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With Lasana Liburd on wired868.com.Gally

Ex-Trinidad and Tobago national football team standout player and coach, Everald "Gally" Cummings, today criticised the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation (TTFF) for its "haste" in appointing former assistant coach Anton Corneal as technical director.

Corneal, who received a four-year contract to oversee the development of the local game, began work today at a TTFF Elite Coaches Symposium in the Larry Games Stadium, Malabar.

However, Cummings insisted that the TTFF should have held an analysis of its unsuccessful 2014 World Cup campaign before making long term appointees—particularly when the appointee, Corneal, was a key component of the "Soca Warriors" humiliating first round elimination.

"This is a very important national issue which will have a long term impact on our future development in football and sport in this country," stated Cummings, who famously took Trinidad and Tobago within a point of the Italy 1990 World Cup and is a Hall of Fame inductee as a player.

"The Minister of Sport and, by extension, the Government should not fund any such long term appointments until a proper analysis is made. (This) brings me to question what was the purpose and recommendations coming out of the Symposium held recently by the Ministry of Sport, which was also held at significant cost.

"All appointments should be on an interim basis at this stage and only where absolutely necessary. Instead what we are seeing is individuals trying to jump the gun and install themselves in positions."

Acting TTFF President Lennox Watson said Corneal's appointment was made by its executive committee on Thursday.

Corneal is one of two local coaches—after Bertille St Clair—to take the country to a FIFA tournament after he steered the "Soca Warriors" into the Korea 2007 Under-17 World Cup. However, his reputation was not helped by less successful stints as assistant coach to Francisco Maturana and Otto Pfister.

Cummings, who is the head coach at the University of Trinidad and Tobago (UTT), suggested that Corneal's father, Anton Corneal, a FIFA Technical Study member and former TTFF Technical Advisor, might play a role in his ability to get desirable jobs.

"When Russell Latapy lost matches (as coach), he was fired," Cummings told Wired868, "and it was the same for Pfister. So why is it always different for Corneal?

"Is it because of his father's role?"

Alvin and Anton Corneal are the main instructors at today's Elite Coaching Symposium along with Neville Chance and Edgar Vidale. The Symposium aims to empower an army of coaches who are earmarked to help lift the standard of the local game.

The 25 invited coaches are: Hutson Charles, Angus Eve, Derek King, Sean Cooper, Clint Marcelle, Dale Saunders, Terrance Marcelle, Philbert Jones, Michael McComie, Kevin Jeffrey, Ross Russell, Anthony Streete, Stuart Charles-Fevrier, Leonson Lewis, Anthony Rougier, Terrance Williams, Clayton Morris, Brian Williams, Dion La Foucade, Marlon Charles, Izler Browne, Stephan De Four, Rajesh Latchoo and Peter Pierre.

Gally questions recent Technical Director appointment.
By: Inshan Mohammed.

Former T&T head coach Everald "Gally" Cummings shared his thoughts with us on the recent decision by  Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation (TTFF) to appointment Anton Corneal  Technical Director of Trinidad and Tobago football.

In this interview he questions the criteria for such appointments, the ones who keep making these decisions behind closed doors and how taxpayers' money can be spent without proper planning, investigation, organization and assessment.

Gally stated: "I was shocked to see the haste on the recent appointment of Anton Corneal as Technical Director (TD) of National Football without a proper analysis made on the recent embarrassing 2014 FIFA World Cup Campaign."

“To add insult to injury a member of the technical staff of that campaign has been elevated to the post of Technical Director. In addition I am reading in the newspapers that this "TD" is part of a panel including his father and uncle to evaluate persons for future appointments as national coaches at a symposium to be held from Sunday 15th January, 2012.”

“When were arrangements made and invitations issued for this symposium and when the reported appointment made at the TTFF executive meeting on 12th January 2012? Was this a backroom deal?”

“How was the panel formed? Why wasn’t a more transparent process done for the selection of a Technical Director?”

Gally continue to say, “At this stage of the lowest ebb of T&T football, we should be looking at the appointment of an Interim Football Executive to oversee football administration including elections of a new TTFF executive instead of making any long term appointments.”

“All appointments should be on an interim basis at this stage and only where absolutely necessary. Instead what we are seeing are individuals trying to jump the gun and install themselves in positions, because they are not aware if a proper analysis was made, and they are not sure where they will be placed.”

“We are seeing a clear case of nepotism and interference, a role Alvin Corneal has been playing since I was a player and coach of the Strike Squad and which he needs to stop doing. It is very clear that there was no transparency in this process.”

“At this point we need to appoint an Interim Technical Committee of approximately 5-10 persons drawn from former national players and other knowledgeable persons in the field of coaching to make a proper analysis of the failed 2014 campaign in which so much of taxpayers’ money was invested.”

“Such a Technical Committee should define the role and responsibilities of the Technical Director. I have noticed that depending on the individual and the national coach the responsibility changes because when Lincoln Phillips was TD he had no role at the senior national level.”

“It is in my view that the person who is selected as a TD should have had success as a player, national coach, proper certification, and can command the respect of the football fraternity.”

“The Minister of Sport and by extension the Government should not fund any such long term appointments until a proper analysis is made, which brings me to question what was the purpose and recommendations coming out of the symposium held recently by the Ministry of Sport . This symposium was also held at a significant cost.”

Gally concluded, “This is a very important national issue which will have a long term impact on our future development in football and sport in this country. Sport is as important an area as any other area of national development, therefore any decisions must be held to public scrutiny and should also uphold the principles of transparency and accountability where taxpayers’ money is involved.”