Fenwick denies clash with TTFA press officer: 'It's all rubbish'

NATIONAL men’s senior football coach Terry Fenwick is denying allegations that there was a physical altercation between himself and TT Football Association director of communications/media Shaun Fuentes before a national team training session at Ato Boldon Stadium in Couva, on Wednesday.

In a brief interview with Newsday on Wednesday afternoon, Fenwick said, “Don’t even go there, It is all rubbish and you will recognise all the areas it is coming from.”

Another media house reported that the altercation got physical.

CNC3 posted a video on Wednesday showing Fenwick and Fuentes in an animated discussion.

Fuentes posted a selfie on Facebook on Wednesday afternoon and captioned it, "Always in good shape."

The Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) later issued a press release saying the incident was blown out of proportion.

The TTFA said the incident, which stemmed from Fenwich expressing disapproval with the presence of a member of the media, "has been addressed at a meeting involving the two individuals, team manager Adrian Romain and the Normalisation Committee chairman Robert Hadad."

The TTFA said apologies were exchanged and Fenwick and Fuentes have agreed to put the incident behind them.

"Both Fenwick and Fuentes proceeded to conduct themselves in a professional manner and subsequently hosted the media briefing before the media present at the venue."

Fenwick is currently preparing the national team for two World Cup qualifiers on March 25 and 28. TT will play Guyana in Dominican Republic in the first encounter, before travelling to Puerto Rico to face that country.

It will be TT’s first competitive match since Fenwick took charge of the national team in January 2019. On January 31, TT suffered a 7-0 defeat to the US in an international friendly.

In 2005, Fenwick was fined and banned for his role in sparking a brawl when he was the coach of San Juan Jabloteh against W Connection in the Toyota Classic final.

After W Connection midfielder Gefferson Goulart scored a goal he ran towards the Jabloteh bench and was elbowed by the Englishman. Fenwick was banned ten games for the incident.