for pre-season three months away.

Newsday called Cooper's cellphone three times, but he could not be reached for comment.

A source close to Cooper said, based on conversations with the national U-17 coach, the decision by the TTFA Safeguarding Unit was unjustifiable.

Cooper has no restrictions on senior football and can coach teams with players over 18.

He was formerly the head coach of QPCC in the TT Super League from 2017 to 2018.

He also coached San Fernando Giants in Tier II of the TT Premier Football League (TTPFL) in 2023. He led them to a fifth-place finish before losing 3-2 in tier II playoff preliminary round. He also got the Giants to the round of 16 in the TTPFL Knockout Cup where they fell 2-1 to his former QPCC team.

It is uncertain what comes next for Cooper and whether he will appeal the sanction.