Soca Warriors Online Discussion Forum

Sports => Football => Topic started by: Flex on October 15, 2014, 02:02:05 AM

Title: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on October 15, 2014, 02:02:05 AM
TTFA, Ministry of Sport plan to chart football forward.
T&T Guardian Reports.


Minister of Sport Rupert Griffith has agreed to meet with officials of the T&T Football Association (TTFA) to discuss the future development of the game locally.

According to a media release sent out by the TTFA yesterday, Griffith has been in communication with TTFA president Raymond Tim Kee and will hold formal discussions this week charting the way forward and outlining the ministry’s support for football going forward.

The release stated: “Tim Kee has indicated that the minister has expressed a great deal of enthusiasm in supporting all competing national teams and has monitored the progress of the senior men’s national team, the Under-20 and Under-17 men’s team and the senior women’s team, all of which are currently engaged in competition.

“The Ministry of Sport and the Sportt Company continue to be our biggest supporters and by all indication, their contributions to the success of these teams will continue going forward. Our discussions will be centred around this and means of having systems in place to ensure there is timely and relevant support for our national teams,” Tim Kee said.

According to Tim Kee, financial support from the Ministry of Sport has played a significant part in the successes of several national football teams since 2012 including the men’s senior team, which finished second at the 2012 Caribbean Cup Finals, reached the quarterfinal of the Concacaf Gold Cup in 2013, finished third at the 2013 OSN Cup in Saudi Arabia, defeated Jamaica twice in 2013, played high-profile friendlies and topped the Caribbean Cup semifinal group in October 2014.

The women’s team also finished winners of the Caribbean Championship in 2014 while the Under-17 men’s team topped its CFU first round group and are into the final round of Caribbean qualifiers for the Fifa Under-17 World Cup and the Under-20 men’s team were also crowned Caribbean Champions in September, 2014.

The Women’s Under-17 Team also captured the Caribbean Championship title last September, while the national Under-15 women’s team finished a commendable third at the 2014 Concacaf Championships in the Cayman Islands. The Women’s Under-20 team also came to within one win of qualifying for the 2014 Fifa Under-20 Women’s World Cup after reaching the third place playoff in January, 2014. These, with the aid of the Ministry of Sport.

RELATED NEWS

Minister Griffith to meet TTFA.
T&T Express Reports.


 Minister of Sport Dr Rupert Griffith has agreed to meet with officials of the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) to discuss the future development of the local game.

According to a TTFA Media release yesterday, Griffith has been communicating with TTFA president Raymond Tim Kee and will hold formal discussions this week about charting the way forward and outlining the Ministry’s support for football.

The proposed meeting comes a week after the financial plight of the national women’s football team received international exposure after coach Randy Waldrum took to Facebook to beg for aid to feed his players upon their arrival in Dallas for a training camp.

Yesterday, Tim Kee indicated that the Minister had expressed a willingness to support all competing national teams and had monitored the progress of the senior men’steam, the Under-20 and Under-17 Men’s team and the senior women’s side, all of which are currently engaged in competition.

“The Ministry of Sport and the Sportt Company continue to be our biggest supporters and by all indication, their contributions to the success of these teams will continue going forward. Our discussions will be centred around this and means of having systems in place to ensure there is timely and relevant support for our national teams,” Tim Kee said.

The TTFA boss noted that the support of the Ministry of Sport had played a significant part in the successes of some of the national teams since 2012, including the senior team which finished second at the 2012 Caribbean Cup Finals, reached the quarter finals of the CONCACAF Gold Cup in 2013, finished third at the 2013 OSN Cup in Saudi Arabia, defeated Jamaica on two occasions in 2013, played high profile friendlies against Argentina and Brazil in 2014 and topped the Caribbean Cup semi-final group in October 2014.

The women’s team also finished winners of the Caribbean Championship in 2014 while the Under-17 men’s team topped their CFU first round group and are into the final round of Caribbean Qualifiers for the FIFA Under-17 World Cup. The Under-20 men’s team were also crowned Caribbean champions in September.

Title: Re: Minister Griffith to meet TTFA.
Post by: Tallman on October 15, 2014, 06:08:57 AM
Ah wonder if it go be another pappyshow like de National Football Consultation (http://www.socawarriors.net/forum/index.php?topic=55714) dat was held under Anil Robert's watch.
Title: Re: Minister Griffith to meet TTFA.
Post by: Sam on October 15, 2014, 06:35:48 AM
De TTFA sitting here and waiting for help, what if all this dont fall through? whats their plan b? do they have any plans to make money on their own?

Imagine de miister of sports is a doctor.

Dr Rupert Griffith.

 :rotfl:

Only in f00cking T&T.

Title: Re: Minister Griffith to meet TTFA.
Post by: Michael-j on October 15, 2014, 07:57:55 AM
De TTFA sitting here and waiting for help, what if all this dont fall through? whats their plan b? do they have any plans to make money on their own?

Imagine de miister of sports is a doctor.

Dr Rupert Griffith.

 :rotfl:

Only in f00cking T&T.




He's not a medical doctor. He has a Ph.D in  Education Administration and Supervision, (and a Masters Degree in Career and Industrial Technology Education).
Title: Re: Minister Griffith to meet TTFA.
Post by: weary1969 on October 15, 2014, 07:58:11 AM
I say what d Powder Puff Minister as called by Watson Duke doing meeting with the TTFA. I4get bout d good Doc is now the MOS.
Title: Re: Minister Griffith to meet TTFA.
Post by: Sam on October 15, 2014, 08:44:33 AM
De TTFA sitting here and waiting for help, what if all this dont fall through? whats their plan b? do they have any plans to make money on their own?

Imagine de minister of sports is a doctor.

Dr Rupert Griffith.

 :rotfl:

Only in f00cking T&T.




He's not a medical doctor. He has a Ph.D in  Education Administration and Supervision, (and a Masters Degree in Career and Industrial Technology Education).

Any none eh have nothing to do with Sports.

Make Ato Boldon or someone in the sport field minister of sports, they know about the sports and whats its like.

I never see a country where athletics suffer so.

And who controlling de sports body in T&T? From Tim Kee, Brian Manning, Larry Romany to Buxo Potts etc.... sucking finger and making de athletics suffer.

It should have open election.

I dont like Tim Kee for example.

I want to vote.

And who controlling de ZONES ???
Title: Re: Minister Griffith to meet TTFA.
Post by: vb on October 15, 2014, 08:58:52 AM
De TTFA sitting here and waiting for help, what if all this dont fall through? whats their plan b? do they have any plans to make money on their own?

Imagine de minister of sports is a doctor.

Dr Rupert Griffith.

 :rotfl:

Only in f00cking T&T.




He's not a medical doctor. He has a Ph.D in  Education Administration and Supervision, (and a Masters Degree in Career and Industrial Technology Education).

Any none eh have nothing to do with Sports.

Make Ato Boldon or someone in the sport field minister of sports, they know about the sports and whats its like.

I never see a country where athletics suffer so.

And who controlling de sports body in T&T? From Tim Kee, Brian Manning, Larry Romany to Buxo Potts etc.... sucking finger and making de athletics suffer.

It should have open election.

I dont like Tim Kee for example.

I want to vote.

And who controlling de ZONES ???

You don't have to be a top sportsman to make a good MOS.
What you need is a proper combination of sports knowledge and education.

On paper both Hunte and Anil had this. But both let themselves down with projects that were not properly financially accounted for.

And who knows the man may have played some decent sports in his day.

VB
Title: Re: Minister Griffith to meet TTFA.
Post by: Bakes on October 15, 2014, 09:33:53 AM
Any none eh have nothing to do with Sports.

Make Ato Boldon or someone in the sport field minister of sports, they know about the sports and whats its like.

I never see a country where athletics suffer so.

And who controlling de sports body in T&T? From Tim Kee, Brian Manning, Larry Romany to Buxo Potts etc.... sucking finger and making de athletics suffer.

It should have open election.

I dont like Tim Kee for example.

I want to vote.

And who controlling de ZONES ???

Your entire line or thinking is just stupid.
Title: Re: Minister Griffith to meet TTFA.
Post by: Deeks on October 15, 2014, 12:41:14 PM
Make Ato Boldon or someone in the sport field minister of sports,

Sam Oh Sam. You think Ato is a glutton for punishment. Ato been there, done that. And the perception that a former athlete or sport personality will make a good MOS, is not always plausible. Someone with a sound administrative background. She or he must be an effective communicator with the various sports bodies and the business community. I would be prefer she or he be an avid sports(all sports) fan. If that person represented TT is some sport, that would be great but not necessary. I feel that when a team is selected for an international event, the MOS should be there to assist. Yes they should put stipulations for the request of funds. What is so friggin' difficult about that. This is not the first time a women's going for a WC qualifying tournament. They pre-qualified right in their own backyard and had to go thru all that nonsense. That is unforgivable. I almost sure Tim Kee must have asked them for money as soon as the team qualified. But redtape and party politics cause this nonsense to happen.
Title: Re: Minister Griffith to meet TTFA.
Post by: royal on October 15, 2014, 04:27:06 PM
we've had former elite athletes in the past who were sports ministers eg Marilyn Gordon, Basil Ince and Jean Pierre yet a lot of people credit Jennifer Johnson as being one of the best in recent times. 
Title: Re: Minister Griffith to meet TTFA.
Post by: Football supporter on October 15, 2014, 11:58:40 PM
I found Rupert Griffith to be very aware of the failings of previous sports ministers. Although he may not be a sport "expert", he does like sport. In a way he is a good choice. How many times have we wanted a supporter to run sport? He is very focused on accountability, but he is also willing to listen to proposals. He is also very aware that there needs to be upgrades in community grounds to get professional football  out of the stadiums.
Obviously we need to see how he performs, but I do think he should be given the some time to settle in before we criticise him too soon.
Title: Re: Minister Griffith to meet TTFA.
Post by: Socapro on October 16, 2014, 07:56:57 AM
I found Rupert Griffith to be very aware of the failings of previous sports ministers. Although he may not be a sport "expert", he does like sport. In a way he is a good choice. How many times have we wanted a supporter to run sport? He is very focused on accountability, but he is also willing to listen to proposals. He is also very aware that there needs to be upgrades in community grounds to get professional football  out of the stadiums.
Obviously we need to see how he performs, but I do think he should be given the some time to settle in before we criticise him too soon.
:beermug:
Title: Re: Minister Griffith to meet TTFA.
Post by: AB.Trini on October 16, 2014, 08:31:26 AM
Is now he looking interested? Steups yuh get a job an appointment to a ministry should he not be having these talks with all the sporting bodies to find out measures of success account abilities from the onset? Steups  all we getting is one whole heap of rhetoric and politicking - another example of incompetence at the highest degree from this governance.  Is like they are reactive rather then been proactive- it took a public national and international embarrassment before talk starting.
All them ministers could hush they arse and go  sit in ah latrine and ponder the crap they doing in they ministerial house.
Title: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Sam on November 18, 2014, 10:35:49 AM
Who should take over for the TTFA

I fed up with the constant embarrassment, the lies and false promises and the lack of ambition to make money on their own and sand on their own two feet.

Sheldon Phillips keep taking credit that the TTFA is the one paying the players when is de T&T government who have to constantly bail them out.

The players who playing they hearts out there and getting results with no food, no refreshments, no transportation, no pay, no friendly games, no local camps, NOTHING !!!

This is de only time in T&T history we dont have a local core in training. De pro league was out for 3 months (June, July and August and part of Sept)  and nothing. De ole TTFF was better in many ways.

I hear national coaches have to pick players up and bring them to training and buy food and boots for them youth players.

If the women team did not refuse to go on that plane they would have still be begging for their pay.

Now de senior men team had to boycott just to get they pay WHO DE GOVERNMENT HAD TO PAY.

I am not hearing any plans be the TTFA on what they doing to make things better.

Christmas, Carnival, throw a fete, have fund raisers, etc, etc, do something man.

Tim Kee also needs to leave de politics, he cant be a opposition politician and run the TTFA.

De TTFA just waiting with they hands open for money, like people will just give them MILLIONS and then they go take all de credit in de end.

If anybody decent get money they to could do de same.

Tim Kee is hiding to many secrets and it making it worst for them and Sheldon is burning his name to.

Get your house in order or get out.

If de job to big for you, then leave.

Ah like Sheldon, but if must put his foot down on Tim Kee or else he will be in de same mess.

Title: Re: Who should take over for the TTFA
Post by: Deeks on November 18, 2014, 11:47:32 AM
Sam, I agree Tim should resign because he is PNM. As long as POS has a PNM mayor they will be starved of money to make improvements. Why you think Lee Sing bolted. The other choice is for him to join PP. Then you will see how everything will go smoothly. By he should resign and work on PNM future.

I can't see where TTFA taking credit for everything. Most of the time I have see the TTFA saying that they get the money from Mos  or Sport. They always say, this has to go thru parliament before they get the money. Go back and read some of the newspaper articles. Show us where Sheldon say he should be credited for making this or that happen. Maybe the MoS should take over the TTFA. Let the gov't run it. Or maybe you have your business partners in line to take over. Let me tell you. Who ever take over TTFA, have to bring in MONEY. Fundraisers are all well and good. But that money will NEVER be enough to support football.
Title: Re: Who should take over for the TTFA
Post by: elan on November 18, 2014, 11:50:20 AM
I don't think it's so much as who is in charge as much as it it what plans they have and their ability to secure support, resources and finances to implement those plans to make the FA successful.
We need someone who can -initially- bring people in who's willing to volunteer and commit their time to assisting in streamlining the FA.

Positions that need critical attention

- Public Relations
- Marketing
- Fundraising (separate from sponsors)
- Program Development (from the community to the World Cup) Not that it's correct or we should do it but.... (http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/18/sports/soccer/us-soccer-plans-review-of-youth-programs-to-try-to-close-gap-with-europe.html?smid=tw-share&_r=0).
- Coaches Education
Title: Re: Who should take over for the TTFA
Post by: Trinitozbone on November 18, 2014, 12:45:48 PM
Flex is Ok for PR and he could be part of an interim executive who can create change and to hold proper and transparent elections.some of the members of this Committee could include a rep nominated by the 73 team, the strike Squad and the 2006 soca warriors . The problem is too big for one man. This committee could work for a year to put things in order . A rep of the ministry of Sport or Sport company can also be appointed because they seem to be running football. We want an executive body free of nepotism. After the Corneals regime , it is now the Phillips and son team Sheldon and Lincoln , what a shame! We can't go on like this!
Title: Re: Who should take over for the TTFA
Post by: Trevor on November 18, 2014, 12:54:55 PM
TTFA has no money.  They are at the mercy of the government.  They need a development department for strictly raising funds, but even at that, I do not know who is going to put a large amount of money into TTFA.  The big difference between this current administration and the past is the issue of ethics.  I do not see Tim Kee and Sheldon Phillips as dishonorable people.  They just have a lot of limitations in what they are dealing with.  It does not matter who is running TTFA, they are going to be faced with a lot of financial challenges. 
Title: Re: Who should take over for the TTFA
Post by: MEP on November 18, 2014, 01:21:11 PM
It is funny how people on the outside always have a solution
Title: Re: Who should take over for the TTFA
Post by: elan on November 18, 2014, 01:27:05 PM
It is funny how people on the outside always have a solution

I don't think it solutions, but ideas. People will always have ideas and there is nothing wrong that, can't hurt. This is part of the problem with our football, people limited to receiving different ideas. You're not a President of an FA so you should not talk or express some ideas.

 :-\
Title: Re: Who should take over for the TTFA
Post by: supporter on November 18, 2014, 01:31:55 PM
TTFA has no money.  They are at the mercy of the government.  They need a development department for strictly raising funds, but even at that, I do not know who is going to put a large amount of money into TTFA.  The big difference between this current administration and the past is the issue of ethics.  I do not see Tim Kee and Sheldon Phillips as dishonorable people.  They just have a lot of limitations in what they are dealing with.  It does not matter who is running TTFA, they are going to be faced with a lot of financial challenges. 

I dont think the TTFA needs to be disbanded or that they are corrupt. Maybe they are inept, but theyve had such little funding to work with. They were in a position to fail from the outset.
Title: Re: Who should take over for the TTFA
Post by: Deeks on November 18, 2014, 01:36:45 PM
We need someone who can -initially- bring people in who's willing to volunteer and commit their time to assisting in streamlining the FA.

Elan, be realistic now. The only people who can volunteer are millionaires. No one who has a family to take care of,  going to work for TTFA for free!
Title: Re: Who should take over for the TTFA
Post by: Orient Trini on November 18, 2014, 01:43:31 PM
I agree with most that Tim Kee is:
1) Not fit for the role as he has announced political preference
2) His political preference is not in power therefore resulting in delays in payments, non support from Government until they absolutely must release funds or threatened, ie Women's senior team fiasco and today's drama in Jamaica.
3) A businessman not a Football man, clueless on the demands necessary to successfully run a F.A
4) Maybe placed there by Warner to protect and avoid legal issues over the 2006 missing money for all involved. Tim Kee was a part of that regime.

I think he is out of his depth and he is dragging the General Sec down with him as Mr Phillips from what I've read about him here on this forum seems to have good intentions but he has no financial support and a weak support system.

This is the first administration to not rely on Jack Warner's money.

I would like to see Tim Kee out of the picture and a good football person with business sense relative to creating a successful F.A come in.

My nominee would be Shaka Hislop. He is very charming and can be impartial to any political party in T&T for the betterment of Trinidad and Tobago Football. He can land sponsors and bring fresh innovative ideas into T&T Football.

He can set up a support system with the likes of Brent Sancho, Kelvin Jack etc. Young fresh football minds with experience on and off the field who can really take us forward and be loved by the entire nation as they are already heroes.

Title: Re: Who should take over for the TTFA
Post by: Bakes on November 18, 2014, 01:46:04 PM
The TTFA's biggest fault as I see it has been its failure to better engage the public directly.  Sheldon Phillips does what he can, but Tim Kee doesn't really understand or appreciate the benefits of social media, particularly in today's day and age.  There needs to be more transparency from the organization so that people would realize that nobody's playing hide the ball (if that is legitimately the case) and that funds aren't being misused or misspent.  I don't think there is any deliberate attempt to hide things from the public as has been the case in the past, but for some reason the leadership insists on playing things very close to the vest.  There are traitors and saboteurs inside the organization, but none of the stuff I'm referring to is that secretive that it's kept from these insiders... they already know all about it.  Despite that there's a sneaky campaign of lies and halftruths being leaked to and through Wired868.com, and nobody is really stepping forward to say "no, that is not the case, look the proof here."

Case in point, all this talk about where the money is going and "audited reports"... accounting for all monies is included in the General Secretary's report to the executive board.  Every penny from the friendlies played, to gate receipts... how much was made (or lost as the case was) and how much was spent is in it.  There are no audited statements because an audit requires the hiring of an outside accounting firm to pour over the financial statements.  The last time KPMG did an audit of the finances following the WC 2006 fiasco, it cost over $1million TT for them to do the audit.  For Lasana and the rest who keep bawling about "audited statements", where is the TTFA supposed to find money to pay for that?  You don't just commission an audit by vaps or because some jackass on a hill somewhere keep braying fuh it. 

Tim Kee needs to put the GS report on the TTFA website for everybody to see what's going on.  All of the agreements which they signed with sponsors, only for the sponsors to renege and basically dare them to sue (knowing they can't sue because they have no money and can't be antagonistic), publish that on the website. Instead of waiting for Watson and Taylor and them to keep leaking stuff to Lasana, have regular press releases on the website so that people at least could hear the other side of the story and try and pick sense from nonsense.  Instead you have self-righteous silence ("me eh do nutten wrong so I doh need to address dem allegations") on one end and a steady drumbeat of accusations on the other.  They desperately need a publicist and/or media advisor... Fuentes is a waste, all he good for is to run behind man back looking for opportunity to stab them.
Title: Re: Who should take over for the TTFA
Post by: Deeks on November 18, 2014, 01:52:24 PM
This is the best forum in the world!!!!!
Title: Re: Who should take over for the TTFA
Post by: elan on November 18, 2014, 02:02:05 PM
The TTFA's biggest fault as I see it has been its failure to better engage the public directly.  Sheldon Phillips does what he can, but Tim Kee doesn't really understand or appreciate the benefits of social media, particularly in today's day and age.  There needs to be more transparency from the organization so that people would realize that nobody's playing hide the ball (if that is legitimately the case) and that funds aren't being misused or misspent.  I don't think there is any deliberate attempt to hide things from the public as has been the case in the past, but for some reason the leadership insists on playing things very close to the vest.  There are traitors and saboteurs inside the organization, but none of the stuff I'm referring to is that secretive that it's kept from these insiders... they already know all about it.  Despite that there's a sneaky campaign of lies and halftruths being leaked to and through Wired868.com, and nobody is really stepping forward to say "no, that is not the case, look the proof here."

Case in point, all this talk about where the money is going and "audited reports"... accounting for all monies is included in the General Secretary's report to the executive board.  Every penny from the friendlies played, to gate receipts... how much was made (or lost as the case was) and how much was spent is in it.  There are no audited statements because an audit requires the hiring of an outside accounting firm to pour over the financial statements.  The last time KPMG did an audit of the finances following the WC 2006 fiasco, it cost over $1million TT for them to do the audit.  For Lasana and the rest who keep bawling about "audited statements", where is the TTFA supposed to find money to pay for that?  You don't just commission an audit by vaps or because some jackass on a hill somewhere keep braying fuh it. 

Tim Kee needs to put the GS report on the TTFA website for everybody to see what's going on.  All of the agreements which they signed with sponsors, only for the sponsors to renege and basically dare them to sue (knowing they can't sue because they have no money and can't be antagonistic), publish that on the website. Instead of waiting for Watson and Taylor and them to keep leaking stuff to Lasana, have regular press releases on the website so that people at least could hear the other side of the story and try and pick sense from nonsense.  Instead you have self-righteous silence ("me eh do nutten wrong so I doh need to address dem allegations") on one end and a steady drumbeat of accusations on the other.  They desperately need a publicist and/or media advisor... Fuentes is a waste, all he good for is to run behind man back looking for opportunity to stab them.

Bakes this makes sense.

I have not seen Lasana tell a lie. He may sensationalize (par for the course) somethings but not sure about lies. As you say, the FA needs to come forward and address certain things, not everything. The press good, bad or ugly plays their part and the FA ca't get too caught up in that. So far they had 3 issues that I think they dropped the ball on in addressing players and then the public. Other than that I really don't need to hear them defend small things they are being criticized about. Just take it o the chin.
Title: Re: Who should take over for the TTFA
Post by: pull stones on November 18, 2014, 02:08:36 PM
sorry guys i know im new here but i have been on this site for years browsing when ever i could. been a fan of local football and is somewhat familiarized with what has been taking place, and from where i stand what we are seeing here is still the effects of the old guard (TTFF). i honestly believe that timkee and phillips have the best of intentions but unfortunately that don't pay the bills. i think that the blame goes to the local business community who has shown no intent on supporting sports in this country and the MOS who's playing a game of political spite. as it stands oli camps has not only left the federation broke but also in arrears. while tim and phillips have to scratch and claw for what ever help they could musta, which is very unfortunate. nothing new T.I.T.
Title: Re: Who should take over for the TTFA
Post by: Trevor on November 18, 2014, 02:17:38 PM
This is an excellent thread!
Title: Re: Who should take over for the TTFA
Post by: Bakes on November 18, 2014, 02:22:21 PM
Bakes this makes sense.

I have not seen Lasana tell a lie. He may sensationalize (par for the course) somethings but not sure about lies. As you say, the FA needs to come forward and address certain things, not everything. The press good, bad or ugly plays their part and the FA ca't get too caught up in that. So far they had 3 issues that I think they dropped the ball on in addressing players and then the public. Other than that I really don't need to hear them defend small things they are being criticized about. Just take it o the chin.

Call it lie, call it half-truth, call it misrepresentation, call it exaggeration if yuh want... it have plenty.  You have to consider, who is Lasana's source? And do they have an agenda?  Case in point, the whole thing about putting off elections, the TTFA is not the only FA in the world that FIFA gave an extension of time to modernize their statutes and bring them into compliance with FIFA's general statutes.  FECA (the Cameroonian FA) got the same 9-month extension, for exactly the same reason.  Lasana make it seem like TnT was the only place in the world this happen.  And worse, the spin he put on it was that FIFA do this "illegally" (never mind that Article 7 of the FIFA statutes gives them just that authority), and in collusion with Tim Kee so that Tim Kee could avoid/delay elections and hang onto power longer.  Like 9 months is really something to hang on to.  You might say he didn't lie, I would say if he not lying he's deliberately misleading the public.  The end result is that he's helping undermine trust in the TTFA (which is precisely what Watson wants, since he was one of Tim Kee's opponents last elections and likely will be again at the next), which in turn prevents local businesses from wanting to align themselves with the organization, and gives the government ammunition to treat the FA as it does.  This is why the gov't feel they so bold that they could just bypass the FA now and pay players, past and present, directly.  Exchanging public funds for political capital.  This is the kind of underhand shit that the public not focused on.  Is only "Tim Kee and dem is crooks, they have to go!!"
Title: Re: Who should take over for the TTFA
Post by: Thomo on November 18, 2014, 02:33:44 PM
Bakes this makes sense.

I have not seen Lasana tell a lie. He may sensationalize (par for the course) somethings but not sure about lies. As you say, the FA needs to come forward and address certain things, not everything. The press good, bad or ugly plays their part and the FA ca't get too caught up in that. So far they had 3 issues that I think they dropped the ball on in addressing players and then the public. Other than that I really don't need to hear them defend small things they are being criticized about. Just take it o the chin.


Call it lie, call it half-truth, call it misrepresentation, call it exaggeration if yuh want... it have plenty.  You have to consider, who is Lasana's source? And do they have an agenda?  Case in point, the whole thing about putting off elections, the TTFA is not the only FA in the world that FIFA gave an extension of time to modernize their statutes and bring them into compliance with FIFA's general statutes.  FECA (the Cameroonian FA) got the same 9-month extension, for exactly the same reason.  Lasana make it seem like TnT was the only place in the world this happen.  And worse, the spin he put on it was that FIFA do this "illegally" (never mind that Article 7 of the FIFA statutes gives them just that authority), and in collusion with Tim Kee so that Tim Kee could avoid/delay elections and hang onto power longer.  Like 9 months is really something to hang on to.  You might say he didn't lie, I would say if he not lying he's deliberately misleading the public.  The end result is that he's helping undermine trust in the TTFA (which is precisely what Watson wants, since he was one of Tim Kee's opponents last elections and likely will be again at the next), which in turn prevents local businesses from wanting to align themselves with the organization, and gives the government ammunition to treat the FA as it does.  This is why the gov't feel they so bold that they could just bypass the FA now and pay players, past and present, directly.  Exchanging public funds for political capital.  This is the kind of underhand shit that the public not focused on.  Is only "Tim Kee and dem is crooks, they have to go!!"
Thank you for expressing my sentiments
Title: Re: Who should take over for the TTFA
Post by: Socapro on November 18, 2014, 03:14:17 PM
Kenwyne Jones calls for new blood in the TTFA and also for a strong functioning Players Association to fight on behalf of the players.

https://www.youtube.com/v/rtEpp6Uo68Y
Title: Re: Who should take over for the TTFA
Post by: MEP on November 18, 2014, 03:23:50 PM
WTF Elan and Bakes agree on something.....judging by how cold it is outside hell really has frozen over.
Title: Re: Who should take over for the TTFA
Post by: najee on November 18, 2014, 03:27:56 PM
I say anyone who have that vision to take T&T football program to higher level and beyond
Title: Re: Who should take over for the TTFA
Post by: pull stones on November 18, 2014, 03:28:03 PM
this don't sound too good coming from jonsey. it seem like the coach has had it and has made up his mind to to bounce and the players also because of their loyalty to the coach wouldn't rep the country under another coach. oh dear look at trouble again for trinidad football.
Title: Re: Who should take over for the TTFA
Post by: Jumbie on November 18, 2014, 03:34:13 PM
I don't think it's so much as who is in charge as much as it it what plans they have and their ability to secure support, resources and finances to implement those plans to make the FA successful.
We need someone who can -initially- bring people in who's willing to volunteer and commit their time to assisting in streamlining the FA.

Positions that need critical attention

- Public Relations
- Marketing
- Fundraising (separate from sponsors)
- Program Development (from the community to the World Cup) Not that it's correct or we should do it but.... (http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/18/sports/soccer/us-soccer-plans-review-of-youth-programs-to-try-to-close-gap-with-europe.html?smid=tw-share&_r=0).
- Coaches Education

well said!
Title: Re: Who should take over for the TTFA
Post by: Jumbie on November 18, 2014, 03:40:13 PM
Bakes talking sense on many issues.
Title: Re: Who should take over for the TTFA
Post by: najee on November 18, 2014, 03:48:21 PM
I can't believe after all these years the TTFA in this shit...Tim Kee and the old staff have to really step down and give brighter head a chance to take this FA forward in a big way
Title: Re: Who should take over for the TTFA
Post by: Controversial on November 18, 2014, 03:59:15 PM
i warned everyone about tim kee and all sport but no one listened, in fact, that's when the herd arose and i dismantled them, all of them...

it's time to wake up T&T
Title: Re: Who should take over for the TTFA
Post by: pull stones on November 18, 2014, 04:24:45 PM
i warned everyone about tim kee and all sport but no one listened, in fact, that's when the herd arose and i dismantled them, all of them...

it's time to wake up T&T
i think tim kee is doing his best ATM it's just that his political affiliation makes him and obvious target more or less for funding the federation. you must remember what keeps us back as a people is our pettiness and prejudices and if politicians decide to bury the hatchet then i believe a lot would be accomplished. nothing new here to see, just the same ole same ole. my only concern is if the coach stays or leave, i couldn't take another uprooting of the coach and another system introduced that the players have to adopt too. this would be a huge set back.
Title: Re: Who should take over for the TTFA
Post by: Sam on November 18, 2014, 05:02:13 PM
Then he have to choose.

One or de other.

A politician or the TTFA president.

Anytime you start playing politics everything will fall apart.

Politician are build on lies, remember that, anywhere and anyone, they are corrupted and lie a lot.

I want de TTFA do do well, but they really need to start thinking out of the box.

How long will de government bail they out?

Title: Re: Who should take over for the TTFA
Post by: Sam on November 18, 2014, 05:02:59 PM
Flex is Ok for PR and he could be part of an interim executive who can create change and to hold proper and transparent elections.some of the members of this Committee could include a rep nominated by the 73 team, the strike Squad and the 2006 soca warriors . The problem is too big for one man. This committee could work for a year to put things in order . A rep of the ministry of Sport or Sport company can also be appointed because they seem to be running football. We want an executive body free of nepotism. After the Corneals regime , it is now the Phillips and son team Sheldon and Lincoln , what a shame! We can't go on like this!

Good post.

Title: Re: Who should take over for the TTFA
Post by: Spursy on November 18, 2014, 05:21:27 PM
I don't know anything about the inner workings of the TTFA, lets examine the reason why change personnel in TTFA.

Firstly our media guy isn't doing an adequate job with interviews, the youtube channel looks a bit shaggy for a lack of better wording and the coverage in terms of post/pre-match is poor in my opinion. If the government is the main funds holder there is very little the TTFA can do in terms of paying the players. There is a process involve anytime government of tnt is involved especially when it comes to money.

In my humble opinion the way this team is projected in the media plays a big part in getting sponsors involved. I think we need personnel that can work to find sponsors. The most important thing for TTFA is to find ways to be self sufficient. Selling shirts, promoting merchandise/advertisement for companies, etc etc.
Title: Re: Who should take over for the TTFA
Post by: davyjenny1 on November 18, 2014, 11:21:04 PM
TTFA's admin and development process are way,way off the mark, to me, there are no solutions near in sight.
I wish them (TTFA) well. Hart is still experimenting with this team even though knowing that the mindset of success of the modern game comes from playing on the pitch.
Title: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Insider on March 30, 2015, 09:00:53 AM
New TTFA same problems.

Once the TTFA start getting their acts together, teams will play better and what happens off the field affect players greatly.

Its a new TTFA and still they operating like the old one.

When they are done with T&T football we will hit rock bottom twice.

Not even hotels want to give them help.

No one trusts them anymore.

The hotel wanted their money upfront again, the TTFA wanted consignment and they said no, leaving the TTFA to scrape up the money to pay for the team's hotel stay.

Some of the players and staff still not paid since the last caribbean cup.

They wanted to put the team in a Maxi before the Panama game and both said no, they not going. Panama coach was very upset to, he wanted to leave.

The women team is upset, they didn't care to play Colombia or Argentina, they just wanted a game.

The Under 15 team is still not together and they have a tournament soon.

I spoke to Sancho last week and Sancho said he will help, but the TTFA still do not have a long term plan for direct football, all they talking about the clinics etc.

He said you cannot bring a team every 3 months and expect team to grow or gel.

The TTFA has decided they will close all relationship with the media until further notice, hence the reason no one is hearing from them or their plans for T&T football, even sponsors.

They want the public support but yet they operating very self centered, how will you get the public trust?

Tim Kee told me personally, he has to answer to no one.

I asked Tim Kee how is the TTFA operating daily with no money? his reply was, we cannot disclose and preferred to remain silence.

Did anyone catch the new kit T&T sporting? If they expect to boost sales, they need to work with Joma to get better designs, no one will buy those boring looking shirts. T&T is about color, carnival, nice designs, not a simple two line shirt.

I asked Hyland if he like de kit, he watch me with a smirk.

They need to be open and get more people involved in decision making and really start taking advise from someone else, cause they are doing as they please and expect folks to jump on the waggon.

Title: Re: New TTFA same problems.
Post by: Football supporter on March 30, 2015, 09:19:07 AM
Once the TTFA start getting their acts together, teams will play better and what happens off the field affect players greatly.

Its a new TTFA and still they operating like the old one.

When they are done with T&T football we will hit rock bottom twice.

Not even hotels want to give them help.

No one trusts them anymore.

The hotel wanted their money upfront again, the TTFA wanted consignment and they said no, leaving the TTFA to scrape up the money to pay for the team's hotel stay.

Some of the players and staff still not paid since the last caribbean cup.

They wanted to put the team in a Maxi before the Panama game and both said no, they not going. Panama coach was very upset to, he wanted to leave.

The women team is upset, they didn't care to play Colombia or Argentina, they just wanted a game.

The Under 15 team is still not together and they have a tournament soon.

I spoke to Sancho last week and Sancho said he will help, but the TTFA still do not have a long term plan for direct football, all they talking about the clinics etc.

He said you cannot bring a team every 3 months and expect team to grow or gel.

