Walther Braithwaite (18 November 1933 – 7 January 2018) was a former Surinamese football manager and player who played as a midfielder and left back in the Surinamese Hoofdklasse for S.V. Transvaal and S.V. Voorwaarts. He also managed the Suriname national team for the nations 1978 and 1986 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaigns, finishing in eighth place in the finals in Mexico in the 1978 edition.[2]
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Walther Braithwaite | ||
| Date of birth | (1933-11-18)18 November 1933 | ||
| Place of birth | Nickerie, Surinam | ||
| Date of death | 7 January 2018(2018-01-07) (aged 84)[1] | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder / Left back | ||
| Youth career | |||
| VV Robinhood | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1950–1956 | Transvaal | ? | (?) |
| 1956–1964 | Voorwaarts | ? | (?) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 1976–1977 | Suriname | ||
| 1985–1986 | Suriname | ||
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of December 21, 2015 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of December 21, 2015 | |||
He was also a former cricket player and winner of three gold medals, who played for cricket club Rood-Wit in the Netherlands.[3]
Braithwaite was born and raised in the Nickerie District, Suriname where he joined local football club VV Robinhood (not to be confused with the club S.V. Robinhood from Paramaribo of the same name).
At age 17 he moved to Paramaribo and joined S.V. Transvaal. Becoming a key player on the first team, he would go on to play for the team for six seasons, while winning the national championship in 1951, before opting to play for S.V. Voorwaarts instead.
In 1956 Braithwaite joined S.V. Voorwaarts where he was moved from his usual midfield position to playing left back. In 1957 he helped the club to its fourth national championship and his personal second in the league.
In 1966 he joined RKSV Rood-Wit playing in the Topklasse, the top flight of cricket in the Netherlands.
In 1976 Braithwaite took over the managerial position on the Suriname national team, with Ro Kolf as his assistant he would help the team to an eighth place finish in the finals of the nations 1978 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign.[4] In 1985, he took over as manager of the national team once more, failing to qualify for the 1986 FIFA World Cup after being eliminated in the qualifying rounds by Honduras.
Suriname national football team – managers | |
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