The Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) has officially replaced the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation (TTFF) as the body representing Trinidad and Tobago in international football. And yesterday, there were also rumours in circulation that Dutch coach Leo Beenhakker was returning to the T&T national team after he was spotted with TTFA president Raymond Tim Kee in Europe at Trinidad and Tobago’s friendly international against Romania. Trinidad and Tobago fell 4-0 to Romania and will play Estonia in another friendly on Friday.
Seventy-year-old Dutchman Beenhakker qualified Trinidad and Tobago for their first World Cup in 2006 where they drew 0-0 with Sweden and also lost 2-0 to both England and Paraguay. He also had a successful career coach top clubs as Real, Madrid and Ajax.
Beenhakker coach Poland after his one year stint between 2005-2006 with Trinidad & Tobago.
“I can confirm that our people, both president Raymond Tim Kee and general secretary Sheldon Phillips, met with Mr. Beenkakker recently,” TTFA vice-president Rudolph Thomas confirmed yesterday. “The FIFA congress concluded in Mauritius and they met him there.”
“I too heard the rumour yesterday,” Thomas said. “At this time both the president and general secretary are out of the country and I cannot say whether the meeting was just a casual one or something more.
We can only wait until they return to know anything further.”
Meanwhile, Thomas revealed that the local football body has reverted to it s former name the TTFA and had already unveiled their new crest. Thomas said that the decision was made last month.
“At our last executive meeting we agreed from a legal point of view, we would revert to the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA),” he said. “The decision was made mainly because the name TTFF was not legally incorporated in parliament. That does not mean that we are exempt from anything that happened when we were known as the TTFF . But going forward right now, we are the TTFA again.”