The TTFA has decided they will close all relationship with the media until further notice, hence the reason no one is hearing from them or their plans for T&T football, even sponsors.

They want the public support but yet they operating very self centered, how will you get the public trust?

Tim Kee told me personally, he has to answer to no one.

I asked Tim Kee how is the TTFA operating daily with no money? his reply was, we cannot disclose and preferred to remain silence.

Did anyone catch the new kit T&T sporting? If they expect to boost sales, they need to work with Joma to get better designs, no one will buy those boring looking shirts. T&T is about color, carnival, nice designs, not a simple two line shirt.

I asked Hyland if he like de kit, he watch me with a smirk.

They need to be open and get more people involved in decision making and really start taking advise from someone else, cause they are doing as they please and expect folks to jump on the waggon.



They wanted to put the team in a Maxi before the Panama game and both said no, they not going. Panama coach was very upset to, he wanted to leave. 
Actually, they were 24 seater coaches provided by SPORTT & Ministry of Sport. These had been used all week, but both teams wanted 1 large bus instead of the two 24 seaters to travel to and from the game. This was arranged by TTFA with PTSC.
Title: Re: New TTFA same problems.
Post by: elan on March 30, 2015, 10:26:11 AM
Man hot on Google now googling TTFA info that nowhere on the internet to come and drop a smack down.


If you do a cursory search on Google you will find all info you want on TTFA.  ::)
Title: Re: New TTFA same problems.
Post by: Insider on April 14, 2015, 12:45:37 PM
Once the TTFA start getting their acts together, teams will play better and what happens off the field affect players greatly.

Its a new TTFA and still they operating like the old one.

When they are done with T&T football we will hit rock bottom twice.

Not even hotels want to give them help.

No one trusts them anymore.

The hotel wanted their money upfront again, the TTFA wanted consignment and they said no, leaving the TTFA to scrape up the money to pay for the team's hotel stay.

Some of the players and staff still not paid since the last caribbean cup.

They wanted to put the team in a Maxi before the Panama game and both said no, they not going. Panama coach was very upset to, he wanted to leave.

The women team is upset, they didn't care to play Colombia or Argentina, they just wanted a game.

The Under 15 team is still not together and they have a tournament soon.

I spoke to Sancho last week and Sancho said he will help, but the TTFA still do not have a long term plan for direct football, all they talking about the clinics etc.

He said you cannot bring a team every 3 months and expect team to grow or gel.

The TTFA has decided they will close all relationship with the media until further notice, hence the reason no one is hearing from them or their plans for T&T football, even sponsors.

They want the public support but yet they operating very self centered, how will you get the public trust?

Tim Kee told me personally, he has to answer to no one.

I asked Tim Kee how is the TTFA operating daily with no money? his reply was, we cannot disclose and preferred to remain silence.

Did anyone catch the new kit T&T sporting? If they expect to boost sales, they need to work with Joma to get better designs, no one will buy those boring looking shirts. T&T is about color, carnival, nice designs, not a simple two line shirt.

I asked Hyland if he like de kit, he watch me with a smirk.

They need to be open and get more people involved in decision making and really start taking advise from someone else, cause they are doing as they please and expect folks to jump on the waggon.



They wanted to put the team in a Maxi before the Panama game and both said no, they not going. Panama coach was very upset to, he wanted to leave. 
Actually, they were 24 seater coaches provided by SPORTT & Ministry of Sport. These had been used all week, but both teams wanted 1 large bus instead of the two 24 seaters to travel to and from the game. This was arranged by TTFA with PTSC.

If you didn't work for the MoS you would not have posted this.

This no pay thing to players and staff caused a real mess. Its not just pay, its flights, proper treatment once in camp etc.

You have to remember. The foreign based pros accustom to certain standards, they not demanding the same standards, but there will be a bare minimum they expect.

For example, under Jack reign players who flew from Europe always flew Business class, now its Economy. They not complaining about that, but when they home they could at least get a proper bus ride or a hassle free hotel stay not an embarrassing one. The SPORTT bus is just a glorified large Maxi Taxi.

The TTFA is in a mess and its run very poorly and wants to players to accept no pay and play their hearts out, no insurance etc.

The June camp in jeopardy...

I suspect something serious could happen if things doesn't change.

How do you guys expect us to bring Inniss and DeLeon under this mess?

Its embarrassing.

Title: Re: New TTFA same problems.
Post by: Controversial on April 14, 2015, 01:02:56 PM
Once the TTFA start getting their acts together, teams will play better and what happens off the field affect players greatly.

Its a new TTFA and still they operating like the old one.

When they are done with T&T football we will hit rock bottom twice.

Not even hotels want to give them help.

No one trusts them anymore.

The hotel wanted their money upfront again, the TTFA wanted consignment and they said no, leaving the TTFA to scrape up the money to pay for the team's hotel stay.

Some of the players and staff still not paid since the last caribbean cup.

They wanted to put the team in a Maxi before the Panama game and both said no, they not going. Panama coach was very upset to, he wanted to leave.

The women team is upset, they didn't care to play Colombia or Argentina, they just wanted a game.

The Under 15 team is still not together and they have a tournament soon.

I spoke to Sancho last week and Sancho said he will help, but the TTFA still do not have a long term plan for direct football, all they talking about the clinics etc.

He said you cannot bring a team every 3 months and expect team to grow or gel.

The TTFA has decided they will close all relationship with the media until further notice, hence the reason no one is hearing from them or their plans for T&T football, even sponsors.

They want the public support but yet they operating very self centered, how will you get the public trust?

Tim Kee told me personally, he has to answer to no one.

I asked Tim Kee how is the TTFA operating daily with no money? his reply was, we cannot disclose and preferred to remain silence.

Did anyone catch the new kit T&T sporting? If they expect to boost sales, they need to work with Joma to get better designs, no one will buy those boring looking shirts. T&T is about color, carnival, nice designs, not a simple two line shirt.

I asked Hyland if he like de kit, he watch me with a smirk.

They need to be open and get more people involved in decision making and really start taking advise from someone else, cause they are doing as they please and expect folks to jump on the waggon.



They wanted to put the team in a Maxi before the Panama game and both said no, they not going. Panama coach was very upset to, he wanted to leave. 
Actually, they were 24 seater coaches provided by SPORTT & Ministry of Sport. These had been used all week, but both teams wanted 1 large bus instead of the two 24 seaters to travel to and from the game. This was arranged by TTFA with PTSC.

If you didn't work for the MoS you would not have posted this.

This no pay thing to players and staff caused a real mess. Its not just pay, its flights, proper treatment once in camp etc.

You have to remember. The foreign based pros accustom to certain standards, they not demanding the same standards, but there will be a bare minimum they expect.

For example, under Jack reign players who flew from Europe always flew Business class, now its Economy. They not complaining about that, but when they home they could at least get a proper bus ride or a hassle free hotel stay not an embarrassing one. The SPORTT bus is just a glorified large Maxi Taxi.

The TTFA is in a mess and its run very poorly and wants to players to accept no pay and play their hearts out, no insurance etc.

The June camp in jeopardy...

I suspect something serious could happen if things doesn't change.

How do you guys expect us to bring Inniss and DeLeon under this mess?

Its embarrassing.



so basically you complaining and don't know what really happened and you call yourself an insider?

if the ttfa and ptsc provided the buses, what the hell are you talking about?
Title: Re: New TTFA same problems.
Post by: Banter Banton on April 14, 2015, 01:04:52 PM
Once the TTFA start getting their acts together, teams will play better and what happens off the field affect players greatly.

Its a new TTFA and still they operating like the old one.

When they are done with T&T football we will hit rock bottom twice.

Not even hotels want to give them help.

No one trusts them anymore.

The hotel wanted their money upfront again, the TTFA wanted consignment and they said no, leaving the TTFA to scrape up the money to pay for the team's hotel stay.

Some of the players and staff still not paid since the last caribbean cup.

They wanted to put the team in a Maxi before the Panama game and both said no, they not going. Panama coach was very upset to, he wanted to leave.

The women team is upset, they didn't care to play Colombia or Argentina, they just wanted a game.

The Under 15 team is still not together and they have a tournament soon.

I spoke to Sancho last week and Sancho said he will help, but the TTFA still do not have a long term plan for direct football, all they talking about the clinics etc.

He said you cannot bring a team every 3 months and expect team to grow or gel.

The TTFA has decided they will close all relationship with the media until further notice, hence the reason no one is hearing from them or their plans for T&T football, even sponsors.

They want the public support but yet they operating very self centered, how will you get the public trust?

Tim Kee told me personally, he has to answer to no one.

I asked Tim Kee how is the TTFA operating daily with no money? his reply was, we cannot disclose and preferred to remain silence.

Did anyone catch the new kit T&T sporting? If they expect to boost sales, they need to work with Joma to get better designs, no one will buy those boring looking shirts. T&T is about color, carnival, nice designs, not a simple two line shirt.

I asked Hyland if he like de kit, he watch me with a smirk.

They need to be open and get more people involved in decision making and really start taking advise from someone else, cause they are doing as they please and expect folks to jump on the waggon.



They wanted to put the team in a Maxi before the Panama game and both said no, they not going. Panama coach was very upset to, he wanted to leave. 
Actually, they were 24 seater coaches provided by SPORTT & Ministry of Sport. These had been used all week, but both teams wanted 1 large bus instead of the two 24 seaters to travel to and from the game. This was arranged by TTFA with PTSC.


For example, under Jack reign players who flew from Europe always flew Business class, now its Economy. They not complaining about that, but when they home they could at least get a proper bus ride or a hassle free hotel stay not an embarrassing one. The SPORTT bus is just a glorified large Maxi Taxi.



Jackass, everything under Jack reign would have been better financially as the man had money to use.

The new TTFA still in debt because of your former boss but you run to the forum and social media and continue to put your current employers on blast.
It's amazing Phillips and Tim Kee did not buss your throat yet for this open display of treachery.

Whoever you are , I'm sure you enjoyed the perks of Warner and now your imput is on low under the new regime you looking to stir the pot even further for a cash strapped TTFA and the head figures such as Tim Kee and Phillips.

I agree with you things need to change, what they doing is not perfect but don't be a f**king hypocrite.

Now run along back to hiding under your rock you coward.
Title: Re: New TTFA same problems.
Post by: Sando on April 14, 2015, 04:43:10 PM
Once the TTFA start getting their acts together, teams will play better and what happens off the field affect players greatly.

Its a new TTFA and still they operating like the old one.

When they are done with T&T football we will hit rock bottom twice.

Not even hotels want to give them help.

No one trusts them anymore.

The hotel wanted their money upfront again, the TTFA wanted consignment and they said no, leaving the TTFA to scrape up the money to pay for the team's hotel stay.

Some of the players and staff still not paid since the last caribbean cup.

They wanted to put the team in a Maxi before the Panama game and both said no, they not going. Panama coach was very upset to, he wanted to leave.

The women team is upset, they didn't care to play Colombia or Argentina, they just wanted a game.

The Under 15 team is still not together and they have a tournament soon.

I spoke to Sancho last week and Sancho said he will help, but the TTFA still do not have a long term plan for direct football, all they talking about the clinics etc.

He said you cannot bring a team every 3 months and expect team to grow or gel.

The TTFA has decided they will close all relationship with the media until further notice, hence the reason no one is hearing from them or their plans for T&T football, even sponsors.

They want the public support but yet they operating very self centered, how will you get the public trust?

Tim Kee told me personally, he has to answer to no one.

I asked Tim Kee how is the TTFA operating daily with no money? his reply was, we cannot disclose and preferred to remain silence.

Did anyone catch the new kit T&T sporting? If they expect to boost sales, they need to work with Joma to get better designs, no one will buy those boring looking shirts. T&T is about color, carnival, nice designs, not a simple two line shirt.

I asked Hyland if he like de kit, he watch me with a smirk.

They need to be open and get more people involved in decision making and really start taking advise from someone else, cause they are doing as they please and expect folks to jump on the waggon.



They wanted to put the team in a Maxi before the Panama game and both said no, they not going. Panama coach was very upset to, he wanted to leave. 
Actually, they were 24 seater coaches provided by SPORTT & Ministry of Sport. These had been used all week, but both teams wanted 1 large bus instead of the two 24 seaters to travel to and from the game. This was arranged by TTFA with PTSC.


For example, under Jack reign players who flew from Europe always flew Business class, now its Economy. They not complaining about that, but when they home they could at least get a proper bus ride or a hassle free hotel stay not an embarrassing one. The SPORTT bus is just a glorified large Maxi Taxi.



Jackass, everything under Jack reign would have been better financially as the man had money to use.

The new TTFA still in debt because of your former boss but you run to the forum and social media and continue to put your current employers on blast.
It's amazing Phillips and Tim Kee did not buss your throat yet for this open display of treachery.

Whoever you are , I'm sure you enjoyed the perks of Warner and now your imput is on low under the new regime you looking to stir the pot even further for a cash strapped TTFA and the head figures such as Tim Kee and Phillips.

I agree with you things need to change, what they doing is not perfect but don't be a f**king hypocrite.

Now run along back to hiding under your rock you coward.

Banton, dont heat up yourself man.

Insider did not say the players or anyone else expecting the same as they did under Jack.

Read it again man.

I doubt anyone expecting the same, but some things can be a little better.

Its been 2 years now the TTFA has no money, and have been doing the best they can, however, how long will they continue to work like this?

For example, if they advertise games and sell tickets in advance folks will come out to games and they could get some much needed funds to help out or sell jerseys and have fund raisers instead of just sitting in first gear.

They waiting so long and now all teams are booked up.

I am sure there is many things they can do, every little counts.

The hotel issue is embarrassing, I though Sancho took care of that for the Panama game?

And what about the players and staff that are still not paid since the last Caribbean Cup?

Is this true?

What would you have done if you were one of the players or staff who depends on a little football to feed your family?

The TTFA should approach a buss company and asked them to donate a buss in exchange for free advertisement, it would be nice to have all the players and staff ride together in luxury.

Is the TTFA just waiting on the government to help or are the seeking other outlets?

There must be a reason why no one wants to help them?

Title: Re: New TTFA same problems.
Post by: Sam on May 13, 2015, 05:00:49 AM
This have to be de worst I ever see we football run.

Title: Re: New TTFA same problems.
Post by: rotatopoti3 on May 13, 2015, 06:06:49 AM
This have to be de worst I ever see we football run.

I tell allyuh Affirmative action is d way to go...but nah doe study me...i always bias.

Another thing...all dem money some of them fellas making...dem cant rent ah maxi...steups...

all yuh players know d organization scrunting...well shellout some of yuh cash nah  100 pounds is toilet paper money for some fellas...

Look at George Weah as an example....

In the late 1990s, amid the fighting, Weah -- pronounced WAY-ah -- single-handedly financed the national team's World Cup qualifying efforts, setting up training camp in neighboring countries, paying his teammates' travel expenses and purchasing shoes and uniforms. He was the team's benefactor, star player and coach. The Lone Star, as the team is known, fell just short of a berth in the 1998 World Cup in France -- the closest Weah would ever come to the sport's premier event.

http://www.tlcafrica.com/weah.htm

Title: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on May 10, 2015, 04:27:30 AM
TTFA to sell jerseys on-line.
T&T Express Reports.


THE Trinidad and Tobago Football has acquired a mobile unit from which to sell national team jerseys and are also about to embark on the business of selling national team shorts on-line as well.

The TTFA is making the marketing drive using a grant from FIFA, the governing body for world football, to help its effort to raise funds.

TTFA president Raymond Tim Kee admitted that making many presentations to as many 28 state organisation,s had brought only limited success with funding. FIFA has therefore given the Association a hand with trying to raise some funds on its own.

“We have secured a van which is being painted with the faces of national players and so on,” president Tim Kee said. “We will have this going around so that we can sell jerseys and other memorabilia, especially at our matches.”

According to Tim Kee, the Association has also engaged an international partner which will allow them to sell jerseys on the internet via credit card.

“We are hoping especially that the diaspora will take the opportunity to support football by buying national team jerseys.”

Title: Re: TTFA merchandise and marketing info Thread.
Post by: elan on May 10, 2015, 09:56:23 AM
Ok, what side of the business is the International partner on? Can't be that difficult to sell merchandise online?
Title: Creditors call on TTFA to pay off debts.
Post by: Flex on July 12, 2015, 06:01:53 AM
Creditors call on TTFA to pay off debts.
By Rhondor Dowlat (Guardian).


An outstanding debt of $251,000 is allegedly owed to Gary’s Transport by the TT Football Association (TTFA). This figure was yesterday confirmed by the owner of the transport company, Gary Jack, 46, of Rousillac. He said the outstanding amount stemmed from transport services he conducted for several national football teams, including Under-17 and U-23 men’s and U-17 women’s football teams. The duration of time he said is from 2011 to 2015.

Jack said that he had at one time owned five 25-seater maxis but lost four, allegedly due to the non-payment of the monies owed by the TTFA. “I was forced to sell out my maxis because I had to stay afloat. I had loans and other bills and the TTFA was not paying me my money although I went to them many times literally begging them,” Jack said.

“I even had to send a lawyer letter to them demanding my payment but they kept telling me that there was nothing they could do because they have no money. They also gave me a promissory letter that will pay.” Jack alleged that last December for two weeks, every day, he went to the TTFA’s offices demanding payment.

“It was only then that Mr Sheldon Phillips called me into his office and (allegedly) gave me $11,000 in cash and he promised that he would pay the rest in January. From then to now I could never get through to Mr Phillips again,” Jack said. The father of two, also revealed that he was even forced to postponed his wedding in February.

“I pushed back my wedding to March giving me ample time to borrow money from almost everyone to have my wedding. This setback has really cost me and I just would like my money.” When asked why he kept on doing transport duties for the TTFA, knowing that he was not getting paid and causing the figure to continue building up.

“I have been working for them since 1999 and I does really try to help them out and I keep working because they keep promising to pay and I keep telling myself, well right, they will pay me but it is overbearing now,” he said. When contacted yesterday for comment, TTFA’s general secretary, Sheldon Phillips acknowledged the debt owed to Jack but added that he (Jack) was not the only creditor.

Phillips said when the TTFA took over from the T&T Football Federation (TTFF), they were met with about $36 million in debt, with over 100 creditors. “We have been able to gradually pay off some of these debts, close to $28 million. For the Soca Warriors 2006 was close to $18 million and about $10 million in television debts,” Phillips said.

He added that in order to pay off all the creditors, the TTFA is quickly moving to develop additional revenue streams, which he said, will also allow them to lessen its dependency on the government. Phillips disclosed that this will be done through the creation of a new brand called “Soca Warriors”.

He said, “Through FIFA’s Win Win programme we are able to develop the first phase, which is licensing and merchandising of the Soca Warrior brand so the textiles and other items can be sold from the website and different point of sales throughout the country and internationally. We also made a deal with the World Soccer Shop.

“We will also develop our intellectual property, which will enable the TTFA to become more self sufficient. The model that took place before was controlled by one person, who had deep pockets and we have had to depend on the government to help us, coming out post, the Jack Warner era (former FIFA vice president). With the government support, the Ministry of Sport, FIFA and Concacaf bridge, we are able to still maintain our teams, number one in Caribbean and the youth team operating in the competitive level.”

In the third phase of the transformation process, Phillips said is the commercial development, which will allow the creation of a fund, in which the proceeds will go directly to the benefit of the players and coaches. “This will ensure that the two pillars in the game of football, the players and the coaches will be paid on time. Even though we still have creditors, we have a plan and a vision to get out of the mess we inherited,” Phillips said.

It is also alleged that the TTFA also owe an undisclosed amount of money to the Normandie Hotel in St Ann’s. The Public Transport Service Corporation (PTSC) has sought legal action against the TTFA to recover $1.4 million for services for the period August-September 2010. Phillips said that in a bid to restore public trust and confidence the TTFA is currently in the process of compiling seven years of financial records, from 2008 to present, “We will provide a full transparent financial recording system.”

He also said that when the audit is completed it will be published.

Title: Re: Creditors call on TTFA to pay off debts.
Post by: King Deese on July 12, 2015, 02:31:49 PM
The new brand is "Soca Warriors" but the old belief of promising to pay and not paying is still prevalent. Some people real dotish yes. You working on a promise to get paid since 1999? What? Dem ah idiot dat. Still operatng under Jack Warner's M.O. I promise to pay you tomorrow for a job done today but, p.s., doh hold yuh breath. Exhale partner. Yuh doh have any money but yuh getting paid every month.
Title: Re: Creditors call on TTFA to pay off debts.
Post by: dcs on July 12, 2015, 10:16:04 PM

They paying off debts of the TTFF or just the ones they want to or who persistent like Gary Jack?

Maybe someone will close in like before and seize things like the FA Cup trophy or the brand Soca Warriors for non payment or not being the true registered owners.

Title: Re: Creditors call on TTFA to pay off debts.
Post by: Tiresais on July 14, 2015, 03:59:37 AM
They don't have the money - this isn't new news in that respect. Better than them going bankrupt though - poor guy though.
Title: Re: Creditors call on TTFA to pay off debts.
Post by: Deeks on July 14, 2015, 05:51:04 AM
This is crazy. I can  see TTFA being liable from the time Tim Kee started.  If you did business with  Tim Kee , I  can't see  how he can deny it. But transactions with TTFF, with Camps and the Special Advisor should be directed to those two.
Title: Re: Creditors call on TTFA to pay off debts.
Post by: dcs on July 14, 2015, 11:06:19 PM
Maybe it should be directed to the current President who was a Vice President and served previously as Chairman of the Finance Committee.

The current President who lauded praises on JW while he served with him on ExCo and remembers he didn't do anything when $ was being used to fund an election campaign.

The same President who has decided to follow JW's example and use football to further political ambitions.

If he started off with a noble cause fine but that time has passed and he has made a hell of a lot of enemies inclusive of players fed up of instability and self serving administrators.



This is crazy. I can  see TTFA being liable from the time Tim Kee started.  If you did business with  Tim Kee , I  can't see  how he can deny it. But transactions with TTFF, with Camps and the Special Advisor should be directed to those two.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on May 06, 2016, 03:02:12 AM
TTFA set to make major changes.
By Walter Alibey (Guardian).


General secretary Khan faces axe

Major changes are coming to the T&T Football Association (TTFA) and sources say that general secretary Azard Khan is facing the axe, as president David John-Williams begins to flex his muscles.

John-Williams confirmed the changes yesterday and revealed it will include a social media policy, designed to be an interactive way of dealing with the media. After being instrumental in guiding the TTFA to a position where it can access funds from the FIFA by paying the salaries of ex women’s coach Even Pellerud and providing audited accounts of the TTFA to the world governing body for football, John-Williams made it clear the restructuring was a promise he made in his election manifesto.

He explained his association was there to do a job and will do it to the best of their ability. “I can assure you with all the problems in the TTFA that it is not a nice job to do, but we have to do it.”

John-Williams refused to comment on Khan’s position but sources say that the ex Secondary Schools Football League general secretary is set to get the boot, six months after replacing Sheldon Phillips, who was sacked by then president Raymond Tim Kee.

 Khan could not be contacted yesterday. The local football boss also admitted he could not say whether there will be job losses as a result of the restructuring but gave the assurance it will be an independent process.

“The HR audit has been done and they are now putting proper procedures and jobs in place,” he noted.

According to sources, Anthony Moore, the Tobago Football Association president, is the man likely to replace Khan.

Contacted, Moore would not confirm his interest but noted that a lot was happening behind the scenes to lift the sport. He said that in an attempt to improve the football, the Association hired a consultant earlier this year and recommendations for major restructuring changes were made.

He said the Board of the TTFA has since acquired the services of international auditing firm Deloitte and Touche which provides audit, consulting, financial advisory, risk management and tax services, to conduct a more in-dept audit of the football association. 

Moore explained the recommendations from the consultant, whom he did not want to name, focused primarily on the entire secretariat, inclusive of marketing, human resource, finance, legal and operational departments, as it was felt that emphasis was only being paid to national teams and funding for them.

“It appears as though the structure of the TTFA focuses only on providing funds for national teams and ensuring that the best teams were produced. It, in fact, ignored the need to strengthen other areas that are crucial to the production of the strong national team, such as the role of the regional associations, the women’s and futsal football teams and other development areas,” Moore explained.

There are currently six regional associations—the Tobago Football Association (TFA), Northern Football Association (NFA), Southern Football Association (SFA), Central Football Association (CFA), Eastern Football Association (EFA) and the Eastern Counties Football Union (ECFU) which functions on its own. In spite of their need for financial assistance, regional associations are unable to approach the Sport Company of T&T or the Ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs as they are required to go through the TTFA.

Moore believes because of this, they face tremendous strain to survive and is hopeful the new structure will provide relief for regional association clubs. He said two FIFA officials are expected in T&T next month to lecture clubs on Failing Compensation and Solidarity Payments, which are derived from the transfer of players from one club to another.

According to Moore, “I hope this lecture will be of assistance to regional clubs as there are so many players moving from teams in the regional associations to other clubs in the T&T Pro League, but the clubs receive no payment for it.”

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on May 10, 2016, 02:24:32 AM
Wanted — a TTFA general secretary.
By Walter Alibey (Guardian).


Days after revealing the T&T Football Association’s (TTFA) restructuring exercise which will lead to the replacement of general secretary Azard Khan, comes word that advertising for the position will begin soon.

Yesterday the Tobago Football Association’s (TFA) president Anthony Moore said he expects advertisements for the position to begin as soon as its president David John-Williams and other executive members return from the FIFA Congress at the Intercontinental Presidente Hotel in Mexico City, on Thursday .

John-Williams said last week that he was unaware of plans to remove Khan, despite reports that he was the person responsible for placing the advertisement. Moore confirmed yesterday that he was interested in replacing Khan.

He told the Guardian if given the post, he will have to relinquish his position as TFA president. The TFA boss explained that Khan’s position was interim, as it had been discussed by the board of the TTFA long before the hotly-contested Annual General Meeting (AGM) and Election of Officers at the VIP Lounge of the Hasely Crawford Stadium in November.

“With the changes in the constitution and other promised changes by the new executive, it had been made clear the position of general secretary would be temporary. It became an employee position, instead of before the constitutional changes, where the general secretary acted as a point man, which was the go-to man because of the workload of the president.”

He said Khan knew this and agreed to accept it. He said the TTFA is now more  business-oriented.

Both Moore and his Tobago compatriot Allan Warner voted against confirming Khan’s position at a board meeting in January. They were the only two members to reject Khan. One board member who wished to remain anonymous said the decision by Moore and Warner to vote the way they did, was a conflict. He felt they should have recused themselves since they had ulterior motives. 

Moore and former general secretary Sheldon Phillips, who was sacked by former president Raymond Tim Kee, are reported to be the possibilities to replace Khan. Moore said with his background in finance, he would be honoured to accept the post  as it would highlight the pinnacle of his career.

Contacted, Phillips said he was unaware that he was a candidate but was willing to serve in the interest of local football if given the opportunity. After he was sacked by Tim Kee, Phillips promised to take action against his former employers. He refused to  comment on this yesterday.

The decision to advertise the position has confused many TTFA members who feel it is not in the TTFA constitution.

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Sando prince on May 13, 2016, 05:12:48 AM

So Muhammad Isa going to be the Technical Director? Hmmm where are the new visionaries? I keep seeing a return to the old vanguards. First Shabazz and now Issa.

https://www.facebook.com/csportslive/videos/1174445109273786/
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: asylumseeker on May 13, 2016, 12:02:22 PM
Leakers aplenty.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on May 20, 2016, 02:25:43 AM
$.6m boost for Warriors.
By Nigel Simon (Guardian).


The T&T Football Association’s Soca Warriors three-match tour of South America and Asia has been boosted by the injection of $600,000  from the People’s Republic of China in T&T and Shanghai Construction Group (SCG) Limited.

This was disclosed by David John-Williams, president of the T&TFA, in conjunction with Michael Zhang, Managing Director of SCG and His Excellency Huand Xingyuan, Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to T&T at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, Wrightson Road, Port-of-Spain, yesterday.

Coach Stephen Hart and his squad leaves today for South America to face Peru in Lima on Monday followed by two-time FIFA World Cup champions Uruguay on May 27 in Montevideo. They will then travel to Asia for a clash with emerging power, China in Qin Huang Dao on June 3.

In thanking SCG and the People’s Republic of China for their support, John-Williams noted that the company was signaling to corporate T&T that it was putting its money where its mouth is.   He also thanked former national cyclist and chairman of the Sport Company of T&T, Michael Phillips’ for government’s support on the Road to Russia 2018.

John-Williams said that although the $600,000 sponsorship was specific to the upcoming tour, there were plans for further discussions between the parties for more long term deals.

He said: “The money sponsored for this tour is just the start of what I think should be a long term relationship, and a gesture of $600,000 over a two-week period is something huge in my estimation, and we want to thank SCG, and by extension the Chinese Ambassador and the People’s Republic of China for establishing this relationship. The relationship goes way beyond a few dollars.”

He noted that discussions have centred around partnerships in the medical and training fields.

Having been credited with clearing most of the T&TFA debts and providing FIFA with up to date audited financial accounts, John-Williams suggested that his organisation was now an attractive proposition to local sponsors.

 “Of course, we should be more attractive to sponsors, things have changed in FIFA, things have changed in world football and you have to be more transparent and more accountable. The T&TFA has been fortunate to produce audited financial statements, and that’s the first time that has happen in ten to 12 years, so we are now compliant with FIFA, and we are now accessing FIFA funding once again, and that’s important for the development of T&T football.”

With regards to his time in charge, which started last November, John-Williams boasted, “We don’t owe any player  whether from this administration or the previous administration, and I am happy to report that.”

John-Williams assured that his association was working on a few things regarding regaining confidence in corporate T&T. “We, as an administration won’t conduct our affairs in public. We will go about our business quietly because my philosophy is he who moves quietly moves the furthest. There will be a time and place for everything, and we could have talked about this sponsorship a long time ago, but we decided on today and going forward we will do so when we need to report to the public as well.”

With World Cup qualification set to resume on September 2 at home to Guatemala with the Soca Warriors needing only a point to advance to the Final Round of Qualification ahead of their final match away to USA in Florida four days later, John-Williams said there is the possibility of another match.

“Our campaign resumes in early September and I have spoken to coach Stephen Hart with regards to another international friendly locally on August 27 with the possible team being either Bahrain, Jordan, Dominican Republic or Puerto Rico.

“So when coach Hart comes back to me on his choice of the team we should face, we would make an announcement then.”

John-Williams also give his views on newly elected Concacaf president Canada’s Victor Montagliani and said both have had discussions basically about normal football issues.

He added: “Victor is football man and he won the vote fairly as democracy prevailed by a result of 27-16 votes. So the Caribbean, and North and Central American countries have spoken as to their choice for president.”

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on May 24, 2016, 03:11:16 AM
TTFA boss says no decision to cut staff.
T&T Guardian Reports.


The T&T Football Federation (TTFA) yesterday denied that it has taken a decision to reduce the staff of the T&T Soca Warriors team.

A report in the Sunday Guardian noted that the Association had dumped press officer Shaun Fuentes and two managers - David Muhammed and Peter Rampersad in a cost-cutting exercise. The article revealed that manager William Wallace was chosen to provide communication services in Fuentes’ absence.

It stated that the Association’s president David John-Williams, his vice presidents Ewing Davis and Joanne Salazar and Alvin Henderson, chairman of the technical committee, were part of the contingent who will be travelling with the team to  witness the match again China on June 3, but no place could be found for Fuentes, Rampersad and Muhammed.   

However, in a released signed by John-Williams and Fuentes, the Association stated: “The TTFA has taken no decision to reduce the staff of the men’s national senior team, not only for the ongoing three-match international tour, but also from a general standpoint as it relates to the operations of the national men’s team.

The TTFA previously approved the national senior team operating with one manager, as  has been the case for four previous international matches this year, one international friendly against Grenada, the Copa America Centenario play-off with Haiti and two World Cup qualifying matches against St Vincent and the Grenadines.”

According to the release, Fuentes was invited by CONCACAF to attend a CONCACAF Champions League Summit and Media Officers Workshop in Miami, May 30-31 and was also chosen as the Media Officer for the League, adding the invitation was sent to him earlier this month.

It reminded that the association is well aware of the requirements of providing the necessary communication services as it relates to the activities of the national team and other activities of the association and promised it will continue its efforts to provide the necessary material and media updates pertaining to its various national teams and other matters of its organization.

According to the release “The TTFA will continue to facilitate the operations of the senior national team on a need to-need basis depending on the requirements necessary for the particular engagement.

“The organization will not and does not intend to make decisions that will negatively affect any of our national teams as it relates to operational staff.”

Fuentes, who has since distanced himself from the report, has travelled with the national team for the World Cup Qualifiers against St Vincent and the Grenadines, the Copa America play-off and the Women’s Olympic Qualifiers.

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on May 25, 2016, 02:20:13 AM
TTFA Statement.
TTFA Media.


In reference to an article published in the Sunday Guardian on May 22nd, 2016 under the headline “TTFA drops Fuentes from Contingent”, the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association wishes to state the following :

The TTFA has taken no decision to reduce the staff of the Men’s National Senior Team, not only for the ongoing Three-Match International Tour, but also from a general standpoint as it relates to the operations of the National Senior Men’s Team.

Please click the link below for the full statement

TTFA Press Statement (http://ttfootball.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/TTFA-Press-Statement.pdf)

Title: TTFA embroiled in new legal issue
Post by: Tallman on July 12, 2016, 03:17:48 PM
TTFA embroiled in new legal issue
T&T Newsday


THE TRINIDAD and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) may have to gather almost $300,000 as Metro Hotel Limited is claiming that the TTFA is owing the hotel money for accomodation and hospital services.

In yesterday’s edition of the Guardian, a notice stated that Metro Hotel Limited (claimant) is claiming that the TTFA (first defendant) and David John-Williams (second defendant) are owing the central-based hotel $290,760. The notice states, “Take Notice that on the 16th day of May, 2016 the Claimant commenced proceedings against you by way of a Claim Form and Statement of Case filed in the High Court of Justice, Knox Street, Port-of-Spain for the following reliefs - payment of the sum of $290,760.00 to the Claimant being monies due and owing to it by the Defendants for the provision of accomodation and hospital services during the period October to November 2015; interests thereon at the rate of 12 percent per annum; costs; and such further or other relief as the court may deem fit and or expedient.” Newsday contacted John-Williams for a comment on the matter and he said, “I will have to check on it.”
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: trini_stallion on July 12, 2016, 03:31:26 PM
It would be cool to play Bahrain before the Sept 2 match. They hv a bone to pick with us, and they will bring that intensity, the type of game we need because Guatemala coming home to scrap, knowing they need a win! Coach pick Bahrain!
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on July 19, 2016, 03:12:18 AM
TTFA partners with Scotiabank for Grassroot project.
T&T Guardian Reports.


