http://www.guardian.co.tt/sport/2016-05-22/ttfa%E2%80%88drops-fuentes-contingentTTFA drops Fuentes from contingentPublished: Sunday, May 22, 2016
WALTER ALIBEY
Trinidad GuardianAfter almost two decades of travelling with the country’s senior national football team as the Communications representative of the T&T Football Association, Shaun Fuentes was left out of the contingent that left for three International Friendly encounters with Peru, Uraguay and later China on Friday.
A member of the Board of Directors of the TTFA, speaking on the conditions of anonymity, said Fuentes was among three members of the staff to be cut in a drastic staff reduction exercise by new president David John-Williams recently. The Guardian was told that national coach Stephen Hart was asked to cut his staff from 13 to 10, leaving out Fuentes and managers David Muhammad and Peter Rampersad, although it is a customary practice for international teams to travel with two managers and a communications personnel.
In Fuentes’ absence, manager Williams Wallace has been asked to assist by doing the communications work. Fuentes who is the person recognised by the world governing body for football—FIFA, as a media official, said he could not comment on the issue, only to say that he would not be going on the tours.
The Soca Warriors will face Peru tomorrow in their opening international friendly match in Lima, before tackling two-time World Cup champions Uruguay on May 27 in Montevideo. They will close off their tour of friendlies will a clash with rising powerhouse China on June 3 in Qin Huang Dao.
John-Williams was hoping to squeeze in a fourth match against Equatorial Guinea on June 10 at a date to be announced, but Hart and his troops rejected it. Meanwhile, it is understood that John-Williams will join the TT contingent for their final match in China, along with his vice presidents Ewing Davis (First), Joanne Salazar (Third) and chairman of the Technical Committee Alvin Henderson.
Though the reduction in team staff has been deemed a cost-cutting exercise, there are now questions surrrouding the reasons for including the football association’s vice presidents and Henderson on a trip, when Fuentes, Rampersad and Muhammed would have been there to work.
Under Hart, the Soca Warriors have found themselves in a favourable position of entering the final round of the qualifiers. They lead group C with 10 points, ahead of the United States (seven) and Guatemala on six. St Vincent and the Grenadines, the other team in the group are still to receive their first point.
The Soca Warriors will next face Guatemala at the Hasely Crawford Stadium at a date to be announced in September before heading out to the USA for their final encounter. Fuentes, who has religiously sent reports to the local and international media on updates of the team, will himself be hoping to get updates on the team for the period May 23-June 3. The board member told Guardian it has been accepted as part of international standard, for World Cup teams to travel with large contingents, particularly with three managers and a media officer.
Attempts to reach John-Williams on his phone proved futile as calls went unanswered.
