PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC-Trinidad and Tobago’s Russia-based defender Sheldon Bateau says Stephen Hart will be missed as head coach of the Soca Warriors as the T&T FA prepares to announce his replacement.
Hart, a former T&T national player, was sacked after the country lost the two opening games of the CONCACAF World Cup qualifying final round.
His exit has been a main talking point after T&T lost 0-2 to Costa Rica at the Hasely Crawford Stadium last month and then lost 1-3 to Honduras away at the Estadio Olímpico Metropolitano in San Pedro Sula.
“As a professional footballer the sacking of a coach or the transfer of a player is a normal thing. Whether they’re gone for a good or bad reason the job for the remaining players remains the same and this situation is no different for me,” said Bateau, a starter in defence for T&T for seven of its eight 2018 World Cup qualifying matches.
“But of course he will be missed not only by me but the entire team. He restored a great amount of belief within the team and country to an extent and that’s something no one can take away from him.”
T&T FA president David John Williams says 26 coaches have applied for the position left vacant by Hart and that an announcement of his successor will be made soon.
T&T’s next scheduled World Cup qualifier is March next year.
“We still have a big chance to move higher in the group and the next set of games will make it easier or harder for us to continue this campaign with that possibility of qualification,”said Bateau, who missed out on T&T’s away loss to United States in September due to a double yellow card suspension.
“I’m not worried because I know what we’re capable of but I think we just need to refocus and distance ourselves from the drama and noise currently taking place because regardless of what’s going on now or what was in the past nothing matters more than the next two games.”