The T&T Football Association (TTFA) has entered into a partnership agreement for the staging of a one-month TTFA/Scotiabank Grassroots programme to be held at various venues throughout the country, starting August 2.

It is the third year the TTFA will be staging the grassroot clinics and Peter Ghany, Director, Scotiabank Foundation emphasized that the Scotiabank Foundation was emphatic about the opportunity to be part of it.

“Most importantly Scotiabank is very proud to be part of this incredible grassroots programme one of our main areas of focus is to work with and develop programs for young people in our communities,” Ghany said.

He noted: “We’ve spent the past few years working with the Scotiabank Kiddy Cricket Programme and we we’ve seen the incredible results coming out of that so we’re very excited about what the TTFA is doing with this programme especially going into the rural areas trying to reach kids who will most importantly get the opportunity to undergo such training.”

“By going out to these rural areas and working with these children, giving them opportunities to occupy their spare time, discover their passion and possibly even getting them to a level where they can eventually represent a national team is something we readily support” Ghany added.

The Scotiabank Foundation will also provide additional support through marketing initiatives and infrastructural support through the grassroots programme. TTFA Technical Director Muhammad Isa expressed gratitude for Scotiabank’s support, saying 

“I am delighted about this partnership and contribution today as it shows that the TTFA is on the right foot forward in terms of development.”

“The future of our football is with our youth. This grassroots programme for children 6-14 years old will go a long way in developing our football. We want to establish an elite program for players under 14 and this is a programme which will enable us to find players for our next set of  national youth teams.

The TTFA will have clinics at the Cyd Gray Sporting Complex and Canaan, Bon Accord in Tobago, Morvant/Laventille, Eddie Hart Ground in Tacarigua, Ojo Road in Sangre Grande, Tabaquite Recreation Ground and Barrackpore Recreation Grounds. Invitations will go out the various Primary Schools and Coaching Schools in each district” Isa explained.

“The programme will entail teaching the basic fundamentals of the game and having the kids involved in small sided games. We will establish a database of players based on our evaluations from which we can then use as reference for our future national teams” Isa added.

Grassroots Schedule:

August 2nd, Cyd Gray Sporting Complex, Roxoborough
August 4th, Canaan, Bon Accord
August 8th, Morvant Recreation Ground
August 10th, Eddie Hart Grounds, Tacarigua
August 12th, Ojoe Road Grounds, Sangre Grande
August 17th Tabaquite Recreation Ground
August 19th, Barrackpore Recreation Ground

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: doc on July 19, 2016, 06:41:58 AM
TTFA partners with Scotiabank for Grassroot project.
T&T Guardian Reports.


The T&T Football Association (TTFA) has entered into a partnership agreement for the staging of a one-month TTFA/Scotiabank Grassroots programme to be held at various venues throughout the country, starting August 2.

It is the third year the TTFA will be staging the grassroot clinics and Peter Ghany, Director, Scotiabank Foundation emphasized that the Scotiabank Foundation was emphatic about the opportunity to be part of it.

“Most importantly Scotiabank is very proud to be part of this incredible grassroots programme one of our main areas of focus is to work with and develop programs for young people in our communities,” Ghany said.

He noted: “We’ve spent the past few years working with the Scotiabank Kiddy Cricket Programme and we we’ve seen the incredible results coming out of that so we’re very excited about what the TTFA is doing with this programme especially going into the rural areas trying to reach kids who will most importantly get the opportunity to undergo such training.”

“By going out to these rural areas and working with these children, giving them opportunities to occupy their spare time, discover their passion and possibly even getting them to a level where they can eventually represent a national team is something we readily support” Ghany added.

The Scotiabank Foundation will also provide additional support through marketing initiatives and infrastructural support through the grassroots programme. TTFA Technical Director Muhammad Isa expressed gratitude for Scotiabank’s support, saying 

“I am delighted about this partnership and contribution today as it shows that the TTFA is on the right foot forward in terms of development.”

“The future of our football is with our youth. This grassroots programme for children 6-14 years old will go a long way in developing our football. We want to establish an elite program for players under 14 and this is a programme which will enable us to find players for our next set of  national youth teams.

The TTFA will have clinics at the Cyd Gray Sporting Complex and Canaan, Bon Accord in Tobago, Morvant/Laventille, Eddie Hart Ground in Tacarigua, Ojo Road in Sangre Grande, Tabaquite Recreation Ground and Barrackpore Recreation Grounds. Invitations will go out the various Primary Schools and Coaching Schools in each district” Isa explained.

“The programme will entail teaching the basic fundamentals of the game and having the kids involved in small sided games. We will establish a database of players based on our evaluations from which we can then use as reference for our future national teams” Isa added.

Grassroots Schedule:

August 2nd, Cyd Gray Sporting Complex, Roxoborough
August 4th, Canaan, Bon Accord
August 8th, Morvant Recreation Ground
August 10th, Eddie Hart Grounds, Tacarigua
August 12th, Ojoe Road Grounds, Sangre Grande
August 17th Tabaquite Recreation Ground
August 19th, Barrackpore Recreation Ground
It's 2 weeks away, and conflicts with the THA's summer sports camp at the same venue....
Title: Football officials jobless after restructuring
Post by: Tallman on August 14, 2016, 12:27:27 PM
Football officials jobless after restructuring
By Walter Alibey (T&T Guardian)


Tobago Football Association (TFA) president Anthony Moore has said major restructuring in the sport of football in T&T has accounted for many concerns.

Football officials and executives expressed their concerns to the Sunday Guardian yesterday, as many of their positions are being advertised by the T&T Football Association (TTFA).

It is understood the position of general secretary of the TTFA and manager of the national senior team are two of many currently being advertised on caribbeanjobs.com that is destined to leave many officials jobless.

The position of coach of the Under-17 team also appears to have been decided already, although board members see it as nonsensical. There are reports which suggest that former national midfielder Russell Latapy is the preferred choice for T&T U-17 coach, a position held previously by Ken Elie up to last month. 

It is understood all positions, except that of national senior coach, being held by Canadian Stephen Hart, will be up for grabs soon.

Yesterday, William Wallace, manager of the Soca Warriors team, said they were told about the restructuring two months ago, but were not informed of when and where the advertisements were taking place. “Because of this I was denied the opportunity to re-apply as I could not follow it, as it was not in any of the dailies. I only found out my position was advertised on caribbeanjobs.com from someone recently.”

Meanwhile, the Sunday Guardian understands that the general secretary, Azard Khan, is sure to lose his position in the restructuring, as rumours circulate his position is being reserved for Michelle Lynch, the assistant general secretary at the TTFA, which is a position created under the new David John-Williams-led administration.

One board member questioned the appointment of Latapy as the football association has been unable to pay Elie.

Attempts to contact third vice president of the TTFA, Joanne Salazar, proved futile yesterday as called went to her cell phone unanswered, but Moore, in attempting to clear the air, revealed that efforts to restructure the organisation and bring it in line with FIFA, has led to many concerns.

He said coming out of a report from two recognised accounting and auditing firms, the football association had been advised to take critical steps to achieve FIFA’s mandate for the sport in T&T. “On the heals of FIFA’s mandate to amend the constitution of the TTFA and the other regional associations, people feel that was the only change needed.

Well there are other major changes required of us, particularly to deal with the strengthening of our management committee, which refers to the people dealing with the day-to-day affairs of the TTFA,” Moore explained.     

He noted the world governing body for football, wants to see the sport move to its commercial side. He claims football in T&T has been operated purely on one pillar, the senior national team, when it should be six pillars.

Moore admitted the football association has been tardy with respect to communication but believes all will benefit once the changes are in place.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: asylumseeker on August 14, 2016, 02:58:15 PM
Had not heard of caribbeanjobs.com prior to the U17 position being advertised. Is it a well-known employment site?
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: mukumsplau on August 14, 2016, 07:02:54 PM
Had not heard of caribbeanjobs.com prior to the U17 position being advertised. Is it a well-known employment site?

the premier online job portal in trinidad actually
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: asylumseeker on August 16, 2016, 03:41:17 AM
Had not heard of caribbeanjobs.com prior to the U17 position being advertised. Is it a well-known employment site?

the premier online job portal in trinidad actually

Noteworthy. Thanks.

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: davyjenny1 on August 24, 2016, 07:26:24 PM
Never a dull moment in TTFA, look as though they in shambles. Tune in ;always the case.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Mose on August 25, 2016, 06:39:53 AM
Never a dull moment in TTFA, look as though they in shambles. Tune in ;always the case.

??? What's this about?
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on September 29, 2016, 03:02:41 AM
NLCB/T&TFA sign off on new partnership.
By Nigel Simon (Guardian).


Season tickets go for $2,000 and $1,000

The T&T Football Association through the successful campaign thus far of the Soca Warriors on the road to Russia 2018 has partnered with National Lotteries Control Board/T&T Football Association to provide easier access to tickets to matches for the public, and in so doing generation more financial support.

Making the announcement was T&TFA President, David John-Williams at media briefing held at the Grand Riviere Room, Courtyard Marriott Hotel, Invaders Bay, yesterday.

John-Williams in reflecting on how the idea came about said, “Back in 2015 when this administration was elected into office we did have a vision to have a season ticket programme for the T&TFA. That opportunity was afforded when T&T drew 2-2 with Guatemala on September 2, which allowed the opportunity for us to launch a season ticket programme.”

The T&TFA boss explained, “This season ticket programme is going to allow access to all T&T home matches in the “Hex” and all national team friendly matches at home, as well as national youth and women games at home, and this season ticket will allow easy and preferred access to the stadium, a guarantee seat.

Concerning the allotment of tickets, John-Williams stated, “We are putting on the market 5,000 uncovered stand tickets and 1400 covered stand tickets.

“We are allocating 200 of those tickets in the covered stands to legends of the games and people who have contributed significantly to T&T football.

Among the ten legends of the game who were at the briefing and presented with season passes by the T&TFA included Alvin Corneal, Leroy De Leon, Everard “Gally” Cummings, Lennox “Bullet” Pilgrim, Osmond Downer and a representative of former national caption Sedley Joseph. The trio of Edgar Vidale, Jean Mouttet and Rudolph Thomas were absent.

National field athletes, Keshorn Walcott, who won javelin gold at the London 2012 Olympics and added bronze at the 2016 Rio Games in the same event as well as Akeem Stewart, gold medal winner at the recent 2016 Para Olympics javelin F44 final and bronze in the F43/44 discus final will also be presented with season passes.

In saluting the past players, John-Williams said, “for far too long we have failed to recognise the people who are responsible for us here today and I think that its very important that this administration starts by recognising these legends of the game.

“It’s the intend of this administration to introduce and start a football “Hall of Fame” within the next 12 months.

As part of the season ticket programme as well, the T&TFA in discussion with FIFA will obtain six tickets for the final game of the World Cup in Russia 2018 and those people who participate and purchase a season ticket will go into a lottery that will give them the opportunity to win a ticket for the finals of the World Cup 2018.

But all of this would not have been possible without our partner today, NLCB, I dear say that this is the first of good news that will be happening in the next two weeks. If you think this one is big, standby for 14 days later.

NLCB has decided to come on board and partner with us and offset the cost of not only today”s event, but the printing of the tickets, the launch of and marketing cost to the tune of $250,000.

And this is all about rebranding the T&TFA and its all about changing the image of the T&TFA. For far too long football has been embroiled in controversy, but NLCB has become a very good partner for us.”

In more good news, First Citizens Bank has also agreed to be the official retail outlet for the T&TFA season pass.

The cost of the covered stand tickets will be $2,000 and the un-covered stand tickets are priced at $1000, while the season pass will also act as a discount card when people who hold the season pass will be able to get 20 per cent discount on all T&TFA merchandising.

Ricardo Borde, Acting Director of NLCB first congratulated the T&TFA and the senior men’s national team on progressing to the final round of Concacaf World Cup qualification.

“NLCB is committed to supporting sports, especially football and this goes back to 2006 when our former chairman Louis Lee Singh supported the Soca Warriors on their successful journey to Germany 2006.

“So this today is just an extension of our support for football and we are please to partner with the T&TFA in launching the season ticket programme and as David John-Williams its just the start of things to come.

Borde was also full of praise for coach Stephen Hart and noted that the present team is also an extension of what was started by the ex players way back.

With regards to the supporting of the T&TFA, Borde warned that accountability was very important to his company as they hold all benefactors accountable for every cent that they spend as the money belongs to the state.

RELATED NEWS

Season passes for TT football games.
By JELANI BECKLES (NEWSDAY).


FANS of national football eager to witness all upcoming matches including 2018 World Cup qualifiers can now buy season ticket passes as a partnership between the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) and the National Lotteries Control Board (NLCB) was announced yesterday.

Persons can buy season covered tickets for $2000, while uncovered season tickets will cost $1000. A purchase of a ticket will allow someone to attend all home matches played by national football teams (men/women/youth) including the five home 2018 World Cup qualifying matches played by the Soca Warriors starting in November.

Season ticket holders will get a 20% discount on all TTFA merchandise, meet and greet sessions with players and reserved stadium entry access on match days. Season tickets, which will be valid until November 2017, will be on sale from Monday at First Citizens branches nationwide. NLCB’s contribution towards the season ticket programme is worth $250,000.

President of the TTFA, David John-Williams, said since he was elected into office last year, implementing season tickets was a goal of his administration.

Yesterday at the Courtyard Marriott Hotel, John-Williams explained, “Back in 2015 when this administration was elected into office we did have a vision to have a season ticket programme for the TTFA. That opportunity was afforded when TT drew 2-2 with Guatemala on September 2 which allowed the opportunity for us to launch a season ticket programme. This season ticket programme is going to allow access to all TT home games in the hex (final round of World Cup qualifiers) and all national team friendly games at home, youth and women’s games at home.” John-Williams said the season ticket will allow preferred access into the stadium and a guaranteed seat. The TTFA boss stated 5000 uncovered stand tickets will be put on the markets, along with 1400 covered stand tickets.

John-Williams said that legends in TT football will ge given free passes.

“We have allocated 200 of these seasoned tickets in covered stands to legends of the game and people who have contributed significantly to TT football.” Among those TT legends collecting their season passes yesterday were ex-national footballers Gally Cummings, Alvin Corneal and Leroy De Leon as well as ex-referee Osmond Downer.

The TTFA boss said it is important to recognise past greats of local football.

“For far too long we have failed to recognise the people who are responsible for us here today and I think it is very important that this administration starts by recognising these legends of the game.” As part of the season ticket programme the TTFA, in discussion with FIFA, will obtain six tickets for the 2018 Russia World Cup final.

People who purchase a season ticket will go into a lottery for a chance to win a ticket for the final.

John - Williams thanked NLCB for their donation, declaring: “All of this would not have been possible without our partner today the National Lotteries Control Board.

I dear say that this is the first of good news that will be happening in the next two weeks.

If you think this one is big stand by for 14 days later.” Acting Director of NLCB Ricardo Borde said sport is a priority of the company. Borde said, “The NLCB as you know is committed in supporting sport especially football. We are pleased to partner with the TTFA in launching this programme and as John-Williams said this is the start of things to come, we have a lot more in store for you all. We want to support them because out there the footballers represent us.” Alvin Corneal on behalf of the legends said he appreciated the gesture by the TTFA.

Corneal said, “to think that the TT Football Association has decided to be as generous as they are here now to allow the opportunity of some of the former players to have access to all the games it is truly an appreciation to us. We appreciate it very much for a lot of reasons. Some of the you may not be aware of the great interest we still have in football.”

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on October 04, 2016, 04:05:46 AM
TTFA deny switch from Soca Warriors to Red Army
By JOEL BAILEY (NEWSDAY).


The Trinidad and Tobago football team will be in action tomorrow against the Dominican Republic in a Caribbean Cup qualifier but another battle off the field of play continues regarding if the team will still be called Soca Warriors or Red Army.

The Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) was recently served a pre-action protocol letter by veteran sports broadcaster Selwyn Melville over the use of the subject trademark Soca Warriors which was allegedly coined by Melville 18 years ago.

The TT FA has denied officially switching the team’s nickname from Soca Warriors to Red Army, stating that the Red Army term was only used recently for “editorial content”.

In a few media releases, the TTFA has used the term Red Army in reference to the national team, while there was a Red Army section at the Hasely Crawford Stadium in Mucurapo during the September 2 FIFA World Cup qualifier between TT and Guatemala.

But TTFA president David John-Williams, during a telephone interview yesterday, emphatically denied that the TTFA Executive has given a directive to switch the name.

“I am not aware of that,” he declared.

He went on to state, “we have given no (instruction) to use the words Red Army in any of our press releases. The Board has not given that directive. If somebody chooses to use that name, it’s okay. But the Board has given no (directive) to use the name Red Army.” Admitting that “we’re not using the words Soca Warriors right now either”, John-Williams was asked what name will the team be using at present.

“I don’t want to comment on that as well,” said John-Williams.

“But the Board gave no instructions to use the words Red Army.

I, as president, have not given any instruction to use Red Army neither any instruction came from the Board with regards using the words Red Army.” A source recently revealed that the TTFA was contemplating switching the name from Soca Warriors to Red Army in light of the legal issue involving themselves and Melville who has requested US$30 million for the rights to its name.

According to the pre-action protocol letter, “we (the attorneys) became aware that the TTFA, in bad faith, had engaged foreign agents to apply for and prosecute the subject trademark Soca Warriors, both before the United States Patent and Trademark Office, and the European Intellectual Property Office.” The TTFA were given until mid-October to acknowledge receipt and respond to the pre-action protocol letter, or face legal proceedings.

Another source involved in the matter, wondered if the TTFA intends on playing hardball with Melville, with the hope that the veteran broadcaster settles on a lower price.

TTFA director of communications Shaun Fuentes explained how the term “Red Army” made its way into TTFA press releases.

“The team doesn’t have any name or such,” said Fuentes yesterday.

“That’s (Red Army) just a name that developed during a promotional campaign last year.

The ‘Red Army’ is not a name that has been officially adopted by the FA. It’s just a name that comes up from time to time.” He revealed, “it’s not being used officially in terms of a campaign. It’s not to launch any merchandise or any official campaign, calling the team ‘Red Army’. It’s just being used in editorial content.” Fuentes admitted, “we started this in a campaign last year when the team did a photoshoot and they started calling the team Stephen Hart’s Red Army.” He noted that the term was even used by some players.

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on October 14, 2016, 01:53:23 AM
Top FIFA and Concacaf officials in T&T for launch of Elite Development programme.
TTFA Media.


The Trinidad and Tobago Football Association will be hosts to two high powered football officials from FIFA and Concacaf this week as the local governing body actions plans to promote the development of the local game.

Veron Mosengo-Omba, FIFA’s Director of Member Associations and Development and Hugo Salcedo, CONCACAF’s Director of Development will be the featured guests at the TTFA’s launch of its National Elite Youth Development Programme which takes place at the Hilton Hotel in Port of Spain on Friday evening.

Both Mosengo-Omba and Salcedo will also partake in meetings with TTFA President David John-Williams and other TTFA officials to discuss various initiatives pertaining to the youth development programme and the overall development of local football.

Mosengo-Omba, has also served as Secretary to the FIFA Disciplinary Committee as well as Legal Counsel, UEFA Disciplinary Service.

Salcedo has held many positions in FIFA, the United States Soccer Federation and the MLS. He is also a former US National Olympic Football team member. Salcedo has in the past also served as FIFA Development Officer for the region of CONCACAF with the task of supervising and helping member associations as they implemented FIFA Goal programmes, as well as noting trends that emerged in their respective areas. He has also served as a FIFA General coordinator for several of its international competitions.

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on November 24, 2016, 08:35:05 AM
TTFF fails to pay debt.
By Sascha Wilson (Guardian).


Businessman moves to freeze accounts

A Chaguanas businessman has moved to freeze the bank account of the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation (TTFF) after the organisation has failed to pay him over $1.2 million ordered by a court over a year ago.

Yesterday, Imammuddin Baksh, managing director of Graphix Advantage Ltd asked Justice Frank Seepersad in the San Fernando High Court to freeze and get the money to pay him from TTFF’s account at First Citizens Bank’s Port of Spain branch.

In the court documents, Baksh stated that the $1,262,431.19 and costs $122,120.66 with statutory interest on both sums at a rate of 12 per cent per annum from the date of the judgment remains outstanding.

Inspite of several requests no attempt have been made by TTFF and LOC to pay the debt, he said.

Baksh was represented by Henderickson Seunath, SC.

However, the TTFF’s attorneys said the Federation’s new management wanted an opportunity to attempt negotiations with Baksh as it had inherited many debts since taking office in November 2015.

FCB, through its attorneys, indicated its willingness to comply with any order issued by the court.

The judge did not make an order, but instead, Seepersad instructed both parties to have discussions and he adjourned the matter to January 12, 2017.

The action arose out of judgment in favour of Baksh, a former secretary, of former minister Jack Warner, who had sued TTFF, Jack Warner and Local Organising Committee (LOC) South Africa 2010 Ltd, for over $1.2 million owed to him for work done during the 2010 Fifa Under-17 Women’s World Cup.

Warner was the special adviser to the TTFF at the time and chairman of the LOC.

In delivering judgment on April 30, 2015, Seepersad found that Warner’s actions were unacceptable and warranted an investigation by the Integrity Commission. However, the judge ruled that Warner was not liable and dismissed the action against him.

The judge ordered TTFF and LOC (which is non functional) to pay Baksh $1,262,431.19 with interests and costs.

Editor’s Note: The organisation has since changed its name to the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA).

Title: Does the TTFA really love Trinidad & Tobago Football and the country as a whole?
Post by: Controversial on November 27, 2016, 03:09:33 PM
If you love our football, would you whisper words of deceit in the players ears when the team is performing?

If you love our football, would you try to replace the staff of the team despite the team performing well?

If you love our football, would you stage friendlies when our full team is not present but for only the purposes of getting your own players capped but not invest in friendlies prior to big matches?

And if you love our football, would you try to destroy the years of team building and chemistry built with the coach and team?

Ask yourself if they really love our football, the fans and members on this site that have been here for over a decade or more, the people locally who support and pay their money to see matches and love the coach and team, who supported Hart.... loves our football..

The current ttfa don't love our football, nor do they want to it see it rise... if they did, they wouldn't have done the things that we have known and what was reported...

The only love the ttfa has is the love of power, control, money and most importantly themselves...

I hope everyone realizes that by now, destabilizing our football on purpose and they have no conscience or remorse... not making the World Cup is not a concern for them...
Title: Re: Does the TTFA really love Trinidad & Tobago Football and the country as a whole?
Post by: MEP on November 27, 2016, 03:28:51 PM
I think you need to change your subject title as the TTFA is not DJW...what you should be looking at is the constitution which put him in place and in the past Jack Warner in place. The electoral process calls for having someone involved in  football community within TnT during the immediate past 5 years. (Palos fact check meh here ) The process has to be opened up to people with proven management leadership.
Title: Re: Does the TTFA really love Trinidad & Tobago Football and the country as a whole?
Post by: Controversial on November 27, 2016, 03:38:57 PM
I think you need to change your subject title as the TTFA is not DJW...what you should be looking at is the constitution which put him in place and in the past Jack Warner in place. The electoral process calls for having someone involved in  football community within TnT during the immediate past 5 years. (Palos fact check meh here ) The process has to be opened up to people with proven management leadership.

Nah it remains as the ttfa who are also responsible and it's 2 years I believe as I have the constitution, need to check again... which is bull, so it eliminates any Trinis who really love football and it keeps it within the local fraternity so the corruption continues
Title: Re: Does the TTFA really love Trinidad & Tobago Football and the country as a whole?
Post by: coache on November 27, 2016, 08:19:00 PM
What's love got to do with it?

After all, love is only an emotion...The powers that be are  not moved by emotion ..they have their agenda and ulterior motives.

either that... or... they are just rel dotish people ...who are moved my their emotion ..
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: elan on November 27, 2016, 10:33:47 PM
TTFA WINDS DOWN CALENDAR OF DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES (http://ttfootball.org/2016/11/27/ttfa-winds-down-calendar-of-development-activities/)



The Trinidad and Tobago Football Association is winding down a hectic schedule of events which saw the local governing body stage several developmental workshops and seminars over the 2016 calendar.

The most recent course was the CONCACAF Level II goalkeeping course which was conducted by CONCACAF instructor Claine Plummer for thirty six participants at the Hasely Crawford Stadium.

Prior to that, the TTFA in collaboration with Concacaf staged a Club Licensing seminar at the Ato Boldon Stadium in late September.

That seminar was held with the aim of establishing standards and enhancing the environment for club football to advance in the country.

The seminar, which was conducted by Jonathan Martinez, CONCACAF senior manager for club licensing and development, was compulsory for all local Pro League and Super League clubs

The growth of leagues and clubs is directly related to key performance indicators within the areas of infrastructure, sporting, administration, finance, legal and social responsibility. CONCACAF’s club licensing program provides tools aimed at  raising the level of professionalism in league and club management.

TTFA Technical Director Muhammad Isa also oversaw the coach education programme and the community grassroots clinics which was sponsored by the Scotiabank Trinidad and Tobago foundation. There were TTFA ‘C’ License courses held and more are being planned for 2017.

In November, FIFA technical development officer Anton Corneal conducted a three-day seminar for local coaching instructors under the Royal Dutch Academy alliance. This was geared towards increasing the knowledge base and improving the practices of local coaching instructors who will in turn train and educate local coaches.

And on the officiating end, twenty-four local elite referees received their certificates of participation in a FIFA Referees Assistance Program (RAP) course held in September.

The referees engaged in a week-long seminar conducted by former FIFA Referee and FIFA instructor Peter Prendergast and fitness instructor Allan Brown of Costa Rica at the San Juan North Secondary.

Earlier in the year, a host of local club representatives and officials attended the first ever FIFA Solidarity Contribution and Training Compensation workshop to be staged in the Caribbean as the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association held the event at Naparima College, San Fernando.

Two presenters from Germany arrived in Port of Spain on Friday evening on the invitation from TTFA President David John-Williams, Attorney-at-Law Jan Schweele of the Schweele Law Office in Berlin,Germany and his colleague Dr Georg Froese.

They conducted a workshop which was aimed at educating locals on the benefits that can be derived from understanding and becoming active in the Solidarity Contribution and Training Compensation process.

Solidarity contribution becomes due on each international transfer of a professional player who is bought out of his contract. A total of 5 % of the transfer fee have to be redistributed to the clubs where the player was registered between the seasons of his 12th and 23rd birthday.

The FA also participated in workshops held overseas by sending representatives to some  including the Beach Soccer workshop in Dubai a few weeks ago and the FIFA TMS workshop in Costa Rica in June. The purpose of the 2016 FIFA TMS workshops was to educate members of both associations and clubs in the use of, and about any recent changes to, the FIFA TMS International Transfer Matching System (ITMS).

TTFA President David John-Williams added last week that there will be a two upcoming courses to be staged in collaboration with UEFA including a course for scouts.
Title: Re: Does the TTFA really love Trinidad & Tobago Football and the country as a whole?
Post by: Controversial on November 28, 2016, 12:55:45 PM
What's love got to do with it?

After all, love is only an emotion...The powers that be are  not moved by emotion ..they have their agenda and ulterior motives.

either that... or... they are just rel dotish people ...who are moved my their emotion ..

Love has a lot to do with it, that's why I watch our football and support, that's why I would spend money to see them and go out of my way to see matches..

So love has a lot to do with it...
Title: Re: Does the TTFA really love Trinidad & Tobago Football and the country as a whole?
Post by: coache on November 28, 2016, 09:08:02 PM
Contro ..you should go back and read the heading of this tread ..please bredda
Title: Re: Does the TTFA really love Trinidad & Tobago Football and the country as a whole?
Post by: coache on November 28, 2016, 09:09:31 PM
...Unless you are a member of the TTFA..if so we have a lot to talk about.
Title: Re: Does the TTFA really love Trinidad & Tobago Football and the country as a whole?
Post by: Controversial on November 29, 2016, 09:13:10 AM
Contro ..you should go back and read the heading of this tread ..please bredda

In the case of the fed brother, love has nothing to do with it, they just want the power and money
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on December 06, 2016, 01:43:26 AM
TTFA to announce new Senior Team Head Coach on Wednesday.
TTFA Media.


The Trinidad and Tobago Football Association will host a press conference at a venue to be determined in Port of Spain on Wednesday December 7th, 2016 at 9am.

The purpose of this press conference is to announce the new Head Coach of the Trinidad and Tobago Men’s National Senior Team.

The T&T Senior Team is currently engaged in 2018 World Cup qualification and CONCACAF Gold Cup qualification tournaments.

T&T’s next competitive match is against Suriname at the Ato Boldon Stadium on January 4th to be followed by another clash with Haiti at the same venue on January 8th. Both games are CFU qualifying playoffs for the CONCACAF Gold Cup.

T&T’s next two World Cup qualifying matches are against Panama on March 24th and Mexico on March 28th in Port of Spain.

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: asylumseeker on December 06, 2016, 05:07:05 AM
Quote
The Trinidad and Tobago Football Association will host a press conference at a venue to be determined in Port of Spain on Wednesday December 7th, 2016 at 9am.

Doh hut allyuh head. Do it in front Ruby Tuesday. Seems only fitting.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: injunchile on December 06, 2016, 07:04:40 AM
I boast that we get the information about T&T football here on this Forum before anyone else.
 So give me the good news before Wednesday. Step up to the plate- Flex, Palos, Tallman
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Controversial on December 06, 2016, 07:54:50 AM
Quote
The Trinidad and Tobago Football Association will host a press conference at a venue to be determined in Port of Spain on Wednesday December 7th, 2016 at 9am.

Doh hut allyuh head. Do it in front Ruby Tuesday. Seems only fitting.

sounds about right for who we are dealing with... setta eat ah food mentality
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: asylumseeker on December 06, 2016, 08:06:36 AM
I boast that we get the information about T&T football here on this Forum before anyone else.
 So give me the good news before Wednesday. Step up to the plate- Flex, Palos, Tallman

Seat belt strapped?
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: ON DE BLOCK on December 06, 2016, 04:43:28 PM
 Mohammed / Khan / Shabazz / Tim kee all Muslim, is there a move on here, Cummings shot with one bullet in the leg, is this Muslim / Rasta city war spreading?? are we in a transition period as Obama is going Jack Warner gone, whats next??
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: trini_stallion on December 06, 2016, 06:47:01 PM
Felllllllas fkkkkk things ohhhh lordddd faddaaaa we done...2022
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: trini_stallion on December 06, 2016, 06:50:52 PM
The coach entrusted with taking Trinidad and Tobago to the Russia 2018 World Cup is not coming from South America. His last job was in Bangladesh!

In a bizarre turn of events, Wired868 understands that Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) president David John-Williams is set to name 43-year-old Belgian Tom Saintfiet as head coach of the Soca Warriors at a 9am press conference tomorrow at the Marriot Hotel in Port of Spain.

Photo: Former Bangladesh football coach Tom Saintfiet. (Copyright BBC)
Photo: Former Bangladesh football coach Tom Saintfiet.
(Copyright BBC)
So, effectively, the local football body’s idea of an upgrade on outgoing coach Stephen Hart appears to be an obscure Belgian who has never coached professionally in Europe, was kicked out of Zimbabwe and Nigeria due to concerns about his quality, lasted six months in Yemen, only two matches in Tanzania and just left a team ranked 183 in the world by FIFA—which is 105 spots lower than Trinidad and Tobago, who are 78th.

Saintfiet’s best spell arguably came at youth level when he led Qatar to the 2005 FIFA Under-17 World Cup, which was that nation’s fifth appearance at that age group competition.

His record as a senior coach is much less impressive.

At Namibia, he enjoyed his longest appointment of nearly two years. The unheralded African nation was ranked 126 in the world when the Belgian landed and he took them to a high of 101, although they plummeted all the way to 128 by the time of his controversial departure in 2010.

Saintfiet stunned his Namibia FA employers when he was officially unveiled as head coach of Zimbabwe while in the midst of a four-year contract with the former nation.

Saintfiet was reportedly wooed by Zimbabwe’s offer of US$7,000 per month, which is less than half of Hart’s pay package and roughly one tenth of the market value for a top level coach in CONCACAF—recently departed Jamaica coach Winfried Schafer was supposedly paid in excess of US$50,000 per month.

Photo: Former Trinidad and Tobago National Senior Team head coach Stephen Hart (left) and Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) president David John-Williams enjoy each other's company during a press conference at the Hyatt Regency hotel in Port of Spain on 19 May 2016. (Courtesy Wired868)
Photo: Former Trinidad and Tobago National Senior Team head coach Stephen Hart (left) and Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) president David John-Williams enjoy each other’s company during a press conference at the Hyatt Regency hotel in Port of Spain on 19 May 2016.
(Courtesy Wired868)
The Belgian quickly regretted his move. The Zimbabwe government twice refused its FA’s applications for his work permit—amidst a public outcry that he was no better than the local, Norman Mapeza, he replaced—and Saintfiet was forced to leave the country and beg for his old job back.

“[The Zimbabwe FA] promised me that they will talk to the NFA and it was supposed to happen sooner than it did,” Saintfiet was quoted in the Namibia Sun. “The situation forced me to lie and for that I have to say sorry to the Namibian football-loving people, the NFA and the players as well…

“We signed a contract […] and because I terminated it I have to pay them and I’m doing everything I can so that can be done. What happened was so wrong and I would love to come back and coach Namibia again.”

The Namibia FA did not take him up on the offer.

From then on, Saintfiet lasted six games in Ethiopia and barely four months as Nigeria technical director—allegedly because the Nigeria Ministry of Sport felt the country had many more competent locals and refused to support the move.

Next, he spent two months at Malawi and less than a year at Togo along with some largely anonymous stints at the odd African football club—he lasted just two games at Tanzanian club, Young Africans FC, where he was accused of failing to enforce discipline.

Photo: Former Bangladesh coach Tom Saintfiet. (Copyright Ethiosports)
Photo: Former Bangladesh coach Tom Saintfiet.
(Copyright Ethiosports)
In April 2016, Saintfiet pleaded for a second chance as Ethiopia National Senior Team coach.

“I don’t care about the money or a contract,” Saintfiet told Eithosports. “I would just like to help change fortunes and start to build things up on a solid foundation. I’m ready to start immediately!”

Ethiopia did not bite and he ended up in a three-month contract from Bangladesh instead.

