Sammy Carrington is back

The deal has been sealed, paving the way for Vincentian Sammy Carrington to return as this country’s Technical Director of Football.{{more}}

This was revealed by President of the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Football Federation (SVGFF) Joseph Delves as he spoke at a media conference last Wednesday evening at the Chamber of Industry and Commerce Conference Room. The conference was called to update the nation on a Leadership Professional Retreat he attended along with his Executive last month in St. Lucia.

The Football boss disclosed that Carrington’s appointment was in keeping with a mandate stipulated by Football’s governing body FIFA, to have one in place by October 2009.

Delves said that Carrington, who resides in the United States of America, will be here shortly to take up his post.

The Football President also said that former national defender Cornelius Huggins has been added to the cadre of coaches available to the SVGFF.

Delves also said that as a means of enhancing Huggins’ capabilities and acumen, the former St. Vincent and the Grenadines international player will be attending a certification course from early next week in Mexico.

When quizzed about the status of long standing national coach Roger Gurley, Delves stated that Gurley is still on board in the SVGFF’s Technical Committee and will be utilized when the need arises.

The decision by Delves and company deviates from practices by former Executives, where the reliance has been on foreign Technical Directors.

It will be Carrington’s second stint in that position, having taken St. Vincent and the Grenadines through the preliminaries of the 2002 World Cup Qualifiers.

Carrington takes over from English man Stewart John Hall, who lasted five months in the post. Hall quit last year June after this country’s ousting by Canada in the World Cup Qualifiers.

Prior to Hall, this country was served by Serbian Zoran Vranes from September 2004 to October 2007.

Vranes has since taken up a job as Trinidad and Tobago’s Under-20 coach, and led that country to the 2009 World Cup final in Egypt.

Vranes’ entry in the Vincentian sphere of Football was at the expense of the English duo of Cess Podd and Aide Shaw.

Before them, Jamaican / American Lenny Taylor carried on following a parting of ways between Carrington and the Louis Daisley led Executive in 2000.

Taylor was also in charge during 1995. Trinidadian Bertille St. Clair was summoned in 1996, after again the Daisley led administration fired Adolphus “Pabits” Davis, a Vincentian based in the USA.

St. Clair was the man at the helm for the remainder of the 1998 World Cup Qualifiers. Jim Conway, another of British descent had a brief six month stint in 1999.

Brazilian Jorge Ramos was the first foreign Technical Director back in 1992, after former national captain Elliot “ Morie” Millington successfully guided this country to the semi final stage of CONCACAF Zone of the 1994 World Cup Qualifiers.

It was this country’s first taste of World Cup Football, meeting the likes of Mexico, Costa Rica and Honduras .

At Wednesday’s Press Conference, Delves, in addition, outlined several resolutions to be met with the corresponding time lines.

He named among them the appointment of a full time General Secretary by March 2010, as well the professionalization of the SVGFF’ s Secretariat by July 2010. Other resolutions include an upgrade of the SVGFF’ s Technical Programme, developing a plan geared at debt servicing; an upgrade of the Information Technology capabilities of the SVGFF, the advancement of the Goal Project and the improvements of the SVGFF’s Public Relations arm.