DWIGHT YORKE has revealed why he blocked Ron Atkinson from becoming coach of Trinidad and Tobago -- because he believes his former Aston Villa boss is a racist.

Yorke, 35, refused to support Atkinson’s appointment when asked his opinion by TnT president Jack Warner last year.

The former Villa, Manchester United and Blackburn striker was unhappy that the Caribbean nation were ready to employ a man who has been ostracised by football after his infamous comments about Marcel Desailly on television.

Trinidad and Tobago turned instead to former Real Madrid and Holland coach Leo Beenhakker, who guided them to the World Cup finals for the first time and a dream clash with England on June 15.

Yorke explained: “It was pretty obvious that Ron was going to get the job. In fact, he’d had a fax from Jack Warner confirming it.

DWIGHT YORKE

RON ATKINSON

“But the players were then asked at a team meeting what they thought about Ron -- and I felt it was my duty to speak out.

“Ron has been good to me.

“I played under him for four years and I didn’t see one bit of evidence that he was a racist.

“But I couldn’t condone or defend the insult he made about Marcel Desailly.

“I voiced my opinion as captain of the team, as I was asked to.

“I also said Ron was a good manager who was capable of getting us to the World Cup -- but the remarks he made eventually came back to haunt him.”

Yorke, now playing for Sydney FC, has been back at Old Trafford to train alongside Wayne Rooney, Gary Neville and Rio Ferdinand.

He added: “I got to know Wayne well.

“He is a great person and a fantastic player and I hope from the bottom of my heart he is fit for the World Cup.

“I left him a few messages after he got injured, telling him to keep believing.

“It has taken me all my career to qualify for the World Cup and I want to play against the best -- and that means Wayne Rooney.”

Trinidad decided to prepare for the World Cup in style by setting up a training camp in Manchester before moving on to Austria on the way to Germany.