So, while Hart was preparing the Warriors—who were unbeaten at the time—to seal their place in the CONCACAF Hex against Guatemala, Saintfiet was attempting to take the “Bengal Tigers” past Bhutan and into the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Cup.

Bangladesh drew goalless at home to Bhutan before falling 3-1 away.  The only other outing of Saintfiet’s tenure as Bangladesh coach was a 5-0 friendly defeat away to the Maldives.

Bhutan and the Maldives are ranked 154 and 176 in the world respectively.

Saintfiet’s record in Europe is even less illustrious. The only fully professional team on his home continent to ever hire the Belgian was Finnish club RoPS, who once employed Trinidad and Tobago players Ataulla Guerra and Jamal Gay.

Photo: Trinidad and Tobago midfielder Ataullah Guerra (left) in action for Finland Premier League team RoPS in 2013. (Courtesy RoPS)
Photo: Trinidad and Tobago midfielder Ataullah Guerra (left) in action for Finland Premier League team RoPS in 2013.
(Courtesy RoPS)
RoPS sacked Saintfiet during their pre-season in April 2008.

Somehow, the obscure Belgian’s CV ended up on the desk of the TTFA’s technical committee as a possible replacement for Hart, who was twice listed on a CONCACAF Coach for Year shortlist in the last years, is the only coach to take Trinidad and Tobago to two Gold Cup quarterfinal berths and led Canada to the 2008 Gold Cup semifinal.

On Monday night, the TTFA’s board of directors was presented three names to vote on as their next head coach.

Colombian Luis Fernando Suarez, who took Ecuador to the second round of the Germany 2006 World Cup and steered Honduras to the Brazil 2014 World Cup, was one option presented to the board.

Brazilian Joel Santana, who coached South Africa on recommendation from ex-Brazil World Cup winning coach Carlos Alberto Parreira and the biggest teams in his homeland like Vasco Da Gama, Flamengo and Corinthians, was believed to be the other.

Former Trinidad and Tobago captain David Nakhid was the only local believed to have applied for the vacant job while Englishmen Terry Fenwick and Ricky Hill, Serbian Zoran Vranes and Colombian Francisco Maturana were said to be among the applicants.

The board, according to a source, was informed that Saintfiet was bright, innovative and extremely affordable. It is uncertain exactly how much information was given on the three coaches before the decision. But, in the end, the board voted for Saintfiet.

Photo: Former Ecuador and Honduras coach Luis Fernando Suarez. (Copyright Alchetron)
Photo: Former Ecuador and Honduras coach Luis Fernando Suarez.
(Copyright Alchetron)
The current TTFA board of directors comprises: John-Williams (president), Joanne Salazar, Ewing Davis and Allan Warner (vice-presidents), Samuel Saunders (Central FA), Sherwyn Dyer (Eastern Counties Football Union), Karanjabari Williams (Northern FA), Richard Quan Chan (Southern FA), Anthony Moore (Tobago FA), Joseph Taylor (Trinidad and Tobago Football Referees Association), Sharon O’Brien (Women’s League Football), Wayne Cunningham (Eastern FA) and Dexter Skeene (TT Pro League).

The TTFA technical committee consists of: Skeene (chairman), Dr Alvin Henderson (vice-chairman), Bertille St Clair (former World Youth Cup coach), Errol Lovell (former national goalkeeper), Jinelle James (ex-national player and current administrator) and Muhammad Isa (technical director).

It is uncertain how many members attended yesterday board’s meeting.

The TTFA board is believed to have made a second coaching appointment last night for the Women’s National Senior Team. In this case, they voted for the well qualified former Italy and Canada national women’s coach, Carolina Morace, who has already visited Trinidad.

Saintfiet must now prepare the Warriors for 2017 Gold Cup play off action against Suriname and Haiti on 4 and 8 January 2017 respectively as well as World Cup qualifying action against Panama and Mexico on 24 and 28 March respectively.

It will be the first time the Belgian has ever coached a team ranked in the top 100 FIFA nations in the world.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: trini_stallion on December 06, 2016, 06:51:46 PM
Crapppoooo smoke we pipe!!! Fkkkkkk ...DJW ON SHITTTT ...this man need ah drug test!!!
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Controversial on December 06, 2016, 07:40:06 PM
So David john and his cabal will run the team silently through this figure head coach who will have zero power, so David john was sent in to destabilize the Trinidad team, fire hart and make sure Trinidad does not qualify for the World Cup ... I've been saying this from day one
Title: TTFA agrees to pay $1.2m High Court judgment
Post by: Tallman on December 16, 2016, 02:01:04 PM
TTFA agrees to pay $1.2m High Court judgment
By Azard Ali (T&T Newsday)


OWING $1.2 million on a High Court judgment since April last year, the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) yesterday agreed before a judge to pay the monies, but in installments.

In April last year, Justice Frank Seepersad delivered a written judgment in a lawsuit filed by a company known as Graphix Advantage Limited (GAL), against the TT FA, the Local Organising Committee South (LOC) Africa 2010 Limited.

The judge ordered the TT FA and the LOC to pay the monies due and owing for work done by GAL in the Under 17 Women’s 2010 World Cup. Former Government Minister and adviser to the then- TT FF (TT Football Federation) Jack Warner, was also sued but the judge did not find him personally liable to pay the monies. Warner had given evidence in the trial before Justice Seepersad. When the monies were not paid up until last month, Senior Counsel Hendrickson Suenath representing GAL, filed a Garnishee application in the High Court, to freeze the bank accounts of the TT FA held at First Citizens in Port of Spain. There was a hearing and attorneys for the bank indicated that they would comply with whatever order the court made. The judge urged the attorneys, as well as those representing the TT FF, to settle the matter before the court moves to freeze the latter’s bank accounts.

Justice Seepersad had held that the TT FA was liable to pay the monies for advertising goods and services which GAL had provided for the staging of the World Cup.

Though Warner was chairman of the LOC 2010 South Africa Limited, the judge ruled that he was not personally liable to pay the monies.

Since Justice Seepersad’s judgment on April 30 2015, the monies have not been paid to GAL and as a result, the Garnishee application was filed.

Yesterday, the matter came up for hearing before Justice Seepersad and attorney Anand Misir appeared for the TT FA. Suenath told the judge that a consent order had been entered between the parties and it was agreed that the defendants would pay GAL $262,413.19 on or before December 31. The order further stated that this is to be followed with a payment of $200,000 for five consecutive months commencing from January 21 2017.

And, it was further ordered by consent, that they are to pay $145,333.58 which represents interest and that is to be paid before February 28 2017.

It further ordered that the final interest on the $1.2 million judgment, must be paid before June 2017, and that is expected to amount to $239,858.48.

There was no order as to the legal cost for yesterday’s hearing of the Garnishee application, but if there is to be any default on the payment, the Consent order stated, then the entire sum would become due and owing plus interest.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: asylumseeker on January 02, 2017, 03:28:05 AM
Dear TTFA, what's the nature of Marvin Phillip's injury?
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on February 17, 2017, 05:22:32 AM
CFA insists Saunders not TTFA rep.
By Walter Alibey (Guardian).


It is still uncertain whether Samuel Saunders is the Central Football Association’s (CFA) representative on the Board of the T&T Football Association.

CFA president Shymdeo Gosine made it clear Saunders was removed as their representative as of January 29 last month, after a voting process, saying they adhered to the guidelines of their constitution to treat with such issues.

Saunders, however, told Guardian Media Sports on Wednesday night that he was still the representative as the CFA had not complied fully with the constitution of the parent T&TFA.

Saunders, an attorney-at-Law became the centre of attention after months of the new CFA executive, being led by Gosine, taking office in 2015.

The CFA boss said Saunders had not represented the concerns of the CFA and had not attended any meetings, despite messages being left on his phone and via his email address.

Gosine said his association followed advice by the TTFA to use the guidelines of their constitution to remove a member, saying: “Now that this has taken place, he is confused as to why the TTFA still has Saunders in their fold.”

“A decision on who we want to represent us at the board level should be entirely up to us. The only thing I can think of for the TTFA’s reluctance to accept Saunders’ removal from the CFA, is only if they are attempting to prevent us from functioning as efficiently and effectively as we have been” Gosine said.

He noted: “The TTFA is, at this point, no use to us, as they have never given us anything and has not supported anything we have done.”

The CFA needed a three-fifths majority to remove Saunders on January 19 at Woodford Lodge Chaguanas, which according to the CFA’s General Secretary Clynt Taylor, they received easily.

Taylor said the results of the vote were communicated to the TTFA via email but the football association requested a hard copy of it. That information was delivered to the TTFA on Monday.

Meanwhile, Joanne Salazar, the TTFA’s 3rd Vice President said the CFA had been tardy in submitting documentation in regarding to removing Saunders as its representative, saying the TTFA through its president David John-Williams at a board meeting last month, requested documentation from the CFA to confirm that there was strict compliance with its (CFA’s) constitution.

She said since that meeting the CFA took a while to submit the documents.

“When they did submit the documents on February 13, both John-Williams and the association’s General Secretary Justin Latapy were out of the country, so we have not had the time to peruse the documents” Salazar explained.

She added there were members of the football fraternity who believed that once the constitution of the regional associations had been followed then their request should be granted, but she pointed out that the TTFA’s constitution provided guidelines on how the Board should proceed.

She described these guidelines as vague, noting that she would consult with someone with more knowledge on it before proceeding further.

She said the matter was not on the agenda for yesterday’s board meeting at the football association’s office at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, Mucurapo but she promised to ask Latapy if it could have been put down for discussion.

Taylor said the TTFA had absolutely no say in their removal of a member, adding “The only thing we have to do is inform them (TTFA) of our decisions.”

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Deeks on February 17, 2017, 05:04:48 PM
Saunders is a DJW plant to destabilize the zone.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on April 03, 2017, 04:41:25 AM
FIFA President to visit T&T this month.
TTFA Media.


FIFA President Gianni Infantino will visit this country on April 10-11 2017.

TTFA President David John-Williams met with Infantino at the FIFA Headquarters in Zurich in January to hold talks on local football and discussions on local football development will resume when the FIFA boss arrives in Port of Spain later this month.

This will be the FIFA boss’ first visiting since he became President. He was here to meet with TTFA President David John Williams during the build up to the FIFA Presidential elections.

Infantino will also visit Guyana prior to his arrival here.

FIFA Director Veron Mosengo-Omba also visited Port of Spain last year for the launch of the TTFA/NLCB National Elite Youth Development Programme.

Further information on Infantino’s visit and a schedule will be disclosed in due course.

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on April 09, 2017, 06:14:02 AM
Infantino to play in light hearted football match with TTFA and Government officials on Monday.
TTFA Media.


With FIFA President Gianni Infantino scheduled to arrive in Port of Spain on Monday morning for a series of events related to football development, one of the fun-filled and light-hearted activities slated to take place will be a football match between a FIFA/TTFA team and a Government/Sportt outfit at the Ato Boldon Stadium following the press conference at the Couva venue during the afternoon period.

There are some well known personalities that will line up for both teams. TTFA President David John-Williams is expected to lead out a well balanced outfit consisting of names such as Dennis Lawrence,  Stern John, Russell Latapy, Jamaal Shabazz, Women’s Team coach Carolina Morace, Jinelle James, TTFA General Secretary Justin Latapy-George, Brian Williams, Stuart Charles Fevrier, Richard Piper, Muhammad Isa, Ross Russell and Clayton Ince also including FIFA President Infantino and members of his visiting entourage as well as other TTFA officials.

The Sportt Company/Government team will include the likes of Minister of Sports Darryl Smith, Minister of National Security Edmund Dillon, Esmond Forde, Anthony Blake, Joel Gibbons, Dwayne Richardson, Tyrone Marcus, Cindy Cupid, Richard Smith, Garvin Warrick, Dexter Skeene, Omar Hadeed, Francis Lovell,Maylee Attin-Johnson,  Leonson Lewis, Jomo Pitt and Jason Williams among others.

The game will comprise of two fifteen minute halves.

Shortly after being elected as FIFA President last year, Infantino spent part of his first day at the office hosting a football match at FIFA headquarters for staff and several greats of his generation.

“A great day,” Infantino said later. “The hard works starts now, we are ready for that.”

In January, Infantino and Diego Maradona played in ‘Team One’ of a four-team competition, lining up alongside the likes of Gabriel Batistuta, Macel Desailly, Lucas Radabe and Francesco Toldo in Zurich.

They took on other star-studded teams with Dwight Yorke, Carles Puyol, Walter Zenga, Pablo Aimar, Eric Abidal and Michel Salgado all turned out for the light-hearted event.

Infantino will arrive here on Monday after attending the CONCACAF Congress in Aruba over the past two days which was also attended by John-Williams and Latapy-George. The FIFA boss is also scheduled to visit Grenada and Guyana prior to his arrival at Piarco for a day of activities which includes official visits and meetings with President Anthony Carmona, Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley and TTFA officials.

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Jumbie on April 09, 2017, 07:26:23 AM
Mr Dillon's idea of tackling crime in Central?
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: asylumseeker on April 09, 2017, 07:38:40 AM
Mr Dillon's idea of tackling crime in Central?

TTFA/FIFA v an Unruly Isis/Rasta City Select XI? That mighta lick in trute.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Deeks on April 09, 2017, 08:23:36 AM
Keith should have a one and one with infanto
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: lefty on April 09, 2017, 08:42:52 AM
never understand d concept of making ex soldiers and ex police officer Nat Sec. Minister.....if dey doh have proven history of sound situation management yuh wasting time because sorry to say, but d "brains" required jus not there in the Nat sec community at d moment or no where near ah position of influence
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on April 09, 2017, 04:39:53 PM
FIFA legends Juan Pablo Angel and Aimar to join Infantino on Visit to T&T.
TTFA Media.


FIFA President Gianni Infantino will be joined by two FIFA legends during his one-day visit to this country on Monday.

Former Argentina international Pablo Caesar Aimar and former Colombia national team forward Juan Pablo Angel Arango will arrive in the country on Monday and will appear in the goodwill football match at the Ato Boldon Stadium between a TTFA/FIFA team and a Government/Sportt outfit.

Ángel Arango scored 44 goals in 175 appearances for Aston Villa, also appearing for Colombian club Atletico Nacional,River Plate and LA Galaxy among other teams. He made 33 appearances for Colombia between 1995-2005.

Aimar made 52 appearances for Argentina between 1999 and 2009, also appearing for Argentina’s National Under 17 and Under 20 teams. He played for River Plate, Valencia, Zaragoza and Benfica. He represented Argentina at the 2002 and 2006 FIFA World Cups and two Copa América tournaments, as well as a FIFA Confederations Cup. He reached the final of the 2005 Confederations Cup and the 2007 Copa América with the Argentine national side. Aimer was also a member of the Argentina team the won the 1997 FIFA Under 20 World Cup in Malaysia.

Both Angel and Aimar will take part in the 30-minute football match following a Press Conference at the Ato Boldon Stadium on Monday afternoon. FIFA President Infantino will also partake in the match which will include several local officials, past players and personalities. Infantino is also scheduled to meet with President of the Republic Anthony Carmona and Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley during his visit to this country.

Infantino was in Aruba on the weekend for the CONCACAF  XXXII Ordinary Congress which was also attended by TTFA President David John-Williams and General Secretary Justin Latapy-George. Elections were conducted for CONCACAF and FIFA Councils positions at the Congress.  The Confederation’s membership also received updates from the implementation of the ONE CONCACAF Vision as well as a report of the progress achieved in each of the Confederation’s divisions, including a review of the organization’s strategic roadmap and the 2017 financial budget, which was approved.

While opening the Congress, CONCACAF President Victor Montagliani emphasized the need to bring the World Cup back to CONCACAF in 2026, for which the Congress displayed rousing, unanimous support. To that end, three CONCACAF member nations – Canada, Mexico and the United States — have scheduled a “historic announcement” for Monday, April 10 in New York City, featuring CONCACAF and Canadian Soccer Association President Montagliani, Mexican Football Federation and CONCACAF Vice President Decio de Maria and U.S. Soccer Federation and FIFA Council Member Sunil Gulati.

He also announced the creation of a Players Ambassador Program aimed at advising and supporting CONCACAF in its mission to develop football.

Members received a review of the advances in the areas of football operations, commercial, finance and administration, as well as legal and compliance. The administration presented a strategic roadmap for the organization within the framework of the ONE CONCACAF Vision in order to achieve the Confederation’s mission to develop the game.

Associations received a comprehensive budget report as a result of the governance and transparency measures implemented in the 2016-2017 period. With a strictest discipline, the organization continues establishing controls and processes to ensure integrity and comply with ethical business standards.

The annual meeting was attended by Prime Minister of Aruba, The Right Honorable Michiel Godfried Eman; and Minister of Public Health, Elderly Care and Sports in Aruba, The Honorable Dr. Carlos Alex Schwengle; FIFA President Gianni Infantino; CONMEBOL President, Alejandro Dominguez, and David Borja, AFC Advisor to the President.

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: maxg on April 09, 2017, 05:08:57 PM
feel this game go have kick down
Trinidad & Tobago Newsday
FIFA boss to play exhibition match in Couva
Sunday, April 9 2017


FIFA president Gianni Infantino will be arriving in Trinidad tomorrow for a series of events related to football development.

Also on the agenda is a football match between a FIFA/ TTFA team and a Government/ SporTT outfit at the Ato Boldon Stadium following the press conference at the Couva venue during the afternoon period.

There are some well known personalities that will line up for both teams. TTFA boss David John-Williams is expected to lead out a well balanced outfit consisting of Infantino and his entourage, national coach Dennis Lawrence, ex-TT forward and current TT assistant coach Stern John, Russell Latapy, Jamaal Shabazz, TT women’s coach Carolina Morace, Jinelle James, TTFA General Secretary Justin Latapy-George, Brian Williams, Stuart Charles Fevrier, Richard Piper, Muhammad Isa, Ross Russell and Clayton Ince.

The Sport Company/Government team will include the likes of Minister of Sport Darryl Smith, Minister of National Security Edmund Dillon, Esmond Forde, Anthony Blake, Joel Gibbons, Dwayne Richardson, Tyrone Marcus, Cindy Cupid, Richard Smith, Garvin Warrick, Dexter Skeene, Omar Hadeed, Francis Lovell, Maylee Attin-Johnson, Leonson Lewis, Jomo Pitt and Jason Williams among others.

The game will comprise of two 15-minute halves. Shortly after being elected as FIFA president last year, Infantino spent part of his first day at the office hosting a football match at FIFA headquarters for staff and several greats of his generation.

“A great day,” Infantino said later.

“The hard works starts now, we are ready for that.” In January, Infantino and Diego Maradona played on ‘Team One’ of a four-team competition, lining up alongside the likes of Argentina legend Gabriel Batistuta, French World Cup winner Macel Desailly, Lucas Radabe and Francesco Toldo in Zurich.

They took on other star-studded teams with Dwight Yorke, Carles Puyol, Walter Zenga, Pablo Aimar, Eric Abidal and Michel Salgado who all turned out for the light-hearted event.

Infantino will arrive here tomorrow after attending the CONCACAF Congress in Aruba over the past two days which was also attended by John-Williams and Latapy-George.

The FIFA boss is also scheduled to visit Grenada and Guyana prior to his arrival at Piarco for a day of activities which includes official visits and meetings with President Anthony Carmona, Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley and TTFA officials.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: FF on April 09, 2017, 05:19:03 PM
Maylee go skate down Carolina?  :P
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: maxg on April 09, 2017, 05:41:19 PM
Maylee go skate down Carolina?  :P
we just missing Sancho, so Tallman could pull he hair and maybe JW as a ref. with Lasana as lineman and it will be worth every cent of the price of admission
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: asylumseeker on April 09, 2017, 08:35:23 PM
Was thinking the same thing re: de kick down. LOL. That being the case, they should have let Sam pick the squads.  :)
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on April 12, 2017, 06:19:03 PM
Infantino: Development Centre will change the face of football in T&T.
TTFA Media.


TTFA honours longstanding contributors at Dinner and Ceremony

FIFA President Gianni Infantino was the featured guest at Dinner and Appreciation Awards Ceremony hosted by the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association at the Queen’s Park Oval Ballroom on Monday night.

To mark the historic occasion, the FIFA President’s first official visit to this country since being appointed, the TTFA honoured persons for their longstanding contribution to local football. Among them were Randolph Price, a former player with Colts and a local women’s football coach, former national coaches and players – Sedley Joseph, Alvin Corneal, Edgar Vidale and Everald “Gally” Cummings, former match commissioners Boris Punch and Lennox Pilgrim, TTFA administrator and Women’s Football League President Sharon O’Brien and Merle Bagoo, the first local woman to officiate an international game and former FIFA referee Noel Bynoe.

In his closing interview on Monday night, Infantino spoke on the importance of the TTFA having its National Technical Development Centre – the home of football, which was announced at the Ato Boldon Stadium on Monday.

“The day has been fantastic. It’s been a day in which I have been able to witness really a new Trinidad and Tobago Football Association with a new spirit, with my friend David, who with his passion, brings everyone with him. I have witnessed the government who is fully behind the football association. I have been witnessing the population in Trinidad and Tobago who is absolutely passionate for football, you have here incredible, natural talent and if you manage really to structure it a little bit to foster the professional game then the results for the future will be bright,” Infantino told TTFA Media.

Infantino, a former UEFA General Secretary also touched in his relationship with TTFA President David John-Williams and why he believes his drive can benefit the local governing body.

“David is a completely crazy. He starts one thing and the same time he has a thousand new ideas and an energy which is absolutely incredible. I like him because he is a doer. Maybe he starts a thousand things and at the end he finishes only one of them but if you don’t do if you don’t believe, dream if you don’t believe in what you do then you will never get anywhere.

“And he is one of these persons who can really make things happen with his energy, his passion and his way of working. This is certainly inspiring and this is why I am really happy to be one of his friends,” Infantino said.

On the establishment of the National Training Centre in Couva, Infantino said this will change the face of the game in T&T.

“This will change Trinidad and Tobago football but also Trinidad and Tobago society. Football is a great game in which players, both boys and girls are taught not only how to play football and how to be sports persons but how to be human beings with values and respect. And this project will of course boost the whole football movement in Trinidad and Tobago. If you work around this talent you will have great results and it will send a strong message in the country and also in the whole Concacaf, Caribbean and Americas on what can be achieved if you work seriously.

“Obviously a collective effort is needed. One person or organisation alone cannot do anything but I am sure that with the help of the Government who is very committed and also a little bit of FIFA and Concacaf I am sure the results will be there,” Infantino concluded.

Highlight Video of Dinner and Awards presentation

TTFA honours longstanding contributors at Dinner and Ceremony to host FIFA President (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eGE8klLHdpo)

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on April 13, 2017, 01:53:46 PM
(http://927c7056a6505e51f411252c.gaut33cm2m.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/pablo-aimar-dennis-lawrence-dribble.jpg?x71639)
Photo: Former Argentina football star Pablo Aimar (right) runs with the ball while teammate Dennis Lawrence (centre) sets a screen during an exhibition match at the Ato Boldon Stadium in Couva on 10 April 2017.
(Courtesy Sean Morrison/Wired868)

(http://927c7056a6505e51f411252c.gaut33cm2m.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/pablo-aimar-russell-latapy.jpg?x71639)
Photo: Former Argentina World Cup star Pablo Aimar (right) runs at Trinidad and Tobago 2006 World Cup midfielder Russell Latapy during an exhibition match at the Ato Boldon Stadium in Couva on 10 April 2017.
(Courtesy Sean Morrison/Wired868)

(http://927c7056a6505e51f411252c.gaut33cm2m.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/fifa-gianni-infantino-angel-goal.jpg?x71639)
Photo: FIFA president Gianni Infantino (second from left) puts the FIFA/TTFA XI ahead with an effort that deflected off a defender and looped over the head of the Ministry of Sport/SPORTT XI goalkeeper during an exhibition match at the Ato Boldon Stadium in Couva on 10 April 2017.
Looking on (right) is former Colombia international Juan Pablo Angel.
(Courtesy Sean Morrison/Wired868)

(http://927c7056a6505e51f411252c.gaut33cm2m.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/edmund-dillon-brian-williams.jpg?x71639)
Photo: National Security Minister Edmund Dillon (centre) makes a move during an exhibition match against a FIFA/TTFA All Star team at the Ato Boldon Stadium in Couva on 10 April 2017.
(Courtesy Sean Morrison/Wired868)

(http://927c7056a6505e51f411252c.gaut33cm2m.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/ttfa-david-john-williams-dribble.jpg?x71639)
Photo: TTFA president David John-Williams weighs up his options during an exhibition match at the Ato Boldon Stadium, Couva on 10 April 2017.
(Courtesy Sean Morrison/Wired868)

(http://927c7056a6505e51f411252c.gaut33cm2m.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/jason-williams-jw-dennis-lawrence.jpg?x71639)
Photo: DJ and soca artiste Jason “JW” Williams (left) tries to keep his balance after a challenge from former World Cup 2006 defender Dennis Lawrence during an exhibition match at the Ato Boldon Stadium in Couva on 10 April 2017.
(Courtesy Sean Morrison/Wired868)

(http://927c7056a6505e51f411252c.gaut33cm2m.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/fifa-infantino-edmund-dillon-esmond-forde-darryl-smith.jpg?x71639)
Photo: FIFA president Gianni Infantino (centre) poses with Sport Minister Darryl Smith (second from left), National Security Minister Edmund Dillon (second from right) and Speaker of the House Esmond Forde (third from right) after an exhibition match at the Ato Boldon Stadium in Couva on 10 April 2017.
(Courtesy Sean Morrison/Wired868)

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: palos on April 13, 2017, 04:49:08 PM
(http://927c7056a6505e51f411252c.gaut33cm2m.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/ttfa-david-john-williams-dribble.jpg?x71639)
Photo: TTFA president David John-Williams weighs up his options during an exhibition match at the Ato Boldon Stadium, Couva on 10 April 2017.
(Courtesy Sean Morrison/Wired868)

No shit!  ;)
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Deeks on April 13, 2017, 07:56:29 PM
David and the MoS really needs to take good look at themselves.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: gawd on pitch on April 13, 2017, 08:50:32 PM
(http://927c7056a6505e51f411252c.gaut33cm2m.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/ttfa-david-john-williams-dribble.jpg?x71639)
Photo: TTFA president David John-Williams weighs up his options during an exhibition match at the Ato Boldon Stadium, Couva on 10 April 2017.
(Courtesy Sean Morrison/Wired868)

No shit!  ;)

Interesting choice of words.

Can anyone confirm that DJW actually played football in the past? Just curious.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on April 14, 2017, 02:08:12 AM
Parliament poops; Morace misses out as Angel, Aimar and Infantino shine in FIFA fete match
By Amiel Mohammed (Wired868.com).


The Cabinet was reshuffled on Monday afternoon at the Ato Boldon Stadium but, as some commentators have been predicting all along, it made little difference.

And the presence of National Security Minister Edmund Dillon might have been enough to stop a highly anticipated head-to-head between the national women’s coach and the former national captain whom she gave her marching orders recently. But it was not enough to prevent the mutiny that took place in the tunnel mere moments before the start of the star-studded FIFA-sanctioned glamour match.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino, TTFA President David John-Williams and a host of former football stars faced off against National Security Minister Edmund Dillon, Sports Minister Darryl Smith and Deputy Speaker of the House Esmond Forde and the result was an embarrassing 6-0 trouncing for the politicians and—with apologies to Basdeo Panday—pseudo-politicians.

In his first official visit to T&T since being appointed FIFA President last year, Infantino led the FIFA/TTFA outfit from the front. Apart from braving the scorching heat to march out at the head of the troops in their blue strips with white trim, it was he who scored the first of the handful of goals—and then one!—they put past the hapless parliamentarians.

The appearance of the teams on the field of play was preceded by the thunderous voice of President John-Williams making a protest that brought all and sundry to a halt.

His state of shock, it seems, was induced by the sight of National U-17 head coach Russell “Little Magician” Latapy outfitted in the red of the parliamentary opposition. If 37-year-old former Valencia CF and Argentina icon Pablo Aimar and 41-year-old former Aston Villa and NY Red Bulls marksman Juan Pablo Angel, the two FIFA big guns Infantino had brought with him had been real guns, well, you never know…

As it turned out, Williams was content to demand an investigation into the matter. Tyrone Marcus, the Sport Ministry’s sharp legal officer, leapt to his team’s defence, eloquently pointing out that Latapy’s transfer had been very much above board despite the transaction having taken place in the relative darkness of a tunnel. Tough luck, Mr President.

Wired868 could not confirm that Latapy was hoping to convince national coach Dennis Lawrence that he still has what it takes to suit up in red in June.

Dillon, a retired major general, is used to heavy artillery but his side had no answer to Aimar and Angel who, ably assisted by the 2006 Soca Warriors trio of Carlos Edwards, Stern John and Lawrence, dominated the game from start to finish.

Unfazed by their pre-match setback, the FIFA/TTFA “galácticos” stepped into the sunlight determined, organized and assured. A lip reader would have been able to determine whether the intense discussion between Aimar and Angel in the centre circle was an attempt to work out which would be allowed to score more goals than the other.

There was no such discussion among the members on the Government/SPORTT side. They looked a rag-tag bunch, red but not ready. They looked like a team in need of a few days’ rest. Confused, disorganized and unable to decide who was playing where before or even after the ref blew the whistle, they didn’t give the impression they could get it together enough even with the divine assistance on which they were clearly depending.

Once Aimar played the ball out to Edwards, the Rolls Royce of Trinbago football, the result was not in doubt. The 38-year-old Edwards occupied his customary right-back role with Angel on the left wing, Aimar deployed in his favoured number 10 position and T&T record goal-scorer, Stern, partnering President Infantino at the top of the attack.

It didn’t take too long for the men in blue to fire the first warning shot either. Angel burst down the left like a man 20 years younger and crossed to Aimar, who flicked a header on to the advancing Infantino.

Infantino’s reflexes, however, were not as sharp as his wit and the chance went begging. But you didn’t have to Leo Beenhakker or Pep Guardiola to see that it was only a matter of time before the “galácticos” would score.

Infantino did soon after, thanks to his illustrious imported pair. They combined down the left flank and, despite some wasteful finishing and good goalkeeping, Infantino saw his shot loop into the net.

Moments later, Edward delivered a peach of a cross, which Angel gently cushioned before slotting the ball into the bottom corner.

The response on the Government/SPORTT bench was to begin warming up with militarized precision. It is debatable whether this was spontaneous or the result of a demand by Minister Dillon for the respect he had demanded in central Trinidad the week before.

Enter Latapy to show glimpses of the touches that had left Williams aghast when he suddenly switched sides. He cleverly chipped the ball into the path of another ageless wonder, Leonson Lewis.  The 50-year-old Lewis cut back onto his left and unleashed a cannon of a shot that seemed destined for the far corner.

In no mood to be upstaged by his elders, however, custodian Clayton Ince stretched out his long arm to parry the effort wide.

The disappointment might have knocked the stuffing out of Lewis, who was soon replaced by entertainment and Scorch hotshot, Kwesi “Hoppie” Hopkinson.

Minister Smith soon joined Lewis on the bench. Though Smith regularly reminds any willing listener about his football exploits in his college years, those times looked to have been light years ago on Monday as Aimar danced around him time and time again.

One suspects that the Minister’s physio had to put in more than a little overtime yesterday.

A huge cheer went up when, at the opposite end, president replaced president. Infantino was visibly pleased to depart for the welcome luxury of the shade on the bench, leaving the field to his host, John-Williams. To his credit, DJW was ready and able.

He pierced the Government/SPORTT defence with a calculated through-ball which Angel collected without breaking his stride. Dropping his shoulder and cutting around the hapless Darryl Stewart in goal, he bedazzled the custodian with some fancy footwork and tapped in for number three.

Radio personality Jason “JW” Williams had his fill of the fancy palancing. Getting off the bench, he stripped off his bib and marched towards the touchline, signalling a substitution. His teammates on the field, however, had other ideas; none was willing to trade places with him. Eyes blazing, he was forced to walk back to the bench.

“Watch him, watch him!” an amused spectator commented, “JW sour dere, ya know. No sweat for you.”

On the stroke of halftime, Stern stole possession in a dangerous area and set up Angel for him to complete one of the easiest hat-tricks of his career.

At the half came the Cabinet reshuffle—to no avail.  The introduction of SPORTT Executive Facilities Manager Anthony Blake and Trinidad and Tobago Super League General Secretary Camara David was expected to make a difference. But in the second half, FIFA/TTFA was jammin still!

Lawrence, promoted to midfield, remained unimpressed, preaching possession with purpose to put his side in complete control.

FIFA/TTFA, which featured TTFA General Secretary Justin Latapy-George, TTFA National Senior Team Manager Richard Piper, T&T National U20 coach Brian Williams, current National Senior Women’s captain Tasha St Louis, former referee Wayne Caesar and former National Senior Women’s head coach Marlon Charles, added two more goals late in the second half to add further gloss to their polished performance.

And they might have added another when David mowed down La Liga winner Aimar at the top of the box. The recent FIFA International Masters Alumni confessed to Wired868 with a cheeky grin how much he had treasured the moment when he cut the former international down to size.

With TT Pro League CEO Dexter Skeene, Sports and Games CEO Omar Hadeed, National Senior Men’s Hockey Team captain Darren Cowie, Minister Smith’s Advisor Garvin Warrick and former National Senior Women’s captain Maylee Attin-Johnson also in their ranks, the Government/SPORTT outfit might have felt they hadn’t lived up to expectations.

But judging from the comments as Wired868 eavesdropped our way out of the venue, the biggest disappointment seemed to be that National Senior Women’s head coach Carolina Morace had declined to lace up her boots for the FIFA/TTFA team.

Mighty Morace versus Maylee in the mood for mischief might have made for much, much more merriment.

Video

FIFA All Stars Meet Local Team In Exhibition Match Highlights (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7ZLbhlVw7A&feature=youtu.be)

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on May 10, 2017, 01:44:37 AM
TTFA Grassroots Development Activities begin on Thursday
TTFA Media.


Grassroots Workshop and Festival gets going

The Trinidad and Tobago Football Association will stage a grassroots workshop in conjunction with CONCACAF and UEFA at the Ato Boldon Stadium this Thursday and Friday to precede the start of its 2017 Grassroots Festival this coming weekend. The first Grassroots event will take place at Green Park, Felicity, Chaguanas from 9am on Saturday.

With the help of the TTFA’s Technical Department spearheaded by Technical Director Muhammad Isa, and assistance from CONCACAF and UEFA instructors, the Grassroots Football Festival Programme, aims to reach out to the players eleven (11) years old and under in the rural areas. This initiative is promoted by FIFA as one of the criteria for a country’s development.

