Dwight Yorke has finally landed another coaching job, taking the reins of his national Trinidad and Tobago team a year and three-quarters since his controversial sacking by A-League Men club Macarthur FC.
The 52-year-old former Manchester United great has talked of the difficulty of finding a coaching role since his 2022 dismissal, which ended with the Sydney club being ordered to pay Yorke $212,500 in compensation following a Court of Arbitration for Sport ruling that he'd been sacked unfairly.
Yorke, a national sporting hero in Trinidad and Tobago after captaining the team at the 2006 World Cup in Germany and also having been assistant boss in 2009, said in a statement from the Caribbean country's FA on Friday: "I am proud and privileged to receive the honour of leading the Trinidad and Tobago national team.
"The opportunity to work with this talented, close-knit group of players is something I look forward to.
"Having helped Trinidad and Tobago to the semi-finals of the CONCACAF Gold Cup in 2000, captained the side at the 2006 World Cup and been assistant manager, my love and commitment to my national team is well documented.
"I saw first hand as a player how working together to achieve our targets brought joy and united our country. I see that same ambition and desire at all levels of the current set-up.
"As a player I experienced some incredible moments in a Trinidad and Tobago shirt. With this squad I hope they can continue as head coach."
After CAS found Macarthur had breached their contract, Yorke had said "I am delighting to have been vindicated.
"That I was denied the chance to build on my work with Macarthur - which has already yielded short-term results - will always be a source of sadness.”
Yorke joined Macarthur on a two-year deal before his contract was terminated after seven months.
The sacking happened after his outburst following a defeat by Adelaide United when he reportedly described Macarthur as a “pub team … run by Muppets from the top to the bottom”.
Macarthur said the comments damaged the reputation and interests of the club after it became publicly known and was reported by the media.
The club said in a statement the two parties agreed to mutually part ways with Yorke deciding to “pursue other opportunities”.
But a FIFA Players’ Status Chamber found in June 2023 that Macarthur terminated Yorke’s contract without just cause.
