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banned!: TTFF put coach Rijsbergen on six-month suspension

Lasana Liburd

Saturday, December 22nd 2007

The Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation (T&TFF) will rely on local coach Anton Corneal to prepare the "Soca Warriors" for the 2010 World Cup qualifying campaign after deciding to suspend its head coach, Dutchman Wim Rijsbergen, until next June.

The T&TFF did not give a reason for Rijsbergen's suspension apart from revealing that it was a decision made by their Disciplinary Committee.

However, the Express was reliably informed that the 55-year-old ex-Holland World Cup player is being punished for an altercation with T&TFF technical director and former Trinidad and Tobago standout goalkeeper Lincoln "Tiger" Phillips, who is 11 years his senior.

Rijsbergen's assistant and compatriot, Jan Van Deinsen, resigned "on medical grounds" effective December 31.

The Dutchman could not be reached for a statement on the matter, while Phillips declined comment.

Rijsbergen led the Warriors to the 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup by virtue of a second place finish at the Caribbean Cup although his squad was eliminated in the first round.

In 19 matches at the helm, Trinidad and Tobago won seven outings-three times against Haiti and once each against Panama, Cuba, Martinique and St Vincent-drew on three occasions and lost nine times.

His suspension is arguably another blow to the image of the local game after the country's historic participation at the 2006 Germany World Cup.

In the 18 months that followed, the T&TFF were accused of dishonesty and taken to a sport tribunal by their own players who they referred to as "greedy mercenaries". Now the national coach, a two-time World Cup player with Holland, also stands accused of unbecoming behaviour.

Corneal, 44, became only the third T&T coach to successfully navigate the qualifying rounds for a FIFA tournament when he took the national under-17s to the 2007 Junior World Cup. Bertille St Clair took the under-20 team to the 1991 World Youth Cup while Dutchman Leo Beenhakker led the senior Warriors to the 2006 World Cup.

Corneal was assistant to Beenhakker at the 2006 tournament and stayed on as Rijsbergen's duty.

He is likely to be assisted by Michael McComie, a member of St Clair's 1991 squad, who was the 2006 Pro League "Coach of the Year" and led Joe Public-owned by T&TFF special advisor Jack Warner-to two Cup titles this term as well as second place in the Caribbean Club Championship and the Pro League. Corneal has no notable experience with a senior team-club or international-while McComie's stint as national under-23 team coach ended quickly with home defeats against Cuba and Grenada, earlier this year.

The T&TFF will decide in the coming months whether to recall Rijsbergen, who was stripped of all duties on December 4, or find a more high profiled replacement.

Rijsbergen's time in Trinidad and Tobago was a fistful of controversy from the start.

The Dutchman, a member of Beenhakker's backroom staff for the 2006 qualifiers and World Cup, first came to public attention after a fist fight with ex-national captain, David Nakhid, on the eve of a qualifier in Panama on October 2005.

Nakhid alleged that Rijsbergen attacked him and made offensive remarks regarding his Muslim faith but the Trinidadian was relieved of his duties as team scout while the T&TFF retained the Dutch contingent.

Rijsbergen succeeded Beenhakker after the World Cup but upset local club owners and players by his frequent criticisms of the Pro League while he often met questions regarding team matters from this reporter with aggressive responses.

The combative Dutchman is felt to have crossed the line when he allegedly cornered Phillips at the T&TFF headquarters in early October and ranted about his comments in an Express article, which quoted the technical director as saying the Warriors should play more international games.

Phillips, according to one witness, stood his ground and the pair briefly traded blows.

It might be Rijsbergen's last fight as a Soca Warrior.