Between May 13th to August 19th, the TTFA will stage festivals at different venues in the various Regional Associations (i. Eastern Football Association, ii. Northern Football Association, iii. Central Football Association, iv. Tobago Football Association v. Eastern Counties Football Union, and vi. Southern Football Association. )

The bigger the base, the stronger the structure. Grassroots are the base and foundation of any footballing nation. It is from here future players are born. The greatest footballers in the world all started at a young age. This initiative with help fuel such players by providing an opportunity for them to be seen by the TTFA and community while increasing the players’ and communities’ interest in football.

The Goals and Objectives of the Grassroots Festival include but are not limited to the following:

•Stimulate the participation of players under 11 year olds in rural communities.

•Capture baseline data on current level of participation (boys/girls) (as a percentage of under eleven (11) year olds in the community);

• Target a percentage  of new players (boys/girls) – players not currently routinely participating in structured football activity;

• Capture baseline data on the structured football activities routinely available in the community – school/academies/etc.

• Create a profile of each participant – name/age/contact details (parents)/preferred position etc.

• Capture data on the facilities in the community-fields/lighting/maintenance arrangements.

• Create positive awareness of the TTFA and its plans to develop football.

• Create Community Growth:

• Promote national players (male and female) past and present from the community (if any)

• Create a better future community through football by improving the principles and values for becoming a better person holistically.

• Educate the community about football scholarships thus helping reinforce the neglected need for education in some communities and More.

•Developing Grassroots coaches in the communities through the TTFA coaching workshops.

“What is Grassroots Football?”

The Grassroots Programme is the core foundation of our development mission, aimed at encouraging girls and boys around the Trinidad & Tobago to play football without restrictions. Grassroots focuses on the deployment of football through small-sided games, teaching basic football technique, emphasizing the value of exercise, and stressing the importance of fair play.

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on May 25, 2017, 02:36:17 PM
TTFA Headquarters to be based at Ato Boldon Stadium from June 1st.
TTFA Media.


T&T Pro League, TT Super League and WoLF to also move to Couva facility

The Headquarters of the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association will officially be relocated to the Ato Boldon Stadium, Couva at month end with operations set to begin there on June 1st, 2017.

Following the announcement by the TTFA during the recent visit of FIFA President Gianni Infantino that the Ato Boldon Stadium will become the new home of the TTFA, the relocation is the first part of the process which will lead to the establishment of a National Training Centre.

The TTFA, which has been based at the Hasely Crawford Stadium for the past four years, will also welcome the T&T Pro League, the TT Super League (TTSL) and Women’s League Football (WOLF) to the facility with the three organisations being provided with operational space by the FA.

The TTFA believes the new location will help streamline its operations, while facilitating engagement with key stakeholders; including other FIFA Member associations,Regional and local Member associations, Government, Partners, Players,Officials and Fans.

The TTFA wishes to thank the Ministry of Sports and the Sportt Company for its support in this  significant development.

“We are thankful to the Ministry of Sport and Sportt Company for fulfilling their promise to support football by providing us with the facility. I think it is a tremendous accomplishment to have the key stakeholders in local football under one roof. It augers well for the development of the game here in trinidad and Tobago and it is an indication of the administration’s drive and ambitions to take the game to greater heights and with the inclusion of the stakeholders,” TTFA President David John-Williams told TTFA Media.

Pro League CEO Dexter Skeene indicated that the new move would be a boost to the overall development of football in T&T.

“I would like to thank the TTFA and its President for opening their arms to the League and for his vision in bringing the major stakeholders in local football together under one roof. I think this will go a long way in improving the local game,” Skeene said.

In a reaction to the provision to the Super League, its Interim President Keith Look Loy stated, “The TT Super League is pleased to have finally received recognition from the TTFA. TTSL now has a permanent home from which to operate and to develop the League, and we thank the TTFA for having facilitated this.”

Wolf President Sharon O’Brien expressed similar feelings, saying “The fact that Wolf can now have an office from which we can conduct our business is a definite boost for the league and for local women’s football. This will help us tremendously in carrying out our day to day operations  and will be a positive step towards growing and developing the league, particularly from an administrative standpoint.”

Further information on updates in operational systems and policies will be provided in due course.

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on May 27, 2017, 03:33:37 PM
TTFA welcomes SSFL and Referees Association to home of football.
TTFA Media.


The Trinidad and Tobago Football Association will be welcoming the Secondary Schools Football League and the the Trinidad and Tobago Referees Associations at the Home of Football when it begins its operations from the Ato Boldon Stadium in June, 2017.

On Thursday it was announced that the TTFA’s headquarters will be based at the Couva facility, also housing the T&T Pro League, Women’s Football League and the TT Super League and today TTFA President David John Williams was pleased to reveal that the Secondary Schools Football League and the Referees Association will also be accommodated at the venue.

This is an indication of the FA’s commitment to innovation and advancement towards everything football through a collective efforts of the major stakeholders in Trinidad and Tobago football.

TTFA President David John-Williams added: “The various organisations and key stakeholders in local football coming together at the home of football,and now with the inclusion of the Secondary Schools Football League and the Referees Association, represents another significant step forward for the FA.

“This is all part of our ongoing attempt towards  ensuring that the home for football offers the very best opportunities as broad and diverse with an array of football related resources possible at one location which we hope will make it ever more convenient for all involved in their efforts towards taking football forward,” John-Williams added.

Related Article

TTFA Headquarters to be based at Ato Boldon Stadium (http://www.socawarriors.net/federation-news/19755-ttfa-headquarters-to-be-based-at-ato-boldon-stadium-from-june-1st.html)

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on June 04, 2017, 07:22:32 AM
TTFA pumps $800,000 into Pro League and Super League.
TTFA Media.


At a time when sponsorship and Government funding is scarce, the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association has stepped in to stabilize its major and second tier leagues.

”We are giving US $100,000 to the Pro League and US$25, 000 to the TT Super League in an effort to bolster their administrative efforts,: stated TTFA President David John Williams on Saturday.

“The TT Pro League has been the biggest provider of talent to the senior national teams
over the last 15 years. The employment opportunities provided in the Pro League is football’s contribution to the economy of the country” Williams continued.

“And the Super League has provided opportunities for players who cannot be full time and still want to play at a decent level.”

The TTFA President who is a product of the local professional league revealed that the injection into the both Leagues comes out of a special projects FIFA grant accessed by the Association for such purposes.

The funding which had the total approval of the TTFA’s Board comes on the heels of an effort by its President to get the various arms of football under one roof.

”Now that our football has a home,we must now look at the economic and administrative stability of our stakeholders,” John-Williams said.

“World football generates huge incomes but in the past the stakeholders in local football never benefited as they ought to have. So the country has stadia but never a “home for football” before our administration came into office. We are indeed thankful to the Government of Trinidad and Tobago for its support in this regard. Both the Ministry of Sport and The Sport Company have really stepped up to ensure that football progress in a meaningful way.”

“For us to progress,every arm of football must become professional in their operations and we at the TTFA are committed to driving this process,” John-Williams concluded.

The TTFA Headquarters moved to the Ato Boldon Stadium on June 1st with the TT Pro League, TT Super League, Secondary Schools Football League and the Women’s League Football all currently operating from the same venue.

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: maxg on June 04, 2017, 01:12:48 PM
What, no theories ? btw, how all this getting done ?
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Sam on June 06, 2017, 02:56:38 PM
Good going by de TTFA, look how Skeene and DJW buss up over de voting for T&T coach and now de TTFA donating money, allyuh smell a conspiracy?

Lets see what Skeene go do now.

Money plus a home at de Ato Stadium.

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: palos on June 06, 2017, 05:35:16 PM
What, no theories ? btw, how all this getting done ?

FIFA grants.....to which the previous TTFA administration did not have access (was not given access to)

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Controversial on June 07, 2017, 01:46:20 AM
Shaka said the players were not paid since Panama but ttfa has money to donate 😂

So the dictator plan is to make the players disgruntled because of bad treatment to further debilitate our chances ... some mastestrokes on his part
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: asylumseeker on June 20, 2017, 08:49:01 AM
Has the TTFA taken any action regarding the officiating that occurred in the Hex? Everyone else protests formally. What path has the TTFA pursued?
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on July 04, 2017, 02:26:51 AM
TTFA Grassroots Festival goes to Westmoorings and Moruga.
TTFA Media.


The Trinidad and Tobago Football Association’s Grassroots Festival moved into the Northern Football Association on Saturday with a two-hour clinic at St Anthony’s College Grounds in Westmoorings.

The clinic was conducted by the TTFA zonal coaches and overseen by TTFA Technical director Muhammad Isa.

Paul Decle, one of the coaches who participated in the TTFA Grassroots coaching course conducted by Anton Corneal recently, was present and involved in Saturday’s session. Decle is also the founder of Pro Series Events.

“I was really impressed with the level of participation and players coming from all over Trinidad to be part of the Grassroots festival,” Decle told TTFA Media.

“Despite the hot weather, the children had great fun, learning news skills and getting a chance to play matches. It was a great event with an excellent group of coaches and a pleasure to be a part of,” he added.

At Saturday’s session, the participants included youngsters came from the Glencoe Football Academy and Petit Valley United. Cocorite Government Primary, Dunross Primary and other areas such as La Puerta, Sagangar Trace, Cocorite, Diego Martin and Carenage.

Visiting coach Jamie Harris, who is the Under 11 coach at English club AFC Bournemouth, was also in attendance as an observer at Saturday’s session

This Saturday, the Festival rolls into Moruga with another session starting from 9am at the Grand Chemin Ground.

So far the year the TTFA Grassroots Festival has also been staged in La Brea, Chaguanas, Blanchisseuse and Palo Seco.

The clinics cater for boys and girls between ages 6-11. The kids are taught the basics of the game with an emphasis on player participation and enjoyment as coaches, who have all been trained by the TTFA coaching instructors and been part of the recent TTFA/CONCACAF Grassroots coaching course, are utilised to guide the youngsters during the sessions.

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on July 05, 2017, 04:42:23 AM
TTFA ordered to pay ex-FIFA ref $500k; DJW-led body accused of trying to mislead High Court.
By R.Walcott (Wired868).


The David John-Williams-led Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) has been accused of trying to mislead the High Court after allegedly submitting inaccurate information in a sworn affidavit.

In a court matter which involves former FIFA referee and ex-head of the local refereeing department, Ramesh Ramdhan, the TTFA—through their attorneys Anand R Misir and Dayadai Harripaul—claimed that they paid a yearly lease upwards of TT$900,000 for the use of the Hasely Crawford Stadium in Port of Spain.

The TTFA, whom were ordered by the High Court to pay TT$540,000 in outstanding fees to Ramdhan, made a request on 28 April 2017 to pay the former referee in monthly instalments, due to expenses which they incurred at that time. And in their statement which revealed their yearly income and expenses, the TTFA divulged the following:

“The application applies to the court for an order to pay the amount due by an initial sum of $30,000.00 and installments of $22,500.00 per month and provides the following information… [The] Trinidad and Tobago Football Association pays a lease of $944,021 per year for the use of the premises at the Hasely [sic] Crawford Stadium.”

Ramdhan, who said he was only paid for four months while he worked under the local football body from 2012-2015, said that the TTFA’s revelation immediately raised his eyebrows because he was not aware of any rental costs for the use of the Hasely Crawford Stadium.

“[The TTFA] ended up conceding that they owed me this money,” Ramdhan told Wired868. “But in the document that they sent to the High Court, they claimed they are paying—in the income and expenses statement—$940,000 in accommodation at the Hasely Crawford Stadium. We wanted audited statements for 2016 and they did not provide that so the lawyers agreed for [them to provide] a balance sheet and a financial statement of some sort.

“And that is the basis of my objection to their offer. We have a court hearing on the 26th of July to ventilate that… [TTFA president David John-Williams] has lied to the High Court of Trinidad and Tobago because that is a sworn affidavit. And that will be a different story.”

Ramdhan unsuccessfully contested the TTFA’s 2015 election and tendered his resignation shortly after John-Williams ascended to the helm. Ramdhan claimed he still had six months left on his contract and lamented that the TTFA president shut down every attempt he made to discuss the debts owed to him. And the man who became the first Caribbean referee to officiate at the World Cup, felt he was left with no other option than to take the local football body to court.

Ramdhan is not the only person who is currently questioning the TTFA’s financial statements, as Veterans Football Foundation of Trinidad and Tobago (VFFOTT) president Selby Browne unsuccessfully tried to source certain pertinent documents from the administration recently.

“Every member of the TTFA has a responsibility to review the books at anytime,” Browne told Wired868.

On 26 July, the TTFA will try to prove to the High Court and Ramdhan that their $900,000-plus yearly lease to use the Hasely Crawford Stadium is in fact legitimate. Ramdhan has included a clause in his affidavit seeking the money owed to him with damages if the TTFA’s statement about rental costs at the Hasely Crawford Stadium turns out to be false.

The consequences for the TTFA and John-Williams will be much more dire if the High Court finds contents of their 28 April affidavit to be erroneous.

Wired868 was informed that the judge in the matter has now recused himself from the case although it is unclear why he took such action.

Also in their affidavit on 28 April, the TTFA listed their annual income as TT$9,914,762 while their total expenses exceeded 64 million TT dollars.

Wired868 asked both John-Williams and TTFA General Secretary Justin Latapy-George if the TTFA paid any yearly lease for the use of the Hasely Crawford Stadium.

Latapy-George, who was appointed in November last year, said he could not confirm if there was a contractual arrangement in place between the TTFA and the government regarding the use of the Hasely Crawford Stadium.

Meanwhile, John-Williams urged Wired868 to take up its questions with the Sport Company of Trinidad and Tobago (SporTT) and did not provide an answer himself.

One SporTT official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, stated that the TTFA was paying no lease for the use of the Hasely Crawford Stadium and suggested that the local football body should be able to produce an invoice if they were in fact being charged to meet the requirements of a yearly lease.

“The Sport Company [of Trinidad and Tobago] gives housing to various sporting bodies and the arrangement is the same,” the official said.

Meanwhile, John-Williams’ predecessor, Raymond Tim Kee, said the TTFA vacated their previous office at Anna St, Woodbrook due to “unmanageable rental costs” of approximately $40,000 per month.

Why then would the TTFA pay SporTT close to TT$80,000 to rent a similar office at the Hasely Crawford Stadium?

Tim Kee asserted that, according to the football body’s arrangement with SporTT, the TTFA  was only responsible for paying their internet bill at the venue.

Browne, who also made an unsuccessful bid to become TTFA president in 2015, following up on  the revelations of the Ramdhan court matter by requesting access of financial data from the football body.

On 22 June, Browne asked the TTFA to provide:

1. Minutes of TTFA Board of Directors at which the decision was taken to call and [sic] EGM on 5 July at 5.30pm.

2. Minutes of all Meetings of the TTFA Board of Directors held after the last TTFA AGM.

3. The TTFA Financial Records for the period January 2016 to date.

4. The TTFA Income Sources, sponsorship, grants, donations, loans and general revenue proceeds for the period January 2016 to date.

5. The TTFA list of debtors with outstanding amounts at 15 June 2017.

6. The TTFA List of employees, consultants, contractors and attorneys for the period January 2016 to date and their remuneration packages.

7. The TTFA correspondence files with FIFA, CONCACAF and CFU for the period January 2016 to date.

Browne gave the TTFA a deadline of 28 June. However, the VFFOTT president claimed that he has  received no response to his requests from the incumbent administration.

Latapy-George told Wired868 that he did receive Browne’s email and noted the requests. However, the TTFA’s General Secretary stated “that matter is currently before the general membership so it would be misplaced of me to comment at this time.”

Browne has not been dissuaded though, and the VFFOTT president advised the TTFA that his body will be present at the upcoming EGM.

“VFFOTT shall be represented at the EGM on 5 July at 5.30pm to seek answers, evidence and specific documentation for questions with respect to the conduct of the administration of the TTFA, to include fiduciary affairs,” stated Browne.  “I got in my mailbox the outstanding arrears prior to the new executive. Clearly, a lot of money has either been paid, or a lot of the persons have been satisfied.

“So [the VFFOTT] will want to know: Is there anything outstanding? Are fellahs owed? I know several coaches who are out of pocket…”

Browne, who suggested that the local football body was going down “an all-too-familiar path”, questioned whether or not John-Williams used TTFA money to help his unsuccessful Caribbean Football Union (CFU) presidential campaign last year.

“I was there when [former FIFA President Sepp] Blatter was being paraded, just like Infantino is now being paraded through the Caribbean,” said Browne. “Up to today [Infantino] hasn’t addressed my issue of the TV rights, so as far as I’m concerned nothing has changed at FIFA.

“Nearly all the football associations in the Caribbean have their cap in hand behind a great, white Lord who can give them a couple pennies. And they couldn’t care less if it was stolen.

“Clearly, it’s an undermining and an attempt to destroy the Caribbean Football Union by hanging a couple dollars in front of the gullible ones […] for those who have eyes to see and ears to hear, we wish them well.”

With four CONCACAF World Cup qualifying games to go, the Soca Warriors are positioned at the bottom of ‘Hex’ with just three points. But Browne feels the next two fixtures against Panama and Honduras may decide the administration’s fate as well.

“At the end of the first week of September, a decision must be made about the administration of football in Trinidad and Tobago; it’s very simple in mind,” said Browne. “It is about putting Trinidad and Tobago football on the right footing, something that should have been done [before].

“We should not have had the debacle that was Jack Warner; and clearly it looks like we are heading that way again with this sort of modus operandi.”

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on July 10, 2017, 05:02:02 AM
Is TTFA getting better or worse? CFA triumph, Look Loy’s delayed ascendancy and multiple financial queries.
By Lasana Liburd (Wired868).


“[Wednesday] night was a massive defeat for the TTFA executive, which has provoked controversy for the last six months with its stance against the Central Football Association and the TTSL,” TTSL interim president Keith Look Loy told Wired868. “My take is it was a great victory for grassroots democracy in Trinidad and Tobago.”

Look Loy was in a bullish mode as the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association’s EGMs ended with good news for the Trinidad and Tobago Super League (TTSL) and Central Football Association (CFA) on Wednesday night at the National Cycling Velodrome in Balmain, Couva.

Whether the EGM represented a zero-sum game is open to debate though.

“I enjoy seeing people I know from around football—whether they are representing clubs or regional associations—having a chance to come and participate in decisions,” said one TTFA board member, who spoke on condition of anonymity. “I never saw that before. In the days of Jack Warner as special advisor that meeting would have been done in five minutes!”

Instead, yesterday’s EGMs—one tabled by the CFA and the other by the TTFA’s Board of Directors—lasted for more than four hours and the latter motion had to be adjourned.

When current TTFA president David John-Williams began his term in late 2015, the meetings quickly became poorly attended and generally meek affairs.

On Wednesday, 35 from 47 potential delegates turned out and John-Williams certainly did not have it all his own way.

“The meeting was a democratically successful meeting,” said former Trinidad and Tobago Referees Association head Osmond Downer—a man not known to be easily satisfied.

The first matter of business was the Board’s agenda, which included issues of: the compliance of members; appointments to the Judicial Bodies and Audit and Compliance Committee; and the acceptance of 2016 audit report.

The 18-month grace period allowed for members to become compliant with the new constitution expired on 12 January 2017. It meant, strictly speaking, several members of the football body could have been legal struck off. Instead, the membership decided to grant a further amnesty until 30 September 2017—by which time they must present the TTFA general secretariat with, among other things, “a copy of its audited financial statements for the previous financial year.”

The TTSL clubs, in particular, are believed to be trailing in this regard.

As John-Williams reeled off the list of proposed members for the Judicial and Audit and Compliance bodies, there was the first hint of dissent. Veteran Footballers Foundation of Trinidad and Tobago (VFFTT) president Selby Browne objected to the process of appointments.

“This is no way for this council to confirm any members to any board,” said Browne. “What I would have expected is a list circulated to all the delegates, giving names of all persons recommended and one paragraph on who they were, prior to any decision.”

Article 36 (d) of the constitution says the Board of Directions “shall propose the members of the judicial bodies and the Audit and Compliance Committee to the General Meeting.”

And Article 23 gives the general membership the authority to elect or dismiss members of any standing committee “upon the proposal of the Board of Directors.”

Did the wording of the constitution suggest that the general membership was just a rubber stamp for this particular matter?

Browne resisted that notion and had support from the floor. So the BoD relented and agreed to present the proposed members as suggested at a later date.

It was probably wise since one right that the general membership certainly does have is the right to vote for the removal of any Board member including the TTFA president.

The Board’s attempt to have its financial audit approved similarly hit a wall.

“The financial statements and auditor’s report were read out by an auditor,” said Downer. “There were no print outs available. One man read that this book was examined, etc but nothing was in front of members to look at. So it was decided that [the TTFA’s Audit Report] could not be considered.”

Once more, Browne led the challenge on the floor.

“We are quite grateful and thankful that you read it but this cannot be considered at this time,” said Browne, “because we have no Audit Report before us to accept. The board should have circulated report and that is what must be done.”

According to Article 27.3 of the constitution, the BoD was obliged to make all relevant financial documents available to members “at least 14 days before the date of the Annual General Meeting.”

There was no stipulation regarding financial documents for an EGM. But, once financial matters were up for discussion, surely the spirit of the constitution would suggest that the same protocol would follow.

Again, the Board bent to the will of its membership on the issue.

Next up was the EGM requested by the CFA, which asked for:

Removal and replacement of CFA representative on the Board of the TTFA as requested by the CFA;

Change status of the Super League Clubs with the establishment of the TTSL;

The application of the TTSL for full membership of the TTFA or for the enjoyment of equivalent status as the TT Pro League as a recognised body to organise its own games and competitions;

Changes in the TTFA constitution consequent upon changes made in (3) above: (Article 10.1b and 22.1b) Change from National Super League Clubs to Trinidad and Tobago Super League Clubs; (Article 33) To include one member representing the Trinidad and Tobago Super League [on the TTFA board]; To change the board of directors [from] 13 to 14 members; Elections of the TTSL representative to the board of directors of the TTFA.

On paper, they seemed straightforward requests. But the CFA and TTSL wish-list had been frustrated for roughly six months in the latter body’s case and over a year for the former.

Remarkably, the BoD repeatedly resisted the CFA’s request to change its representative to the board, Samuel Saunders. Wednesday was D-Day.

Saunders, an attorney, initially refused to recuse himself from the meeting to decide his own fate and insisted he be allowed to address the general membership on the matter.

The members—again led by Browne—insisted Saunders leave immediately and without a word.

Eventually, John-Williams asked Saunders to listen to the people and recuse himself and the membership supported CFA who were allowed to immediately replace him with James Toussaint.

“I still don’t understand why Mr Saunders put himself through all that humiliation,” said CFA general secretary Clynt Taylor. “He attempted to make a pitch for him but when members found out he was there, they were very upset and asked him to recuse himself. He kept saying he want to talk and members kept insisting he had to go and were shouting back ‘we don’t want to hear you’.

“In the end, I felt bad for him.”

Downer suggested that the John-Williams-led Board had misinterpreted the rulebook in what should have been a simple matter.

“I asked the question: Did the CFA change its representative to the board of the TTFA according to its constitution?” said Downer. “You see quite a few people were confusing the issue because [they were applying] the TTFA’s constitution. It is a very complicated thing for the TTFA to change a board member. But according to the CFA constitution, that decision can be made by a simple majority of its board and ratified by the general meeting…”

Once more, the membership spoke; and Saunders was out.

The TTSL’s proposals were swept through in similar fashion. All but one.

Once the fledgling body was formally recognised in the constitution and assured of a seat on the TTFA Board, the TTSL’s representatives recommended Look Loy—who was not on the island and absent from the meeting—be immediately installed as the local football body’s 14th Board member.

John-Williams objected on the grounds that Look Loy was recommended by an interim board, which ought to now give way to a formal body before it could make such a decisions. And, on this occasion, the TTFA president was successful.

“Now that they are duly consisted, they can call general meeting and elect officers and members to the board,” said Downer, who described John-Williams’ point as valid. “So the meeting decided unanimously that the admission of their representative be postponed to the next extraordinary general meeting.”

Within 24 hours, Look Loy revealed that the TTSL had already set a date for their formal elections.

“We are in the process right now of calling an election for the ninth of August,” Look Loy told Wired868. “The interim board had asked for me to represent the TTSL but John-Williams argued that an interim board cannot take such a decision. So we said fine, we are going to have an election… We are in the process of alerting people right now.”

Look Loy described the EGM as a victory for the “grassroots” against the power-brokers.

“They argued against Saunders being removed [and] John-Williams lost the fight,” he said. “And they argued against the TTSL being given representation on the Board and the members pushed them back and won the day. It was a great day for football democracy and common sense prevailed.”

Taylor offered a more downbeat verdict.

“It was a relief for the CFA that we can hopefully get someone who is willing to work with us [on the TTFA Board] but I find the whole process very sad,” said the CFA general secretary. “It was really anticlimactic. We could have put a lot of this effort into progressing football as opposed to moving one individual.

“The amount of animosity and effort spent fighting this was really sad.”

By all indications, the general membership is just getting started though. Before the end of the EGM, Browne presented a list of 42 questions on an array of issues to TTFA general secretary Justin Latapy-George and all the members present.

Among Browne’s queries were: Identify the accounts that have received monies from FIFA, UEFA, CONCACAF and CFU from December 2015 to date; list the signatories to the active accounts; list the source of funding, names and amounts for the TTFA Women’s Football Programme; explain the rationale behind the meeting the TTFA hosted at the Marriott, Port of Spain, in 2016 for CFU member association executives; and explain the TTFA’s claim of a rental or leasing fee for the Hasely Crawford Stadium in a statement to the courts of Trinidad and Tobago.

The last question related to an affidavit submitted in the local High Court on 2 May 2017 by attorney Dayadai Harripaul on behalf of the TTFA, which claimed that the football body had paid TT$944,021 in rent.

In truth, the football body moved to the Hasely Crawford Stadium under John-Williams’ predecessor, Raymond Tim Kee, for rent free lodging.

One TTFA insider, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the John-Williams-led body is now allegedly claiming that Harripaul’s affidavit was filed without the written  consent of any Board member.

It is a remarkable assertion that should make for an interesting exchange when the issue returns to the High Court on 26 July 2017.

Browne gave the TTFA one week to respond in writing on that issue and a few dozen more to boot. Neither John-Williams, Latapy-George or the Board have committed to that proposed timeline or even to provide the information in the first place.

John-Williams, according to one member, allegedly questioned whether Browne had the authority to make such demands of the Board. However, according to Article 12.1 (d), the TTFA’s members have the right “to be informed of the affairs of TTFA through the official bodies of TTFA.”

“The meetings demonstrated a need for all members of the TTFA—including the members of the Board of Directors and officers—to properly familiarise themselves with the TTFA constitution,” said Browne. “In so doing, meetings will be far more productive and of the desired quality of an AGM or EGM…

“We demand answers to those questions [sent to Latapy-George] which will give a full picture of the administration of football and the TTFA from December 2015 to date.”

By all accounts, the TTFA’s meetings are getting livelier by the minute.

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on July 12, 2017, 01:37:42 AM
TTFA presents Legacy of Soca Warriors Books to SSFL Schools.
TTFA Media.


In a gesture geared towards placing the history of Trinidad and Tobago football at the disposal of the nation’s youth, the local governing body (TTFA) today presented authentic copies of the Legacy of the Soca Warriors publication to some one hundred schools in the country.

The intention is for the books to be placed in the libraries of each of the secondary schools which are affiliated to the Secondary Schools Football League. The presentation took place at Naparima College, San Fernando on Tuesday.

“This is part of the FA’s overall drive to get the education of football in schools We feel it is very critical that the students understand the history of football in our country,” TTFA General Secretary Justin Latapy George told the gathering on Tuesday.

“We feel it is important that we start here and because of that the FA has decided to follow through with the distribution to the schools. It is very important that we understand what we are currently, where we want to be and we believe this is just a small part in stepping into that direction along with other things that the FA has rolled out under the current administration led by our President David John Williams,” Latapy-George added.

“Part of what we do with our past and what we intend to do moving forward really resides with the students , the Secondary Schools League and other stakeholders,” he added.

SSFL President William Wallace echoed similar sentiments.

“It is said that if you don’t know your history then you do not know anything. I think this snitbit of our history is very important in terms of our footballers knowing where we came from and where we are heading. We are grateful for the gesture from the TTFA and we will be placing these books into the libraries and looking forward to it being part of what is offered at the secondary schools,” Wallace said.

The Legacy of the Soca Warriors, written by Valentino Singh, takes the reader through one of T&T most historical journeys with enough for both the technical football fan, or the person who just supported with national pride.

With photographs that put the reader on the pitch, the publication also doubles as a picture book with many of the images being different from those popularly published in the media.

The passion in the writing is as real as it was during Germany 2006 and you can almost hear Maximus Dan’s (MX Prime) Fighter, which became the side’s anthem, jumping off the page.

As well as documenting Germany 2006, the book takes the reader back into the history of Trinidad and Tobago’s World Cup campaigns (beginning in 1964) and most notably the agonising near misses of 1973 and 1989.

No facet of the Warriors experience is left untouched. There is an assessment of each group opponent, a look at how the German hosts took the team to their hearts, the resolute performances, Shaka Hislop’s heroics, the last hurrah of Russell Latapy’s dancing feet and Dwight Yorke’s consummate skills and how football united a nation.

Chapter 4, Reflections, a very short chapter, described T&T’s previous missed chances to make the World Cup—against Haiti in 1973 and in more recent memory, the deflating loss against the US in 1990 here at home. It goes into the psychology of our entry into the Fifa fray—and giving an idea of the national mindset during both ‘73 and ‘90.

This glossy tome is definitely a collectors item.

(http://ttfootball.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/leonson1-1024x763.jpg)
SSFL President William Wallace presents a copy of the Legacy of the Soca Warriors to St Benedict’s College head coach and former national player Leonson Lewis.

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: ANC2 on July 20, 2017, 07:23:53 AM
Heard through some football people in Central that some players and some staff still never got paid for the games vs Nicaragua over Christmas  ::)


Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on July 28, 2017, 12:38:33 AM
TTFA give up on W/Cup campaign- Eve.
By Walter Alibey (Guardian).


The T&T Football Association has given up on the country’s chances of qualifying for the FIFA World Cup in Russia next year, Angus Eve, a former national midfielder and coach has said.

He believes the decision by the embattled football association to move the country’s next World Cup qualifying match against Honduras from a 25, 000-seater Hasely Crawford Stadium to the Ato Boldon Stadium in Couva where the seating capacity is just 10, 000, is a clear indication of this.

The TTFA, being led by David John-Williams, communicated this change to the media via a press release earlier this month but it did not give any reasons for their decision. Yesterday Vice President of the TTFA Ewing Davis said he could not say why the TTFA changed the venue for the September 1 encounter with the Hondurans, but believes it will reduce expenses and provide an atmosphere of true support for the players.

“At the Hasely Crawford Stadium we incur debts of over $120, 000 each for the services of both the police and the fire services, which would be much less at the Ato Boldon. There are also additional expenses we have to deal with which I believe will be cheaper at the Couva venue” Davis said.

Davis who has for many years, held the position of president of the Secondary Schools Football League (SSFL), also believes the environment in Couva would be more conducive to the support the players need. “At the Ato Boldon the players are closer to the crowd and would be impacted by the support of the crowd more than in Mucurapo” he added.

The Soca Warriors are in need of maximum points against the Hondurans, having found themselves in a pit at the bottom of the standings with three points from six matches in the qualifiers.

Eve, disappointed by the subliminal message he believes has been sent out to the public at large, wants the public to know that the country still has a mathematical chance of qualifying for the world cup. “If we can get at least four points from our next two games (Honduras and Panama), then both Mexico and the USA would have already qualified for the World Cup, which would put us in a better position to win our remaining matches against them, as they will not produce their full-strength teams against us. This has happened in the past and I see no reason why it will not be done again” Eve explained.

Technical Directior Mohammad Isa said the change in venue is aimed at gaining an advantage on their opponent. “We feel that because we need to win the match, a new venue will provide a difference to the Hondurans who may not know about the Ato Boldon Stadium, as they are accustomed playing at the Hasely Crawford. It will also provide the team with more support” Isa explained. It will be the first time that the Ato Boldon Stadium is being used in a World Cup qualifier.

President John-Williams could not be reached yesterday as he is out of the country on official football business.

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: asylumseeker on August 16, 2017, 08:55:19 PM
TTFA Starts Phase One of National Training and Technical Development Centre.
TTFA Media.


Junior Sammy donates to initial phase of work

The Trinidad and Tobago Football Associated today kickstarted the construction of the first phase of its National Training and Technical Development Centre at the Home of Football, Ato Boldon Stadium.

Courtesy of a partnership with Junior Sammy Contractors Limited, the initial ground work commenced at 6:30am today. The first phase will consist of the installation of Two Natural Grass Training Pitches equipped with flood lights to be followed by the construction of Player Accommodation Hotel.

“Today is really the start of the project with the commencement of phase one. We are thankful to Junior Sammy for donating some tractors to the association to get the work started. We started work this morning on two of the training fields in terms of getting it down to final grade before starting the actual specialist work of planting the grass and laying the surfaces,” TTFA President David John-Williams told TTFA Media on Wednesday.

“It is really exciting times with the start of phase one. The objective of the TTFA is to get these fields ready by the end of November, 2017, all flood lit and available to facilitate the development of Trinidad and Tobago football, particularly all our national teams from under 13s to senior team which will now be able to try anytime during day or night,” the TTFA President added.

Junior Sammy also spoke of his support to the development Centre, saying “I have known David for several years and I was most happy and willing to offer assistance to this project after he explained what it was all about. I think it’s an important development for football and I am all too happy to be able to support it.”

Last month, the TTFA proudly announced that Cabinet approved lands in the vicinity of the Ato Boldon Stadium for lease to the TTFA for the Home of Football.

Along with the two training pitches and player accommodation hotel, the first phase will also comprise a beach soccer pitch. The second phase will include four additional pitches comprising of both artificial and natural grass surfaces and a futsal court.

Additionally, the TTFA has received approval from FIFA to restart the Income Generation Project which was stalled under the previous administration. This project will now be of a different nature as proposed by the new TTFA administration and approved by FIFA and will take the form of an Entertainment and Sports Bar and Restaurant project at the Home of Football.

TTFA Starts Phase One of Training/Technical Development Centre (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4aAir5mWQU)

WATCH TTFA Starts Phase One of Training/Technical Development Centre

https://www.youtube.com/v/z4aAir5mWQU
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Sando on August 18, 2017, 03:38:45 AM
Good going by the TTFA, I hope they build the fields right, drainage is a big issue.

