DAVID SCARLETT
Trinidad and Tobago U-17 men’s coach Shawn Cooper has been banned from coaching minors indefinitely. This sanction was imposed upon him by the TT Football Association (TTFA) Safeguarding Department on March 15.
In an official statement by the TTFA, the nation’s governing body wrote, “In accordance with Section III, Article 29 of the TTFA Safeguarding Policy and Framework v3.0, age group restrictions have been placed on the safeguarding license of Mr Shawn Cooper with immediate effect. Mr Shawn Cooper is prohibited from coaching youth players (18 years and under) until further notice.”
Section III, Article 29 of the TTFA Safeguarding Policy states, “Where a person and or organisation is being investigated for abuse, a breach of the safeguarding policy, or for a criminal offence, the TTFA shall impose conditions on that persons or organisations license to work with children, youth players and vulnerable groups.
“These restrictions would include but not be limited to the following: supervision requirements; reporting requirements; age group restrictions; restrictions to specific groups; provisional suspension.
“Persons or organisations found in breach of the conditions imposed on their license, shall be suspended from all football related activity until such time as all their disciplinary matters have been concluded.”
Cooper recently led the TT U-17 national team through the 2025 Concacaf U-17 Championship where they fell just short of qualification for the 2025 FIFA U-17 World, as they fell 2-0 to Costa Rica in the final group match on February 16.
Cooper has championed youth football and youth development for decades, spanning from his role at the Dunstan Williams Soccer Academy, his title-winning tenures at Naparima College and Presentation College, as well as his leadership of the TT men’s U-15 team, the U-17 team and the women’s senior team.
At the time of publication, the reason for the ban on Cooper remains unknown.
Newsday attempted to speak with Gary St Rose, the head of TTFA’s Safeguarding Unit, who imposed the restriction on Cooper, on March 17. However, he declined to provide details on the matter.
TTFA president Kieron Edwards could not be reached for comment.
TTFA technical director Anton Corneal, according to Wired868, was unaware of Cooper's ban.
Efforts to contact Unified Coaches of TT interim president Jefferson George for a comment proved futile as he did not answer his cellphone.
Cooper is not the first to be slapped with a sanction by the Edwards-led national governing body.
In November 2024, St Rose and the TTFA Safeguarding Unit imposed a 90-day suspension on the Next Level Consulting Limited (NLCL) Community Cup, organised by Brian and Germaine Jordan, for breaching TTFA’s Safeguarding Policy.
The Jordans strongly disagreed with the decision and said they were willing to work with the TTFA Safeguarding Unit to ensure that all protocols were observed ahead of the planned NLCL U-19 Community Cup, which was scheduled to kick off on December 16, 2024.
