Following Trinidad and Tobago’s failure to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup under head coach Dwight Yorke, a passionate public appeal has emerged calling for strategic overhaul of the national football program.
The critique, published in Newsday’s Letters to the Editor section by Princes Town resident AV Rampersad, argues for fundamental changes in team composition and philosophy. The central recommendation advocates for building the senior squad around young, home-based talent rather than relying on foreign-based professionals, who are perceived to approach domestic matches with insufficient competitive intensity.
The letter characterizes international friendlies and home matches involving overseas players as ‘fete matches’ where the outcome becomes secondary to entertainment and celebration. This approach, the author contends, undermines serious competitive development when ‘winning is not everything—it is the only thing.’
Despite the disappointing qualification campaign, the commentary expresses support for retaining Yorke as technical director while completely reimagining player selection criteria. The argument emphasizes that experience will naturally develop through sustained international exposure for domestic league players, creating a more dedicated and affordable national pool.
The analysis concludes with forward-looking perspective, suggesting the federation should immediately begin constructing a youth-oriented squad capable of mounting a serious qualification bid for the 2030 World Cup cycle through sustained development rather than short-term solutions.