Would love to know about about the Player Accommodation Hotel (how much rooms and so on) and other stuff they will have on the facility.

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on September 07, 2017, 01:51:17 AM
Shame on you, T&TFA.
By Colin Murray (Guardian).


Sheer, downright madness. Quite possibly the only way to describe what really took place last Friday night at the Ato Boldon Stadium. This World Cup qualifier, yes a World Cup qualifier, is right up there with the worst organised sporting event in the sporting annals of T&T.

This trial or experiment (I am not sure what it was) was doomed to fail before a ball was kicked. I queried why a game of this magnitude, a do or die game for the Soca Warriors, was being played at the Couva venue.

The (T&T Football Association) indicated they wanted to create an atmosphere at a smaller venue with the pitch closer to the players and they also wanted the stands to be at full capacity as they could not fill the Hasely Crawford Stadium and they felt this would have created the right atmosphere.

Really? Calypsonian Doppy sang a calypso many years ago called ‘Garbage’. These statements from the T&TFA would have fitted in nicely with the lyrics of Doppy’s song.

The national team played in front of roughly 12,000 - 14,000 fans in the previous World Cup qualifiers versus Panama and Mexico and the atmosphere was enthralling. Perhaps none of the T&TFA executives attended those games so whose crazy idea was it to get these patrons in the 10,000 capacity Ato Boldon Stadium? They even went quite ludicrously and paid, as far as I understand, $10,000 to erect temporary stands for a further 2,000 spectators. I counted roughly 54 persons in these temporary stands.

It took patrons coming from the capital 2.5 hours to get to the venue; some turned back in sheer frustration and when the game finally kicked off at 8 pm, the Honduras team must have felt at home as there was more people outside trying to get in, than those inside the venue supporting the Warriors.

So it was no surprise that our opponents scored two goals in the first 20 minutes. Persons who had season tickets bought their tickets with the understanding that the games were to be played at the Hasely Crawford Stadium and some refused to go to Couva and wanted to know what to do. I wonder if the T&TFA is going to compensate those ticket holders?

Further, a lighting tower went out of operation before a ball was kicked, rumours of players not being paid, the grass not being cut to a specified length making it unnecessarily difficult for the players - need I say more?

It’s just one blunder after another and we go along like its business as usual. The T&TFA cost us qualification for the Gold Cup, now they have sunk us for Russia 2018 but I am sure a few of the hierarchy from the T&TFA are going to show their faces in Russia in some VIP box sipping fine beverages while the football fans in this country ponder what could have been.

It is easy to blame the players because they should have done this or they should have done that, however if you don’t have the right environment for the players how do you expect positive results? The next scapegoat is the coach; blame the coach he should not have picked this player, or he should have started with someone else. And the problem continues…let’s not play smart with foolishness.

The dream has ended as another defeat to Panama has left us six points adrift of USA and Honduras, and seven points behind Panama. It is a crying shame that we are not right there in the mix for an automatic spot for Russia 2018. Our last game is against USA and we owe it to Honduras and to Panama to field our strongest team and ensure that if the USA has to qualify, they must truly beat us with our strongest 11 on the field.

In the meantime who is going to stand up and apologise to the nation for the fiasco at the Ato Boldon Stadium? More than that, who is going to say that we didn’t give our team enough of a chance to get to Russia?

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on September 17, 2017, 03:48:43 AM
How to spot a poorly run sporting body: CIES’ Cornu calls out CFU, TTFA points fingers at self.
By Scotty Ranking (wired868).


If FIFA and the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) were practising good governance, including fair and transparent electoral processes, would Mohammed bin Hammam realistically have expected to get away with trying to bribe 25 CFU officials for their votes during his bid for the FIFA presidency in 2012?

That rhetorical question was asked by Pierre Cornu, current chairman of the International Centre for Sports Studies (CIES), based in Switzerland, on Saturday at the Teaching and Learning Centre in St Augustine.

The occasion was an open lecture by Cornu—perhaps one of the foremost experts in ethical practices and deontology (the study of duty and obligation)—put on by The University of the West Indies (St Augustine) in collaboration with FIFA and the CIES as part of the Sport Faculty’s ongoing Executive Programme in Sports Management.

Cornu noted that FIFA banned bin Hammam for life from all football activity and that as many as 19 CFU officials received varying levels of sanction for their participation in the affair. And he added that, in his opinion, love of power—which people are more than reluctant to relinquish—was behind the many scandals that have hit sporting organisations over the last 25 years or so.

Bin Hammam apart, he cited several examples from the large bodies like FIFA and the IOC, including the one that brought down former FIFA vice-president Austin ‘Jack’ Warner.

Warner’s name also came up when the discussion turned to the issue of membership levels and the inherent inequalities that creates.

Having done his homework with his Caribbean audience in mind, Cornu cited the example of the ICC (International Cricket Council), which has, he noted, 12 full members—nations who play Test cricket—and 92 associate members.

When it is time to vote on cricket matters, including changes to term limits for office, it is the voices of the full members that carry the day.

Staying in the region, Cornu also asked aloud why CONCACAF had members that belonged to both it and FIFA and others who were CONCACAF members only. It was, he admitted, puzzling to him.

The reasons, it was suggested, were two-fold. First, there is the geopolitics; several territories in the region remain mere colonial dependencies and protectorates, with the attendant citizenship and diplomatic complications.

Veterans’ Football Foundation of Trinidad and Tobago President Selby Browne offered the second reason as neo-politics: greater numbers increased the voting rights of the membership of CONCACAF as well as considerably boosting the volume of financial assistance to the region.

The person directly benefitting from all these increases, both in voting power and financial windfalls, was then CONCACAF president Warner.

Another well-known name that came up when the issues of conflicts of interest, questionable integrity and awarding of contracts was discussed was that of Ruben Acosta, who held the position of International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) president from 1984 to 2008.

Acosta allegedly left office, Cornu told his modest but enthusiastic audience, with US$33 million of FIVB money in his private bank account.

How was he able to achieve this? He made two simple rule changes designed to be of direct benefit to himself.

First, he introduced a rule that allowed for any person who signed a TV or sponsor contract on behalf of the FIVB to receive a personal bonus equal to 10% of the contract value. Quite an incentive considering the second rule: only the FIVB president was allowed to sign contracts.

The engaged and appreciative audience heard Cornu discourse on the facets of good governance, starting with a definition of what good governance in an organization should mean. He explained that one of the first things that should be clear for any enterprise should be the vision (what is to be achieved) and the strategy (how specifically to go about achieving same).

If those are not clear from the outset, he assured, it becomes very difficult later on to focus on what is supposed to be the core business.

No matter what their core business, sporting bodies face the challenge of striving to achieving true autonomy. Cornu cited two factors that make it difficult to do so: the first being the constraints of legal and regulatory frameworks irrespective of what internal regulations are drafted; and the second the fact that many of these bodies receive government subventions for their operations.

Acceptance of these subventions, Cornu pointed out, means that the government has a duty to find out how these monies are spent within the organisation and, in some cases, even to direct how they are spent.

Elaborating on the issues of conflicts of interest and the problems, real and perceived, they cause, Cornu contended that—in smaller societies—it is “unavoidable that these will appear to exist.”

However, he insisted, if organisations conducted their affairs in a truly transparent manner, allowing for properly documented processes and procedures to take place, then these would become much less of a problem.

“When open disclosure is the order of the day,” he asserted, “the integrity of the organisation and its office-holders will remain intact.”

In his wide-ranging presentation, Cornu touched on several other aspects of good governance, such as remuneration for members, distribution of resources, accounting, monitoring and auditing, term limitations for office, employee/athlete relations, equity and developmental programmes.

Scheduled to last one hour, the presentation went well past the two-hour mark, leaving precious little time for the planned audience question-and-answer session.

But there was time enough for a revealing “question” posed by Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) vice-president Joanne Salazar.

She wanted to know whether the ace presenter agreed that the knowledge gap that existed decades ago is irrelevant today; the tools and standards for good governance, she declared—answering her own question—are universally available for all to access and apply to sporting organisations.

However, Salazar added, the willpower to make these necessary changes and adhere to standards and best practices is the biggest hurdle within any environment and culture.

Nobody, not even the normally voluble Browne, ventured to say that, considering the state of local and regional sporting bodies, it won’t be any time soon that a discerning public will be able to accuse her organisation of practising good governance.

Cornu’s list of tell-tale signs for poorly governing sporting bodies—which included unclear guidelines for membership, the ad-hoc change of rules to benefit incumbents, lack of regular and freely available audited statements, uncertainty over spending and a mysterious electoral process—might sound familiar to local football fans.

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on September 28, 2017, 01:48:08 AM
T&T football needs structure, passion.
T&T Guardian Reports.


The second season of CNC3’s On The Line (OTL) hosted by Gyasi Merrique continues tonight when episode two airs from 8pm.

In this season of the series which sees a new episode aired on the last Thursday of every month until the 2018 FIFA World Cup, football remains the exclusive focus as the programme seeks to peel back the layers of local football for a closer examination of the positive and negative aspects.

Now that it has been confirmed that there will be no place for T&T at the 2018 World Cup in Russia after yet another disappointing, chaotic and disastrous campaign, OTL explores what is next for the senior men’s national programme, its head coach Dennis Lawrence and the T&T Football Association when it comes to overall development.

In focus, Lawrence and TTFA president David John Williams share their thoughts on what are the take-aways and throw-aways from this latest campaign.

Both men answer the pertinent questions relating to the construction and establishment of a ‘Home of Football’ at the Ato Boldon Stadium in Couva, and how it is expected to aid in solidifying T&T’s place as the football capital of the region as well as what is the short, medium and long term outlook for such a facility.

We also speak to president of the Secondary Schools Football League, William Wallace for a perspective on how the SSFL view its role and contribution to the growth of the beautiful game.

Wallace shares great insight into how the SSFL intends to once again become the jewel of the local football landscape by firstly seeking to engage its audiences more intimately.

The former T&T cricket board member suggests that it is high time that the SSFL and TTFA begin a more inclusive relationship which will steer football on the right path.

Title: Sod turned for historic 72-room hotel in Couva
Post by: Tallman on September 30, 2017, 08:22:03 AM
Sod turned for historic 72-room hotel in Couva
By Stephon Nicholas (T&T Newsday)


Football will finally get a home of its own.

The sod was officially turned yesterday for a 72-room sports hotel in Couva which is expected to be completed by September next year. The “home of football” will be located at the eastern side of the National Cycling Velodrome, running parallel to the Solomon Hochoy Highway.

Addressing the gathering, an elated TTFA president, David John-Williams, said after 109 years, football in TT will finally have a home of its own. He also announced plans for a grassroots programme where the TTFA will team up with the Ministry of Education for a training programme targetting youths from five years old to nine years.

He explained that 2000 students from schools across the country will be selected for the initiative. John-Williams said 80 schools will be brought on board to start the programme and equipment will be provided, while coaching staff will come from the TT Pro League. Nu Iron a subsidiary of NUCOR will sponsor the initiative to the tune of US$100,000 for the first two years. TTFA will contribute a further $50,000 to the effort.

CONCACAF General Secretary, Philippe Moggio, complimented the TTFA on the football home, saying it will change football in TT and provide opportunities for young players. He said the sod-turning symbolises the rebirth of football in TT and praised John-Williams for his vision.

Also present at the historic occasion was Sports Minister Darryl Smith who hailed the venture and spoke of the positive effect the facility will have on the sports tourism thrust.

Dinanath Ramnarine, Chairman of the Sport Company of Trinidad and Tobago reiterated Smith’s sentiments and lauded the TTFA for putting the wheels in motion.

“It is a wonderful initiative that the TTFA as a sporting organisation to take that kind of bold step. David John-Williams and his team have to be congratulated. It demonstrates the direction he is attempting to take the organisation. Football has gone through a very difficult period over the years and David has certainly channelled his energies in taking football in a positive direction.”

Ramnarine said because of the location of the TTFA hotel, it should be able to sustain itself as it will generate income when teams from around the world come to not only play football but train or compete at the National Cycling Velodrome, Ato Boldon Stadium or National Aquatic Centre.

“Having a facility like that in Couva is fantastic because it supports the Cycling Velodrome and Aquatic Centre and is in keeping with the sporting hub in central Trinidad. It helps in the sport tourism. It’s a good idea and it’s turning out to be a quite a beautiful thing,” Ramnarine said.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: pull stones on September 30, 2017, 08:57:38 AM
100 years too late. they should be ashamed to even think about patting themselves on the back.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Tallman on October 03, 2017, 12:55:32 PM
WATCH: Sod Turning Ceremony for the Home of Football

https://www.youtube.com/v/lArjTKmKfv8
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on October 09, 2017, 04:06:52 AM
TTFA concedes to Ramdhan in High Court, tries to explain stadium rental claim.
By R.Walcott (Wired868)


While Trinidad and Tobago’s “Soca Warriors” will try to avoid a seventh straight defeat when they tackle Mexico in World Cup qualifying action tonight, their bosses at the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) suffered a loss of their own today when they conceded to former FIFA referee Ramesh Ramdhan in a High Court matter that will now see them paying upwards of TT$540,000.

Ramdhan took the TTFA to court in an attempt to recoup payments due for his services to the organisation from 2012-2015.

In April of this year, the TTFA, through their attorneys Dayadai Harripaul and Anand R Misir, asked the High Court to be allowed to pay Ramdhan in monthly instalments while claiming a yearly lease fee in excess of TT$900,000 for the use of the Hasely Crawford Stadium in Port of Spain.

However, just before midday today, Justice Boodoosingh refused the TTFA’s request to pay in monthly instalments and ordered the local football body to pay Ramdhan the TT$540,000 owed with immediate effect at a rate of 12% interest, bringing the rounded off figure to $604,800.

Boodoosingh stated that the TTFA’s 28 April affidavit, which included an income and expenses statement, did not justify their request to pay in instalments.

The TTFA affidavit, signed by Harripaul, stated: “The application applies to the court for an order to pay the amount due by an initial sum of $30,000.00 and instalments of $22,500.00 per month and provides the following information…

“[The] Trinidad and Tobago Football Association pays a lease of $944,021 per year for the use of the premises at the Hasley [sic] Crawford Stadium.”

The TTFA’s claim of paying more than $900,000 to rent their offices at the Hasely Crawford Stadium raised red flags for Ramdhan and he and his attorney, Anand Singh, immediately challenged the David John-Williams-led administration to support the claim.

Rather than provide supporting documentation, the TTFA’s legal team accepted responsibility for the misinformation.

“This statement was put in error as a result of a misunderstanding on my part,” stated Harripaul in an affidavit. “These were not the instructions of the Defendant. I do apologise to the Court and to the Claimant for this error as the Defendant has acted bona fides at all times.

“The information [regarding rental fees at the Hasely Crawford Stadium] was a genuine error and was not intended to mislead the Court in any way.”

Boodoosingh still had questions about the TTFA’s misleading affidavit.

“Why was the affidavit sworn by the attorney [Dayadai Harripaul] and not the TTFA?” asked Boodoosingh.

But neither Harripaul, Misir nor John-Williams was present in court to respond as TTFA general secretary Justin Latapy-George and a third attorney represented the football body.

The TTFA offered to make a TT$75,000 lump sum payment to Ramdhan next month to be followed by monthly instalments but Ramdhan rejected the offer and Boodoosingh said he had no choice but to award immediate payment.

After the ruling, Latapy-George said he was pressed for time and did not stick around long enough to give Wired868 a comment.

Ramdhan, who claimed he had only been paid for four months of his TTFA contract, said he tried to resolve the matter outside of the High Court but was forced to take legal action after his calls for discussion were ignored by John-Williams.

Ramdhan, who was defeated in the polls by John-Williams in November 2015, felt the TTFA were fortunate to escape without further censure for the false information in their April affidavit.

“I am happy that the matter is over but it should not have gotten so far,” Ramdhan told Wired868. “This was a personal matter against me. I gave John-Williams ample time to come to a settlement with me[…]. I think he took this personally because I opposed him for the TTFA presidency. I congratulated him on his victory and I never got a response.”

The TTFA also informed the Court that CONCACAF “has extended a loan facility to [the local football body] to assist with its operational costs” on top of an annual subvention of US$125,000. And the Confederation was happy to pay Ramdhan on one condition.

“The only requirement from CONCACAF is [Ramdhan] be paid directly by CONCACAF and not through the Defendant.”

Unlike former Women’s National Senior Team head coach Carolina Morace, Ramdhan said he had no problem with being paid through CONCACAF, especially if he is paid in US dollars.

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on November 22, 2017, 05:53:20 AM
TTFA: All invited to AGM.
By Joel Bailey (Newsday).


The Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) has said all its members have been invited to its Annual General Meeting (AGM) on Saturday, from 10 am, at the Media Room, National Cycling Centre, Balmain, Couva.

However, the TTFA pair of president David John-Williams and general secretary Justin Latapy-George have urged all its members to become compliant in accordance with its constitution or face consequences.

It was reported on Wired868.com that only 16 of the TTFA’s 49 members who were compliant were invited to the AGM. Selby Browne, president of the Veteran Footballers of Trinidad and Tobago, yesterday issued a rallying call for all TTFA members to attend the AGM. Browne said, “This call is in keeping with Articles 12 and 28 of the TTFA Constitution. No other authority is vested in or given by the membership of the TTFA at any General Meeting to permit the removal, sanction or forfeit of the rights of the membership under the guise of non-compliance.”

The TTFA staged a media conference yesterday at its Board Room, Ato Boldon Stadium, Couva, to clear the air on the compliance matter. John-Williams said the issue of compliance has been repeatedly raised by his administration and even his predecessor Raymond Tim Kee but the majority of members have not adhered to the requests despite numerous extensions. He explained that clubs’ licences could be revoked at the end of the year by FIFA if they do not become compliant.

A new date was set for November 11 to extend the compliance period to December 31, 2017, the TTFA boss stated but “of the 49 delegates, only 13 showed up. We did not have a quorum, the meeting had to be squashed.”

Latapy-George stressed, “Because there was not a quorum on the 11th of November 2017, by the constitution there is a reconvening of that meeting on the 25th of November 2017. The notice of that reconvened meeting has been sent to all members identifying the time, date and location to discuss that matter of compliance.”

According to John-Williams, “If there is one person at the meeting at the time of the start of the meeting, that would be the quorum – the constitution allows for that.”

Latapy-George said, “One of the areas that we have identified that may have been most difficult for our members was the submission of audited financial statements. That is an area, based on discussions we continue to have with the membership, that seems to be a bit of a troubled-bar that we are having. “However I indicated early in my discourse the intention of the TTFA is to work with our members to ensure that no-one is disenfranchised and that we continue to do the business of football, knowing very well the our members are very important to what we do.”

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on November 23, 2017, 03:19:47 AM
Tempers flare as 70 percent of membership excluded from AGM.
By Lisana Liburd (Wired868).


A TTFA coup?

The Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) appears destined for a constitutional crisis of its own making, after general secretary Justin Latapy-George snubbed nearly 70 percent of the local football body’s membership in the matter of the organisation’s AGM, scheduled for 25 November 2017.

The TTFA comprises 49 delegates but, in a remarkable development, just 16 were invited for the upcoming AGM, the agenda for which includes the vetting of the body’s audited financial statement for 2016.

The invited bodies were the Southern, Northern and Tobago Football Associations (each with three delegates) and the Trinidad and Tobago Football Referees Association (two delegates) as well as Pro League outfits W Connection, Club Sando, St Ann’s Rangers and North East Stars and Trinidad and Tobago Super League (TTSL) club, FC Santa Rosa (each with one delegate).

Latapy-George, who is instructed by the David John-Williams-led board of directors, confirmed that compliance was the criterion used for deciding which bodies are to be allowed to participate in the AGM.

According to Article 10.2 (k) of the TTFA Constitution—which was passed in July 2015—all members must meet several criteria for admittance into the football body, including “a copy of the minutes of its last General Meeting or constitutional meeting and a copy of its audited financial statements for the previous financial year.”

However, more than two years later, over three-quarters of the local football membership remains non-compliant, as far as the football body’s general secretariat is concerned.

Last month, when the TTFA warned its membership about their compliance status, Latapy-George assured Wired868 that—despite concerns from football stakeholders—there was no move afoot to disenfranchise members.

Article 14.1 of the constitution states that “the General Meeting is responsible for suspending a Member. The Board of Directors may, however, suspend a Member that seriously violates its obligations as a Member with immediate effect. In this case, the suspension shall last until the next General Meeting…”

The TTFA general secretary insisted, then, that no such suspension had been discussed by the board of directors.

“The authority to suspend cannot be done by the general secretariat [and] any suggestion of suspension is misplaced at this current juncture,” Latapy-George told Wired868 last month. “There are tons of steps before we get to that point.”

Latapy-George said the TTFA’s warning about compliance, at the time, was merely an update to its membership, which would be further discussed at the upcoming AGM.

“I know emotions are high and there are suspicions,”he said. “I understand and respect that. But […] I am merely telling them where we are and looking at what we can do now [to help members become compliant].

“[…] The general secretariat cannot and does not have the authority to suspend members in this scenario.”

According to Article 12.1, all members have the right to “take part in the General Meeting, to receive its agenda in advance, to be called to the General Meeting within the prescribed time and to exercise their voting rights…”

However, the TTFA secretariat has not given 68 percent of its members the ability to exercise that right.

On Friday afternoon, Latapy-George said the members had not been suspended while at the same time acknowledging that they had been deprived of a fundamental privilege.

“I stand by the position that the general secretariat does not have the power to sanction anyone,” said Latapy-George. “There was no sanction but I will prefer not to discuss this because it is a very sensitive topic.”

The TTFA decision provoked a furious response by some members with Veteran Footballers Foundation of Trinidad and Tobago (VFFOTT) president Selby Browne describing the action as an attempted coup by the John-Williams-led board.

“They cannot take away anybody’s rights,” Browne told Wired868. “They have no authority to compromise or sanction the rights of any members… The motion [for members to become compliant] did not include a penalty or sanction.”

TTSL president Keith Look Loy, whose FC Santa Rosa club were deemed compliant, agreed with Browne in that only the general membership should decide the fate of members.

“Any issue about non-compliance will be decided by the general members, not John-Williams or the board,” said Look Loy. “To send notice of the General Meeting only to seven or nine members—including FC Santa Rosa who they say are compliant—is a subversion of the constitution.

“I and other people are very fearful that elected officers will like to use the issue of compliance and non-compliance to subvert the general membership and run the TTFA via the board or the elected members [of the board].

“That is a constitutional concern; the general membership must run the TTFA and not the board.”

The issue of compliance has tied local football in knots right from the moment the clause was passed.

In July 2015, FIFA gave four months to the TTFA electoral committee—which was led by current SPORTT chairman Dinanath Ramnarine and included attorney Mervyn Campbell and TTOC president Brian Lewis (who was subsequently replaced by Elton Prescott, SC)—to get all members compliant and ready to vote in the 29 November 2015 election.

On 20 October 2015, FIFA acting general secretary Markus Kattner warned the local football body that “All members as listed in the TTFA Constitution must comply with Article 10.2 in order to take part in the elections; and those failing to do so will still have 18 months from the date of the adoption to complete the process or lose definitively their membership.”

The penalty for remaining non-compliant, as Browne noted, was not explicitly stated in the TTFA Constitution. But the governing body was clear as to how seriously it took the issue.

However, despite voiced concerns from FIFA and local stakeholders—including then presidential candidate, John-Williams—Ramnarine ignored the instructions and told candidates that they could vote even if they were not compliant.

And, in November 2015, John-Williams was elected to replace Raymond Tim Kee as president with anywhere from one-third to two-thirds of the votes cast by non-compliant members.

John-Williams did not set up a compliance committee to assist the TTFA’s membership until a year into his term. And, by then, according to FIFA, at least 70 percent of local delegates had two months to act before their status potentially expired at the end of January 2017.

Incidentally, the TTFA’s deadline for compliance was 30 March 2017, which was two months after the time given by FIFA.

The delegates who spoke to Wired868 said they were not warned by Latapy-George or the compliance committee of Michelle Lynch and Sharon O’Brien as to what was at stake.

Eastern Football Association of Trinidad and Tobago (EFATT) president Linus Sanchez, whose body was declared non-compliant, accused the TTFA of botching the process and frustrating rather than assisting members.

“We submitted our compliance documents long before the compliance deadline in March,” said Sanchez. “But we were only told we were non-compliant about a month ago in an email from Sharon [O’Brien]. It was not specific and, when we asked for more information, they never responded. We are real upset about this.

“I called someone I know on the board and he said he would check and he came back and told me that they said our audited statement was really an audited budget. Our audited statement was done by a financial director and when I called the person and told them that, they just laughed.

“As far as I am concerned, we are compliant and the real issue is the incompetence of the people spearheading the Compliance Ccommittee, who have been no help whatsoever.”

Central Football Association (CFA) general secretary Clynt Taylor also criticised the TTFA’s Compliance Committee.

“The deadline was March 30 and we should have heard from the TTFA via the individuals who were in charge of ensuring members were compliant, said Taylor, “[but] we did not get that. I called the TTFA a number of times to find out if they received our documents and if everything was acceptable and they said they didn’t get our documents. So I personally delivered a copy to them.

“Then in August, they told me they still didn’t receive it and I sent it again. Only then, they said it lacked the audited accounts. We sent the accounting information but it was not audited and [they only told us this] after the deadline, when we didn’t have time to rectify it.”

Taylor said the CFA is cash-strapped but will urge its creditors to bear with them so they can become compliant. But other delegates claimed that they could not raise the money or were uncertain of the benefits of paying for an audit.

“If the TTFA isn’t giving us any money,” said one delegate, who asked not to be named, “then why do we have to pay an auditor to account to the TTFA for what we did with the money we raised for ourselves?

“It is not like the TTFA is asking us to account for money they gave us, which is different.”

Look Loy, like Taylor and Sanchez, said they recognised the importance of being compliant. Their issue is with the process for getting it done.

“We all recognise the value and the necessity of having members of the TTFA being compliant,” said Look Loy, “because compliance places organisational and structural demands on the various members, which adds strength and the ability to function on members [and] that is a good thing.

“But my point and the point of others is the TTFA has not done enough to assist in that regard. The TTFA was formed in 1908 and suddenly, since November 2015, people have been asked to become compliant and given a to-do list.

“That is like a teacher telling a student ‘You have an exam to pass so look the syllabus; I hope you pass.’”

The TTSL president said the issue of audited financial statements, in particular, needed some level of proactive thinking by the local football body.

“It is a costly business [and], in the last meeting, Central FC stated openly that they didn’t have the money to pay for audited statements,” said Look Loy. “[…] My personal view is we should extend the moratorium to 31 December and help pull people up by their bootstraps and give them the concrete assistance to do that.

“[…] Why not get three or four auditing firms and give them six members each and get a group price? Let us try to assist the membership and not just sit back and say you are not compliant; that is not leadership.”

Sanchez suggested that the TTFA owed it to members to help pay for their audits.

“They have to understand that there are members out there with no income,” he said, “and I am sure the TTFA gets funding to disperse to members and they don’t.”

Despite the heat regarding the issue of non-compliance now, an extraordinary general meeting to tackle the matter on 11 November was aborted owing to the lack of a quorum. That meeting will now be reconvened, according to the provisions of the TTFA Constitution, on the very morning of the AGM.

Latapy-George defended the football body’s handling of the compliance process and suggested that the EGM represented an opportunity for members to help settle any problems.

“I think generally we can do better but we did as best as we could do,” said Latapy-George. “There are probably things we can look at to make things better [but] that was the primary reason for calling that EGM: to decide how to treat with this very serious matter.”

Regardless, Browne has no intention of sitting out the AGM and insisted that, since John-Williams was voted into office by non-compliant members, then if they were now illegitimate, so is his presidency.

“Dinanath Ramnarine gave a concession to have non-compliant members vote in the election of 29 November,” said Browne. “I have not seen in the minutes any motion moved to have Ramnarine’s concession accepted. If it was not in there, non-compliant people would not have been allowed to vote and the election is illegal.

“If it was in there, that compliance period ended on 17 January [and] all meetings thereafter must be illegal. It is check and mate; you decide which one it is.”

Sanchez, who alleged that John-Williams promised TT$80,000 to the EFA for the 2017 season but failed to keep his word, said the current compliance issue was an indictment on the President’s leadership.

“Arrogance is not a trait of any good leader,” said the EFATT boss, “even King David and King Solomon accepted counsel. Humility has evaded David John-Williams for all of his life and that is why he always gets in trouble with people. We have to rectify this situation.

“The first thing they have to do is apologise for their incompetence and tardiness in handling this.”

For now, the TTFA has other ideas. And, according to Latapy-George, the AGM will proceed with just 16 invitees from among a total of 49 delegates.

Once a quorum of nine delegates is reached, the range of decisions that can be made in the weekend AGM include suspension or expulsion of Members, approval of the TTFA’s financial statements, approval of the TTFA’s budget, amendments to the TTFA Constitution, appointment of members to various committees, and admission for membership.

RELATED NEWS

Football stakeholders challenge compliance.
By Walter Alibey (Guardian).


“Compliant! What compliant?” is the question being asked by clubs and some Regional Associations, after being given an ultimatum by T&T Football Association president David John-Williams on Tuesday to comply with the rules of the FIFA and CONCACAF or face sanctions.

John-Williams’ plight specifically called on clubs and associations to submit audited financial statements, for which only eight out of the 49 members have supplied. The TTFA will on Saturday hold a reconvened extraordinary general meeting for members to secure an extension to become compliant by December 31. Representatives of the Eastern Counties Football Union (ECFU), Northern Football Association, Central FA and the newly branded Eastern Football Association of T&T (EFATT) yesterday accused the TTFA of disregarding a promise made three months ago to provide financial assistance to the tune of $15, 000 each to run the affairs of football for the season.

They complain football associations do not receive a cent from the TTFA, yet have to be compliant for monies never received.

One representative who spoke on condition of anonymity said while he understands the importance of the call, he made it clear that FIFA provides the CONCACAF, TTFA and all other affiliates with money to assist with development, and are therefore in a position to demand compliance. On the other hand regional associations are required to raise its own funds to ensure competition takes place and clubs are rewarded for its efforts.

Guardian Media Sports learnt that regional associations pay the TTFA $3,100 in annual affiliation fees, as well as $5, 000 referees’ fee weekly for approximately three months of football. In addition, zones also cover prize monies which this year, carry an average tag of $40, 000 for the Premier Division winner’s purse with $25, 000 for second. They also provide prize monies for all other divisions of football.

From these figures, each club is required to pay a cost of $5, 000 to the zone to cover registration and affiliation fees, and insurance for players. Linus Sanchez, the EFATT president called on John-Williams to work more closely with zones, saying the problem of compliance stems from the administration of the TTFA, as its responsibility exceeds just being the parent body.

He said he suspended all 16 clubs in his zone for non-compliance earlier this year, and it was the TTFA boss who decided to gave the clubs the opportunity to be compliant by paying its registration fees to play.

“These clubs never embraced that opportunity and never became compliant. I know he means well, but I would like him to work more with the zones on administrative matters, etc,” explained Sanchez. The EFATT boss also took a swipe at the TTFA, saying audited financial statements were handed to the TTFA in the first quarter of this year, after it was initially asked to be re-done.

“The TTFA failed to gave us the full extent of being compliant. We found out later it included having our own constitution, proper name, providing a list of all committee members with contacts, portfolio and email addresses, and the minutes of the last general meeting with the audited statements” Sanchez explained.

All representatives have agreed to attend Saturday’s meeting and make the compliance info as a requirement for clubs gaining entry.

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: kounty on November 23, 2017, 08:17:29 AM
this administration usually deserve the criticism it get, and I haven't really read everything thoroughly, but on the face of it I can't fault them for putting their foot down to get audited statements (in particular) from its members. Hopefully they could provide same for the public to view, leading to greater future transparency.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Tallman on November 23, 2017, 09:05:39 AM
TTFA head says CONCACAF to ensure Pro League survival.
T&T Express Reports.


Trinidad and Tobago Football Association president David John-Williams says his administration will be focusing on strengthening the Trinidad and Tobago Professional Football League which he believes will impact positively on the national team’s performances on the international stage.

The T&T Pro League (TTPL), established more than 15 years ago, has had its challenges, one of the key issues being financial viability. In the current season, for example, the three-time defending Pro League winner and current Caribbean club champion, Central FC, is struggling, having lost most of its top players and its head coach as a result of salary issues.

Speaking on the TV Six Morning Edition on Thursday, John-Williams, who took over the TTFA presidency in 2015 from Raymond Tim Kee, said, “We need to strengthen the Pro League.


WATCH: The Trinidad and Tobago Football Association is calling on its members to get their act together and become compliant, as required by CONCACAF and FIFA.

https://www.youtube.com/v/GOpcNUB5A9Y
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: soccerman on November 24, 2017, 11:18:41 PM
Question is, are they assisting some of these clubs in developing financial statements? I'm sure many clubs in various zones will have a hard time preparing these statements.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: doc on November 25, 2017, 06:01:43 AM
Has anyone seen TTFA's club licensing regulations? I have not. The TTFA is taking short cuts as far as I can tell. Every inquiry I make about National Statutes related to football, I am either told that they are following FIFA statutes, or they don't respond.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Brownsugar on November 25, 2017, 07:12:15 AM
 :banginghead: :frustrated: Steups....ah tired....
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on November 26, 2017, 06:10:25 AM
Non-compliant members “go back to school!” DJW defends TTFA stance and legitimacy of his election.
By Lasana Liburd (Wired868).


Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) president David John-Williams tried yesterday to defend the football body’s position on its treatment of non-compliant members as well as the validity of his own election through a reading of selective emails and, arguably, a re-wording of the constitution.

Most notably, John-Williams told the media conference that 33 of the TTFA’s 49 delegates—who are excluded from the 25 November AGM at present—will be allowed entrance to the meeting and access to the body’s financial documents, once an extraordinary general meeting agrees to extend their deadline for compliance, which was on 30 September.

Even if the deadline is extended, though, the members would still be non-compliant. So is it constitutional to differentiate between the two types of members?

The term “compliant member” does not exist in the TTFA Constitution and John-Williams’ insistence on suggesting otherwise did cause some confusion.

Wired868: “How many members were invited [to the 29 November AGM] and given a schedule of the AGM with the [financial] documents and so on?”

John-Williams: “Only the compliant members.”

Wired868: “When you answered the question [from another reporter], you said all members were invited.”

John-Williams: “All members were invited, Mr Liburd. I answered the question.”

