Trinidad & Tobago have been rocked by the sudden resignation of manager Francisco Maturana and his staff.
Coaching team steps down after clashing with federation
Trinidad & Tobago's World Cup hopes have been rocked by the resignation of manager Francisco Maturana and his staff on Wednesday.
The Soca Warriors are still very much in contention to qualify for next year's World Cup in South Africa as although they are bottom of the six-team Concacaf group after two draws and a defeat, they still have another seven games to play.
But Maturana has suddenly stepped down because of "differences in opinion" with the Trinidad & Tobago Football Federation's executive committee, the federation confirmed.
In a terse statement, the federation thanked Maturana and his backroom team "for their service to our nation's football these past months."
Maturana, who coached Colombia in the 1990 and 1994 World Cups, could not immediately be contacted.
Criticism
The 60-year-old Colombian replaced Wim Rijsbergen as manager in February 2008 and was criticised by local media for some of his selections, especially after last week's 3-0 loss away to the USA.
Veteran midfielder and former assistant coach Russell Latapy will take over as interim coach, with the team's next qualifier coming on June 6 at home to Costa Rica, followed by a visit to Mexico on June 10.
Trinidad & Tobago became the smallest country in size and population to ever qualify for the World Cup when they reached Germany 2006.
Maturana coached Medellin's Atletico Nacional to the 1989 Copa Libertadores title, before coaching a host of club sides around the world along with the national teams of Ecuador, Peru and Costa Rica.
