PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC – The fate of Trinidad and Tobago head coach Otto Pfister will be known before year end, acting Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation president Lennox Watson has said.
Pfister has come under heavy criticism following Trinidad and Tobago’s failure to progress to the next round of the 2014 World Cup qualifiers in the CONCACAF zone, with several calls for his removal.
Watson said, however, that Pfister’s contract and those of his technical staff were scheduled to end in December, at which time they would be reviewed and a decision made.
“Coach Pfister has proceeded on his leave until December 31 and an announcement with regards to his future will be made before the end of the year …,” Watson said.
“I have not spoken with any member of the technical staff as coach Pfister is currently on leave out of the country.”
The 74-year-old Pfister arrived in the country at the end of March to take over the national team after Russell Latapy was fired following T&T’s poor showing in the Digicel Caribbean Cup last year.
Charged with getting T&T to the finals in Brazil, T&T suffered several bad results including a shock 0-1 defeat to minnows Brazil and a 1-2 loss to eventual Group B winners Guyana, which saw their elimination from the campaign.
Outspoken Sports Minister Anil Roberts immediately called for Pfister to be fired, stressing that government could not continue to pay the coach’s lofty US$50 000 per month salary, with T&T out of the running for the World Cup finals.
Watson also deflected criticism aimed at the TTFF, arguing that the organisation alone was not responsible for hiring Pfister.
He pointed out that the federation’s executive committee had acted on recommendations from a committee.
Pfister is widely expected to leave the post.