Wired868: “According to the constitution, all members should get information on the agenda for the meeting and the financial documents and so on. Correct?”

John-Williams: “All compliant members.”

John-Williams’ position has already been dismissed as inaccurate and unconstitutional by Veteran Footballers Foundation of Trinidad and Tobago (VFFOTT) president Selby Browne, Central Football Association (CFA) general secretary Clynt Taylor, Trinidad and Tobago Super League (TTSL) president and FC Santa Rosa head coach Keith Look Loy and Eastern Football Association of Trinidad and Tobago (EFATT) president Linus Sanchez.

John-Williams, through an armful of printed emails, suggested that the TTFA had done all in its power to help members become compliant. He pointed to the 12 July 2015 passing of the TTFA Constitution, which carried a transitory clause requiring all members to meet 13 criteria within 18 months or risk losing their membership.

The transitory period expired on 12 January 2017.

Notably, by John-Williams’ own timeline, his administration’s first communication with its membership on the matter of compliance came on 23 February 2017—some five weeks after more than two-thirds of the TTFA’s delegates had lost their membership, according to the clause insisted upon by FIFA.

“As of 12 January, the 18-month grace period established for compliance has ended,” stated TTFA general secretary Justin Latapy-George, in an email to the Membership. “In an effort to establish Members that have achieved compliance, you are kindly asked to resubmit declarations consistent with article 10.2 of the TTFA constitution on or before the end of the work day of 10 March 2017.”

The new deadline was in 14 days’ time. Since then, the delegates missed a second deadline on 30 September 2017 and failed to manage a quorum for an extraordinary general meeting called specifically to deal with the issue.

John-Williams confirmed that the TTFA did not hold a workshop or otherwise try to give its membership any guidance before the initial FIFA-approved deadline.

“You go and read the 13 items that are required to be compliant,” said John-Williams. “If the average schoolboy cannot do 12 of those 13 items, we are in big trouble in our football.”

TTFA board member Wayne Cunningham, who was again doubling as press officer, backed his President.

“If you look at the items necessary to become compliant, you don’t need a workshop for that,” said Cunningham. “If you need a workshop for that, everybody needs to go back to school.”

Significantly, in November 2015,  despite having had four months to get its house in order, the Eastern Football Association was non-compliant; the EFA president at that time was Cunningham.

Cunningham’s EFA was not the only non-compliant Member at the time either. The electoral committee, headed by current SPORTT chairman Dinanath Ramnarine, admitted at the time that it had failed to get the membership compliant in the four months allowed for doing so prior to the election.

“Compliance before the election to be held on the 29 November is not practicable,” Ramnarine wrote to Members on 6 November 2015, which was three weeks before the election.

Arguably, the cloudiness on the issue of compliance from all sides can be traced back to Ramnarine’s insistence that non-compliant members be allowed to vote at the 29 November 2015 TTFA election. And members cast their ballots, elected John-Williams as president and—for the most part—went home and forgot all about the compliance matter.

And the John-Williams-led administration, according to the president, did not officially raise the issue again until after the deadline.

Of course, the legitimacy of the 29 November election has been another bone of contention. Wired868 pointed out in a previous article that a significant portion of the electorate were ineligible to vote but did so anyway.

“Dinanath Ramnarine gave a concession to have non-compliant Members vote in the election of 29 November,” said Browne last week. “I have not seen in the minutes any motion moved to have Ramnarine’s concession accepted. If it was not in there, non-compliant people would not have been allowed to vote and the election is illegal.

“If it was in there that compliance period ended on [12] January [and] all meetings thereafter must be illegal. It is check and mate; you decide which one it is.”

John-Williams read Ramnarine’s email  dated 5 November 2015 which, he claimed, suggested that there was no problem with the legality of his election as TTFA president.

John-Williams’ present view of the election is markedly different from the one he held, two years ago, when he used air quotes to refer to the transitory clause.

“I also take note of the ‘grace period’ of 18 months being granted to member bodies to get their ‘house in order’,”  John-Williams stated on 29 October 2015, “thus possibly allowing them to be eligible to vote in the elections is of concern to us.”

And even after Ramnarine’s message to the membership—which, yesterday, he suggested was the final word on the affair—John-Williams continued to exchange correspondence on the issue of the legality of the election.

He was not the only one either. TTFA vice-president Krishna Kuarsingh said Ramnarine’s letter carried no authority, was inaccurate and was a serious misrepresentation of FIFA’s position about members who were not compliant.

On the very day that John-Williams said the electoral committee drafted its position, FIFA Acting Deputy Secretary General Marco Villiger told the TTFA:

“As stated in the transitory provisions of the new Constitution, the TTFA members not complying with article 10.2 will not be allowed to participate in the elections.”

And, also at odds with John-Williams’ claim about the build-up to his election, five executive members wrote to FIFA on 16 November and claimed that the entire electoral process was in “disarray” owing to the compliance issue. Among the executive members that signed the 16 November 2015 missive to FIFA was Richard Quan Chan, who was also head of the Southern Football Association (SFA), which nominated John-Williams to run for president in the first place.

It is debatable, therefore, whether John-Williams convincingly put to bed any questions about the legitimacy of his election.

As regards the current issue of compliance, there is little doubt that FIFA indeed intended for members who did not satisfy the necessary criteria to be stripped of their standing. However, there is no article in the TTFA Constitution that allows members to lose their rights or status unless so decided by the general meeting.

And the stalemate, arguably, is not helped by the John-Williams-led Administratio’s treating all 49 delegates as members on one day and then acknowledging just 16 on the next—based on changes to the TTFA’s own imposed deadlines rather than whether they were compliant or not at that point.

“The most difficult thing on the list of items for compliance is the audited statement,” said Cunningham, “everybody has a problem with that—not because it is difficult—because it is difficult to pay for.”

Wired868 asked whether the TTFA tried to assist members by approaching the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Trinidad and Tobago (ICATT) on their behalf and seeking group rates or even providing members with a list of available licensed accountants.

(ICATT confirmed it had not been formally approached by the TTFA and that the body would have arranged discounts if requested).

John-Williams said it was not their responsibility to do so. However, the TTFA president and board member/press officer suggested that they had offered auditing advice.

Cunningham: “The TTFA extended services to all members at one of those meetings to help them with [auditing financial statements]. If you ask any member, they will tell you.”

John-Williams: “They were told to come to the TTFA where we would try and pool our resources to get a cheaper source.”

Browne and Look Loy denied that there had been any offer from the football body to help with audited statements with the latter official suggesting that John-Williams remembered the reverse of what had actually happened.

“In the discussion, Osmond Downer, Selby [Browne] and myself proposed two different approaches to this issue [of non-compliance],” Look Loy told Wired868. “One, that an extraordinary meeting be called, which was eventually called two weeks later. And, secondly, we called on the TTFA to organise some kind of mechanism where non-compliant members could be assisted with getting financial audited statements because Central FC and Cunupia said, at that meeting, they couldn’t pay for audited statements, which is why they didn’t have [them].

“So we asked if, through Deloitte—which is the TTFA’s auditor—or any other auditing firms, they could arrange for members to be pooled to get a group rate. That suggestion came from the floor and not the head table. And Wayne Cunningham was not at that meeting. It was John-Williams and Latapy from officialdom.”

Further, Look Loy claimed that, apart from the fact John-Williams was not the originator of the idea to help members with audited statements, the football president also failed to commit to it.

“The response [from John-Williams] was we will see what happens,” said the TTSL president. “There was no firm commitment to do anything. So for them to say they made this offer [to the members] and we refused it is an outright fabrication; in other words, it is a lie.

“Which body in this position would refuse such an offer? That makes no sense.”

Almost certainly, the remaining 43 non-compliant delegates interested in attending the 25 November AGM will be able to do so anyway by virtue of voting for an extension to the deadline in the extraordinary general meeting scheduled to be held an hour before the AGM at the same National Cycling Centre venue in Couva.

Not that the members will necessarily see this option as a concession or olive branch by the John-Williams-led board.

“The TTFA president and/or Board of Directors has no authority to [ban] any member from the AGM for non-compliance,” said Browne.

The TTFA can clear up the volatile issue by helping arrange and/or fund audited statements for its non-compliant members, who comprise nearly 70 percent of the membership and, in many cases, are amateur bodies that operate without a financial arm and no source of income other than club subscriptions.

For now, John-Williams and Cunningham say they have no responsibility to offer any more assistance other than point to the relevant deadlines.

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: MEP on November 26, 2017, 09:13:34 AM
Jack Warner redux
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on November 28, 2017, 04:20:02 AM
TTFA members push back; black eye for DJW-led board as “unconstitutional” AGM postponed.
By Lasana Liburd (Wired868).


The Trinidad and Tobago Football Association’s (TTFA) membership must meet again in two weeks after this morning’s Annual General Meeting was postponed owing to general secretary Justin Latapy-George’s failure to provide all members with the necessary documents on time—as stipulated by the TTFA Constitution.

Latapy-George had followed the instructions of the David John-Williams-led board, who felt that only compliant members should have access to the TTFA’s financial documents and other information.

During the week, John-Williams held a media conference and visited at least one television morning show to make his case—and Wired868 pointed to some inconsistencies with his message in an earlier story.

In the end, the TTFA board was stopped in its tracks by the membership at today’s meeting in the National Cycling Centre in Couva.

Trinidad and Tobago Football Referees Association (TTRFA) vice-president Osmond Downer, according to one member, used the constitution to rein in John-Williams and company.

“Downer read from Section 10 of the constitution and informed them that they violated members’ rights when they didn’t send them the convocation,” Central Football Association (CFA) general secretary Clynt Taylor told Wired868. “They had no authority to send to [nine] members and not the full membership. Every member remains a member unless suspended so, according to the constitution, they have to send the convocation to all members.”

Owing to the “voluminous amount of documentation” contained in the convocation, Downer called a vote for the AGM to be postponed for two weeks so members could peruse the documents and be able to comment more effectively.

There were different opinions as to how to proceed, though. Some members, including a Trinidad and Tobago Super League (TTSL) faction, felt the AGM should continue and deal with other issues on the agenda outside of the financial documents, which could be left for the postponed meeting.

In the end, a vote was called only for a two-week postponement of the entire meeting. Seventeen members agreed with Downer’s motion, four disagreed and 14—inclusive of the TTSL representatives—abstained.

Incidentally, there was a turnout of 35 TTFA delegates from a total of 49, which was over 70 percent and possibly the highest attendance of John-Williams’ term as football president. Arguably, it showed too that members did not take lightly the threat of losing their rights.

According to a source, John-Williams informed FIFA of his move to ignore more than 60 percent of the TTFA’s membership before Latapy-George sent out the convocation. The members were not having it, though.

Wired868 asked John-Williams whether he took responsibility for the violation of the TTFA Constitution which forced the postponement of the AGM and disappointed the majority of the football body’s membership. He had not responded up until the time of publication.

Latapy-George declined comment.

The AGM followed a reconvened Extraordinary General Meeting in which only one member was needed to constitute a quorum; 26 delegates turned up.

Although John-Williams spent much of the past week stressing that over 60 percent of the TTFA’s members had lost their rights on 12 January 2017, owing to a transitory clause implemented two years ago, the EOGM was told that CONCACAF had actually relaxed deadlines on the matter of compliance.

All clubs, according to Taylor, have until 31 May 2018 to become compliant while the deadline for zonal associations is 31 December 2018.

Downer moved that all TTFA members be given a new deadline of 31 March 2018 to be compliant. Again, it was not unanimous.

Look Loy suggested that having the compliance deadline so close to the start of the domestic season could leave organisers scrambling to adjust schedules if clubs were then found to be non-compliant. And the TTSL president countered that the deadline should be 31 December 2017.

In the end, though, the EGM opted to compel all non-compliant members to submit a report by 31 January 2018, which spelled out their individual difficulties so they could be addressed before the 31 March deadline.

The EGM was followed immediately by the AGM. But, because the John-Williams-led board had willfully withheld relevant documents from its members—when constitutionally due—on the shaky ground of compliance, the meeting was called off before it had properly begun.

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: asylumseeker on November 28, 2017, 06:49:02 AM
Never a dull moment under extra-ordinary leadership. Ringling and Barnum packed up. About time for the same at the TTFA.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on December 10, 2017, 01:44:33 PM
TTFA AGM adjourned for second time.
T&T Newsday Reports.


For the second time in the space of a month, the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) was forced to adjourn its Annual General Meeting (AGM), at the National Cycling Centre, Couva.

According to sources, yesterday’s meeting, which was attended by 15 out of its 49 members, was cancelled due to the lack of a quorum (26), and will be reconvened to December 23.

The AGM was originally carded for November 25, at the aforementioned venue, but was postponed after TTFA members deemed its hosting unconstitutional.

The TTFA had issued invitations to only 16 members to participate at the AGM, as the others were not compliant according to FIFA mandate and were unable to vote.

At a recently-held media conference, at the Ato Boldon Stadium in Couva, TTFA president David John-Williams said extensions were repeatedly given to members who allegedly failed to take action to remedy their situation.

RELATED NEWS

TTFA AGM postponed again.
By Ian Prescott (Express).


JUST SIX of a possible 51 delegates were present at the 8 a.m. start of the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) reconvened Annual General Meeting (AGM) yesterday morning.

Only three of 13 Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) Board of Directors members joined president David John-Williams at the meeting.

Following a half-hour adjournment, the meeting was reconvened and a roll revealed just 15 delegates present. At that point, Board chairman John-Williams then indicated that the required quorum was not present and that the meeting could not proceed.

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Sando prince on December 10, 2017, 03:45:22 PM
How hard iz it to have ah professional competent TTFA in this country? Don't think we ever experienced one in our football history
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on January 25, 2018, 06:52:56 AM
Dear TTFA: New board member, Look Loy, questions body on coaches, referees and technical centre project.
Wired868.com.


“What protocol or procedure did TTFA/you employ to identify the coaches now working in said youth programme, i.e. specifically, were the positions advertised and was application open to all interested parties?

“[What are] the names of all companies/parties which submitted construction/professional bids in connection with said construction… [and] the name of the project manager, the contractor and any sub-contractors engaged in the project?

“[…] What measures does the Referee Department employ with delinquent referees, e.g. those who do not adequately attend training sessions, and/or pass examinations, or those who are not responding successfully to match day assessment and guidance?”

The following is a list of questions on the operations of the local football body submitted by TTSL president and new Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) board member, Keith Look Loy, to TTFA general secretary Justin Latapy-George, past and present technical directors Muhammad Isa and Anton Corneal and referees committee head Wayne Caesar—and copied to TTFA president David John-Williams—on 26 December, 2017 and either 7 or 10 January, 2018.

Request for information on TTFA technical programmes and National Teams

Corneal/Isa

Dear Sirs,

I was inducted as a TTFA Board member on Saturday 23 December and I obviously lack information on several key areas of TTFA work. Accordingly, I am reaching out to you for information with the following questions:

Does TTFA have a long-term technical development plan?

Who are the coaches engaged in TTFA youth programme?


    What protocol or procedure did TTFA/you employ to identify the coaches now working in said youth programme, i.e. specifically, were the positions advertised and was application open to all interested parties?

Do these coaches have contracts?

Who assesses the work of these coaches?\

Are these coaches required to submit a periodic training and development plan? If so, to whom?

Are these coaches required to submit period reports on their work? If so, to whom?

Is the TTFA Technical Committee functional? Does it supervise TTFA’s technical work?

Is there a national Under-20 men’s team in training, or plans to establish one?

Who are the (proposed) staff of this team?

Does TTFA intend to establish an Under-23 team?

What plans does TTFA have regarding the women’s national teams, both age-group and senior?

Does TTFA have a long-term coach education plan/programme? If so, I would appreciate a copy.

Other questions may arise but I trust that you will appreciate my position in my search for relevant information in order to ensure I represent TTSL properly in the TTFA Board.

I thank you in advance for your co-operation.

Best regards.
Keith Look Loy

TTSL representative to the TTFA Board

Request for information on TTFA technical centre project

Justin Latapy

Dear Sir,

As a new TTFA Board member, I obviously lack intimate knowledge of key areas of TTFA work, programmes and projects. Accordingly, I have decided to seek relevant information in several areas, one of which is the technical centre now under construction in Balmain.

I would appreciate information re: the following:


The contribution of FIFA, TTFA and Government to the project and the overall project budget.

The names of all companies/parties which submitted construction/professional bids in connection with said construction.

The TTFA body or personnel which/who selected the contractor and any sub-contractors now engaged on the project.

The name of the project manager.

The name of the contractor and any sub-contractors engaged in the project.


The quantum, duration and terms of all project contracts.

The current financial and construction status of the project.

Clearly, your response would be appreciated prior to the January 2018 Board meeting.

I thank you in advance for your co-operation.

Best regards.
Keith Look Loy

TTSL Representative to the TTFA Board

Request for information on TTFA referee programme

Wayne Caesar

Dear Sir,

I was inducted into the TTFA Board on Saturday 23 December and I am obviously lacking in intimate knowledge of certain aspects of Association activity and programmes. Accordingly, I hereby seek information on TTFA’s referee programme via responses to the following questions:

How many referees and assistant referees are registered with the Referee Department?

What are the numbers counted in each group in each category of referee?

How many FIFA referees and assistant referees does the TTFA have?

How does this number compare to past years?

How does the Referee Department proceed with referee recruitment? How effective is aid programme and what are the issues affecting it?

How many referee instructors and assessors does the Referee Department employ or use?

What is the frequency of and how effective is the referee training programme?

How effective is the match-day referee assessment programme?

What measures does the Referee Department employ with delinquent referees, e.g. those who do not adequately attend training sessions, and/or pass examinations, or those who are not responding successfully to match-day assessment and guidance?

Are referees ever relegated to an inferior category for poor performance?

Are referees insured against injury?

The next Board meeting will be held in January 2018 and I would appreciate your response prior to that so I could properly represent TTSL in said Board.

I thank you in advance for your cooperation.

Best regards.
Keith Look Loy

TTSL Representative to TTFA Board

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Deeks on January 25, 2018, 05:47:21 PM
What! Kieth laying down the gauntlet!
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: soccerman on January 25, 2018, 06:09:02 PM
He jamming them hard
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on February 23, 2018, 02:58:19 AM
Look Loy challenges TTFA’s secret operations.
By Walter Alibey (Guardian).


The secrecy that defined the operations of the T&T Football Association for many years has been called into question and shall be soon come to an end.

Keith Look Loy, president of the T&T Super League and a sitting TTFA Board director, vowed to fight tooth and nail to ensure there is accountability in the affairs of the sport, after a meeting of the Board of Directors last Thursday revealed a lethargic attitude driving the operations of the sport.

Look Loy, a former national player and coach who has served at all levels of the game, said he is ashamed of the current state of local football and predicted it will only get worse if Board members do not honour their responsibility by taking control of the operations of the TTFA.

“I was surprised to see the way things functioned in there. It’s like no one is accountable to anyone and people operate in secret. I have said it before, every TTFA employee and everyone sitting on TTFA committees are accountable to the Board,” said Look Loy.

Guardian Media Sports obtained a copy of the meeting’s agenda which showed Look Loy was successful in getting the support from board members for a number of initiatives including a review of the operations of the Technical Committee, headed by Sam Phillip. Look Loy pointed out that the members of the committee are considered weak in terms of their technical knowledge and experience.

The review showed there is need to recruit more suitable members to the committee and implement the institution of mandatory reporting to the said Committee by national coaches after tournaments/matches, and by other TTFA technicians on an established periodic basis.

Look Loy also received support for a review of TTFA’s Technical Staff members, and called for the technical director to conduct a performance assessment of all technical staff of both national teams and development programmes. He also called for a fair recruitment process of all coaches to be engaged by the TTFA.

The technical director was also asked to submit a comprehensive annual budget for all technical operations, i.e. national teams and development programmes, coaching education, etc and it is to be submitted to the Board in April. Upon Look Loy’s request, the technical director will provide the Board with a strategic technical development plan while the head of referees department will supply an overall plan and budget for the development of TTFA’s referee department, and the resolution of several issues affecting refereeing over the past years.

These include challenges faced in the recruitment process, compensation package, inconsistent training by referees, and the steady reduction in the number of FIFA referees in recent years.

A former Malick Secondary coach, Look Loy said the Board has failed in getting these basic policies introduced and promised that as a board member, he will fight hard to ensure the operations of the TTFA are accountable to its members and the public.

At Look Loy’s request, the meeting which was attended by David John-Williams (TTFA President), Ewing Davis (TTFA VP), Joanne Salazar (TTFA VP), Richard Quan Chan (SFA representative), Sherwyn Dyer (ECFU representative), Karanjabari Williams (NFA representative), Joseph Taylor (TTFRA representative), Sam Philip (TTPL representative), and Justin Latapy-George (General Secretary), was also scheduled to discuss other financial and technical matters, such as;

(1) The contribution of FIFA, TTFA and Government to Home of Football project and the overall project budget,

(2) The names of companies/parties that submitted construction/professional bids for construction,

(3) The TTFA body or personnel to select the contractor and sub-contractors, if any, now engaged on the project,

(4) The name of the project manager,

(5) The quantum, duration and terms of all project contracts,

(6) The current financial and construction status of the project, however, was unable to conclude its agenda and was adjourned until March.

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on March 01, 2018, 02:54:02 AM
Mayday, mayday, TTFA! Our football is sinking.
By Colin Murray (Guardian).


After my column last week about the ongoing craziness with Badminton in the country, I received an email from a gentlemen who stated that he is on the Badminton Association and that what I wrote about is just the tip of the iceberg. He proceeded to send me 20 bullet points on some unbelievable events in T&T Badminton but I will address these soon.

What caught my attention last week was the headline, “TTFA buried in secrecy”. It is always necessary to put things into context so let us go back to the past and highlight some facts. In November 2015, the then TTFA President Raymond Tim Kee was removed from office as it was perceived that he was not doing a good job and he was challenged by three others for the top job at the TTFA. Tim Kee was defeated by the then owner of W Connection F.C. and in his manifesto, he promised the football fraternity that the face of football will change. It was well documented that he promised accountability, transparency and good governance among other things. The stakeholders asked for this so I would think the people of T&T would have been happy as at last they must have felt that change in the beautiful game was approaching.

What has gone wrong in 2.5 years? Or what has gone right? Let us begin with our Russia 2018 World Cup campaign. To date I have not seen an analysis of the campaign or an explanation for some of the bizarre decisions that were taken which ultimately derailed our very promising World Cup ambitions. No one has said anything apart from expressing how much of a great victory it was against the USA which eliminated them from the campaign. It appears that we fired Stephen Hart because the USA fired Jürgen Klinsmann as Hart was sacked just three days after Klinsmann. Neither team qualified for the World Cup. Then came Gold Cup 2017 qualification. We brought in another coach (with a poor track record) and we were beaten by Suriname with Haiti qualifying ahead of us for CONCACAF's top tournament.

We hired a Women's football coach with an impressive CV in Carolina Morace. She left prematurely saying that she wasn't being paid. Another terrible embarrassment for the country; again, nothing said. The latest soap opera is the CONCACAF T&T Women's Under 20 team in which we finished dead last and to date no one has said anything except some garbage that has been dumped on the football loving public of T&T. There was little marketing of the tournament, therefore it stands to reason that the tournament was a huge financial loss to the TTFA. I wonder if we will ever know what was the loss incurred for the tournament.

All our national football is now being played at the 'home of football', the Ato Boldon Stadium. I saw the land was cleared and work has started on the different buildings that are apparently being constructed for this new 'home of football'. I did my own inquiries and reached out to three board members of the TTFA and asked some simple questions: (1) Who submitted bids to construct the 'home of football? (2) Who won the bid? (3) Who selected the company that won the bid? (4) How much is this costing? (5) Who is funding it? (6) Who is managing this whole 'home of football' construction? I received blank looks from all with one even stating to me, “you know those are some good questions, but Colin I really don't know”.

It is incredible that at least three board members that I spoke to do not have a clue about the cost and which company actually won the bid for construction. That is on the assumption that there was a tender process in existence to begin with. I saw the Minister of Sport and the Chairman of SPORTT posing for the media (as they usually do) at the site while construction work was ongoing, so maybe either one of those goodly gentlemen can excuse themselves from taking photos and give an answer to these pertinent questions as someone must unveil to the public the secret behind the 'home of football'.

Lastly, what has the TTFA done to assist referees who play a crucial role in the beautiful game? They are some of the most maligned people in this country and around the world. When you examine their situation, it is becoming critical. Their compensation package is archaic, they go for months without being paid, few new referees are breaking down the door to get into the profession, and there has been a steady reduction in the number of FIFA referees in recent years; even though we saw a picture a few weeks ago with the TTFA president posing again with the FIFA officials. We now have seven FIFA officials on the panel. Jamaica has 13, almost twice the amount as us. The resources required to develop referees are clearly lacking.

The beautiful game in this country needs plastic surgery and we need it fast because the beauty is vast becoming ugly.

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on March 18, 2018, 01:57:31 AM
TTFA members upset.
By Jelani Beckles (Newsday).


MEMBERS OF the TT Football Association are upset that the Annual General Meeting carded for yesterday, was postponed for a fourth time.

The AGM was orginally carded to take place in November 2017, but was postponed because not enough members received financial statements. The AGM was then carded to take place on December 23 but, the president of the TTFA David John-Williams and financial manager Tyril Patrick did not attend and the members refused to have the meeting take place. On February 20, the AGM was postponed again because John-Williams did not attend.

Yesterday, there was some confusion at the AGM due to different opinions on the interpretation of the constitution of the TTFA. John-Williams insisted there was no a quorum to start.

However, TTFA members at the meeting said there were enough members to start the meeting according to their understanding of the constitution because it was a reconvened meeting and a quorum was not needed to start.

TTFA member Anthony Harford said, “Osmond Downer (Referees Committee board member) led the argument for the meeting by quoting from the constitution, by saying this is a reconvened meeting and not a new meeting and therefore the meeting should proceed whether it is one person or the 49 people. That was backed up by all the other people on the floor, who kept saying that yes, we can continue, the 20 something people who were there.”

The meeting was ordered to be held in 14 days by John-Williams. Members are concerned that the meeting will not take place in 14 days because the meeting is now carded for Easter weekend.

Members of the TTFA also heard that the Chief Accounting Officer has resigned and the board of the TTFA has not informed members.

Members are concerned about the accounts of the TTFA including the sources of income. Members want to find out how much money came in from FIFA and CONCACAF and want to see how the money spent within the TTFA is broken down. Another TTFA member Selby Browne, giving his thoughts on yesterday’s proceedings said, “Everyone told him he had no such authority (to call off the meeting), the meeting had to decide that...this is a reconvened meeting. You had several persons.”

Browne added that John-Williams is trying to run the TTFA as if it his club – W Connection. “Maybe he is accustom to running his club W Connection like that which he owns. Any type of autocratic behaviour is one that cannot be condoned and the decision was taken when the new constitution was brought in to have a board of directors of which the president is one of 14, and it is the collective board of directors that must run the TTFA. The days of a president on his own conviction are long gone in football.”

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Deeks on March 18, 2018, 08:51:27 AM
I now see why some people does go postal on their job. What the f wrong with DJW. He acting like a dictatorial imps.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Brownsugar on March 18, 2018, 01:35:26 PM
All yuh, I give up eh.....I cyar battle two tyrant in mih lifetime......I too ole for this ish!!!!....

:cursing: :banginghead: :frustrated: :cursing: :cursing: :frustrated: :frustrated: :banginghead:
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: soccerman on March 18, 2018, 04:11:32 PM
Looks like postponing meetings was a key point in de manifesto
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: asylumseeker on March 18, 2018, 10:19:50 PM
Attendance at these meetings seems to be low historically. People don't appear to be invested in the responsibilities they hold. At regional body level there have been multiple past reports of people not showing up.

Assuming that they're not receiving incentives to stay away (which would be an issue in itself), this is a cultural issue that is being exploited because we like it so. (The provision of a "incentives" is a  cultural  issue also).

It's not entirely an issue of autocratic design. It's also an issue of complicity. For autocratic behavior to become consolidated, people have to sign off along the way.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on March 20, 2018, 12:42:47 AM
“Tyranny!” TTFA descends further into farce as DJW calls off AGM—blocking financial questions.
By Lasana Liburd (Wired868).


The Trinidad and Tobago Football Association’s fourth successive attempt to hold its 2017 AGM ended in farce and a shouting match today in Couva, as local football president David John-Williams adjourned the meeting for 14 days in an apparent misinterpretation of the constitution and amidst cries of “tyranny” and “dictatorship.”

In the process, John-Williams effectively blocked a grilling over the first Annual Financial Statement he was due to present as president and construction at the TTFA’s new “home of football”—a technical development centre and hotel—and, possibly blocked a vote of no-confidence as well.

It is the fifth time—without resolution—that the TTFA’s 2016 financial statement has been on the agenda. The local football body cannot access FIFA funding, which stands at a minimum of US$750,000 per year, without having had its Financial Statement approved.

In the melee thatbroke out in the Ato Boldon Stadium’s Media Room following John-Williams’ announcement, the normally reserved North Zone president Anthony Harford accused the President of “tyranny” while members—including veteran Referees Football Association (TTRFA) vice-president Osmond Downer and Veteran Footballers Foundation (VFFOTT) president Selby Browne—accused the W Connection football club owner of violating the constitution.

“What happened today is nothing short of a major embarrassment to our sport,” Harford told Wired868. “I felt as if I was sitting among a nest of vipers.”

Browne concurred.

“The President’s actions were outrageous, absurd and wrong on yet another occasion,” he said, “similar to the compliance matter.”

The TTFA first tried to have its financial statement approved at an extraordinary general meeting on 5 July, 2017 but was forced to postpone the effort as general secretary Justin Latapy-George had not made copies of the document available to members, as mandated by the TTFA Constitution.

At its AGM on 25 November, 2017, the local football umbrella body tried again; on John-Williams’ instructions, however, financial documents were distributed to one-third of the membership, the President claiming the rest were non-compliant. The general meeting overruled John-Williams and his Board was given 30 days to reconvene the session.

For the follow-up meeting, the John-Williams-led Board chose 8am on 23 December, 2017, two days before Christmas. However, although members showed up, the TTFA president stayed home—without warning—and sent word that he was unwell.

Vice-president Ewing Davis chaired that meeting on John-Williams’ behalf and tried to have the financial statement approved without the President or financial manager, Tyril Patrick, on hand to answer questions. The membership refused.

The reconvened AGM was then set for 20 February and, although John-Williams picked the date, when members turned up, he was again absent. And, yet again, the AGM was postponed.

At 8:30am today when Latapy-George took the roll call, there were 17 members present along with John-Williams, Davis and Board representatives Richard Quan Chan and Sharon O’ Brien.

Of the 17, there were representatives from seven Pro League clubs—including the TTFA President’s daughter and current W Connection boss Renée John-Williams—while the remaining 10 delegates came from the various zonal bodies as well as Secondary Schools Football League (SSFL) president William Wallace.

John-Williams, who chaired the meeting as president, then got up and, according to several eye-witnesses, announced that it would be “unethical” to proceed without a quorum of at least 24 members. He then abruptly adjourned the meeting for an unspecified date within 14 days.

The room erupted as Browne and Downer shouted their opposition, under article 24.3 of the TTFA Constitution, while, banging on a table, John-Williams shouted back.

Article 24.3 states: “A quorum is not required for the second meeting of the General Meeting unless any item on the agenda proposes the amendment of the Constitution, the election of a member of the Board of Directors, the dismissal of a member of a body of TTFA, the expulsion of a Member or the dissolution of TTFA.”

“I pointed out to him that, as chairman, he has no such authority [to adjourn],” said Browne. “The meeting has the authority to take a vote on that and decide… Also there was a duly convened AGM in November for which there was a quorum.

“In the case of an adjournment, whoever is present forms the quorum.”

Harford said John-Williams recognised no opinion other than his own.

“People were explaining to David that a quorum does not matter now because you had a quorum the first time,” said Harford. “A reconvened meeting is just the continuation of the first meeting. It is as if you went for lunch and came back with a member short.

“I told David let us listen to the people because the entire floor without exception was saying let us continue; and you are saying only your opinion counts. I told him this is a democracy and what you are displaying is a tyrannical approach.

“When the floor speaks, you have to listen. When you are saying we have to listen to you alone, that is tyranny! […] I was aghast at what I was hearing.”

Harford claimed that Renée John-Williams twice stood up and appealed for calm from the floor and head table and urged her father to let the members vote on whether to adjourn the meeting. The TTFA president refused.

“I felt bad for his daughter because it cannot be right to see your father behaving that way and to see people talking to him in the way they did,” said Harford. “I said, ‘Mr Chairman, what you are doing is not inclining us to be obsequious to you… The people who spoke are imminently smart persons who [think] before they talk.’

“Mr Downer is a walking lexicon on constitutional interpretation while Selby usually follows protocol; Selby can be enthusiastic but he is a stakeholder and must be listened to.”

There were raised eyebrows too at the TTFA President’s assertion that it would be “unethical” to proceed with the AGM, in which he was set to be grilled on his financial stewardship of the football body.

“[SSFL president] William Wallace, who is a voice of reason, stood up and tried to tell [John-Williams] there is a difference between illegal, unconstitutional and unethical,” said Harford. “Unethical and illegal are two different words. [John-Williams] said it was unethical to start without a quorum. People said okay but it is not illegal, so don’t use the two words in the same context.

“[…] The entire floor is saying let us proceed with the vote and here you are saying [to adjourn for] 14 days which could be Easter weekend or Spiritual Baptist Day.

“But you got the impression that David didn’t want the meeting to proceed, no matter what. It was extremely sad and I felt embarrassed.”

Eastern Football Association (EFA) president Linus Sanchez agreed that John-Williams’ behaviour was unconstitutional. However, he reserved most of his ire for the members who did not show up this morning.

Trinidad and Tobago Super League (TTSL) president Keith Look Loy and his FC Santa Rosa club had already committed themselves to a Walk For Peace in Arima, before the TTFA Board picked the date for the AGM. But Sanchez was furious that nobody from the TTSL came in Look Loy’s absence while Central Football Association (CFA) general secretary Clynt Taylor was also a no-show.

“Santa Rosa I can understand; but don’t tell me at least three [TTSL] clubs couldn’t send one member to ensure they had representation,” said Sanchez. “And nobody could reach Clynt Taylor from the CFA on his phone. These are the two members who are most vociferous about what happens in TTFA, so now my delegates are wondering if they are just talkers.

“The Southern FA had no member. We can understand Tobago because of the ferry [problems] but nobody showed from Eastern Counties… It leaves me to conclude that [administrators] don’t understand their contribution to sport and crime in this country.

