News and Press Clippings 2008

Friday 4th January, 2008

NEWLY appointed interim national football coach of Trinidad and Tobago, Colombian FRANCISCO MATURANA (centre) listens to a point made by Fifa vice president JACK WARNER (second from right). Extreme left is Yugoslavia’s ZORAN VRANES, the new youth coach. Next to Vranes is TTFF president OLIVER CAMPS. At right is ANTHON CORNEAL, assistant to Maturana. Occasion was at yesterday’s press conference at Queen’s Park Oval.
Photo: Anthony Harris

BY GREGORY TRUJILLO

WORLD-RENOWNED Colombian coach Francisco Maturana has accepted the position as coach of T&T Soca Warriors left vacant by the six-month suspension of Dutchman Wim Rijsbergen.

Official confirmation of his interim appointment came at a hastily-called press conference yesterday at the Banquet Hall, Queen’s Park Oval.

Maturana will guide the fortunes of T&T football over the next six months from February 1­officially his first day on the job­when he will witness the friendly here between Guatemala and T&T.

The Colombian will be looking after measures to keep the T&T flag flying, after a year the state of the game at national level hit its lowest ebb, with the banning of the majority of top overseas professionals who competed in the 2006 World Cup in Germany because of a money dispute with the governing T&T Football Federation (TTFF).

Maturana, also known as Pacho, has had a colourful career both as a player and manager-coach.

The man who took his country to three World Cups was voted South American coach of the year by El Pais in 1993 and was ranked third in the Spanish Newspaper Marca’s list of the world’s greatest managers.

His coaching genius helped Colombia to qualify for a second time in a row in the 1994 World Cup.

Highlight of his country’s qualification was an historic 5-0 triumph over Argentina in Buenos Aires­a scoreline that made Colombia a surprising favourite for the World Cup.

Maturana got the nod for the position ahead of 12 other top foreign coaches, among those of whom were former England international John Barnes, three Germans, two Brazilians and two Dutchmen.

“We needed the best,” said Fifa vice president Jack Warner, the special adviser to the TTFF, at yesterday’s press conference.

“I found him within 24 hours,” Warner continued. “He was here on January 1. Anybody who leaves his family to discuss football on New Year’s Day has to be serious.”

Maturana himself was surprised of the appointment.

“A week ago I was invited by Mr Warner to come to T&T, “ he related. “I thought it was just to have a meeting. But as it turned out it was to coach T&T.”

Maturana said he could not turn down the offer: “Because T&T and Mr Warner are well known and respected in world football.

“After five minutes, I had bought into Warner’s dream and what he wanted. Let’s say that I was appointed to join in that dream and participate in that dream.”

Referring to his new job as “an attractive challenge and proposition,” Maturana stated that both outside and inside football he is a worker and an achiever.

Warner strongly believes that Maturana will be in charge of the national senior team leading up to the 2010 World Cup in South Africa and beyond.

“I know Rijsbergen will not be back here. Since he left, he has not contacted anybody. We needed the best available coach and I went for the best.”

Dutchman Rijsbergen, who replaced Leo Beenhakker at the end of the World Cup in 2006, was relieved of his duties as national coach following an physical altercation with Technical Director Lincoln Phillips. He received a six-month suspension for the incident by the Disciplinary Committee of the TTFF.

Rijsbergen’s assistant, countryman Van Deinsen was also relieved but on medical grounds.

Anton Corneal, who had been in charge since the suspension of Rijsbergen on December 4, will be assistant to Maturana.

The senior national team will also have a new manager. Replacing Sam Phillip will be 37-year-old David Mohammed.

About Francisco Maturana

As A Player

Born in Quibdo, Choco, Fransisco Maturana moved with his family at an early age to the city of Medellin. Here he played professional soccer while attending the University of Antioquia where he later obtained a degree in dentistry. He began his pro career in 1970 at Atletico Nacional where he became a starting defender until 1980.

During his time in Atletico Nacional he won two Colombian League Championships in 1973 and 1976.

In 1981, he transferred to Atletico Bucaramanga and also played six matches with the Colombian national team during the qualifying matches for the 1982 World Cup.

In 1982, he played his last year with Deportes Tolima until he retired at the end of the season.

As a Manager

By motivation from Uruguyans Anibal Ruiz and Luis Cubilla, he started managing the Colombian team Ponce Caldas in 1986. The following year the Colombia Soccer Federation hired him to manage the national team’s youth squad and then was quickly promoted to manage the senior squad to compete in the 1987 Copa America where they finished third, beating host Argentina in the process.

During this time, he was also hired to manage his former team Atletico Nacional. Then in 1989 he had his most successful year in his career.

He led Atletico Nacional, composed of many Colombia legends, to win the Copa Libertadores for the first time for any Colombian club. Using Atletico Nacional players as a base for the national team, he qualified the team to the 1990 World Cup after a 28-year absence.

In December, he lost the Intercontinental Cup to AC Milan in the last minute of overtime. An upset to what would have been the perfect season. The following year he led Colombia to its best performance in the World Cup competition by reaching the second round and losing to Cameroon.

After the World Cup, he was hired as coach of Spain’s Real Valladolid. In 1993, he was voted as the South American coach of the year by El Pais and he was ranked third in the Spanish Newspaper Marca’s list of the world’s greatest managers.

©2005-2006 Trinidad Publishing Company Limited