“Because they are always running to get on a committee but, after they are nominated, you don’t see or hear them. There are too many square pegs in round holes!”

Sanchez suggested that the absent stakeholders were worse than the supposedly misbehaving football president.

“An AGM happens just once a year and we, the members, have absolute power,” he said. “So why in the name of God would you throw your hands in the air and say ‘I ent able with that’ when it is time for an AGM?

“They have to stop blaming the president and understand that it is their irresponsibility that has Trinidad and Tobago football in the position it is in. If we don’t make our voices heard, then we have to say ‘I am the reason why this is failing’.”

Today’s adjourned meeting meant another wasted trip for the bemused representative from auditing firm Madan Ramnarine and Company as well as accounting advisor Robert Reis. It is likely that the TTFA will still be billed for their presence.

Members filed out of the Ato Boldon Stadium in disgust while Browne and Downer urged them to remain for a meeting without the president as happened during his first no-show.

Some members vowed that they would not return. However, Sanchez noted that, if members became frustrated and stayed away, John-Williams could conceivably use his “unconstitutional approach” as strategy by continually reconvening meetings until only his supporters are present.

“The next time [the TTFA president] tries this, we will appoint a chairperson and proceed with the meeting,” said Sanchez. “If the President scans the crowd and feels he doesn’t have support and adjourns, we will have a meeting anyway in accordance with the constitution.

“Selby was asking members to stay back today but many of them were disgusted and they didn’t understand the constitution. We will be better prepared next time.”

Browne suggested John-Williams’ decision might have been made to head off a possible no confidence motion, although the constitution does not allow a vote for the removal of a member—including the president—without it being first put on the agenda.

Still, the VFFOTT president said he hopes FIFA intervenes in the impasse.

“I would suggest to members that the next action is to write to FIFA and Concacaf on the [TTFA’s] failure to have an AGM that was called since last November,” said Browne. “And one of the options is for FIFA to send in a normalisation committee.”

Harford had hoped to discuss the lack of financial support for the zonal bodies or inter-zonal competition, particularly at youth level.

The lack of clarity on the TTFA’s “Home of Football,” which has already benefited from a TT$2.6 million FIFA grant, is another major concern for stakeholders.

John-Williams, who is a contractor, has been seen on the site for long hours as workers toiled on the project. Yet nobody seems to know who was awarded the contract for the project while a Sport Company source said the TTFA President has so far failed to respond to a request for information from SPORTT acting CEO Jason Williams.

Harford, who is also director of sports management group All Sports Promotion, suggested that today’s chaotic meeting might actually be another sign of progress from the Jack Warner era, when the football president’s rule was unquestioned.

“The one thing I can say is what is happening is probably healthy,” said Harford. “We have reached a place where we realise the days of people going in and bowing to the head table have gone. We are in that transition phase.

“[…] People do their own research before meetings now and don’t take the president’s word as gospel. We are building what I hope would become a strong foundation.”

Neither the TTFA president nor his daughter responded to requests from Wired868 for comment on the former’s decision to adjourn the AGM. President John-Williams also did not respond when asked if he was deliberately trying to avoid taking questions on the football body’s spending and construction work on its technical centre.

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: FF on March 20, 2018, 05:47:35 AM
You get what you pay (vote) for
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: maxg on March 20, 2018, 07:42:08 AM
Tim Kee was hung out to dry, but now blown away by the biggest shitstorm to hit the region so far..not even JW can compare to D real slim shady so early in his tenure

You get what you pay (vote) for
I remember ppl clamouring and cussing, and some voters, eyes closed, saying “it can’t be worse “
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: asylumseeker on March 20, 2018, 08:55:46 AM
Quote
Sanchez suggested that the absent stakeholders were worse than the supposedly misbehaving football president.

Quote
Eastern Football Association (EFA) president Linus Sanchez agreed that John-Williams’ behaviour was unconstitutional. However, he reserved most of his ire for the members who did not show up this morning.

Precisely. Some are serial offenders.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: asylumseeker on March 20, 2018, 09:08:46 AM
Wallace. Browne. John-Williams. Harford.

Elementary: to use a phrase from Sesame Street, one of these "things" is not like the other.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Deeks on March 20, 2018, 05:20:02 PM
John-Williams, who chaired the meeting as president, then got up and, according to several eye-witnesses, announced that it would be “unethical” to proceed without a quorum of at least 24 members. He then abruptly adjourned the meeting for an unspecified date within 14 days.


technically, DJW has a point. But then again the ten who eh show up, are probably those who support him. They know the game he is playing. JW modus operandi.  They probably are being paid off. I joking on that statement. How could Keith not attend the meeting or send someone in his place.  The 14 who attended should call out the 10 who did not attend. And demand that they be serious about f---king responsibility for the uplifting of TT football.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Deeks on March 20, 2018, 05:22:40 PM
Harford claimed that Renée John-Williams twice stood up and appealed for calm from the floor and head table and urged her father to let the members vote on whether to adjourn the meeting. The TTFA president refused.

This sounding like straight out of twilight zone.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: asylumseeker on March 20, 2018, 06:54:01 PM
Harford claimed that Renée John-Williams twice stood up and appealed for calm from the floor and head table and urged her father to let the members vote on whether to adjourn the meeting. The TTFA president refused.

This sounding like straight out of twilight zone.

I will lash Wired868 a lil bit ...

In this capacity, there should be no mention of "father" ... it should read the man's official capacity (unless she got up and said "Oh gorm, Daddy" or something akin to that).

RJW and DJW were each in attendance in an official capacity. It was  not a family outing. Ivanka does not refer to DJT as "Daddy" when on official business.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Tallman on March 20, 2018, 07:15:59 PM
Harford claimed that Renée John-Williams twice stood up and appealed for calm from the floor and head table and urged her father to let the members vote on whether to adjourn the meeting. The TTFA president refused.

This sounding like straight out of twilight zone.

I will lash Wired868 a lil bit ...

In this capacity, there should be no mention of "father" ... it should read the man's official capacity (unless she got up and said "Oh gorm, Daddy" or something akin to that).

RJW and DJW were each in attendance in an official capacity. It was  not a family outing. Ivanka does not refer to DJT as "Daddy" when on official business.

I think the choice to use "father" is to show dat he eh care bout nobody.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: asylumseeker on March 20, 2018, 07:34:05 PM
Harford claimed that Renée John-Williams twice stood up and appealed for calm from the floor and head table and urged her father to let the members vote on whether to adjourn the meeting. The TTFA president refused.

This sounding like straight out of twilight zone.

I will lash Wired868 a lil bit ...

In this capacity, there should be no mention of "father" ... it should read the man's official capacity (unless she got up and said "Oh gorm, Daddy" or something akin to that).

RJW and DJW were each in attendance in an official capacity. It was  not a family outing. Ivanka does not refer to DJT as "Daddy" when on official business.

I think the choice to use "father" is to show dat he eh care bout nobody.

Fair enough ... based on the "Harford claimed".
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Tiresais on March 21, 2018, 02:58:53 AM
There's definitely a Trump-esk whiff about DJW. This is farcical
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: lefty on March 21, 2018, 07:30:03 PM
There's definitely a Trump-esk whiff about DJW. This is farcical
except dat nex election trump might win by ah landslide, with all demographics pitchin in :o, but to digress, I consider myself to be a good and at times prophetic judge of people, knew d WC campaign woulda dead, knew all recent success and football development headway would be squandered d minute we were dumb enough to change presidents, so said so done.......sigh!!!!!!!
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on March 22, 2018, 02:08:32 AM
T&TFA faces Fifa sanctions.
By Walter Alibey (Guardian).


It's now a race against time unknown before the T&T Football Association (TTFA) faces sanctions from the world governing body for football - (The Federation of International Football Associations -FIFA), for its inability to submit audited financial statements for the year 2016 in time.

This sanction will prevent the embattled football association from receiving annual subventions from FIFA for yet another time. Ironically, David John-Williams, the TTFA president, in just over a year of him assuming office, boasted of his association's achievement by providing the FIFA with audited financial statements which had been withheld for many years under then president and special adviser Oliver Camps and Jack Warner.

Now John-Williams could have himself to blame if sanctions are imposed on the TTFA, as he failed to adhere to the sport's constitution which allows adjourned meetings to proceed whether a quorum exists or not.

The annual general meeting was initially held on November 28 last year and comprised a full quorum, but it had to be adjourned after John-Williams called in sick. Afterwards there were four unsuccessful attempts to complete the meeting and ratify the 2016 financial statements.

John-Williams failed to attend two other meetings as he was on official FIFA duty, while the other two times delegates of clubs in the regional associations- Northern Football Association (NFA), Southern FA, Eastern FA, Central FA, Tobago FA and the Eastern Counties Football Union (ECFU), the 22 Super League teams, 10 T&T Pro League clubs, as well as the Secondary Schools Football League (SSFL), Primary Schools Football League, WolF, referees association and futsal, have all failed to attend the AGM to make up a quorum.

In the last attempt on Saturday John-Williams adjourned the meeting saying he felt it unethical to deal with such an issue without a quorum.

The TTFA now has an unknown deadline to submit its financial statements to the FIFA. Attempts to verify the deadline date were unsuccessful as calls to the phones of John-Williams, general secretary Justin Latapy-George, vice president Ewing Davis, and Joanne Salazar, vice president of the TTFA, went unanswered.

Meanwhile, the football association will be expected to submit its financial statements for 2017 by June.

Former referee Osmond Downer, who is considered a dictionary on the sport's constitutional said, a reconvened AGM need a quorum only in the case of an election or dismissal of an officer. "Dealing with financials is not an issue that requires a quorum," Downer explained.

Though the football boss was chastised for his decision he also received sympathy from many who turned their focus on club delegates and accused them of dereliction of duty. Downer said if the delegates showed up for meetings there could be no adjournments, noting the delegates are just as guilty as John-Williams.

Board member Anthony Moore, who did not attend the meeting Saturday due to ongoing problems with the sea-bridge, believes there could be concerns that some clubs could be non-compliant which is why they have consistently stayed away from meetings.

Non compliant club delegates can sit in meetings, but only as observers.

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: doc on March 22, 2018, 06:17:10 AM

Board member Anthony Moore, who did not attend the meeting Saturday due to ongoing problems with the sea-bridge, believes there could be concerns that some clubs could be non-compliant which is why they have consistently stayed away from meetings.

Non compliant club delegates can sit in meetings, but only as observers.



Mr. Moore is always going on about compliant clubs, referring to the Club Licensing that TTFA is obligated to carry out. My big problem with him is he is very much like Latapy-George, Michele Lynch and the sorry bunch - they don't respond nor acknowledge requests for information.
TTFA is required to develop and distribute its Club Licensing regulations. I've been trying to get my hands on it for about a year all to no avail. If one of you are more fortunate than I, please help a brother out.  :pissedoff: :cursing: :bs:
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on March 24, 2018, 05:03:23 AM
Wallace: It can’t be business as usual! TTFA membership urged to meet on DJW’s behaviour.
Wired868.com.


“There is a feeling among members that it cannot be ‘business as usual’ if the affairs of the organisation continue to be in a state of abeyance.”

The following is a letter from Secondary Schools Football League (SSFL) president William Wallace to the TTFA membership inviting them to meet to consider a response to president David John-Williams’ controversially postponed AGM on 17 March 2018:

Dear Members,

You are invited to a meeting of the membership of the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association, carded for Friday 23rd March at 6:00pm at the media room, National Cycling Velodrome, Balmain, Couva.

There is a feeling among  members that it cannot be ‘business as usual’ if the affairs of the organisation continue to be in a state of abeyance. There are several questions posed, to the Executive, which to date have not been answered. The AGM was called in November and is still ongoing among many other matters.

We strongly believe that this is an opportunity for members to decide the way forward.

Note that this is not a political intervention but instead a chance for you to voice your concerns so that collectively we can demand what is our rights as members.

Regards,
William Wallace,
On Behalf Of Concerned Members.


Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on March 24, 2018, 05:03:39 AM
Look Loy slams TTFA bid to host two more tourneys after TT$.5 million loss from U-20 competition.
By Lasana Liburd (Wired868).


Financial recklessness!

Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) board member Keith Look Loy has accused president David John-Williams of financial irresponsibility and violating the local football body’s governing structure. The charges come in response to the TTFA’s announcement of its intention to host women’s senior team competitions in April and May.

The TTFA confirmed on Monday that Trinidad will host one of four groups—each involving four nations—in the Women’s Caribbean Football Union (CFU) Challenge Series between 25 and 30 April. And, according to Look Loy, the football body also made a bid for the right to stage another CFU Women’s competition in May, which will serve as the opening qualifying round for the France 2019 Women’s World Cup.

“Playing at home is a good thing but you have to be able to afford it,” said Look Loy. “It is more expensive to host a tournament than to go abroad [and play] and the TTFA is financially unable to host a tournament at present—no matter the size.”

Wired868 understands that the TTFA spent TT$635,921 on the January 2018 CONCACAF Women’s Under-20 tournament while income amounted to just TT$91,077, which means a loss of TT$544,844.

For Look Loy, it is inconceivable that, even as the John-Williams-led TTFA Board pleads with CONCACAF for financial assistance with its bills from the January competition, it is actively seeking to host more tournaments.

“On the heels of that [financial loss], John-Williams, as communicated to us by [general secretary] Justin Latapy-George, spoke to [technical director Anton] Corneal and [director of football Muhammad] Isa and made the decision to apply to host this tournament in May,” said Look Loy. “[…] We lost half a million dollars in January [and] we are coming in April and hosting a tournament that nobody knows about. And now we hear that we holding a larger tournament in May.”

Look Loy, who joined the TTFA board in January, claimed the TTFA’s proposal to host the two competitions was presented to the board as a “fait accompli” and accused John-Williams of riding roughshod over the football body’s governance structures.

“This is financial recklessness in the extreme and, on top of that, it is disrespectful and contemptuous to the functions of the TTFA,” said Look Loy. “We forget that the TTFA president and the other elected officers are subject to the Board and the Board itself is subject to the general meeting. People here get in to Cabinet and feel they own the country!

“You can’t be handing decisions to the Board; the Board is supposed to make the decisions!”

Look Loy further suggested that the financial well-being of the TTFA was being jeopardised for the sake of John-Williams’ ego and international ambitions.

“Based on what I know, the TTFA is in no position to host any tournament of any size at any level,” said the Trinidad and Tobago Super League (TTSL) president. “But we keep doing it because there are people in the TTFA who want to raise their profile and their international status.

“They have their own agenda at the international level and to hell with the financial implications on our Association and its long-term existence.”

John-Williams’ financial stewardship of the TTFA is a contentious issue, particularly after the president was absent for two successive AGMs at which approval of the football body’s financial statement was on the agenda and controversially called off the third one—apparently in contravention of the Constitution.

Halfway through his term, the John-Williams-led Board still has not appointed a finance committee, which often leaves the President to negotiate contracts on his own.

In December 2017, John-Williams signed off on a three-year deal with Creative Group for a giant digital board that will cost the football body close to TT$600,000. The giant screen debuted for the 2017 TTFA FA Cup, which was won by John-Williams’ W Connection Football Club and was used for the CONCACAF Women’s Under-20 competition.

Wired868 understands Board members were told the digital board had the potential to be a money spinner with companies paying to advertise during international sporting events there.

Yet, while there has been no sign of income from the piece of equipment to date, the Women’s Under-20 Team technical staff lamented that there was no money left for international warm-up games in the immediate build-up to the competition, which saw the host team finish dead last.

In February, the Senior Women’s Team also pulled out of the prestigious Cyprus Women’s Cup owing to a lack of funding while Italian coach Carolina Morace left her post in mid-2017 after complaining of having had to go three months without pay.

There have been issues regarding late payments to players and staff of the men’s teams too. And John-Williams’ supposedly abrasive and arrogant attitude with creditors is believed to have contributed to a legal bill of over TT$1.2 million in his first year in office, which was more than 15 times the TT$82,270 spent on legal fees in 2015 under his predecessor, Raymond Tim Kee.

The TTFA’s legal fees in 2017 are expected to climb higher still after unsuccessful tangles with Telemundo, former general secretary Sheldon Phillips and former referees department head Ramesh Ramdhan.

Additionally, former technical director Kendall Walkes, former head coach Stephen Hart and the National Futsal Team have all initiated legal action against the John-Williams-led TTFA Board.

However, although Look Loy, North Zone president Anthony Harford, Referees Football Association (TTRFA) vice-president Osmond Downer and Veteran Footballers Foundation (VFFOTT) president Selby Browne have pleaded for details on the TTFA’s construction of a technical training centre and hotel—dubbed the “Home of Football”—Board member Wayne Cunningham insisted that the work at the Couva venue was sanctioned by the relevant bodies.

Cunningham, who represents the Eastern Football Association (EFA), declined to give any details on the cost of the project, the tendering process or the successful contractor. But he insisted that every step of the project had been validated by the Board.

“You will have to ask the President and General Secretary for information on that,” Cunningham told Wired868. “Only they are allowed to speak on it. But everything was approved by the Board.”

Cunningham, who is serving as TTFA press officer with the Soca Warriors in Guadeloupe at present, refused to answer any question on the TTFA’s decision to host the upcoming women’s competitions.

Look Loy was not yet a Board member when decisions regarding the Home of Football were made and he said that the general secretariat has not so far provided him with any details. He slammed the secrecy surrrounding the project, which, he reiterated, was the business of all TTFA stakeholders and not just the Board.

“I asked them to release to me all information surrounding this project […] on Boxing Day and I still know nothing,” said Look Loy. “This is not the private information of the President and General Secretary or even the Board; the owners of the TTFA are the members and the football fraternity and they should be apprised. Instead, it is like a lodge secret.

“They are not even responding to the legitimate request of a board member now; and, in the absence of facts, people will speculate. Remember this is TTFA money that is being spent, not the money of the President or any Board member.

“We need an end to the secrecy and a beginning of transparency. There are legitimate bodies who should have this information made available to them and [failure to do so] is very disrespectful.”

Up to the time of publication, John-Williams had not responded to a Wired868 request for comment regarding the perceived value of hosting the two upcoming CFU tournaments or the TTFA’s spending on the digital scoreboard and the Home of Football.

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Tallman on March 28, 2018, 08:06:03 PM
TTFA partners with UEFA for three-day strategic workshop for Pro League and overview of football in T&T
TTFA Media


The Trinidad and Tobago Football Association will host a three-day workshop in collaboration with UEFA which will focus on the Overview of Football in Trinidad and Tobago, the structure of the FA and a proposed plan for the T&T Pro League.

Following discussions with CONCACAF and UEFA led by TTFA President David John-Williams, UEFA has agreed to visit these shores to offer its expert advice during the three-day workshop.

Leading the contingent at the workshop which runs from April 4th-6th will be Eva Pasquier, head of international relations at UEFA. She has has also served as a FIFA Senior Development Manager, Europe and Oceania.

Promoting, protecting and developing football is one of UEFA’s central objectives, and to complement all the work done in Europe, UEFA has created a global programme which will increase solidarity and put Football First around the world.

Discussions during the workshop will be geared around the core objectives and strategy of the T&T Pro league, resource analysis and situational analysis; Good Governance – the legal structure of the Association/League and Clubs in T&T, the key elements to be considered when creating a new league structure; Creating a sponsorship strategy, building a sponsorship platform for the league and understanding what resources are required; Creating the League Brand and Digital Platforms – how to build a marketing platform that will engage all key stakeholders.

Pro League Interim CEO Julia Baptiste stated that the assistance from UEFA and the TTFA was most welcomed at this time.

“This particular initiative  is ideal for us at this  time as we strive to take the League to a higher level and towards being on a level that is similar to some of the more established leagues across the globe. Anything that will improve our capacity through proper guidance of personnel with an established track record such as UEFA is highly welcomed by the Pro League and will only auger well for the League its quest to improve for the future,” Baptiste stated.

Central FC owner Brent Sancho echoed similar sentiments, stating, “I  believe this is a welcomed and well received initiative for not only the club owners who have of course given life service towards developing the young people of this country and the league  in terms of charting a way forward.

“I think it is also a great initiative for stakeholders in this country such as the Government –  Ministry of Sport, Ministry of National Security and Ministry of Tourism with regards to sports tourism and corporate T&T and with all entities coming together, it can now foster and chart a way forward for professional football in this country which I believe that without such, will see a decline in our national programmes and an escalation in our social ill behaviour,” added the former National Player.

Among the presenters will be Kenny MacLeod, whose role  within the UEFA ASSIST Programme is to support developing Federations around the globe grow their commercial, media, digital marketing and match day knowledge. The other presenter is Efraim Barak who is an Arbitrator at the CAS-TAS (Court of Arbitration for Sport). He is one of the founders, a member and a member of the Board of RexSport, as well as a member of the International Association of Football Lawyers (AIAF)
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on March 31, 2018, 05:16:30 AM
Look Loy’s appointment in fray at question.
By Walter Alibey (Guardian).


The appointment of T&T Super League (TTSL) president Keith Look Loy to the board of the T&T Football Association (TTFA) could take centre stage when today’s reconvened annual general meeting (AGM) of the TTFA is held at the National Cycling Centre (NCC) in Balmain, Couva.

A member of the board, speaking to Guardian Media Sports on condition of anonymity, said that TTFA president David John-Williams, who is also chairman at the AGM, is set to argue that the election of the TTSL’s representative Look-Loy was illegal, as he believes there was no quorum when the November 25 reconvened meeting took place on December 23 last year, and it did not have the presence of the chairman due to ill health.

The TTFA president received the backings of Zvonimir Boban, the FIFA deputy general secretary, who in a response to a letter from John-Williams, said in his written response last last week, “According to the information reported in your letter, we deem that the decisions to reconvene the General Meetings of December 9, 2017 and March 17, 2018 would appear to have been in line with the relevant provisions of the TTFA Statutes, as on both occasions the quorum was not achieved 30 minutes after the scheduled start of the meetings. Furthermore, we also underline that since the election of a member of the TTFA board of directors is on the agenda, a quorum will be required at the next duly convened general meeting.”

Reports emerging from the last reconvened meeting on March 17 stated the lack of a quorum to discuss the critical matter of the TTFA’s audited financial statement, led John-Williams to adjourn the meeting, though his association’s constitution stated otherwise.

Only last week Osmond Downer, considered an expert on T&TFA constitutional interpretations, explained that for a reconvened meeting, an adjournment was only necessary when dealing with election or dismissal of an officer or officers.

John-Williams in his letter to FIFA pointed out, “If a quorum is not achieved 30 minutes after the scheduled start of the general meeting, the general meeting shall be reconvened 14 days later at the same place or at a venue notified by the general secretary at least seven days prior to the meeting date.”

He added, “Article 24 par. 3 of the TTFA Statutes reads -A quorum is not required for the second meeting of the general meeting unless any item on the agenda proposes the amendment of the constitution, the election of a member of the board of directors, the dismissal of a member of a body of TTFA, the expulsion of a Member or the dissolution of TTFA.”

It means today’s AGM will require a quorum, a minimum of 25 members out of a total of 49, which is still likely to pose a challenge due to the reluctance of delegates to show at meetings.

Meanwhile, John-Williams could be in for a surprise with delegates planning to move a motion and reappoint Look Loy as the TTSL representative, if it becomes an issue. Apart from Look Loy, Sam Phillip who resigned as chairman of the T&T Pro League three weeks ago, was also elected as pro league representative at the December 23 meeting.

Contacted Look Loy assured he was legally elected, as the December 23 meeting did have a quorum.

“It was adjourned only because there was no one to address the financial matters,” Look Loy explained.

He believes John-Williams is attempting to remove him because of his willingness to oppose the wrongdoings in the management of the sport.

The former FC Santa Rosa coach is promising that if John-Williams attempts to adjourn the meeting for yet another time, he will rally other delegates to vote for a chairman to ensure the meeting goes on according to the constitution.

He believes Boban’s call for a quorum Saturday is based on inaccurate information fed to him by the president.

Look Loy is also set to raise concerns about approval granted by the TTFA to host two Caribbean Football Union (CFU) women’s tournaments next month and another in May.

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on April 02, 2018, 07:03:07 AM
TTFA financial statements rejected at AGM.
T&T Newsday Reports.


MEMBERS of the TT Football Association rejected financial statements presented by the president of the Association David John-Williams and the board at the Annual General Meeting (AGM), on Saturday, as the financial statements lacked detail.

Members of the TTFA, along with board members and John-Williams discussed various issues in an 11-hour meeting at the National Cycling Centre in Couva.

The meeting was called to discuss three main items – the activity report for 2016/2017, the audited financial statements for 2016 and the budget for 2018.

Keith Look Loy, who was recently elected on the TTFA board, speaking about the financial statements said, “The financial statement was rejected as not being detailed enough.

The meeting ordered the president and the board of the TTFA to have more information and more detail included in the audited financial statement and to resubmit it along with a budget for 2018 at an extraordinary general meeting to be called in 60 days.”

Look Loy said proper financial statements must be presented, as a lack of detail will not encourage the support of world football body FIFA.

“It starts with the president and it filters down into the board. It is not the president alone that has failed, the board has failed to manage the association properly and to be transparent. If the TTFA cannot present a proper financial statement to FIFA then it has implications for the financial arrangement with FIFA and the financial support of FIFA, so this is a serious matter,” Look Loy said.

Also, in the meeting it was decided that a proper technical committee would be established with the responsibility to create a development plan for football and examine the structure of our local competitions, in particular the difficult times the Pro League is having with funding.

Ato Boldon Stadium, Couva is now known as the home of football. However, the proper procedure was not followed in starting the expansion of the facility recently. Therefore the project on the Couva facility was ordered to stop. Look Loy said, “The meeting ordered a stop to work (on the home of football), because the meeting believes that no contract has been approved for work by the board of directors and the meeting is of the view that the president has awarded at least one contract without the approval of the board.”

Look Loy explained that people are also not happy that international matches are being played at the Ato Boldon Stadium in Couva at a loss.

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: asylumseeker on April 02, 2018, 07:08:04 AM
The Ato Boldon Stadium: the temporary home of football.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on April 03, 2018, 04:56:06 AM
TTFA offers “update” but few answers on controversial Home of Football project, on eve of AGM.
Wired868.com.


The Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) has offered an “update” on the state of construction at its Home of Football project, just 24 hours before what is likely to be a heated AGM at the Cycling Centre in Couva.

The construction of a technical centre, players’ hotel, entertainment centre and training pitches—and, more specifically, its tendering process—has been a sore topic for months with TTFA president David John-Williams, general secretary Justin Latapy-George unwilling and/or unable to answer questions on it from the football body’s own members, let alone the media.

There was still no answer to the pertinent questions today but the TTFA did offer some details on the construction work, complete with aerial photographs and a video.

The narration for the video was done by Board member Wayne Cunningham rather than TTFA press officer Shaun Fuentes.

The following is the TTFA release:

As a matter of public interest here is an update on the TTFA Home of Football project.

In August 2017 the Government of Trinidad and Tobago approved a long awaited request, when it granted 7.64 hectors of land to the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association in order to establish a home for football.

The land is separated into three main parcels, one located in close proximity to the National Cycling Center and two west of the Ato Boldon Stadium. The association quickly mobilized in order to make this distant dream a reality and got approval from FIFA for the ‘go ahead’ in September with the official Sod Turning ceremony being held on September 29.

After countless brain storming and planning sessions the plans for various aspects of the project were approved and sent to Town and Country Planning for final approval on the building projects which finally came in February 2018.

At the time of this update, two new training fields are 90% completed and the foundation has been laid for the Athletes Accommodation facility. The “Income Generation Project” (which include, small goal pitches, the Beach Football pitch as well as the bar and recreational area) 50% completed.

With offices for the TTFA, TT Pro League, TT Super League, SSFL, WoLF and Referees’ Department already relocated or established at the Ato Boldon Stadium, The Home of Football is now a reality.

The following is Keith Look Loy’s Boxing Day 2017 Request for information on the TTFA Home of Football project, which was sent to general secretary Justin Latapy-George and copied to president David John-Williams and his Board of directors:

Dear Sir,

As a new TTFA Board member, I obviously lack intimate knowledge of key areas of TTFA work, programmes and projects. Accordingly, I have decided to seek relevant information in several areas, one of which is the technical centre now under construction in Balmain.

I would appreciate information re: the following:

The contribution of FIFA, TTFA and Government to the project and the overall project budget.

The names of all companies/parties which submitted construction/professional bids in connection with said construction.

The TTFA body or personnel which/who selected the contractor and any sub-contractors now engaged on the project.

The name of the project manager.

The name of the contractor and any sub-contractors engaged in the project.

The quantum, duration and terms of all project contracts.

The current financial and construction status of the project.

Clearly, your response would be appreciated prior to the January 2018 Board meeting.

I thank you in advance for your co-operation.

Editor’s Note: According to Look Loy, the TTFA is yet to provide a satisfactory response to his questions.

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on April 05, 2018, 01:42:23 AM
TTFA AGM: DJW struggles to provide answers on Home of Football contracts and “sweetheart” i95.5FM deal.
By Lasana Liburd (Wired868).


Mysterious construction contracts without Board approval, national football coaches operating without oversight and a secret “sweetheart deal” with i95.5FM were among the controversial revelations yesterday as the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) held a marathon AGM at the Cycling Centre in Couva.

There were roughly 45 delegates and board members at one point yesterday for a memorable session that lasted over 11 hours, as participants rallied on coffee, water and one snack box—a sandwich, slice of cake, cookie and four grapes.

TTFA president David John-Williams was still in charge at the end, as no no confidence motion came from the floor. However, it was a bruising day for the businessman and W Connection owner, who was forced to make multiple concessions and was overruled on several occasions.

“What came out yesterday proved that lies were told to us,” Northern Football Association (NFA) president Anthony Harford told Wired868, “and there was a level of deceit and one-mannism in the football fraternity.

“Decisions claimed to be made by the Board were not made by the Board but were in fact made by one man.”

Trinidad and Tobago Super League (TTSL) president Keith Look Loy seconded that assessment.

“Yesterday, the Emperor’s nakedness was revealed,” said Look Loy. “John-Williams’ lack of leadership, his mismanagement of the Association, and his usurpation of the authority of the TTFA Board was made transparently clear, time and again in issue after issue.

“The Board, members of which come from the bowels of football as its representatives, has conceded its authority to the one-mannism of John-Williams [and] allowed this open sore to fester. The TTFA ship is rudderless.”

Arguably, the most serious of John-Williams’ perceived transgressions lay in the approval and oversight of work done at the TTFA’s Home of Football project, which includes training grounds, players’ hotel and entertainment centre, located just outside of the Ato Boldon Stadium in Couva.

“It was evident that contracts were entered into, approaches were made to government for land, approaches were made to FIFA for funding,” said VFFOTT president Selby Browne, “with absolutely no approval from the Board.

“[John-Williams] said that he received gifts of a loan of tractors from Junior Sammy and gravel as a gift from National Quarries. But there was no approval for anything. He just went ahead and did all these things.”

John-Williams, who owns a construction company, allegedly informed the meeting that a committee that included his first vice-president Ewing Davis and TTFA employee Sharon O’ Brien oversaw the tender. That tender was then supposedly approved by the Board.

The problem for the TTFA President was that no other Board member could remember any meeting which gave that approval, while general secretary Justin Latapy-George could find no evidence of it, despite a search through his files.

“The total FIFA funding available for this project is US$2.25 million,” said Look Loy. “But instead of awarding one big contract, [John-Williams] broke the project into many small contracts of US$50,000 each.

“So he is acting like a contractor who is paying smaller contractors; and in that scenario, he could be giving money to anyone.”

Look Loy turned to John-Williams’ second vice-president Joanne Salazar and Board member Richard Quan Chan to vouch for the football president.

“I want to hear either one of you say the Board approved the contracts handed out to anybody,” said Look Loy.

Salazar and Quan Chan, according to several witnesses, remained silent. First vice-president Ewing Davis suggested that consensus was arrived at by “some” Board members via email; but that initially provoked laughter from the floor, was deemed unacceptable by members and eventually rejected.

“It is obvious that these things were never brought to any meeting,” Trinidad and Tobago Football Referees Association (TTFRA) vice-president Osmond Downer told the meeting, proposing an immediate halt to all work.

Southern Football Association (SFA) representative Lennox “Bullet” Pilgrim suggested that a lengthy delay might affect the employment of the labourers and masons involved. And members agreed that the Board should move quickly to avoid such an outcome, once possible.

“I hereby move a motion that all work be stopped on the construction with immediate effect,” said Downer, “and that an emergency meeting of the Board be held post-haste to discuss the tenders and to agree to the people who are being awarded the contracts… And this must be reported in the next general meeting in 60 days.”

Downer, according to one source, was referred to as “The Motion Man” by members. One of the architects of the current TTFA Constitution, he often represented the floor and acted almost as a de facto chair—at one point, chiding the president for constantly interrupting speakers when they tried to contribute.

An example of Downer’s influence and John-Williams’ own diminishing power came when the football president ordered that the meeting be adjourned for lunch. Downer overruled him.

“Mr Chairman, you cannot adjourn this meeting,” said Downer, according to sources. “The meeting must adjourn itself. So I move that the meeting be adjourned for lunch…”

By then, there had already been the almost inevitable shouting match between Browne and John-Williams. Browne was recently appointed to the National Lotteries Control Board (NLCB) Board and he claimed that the TTFA president had been trying to use his position to make things difficult for the local football body.

“The chairman is going around saying that he has audio recordings of me, Selby Browne, telling the Prime Minister not to give any money to the TTFA,” said Browne. “That is a lie.”

“Yes!” John-Williams responded. “I have it.”

“You’re a liar!” Browne shot back. “You’re a pathological liar!”

Did John-Williams really have an audio recording of a conversation between Browne and Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley?

The football president refused to produce the evidence to support his claim. But he did not retract it either. Browne, who said he had not spoken to Rowley since he joined the NLCB Board, accused the football president of a smear campaign and the exchange got so heated that Look Loy, on Downer’s prompting, rushed over for a quiet word with the delegate.

“Listen Selby, if you don’t calm down you will give him a reason to adjourn the meeting on a point of disorder,” Look Loy whispered to Browne, who relented.

The room was buzzing again when John-Williams admitted that the TTFA had a sole trader agreement with i95.5FM in which the football body not only pays the radio station to cover matches but also covers airfare and hotel accommodation and, on at least one occasion, even paid broadcast fees for reporter Andre Baptiste and his colleague.

i95.5FM has regularly provided favourable reviews of the local football body while Baptiste was severely critical of former coach Stephen Hart in the immediate build-up to his dismissal by the John-Williams-led Board.

“Broadcast rights are a source of revenue,” said Browne. “People pay you for this. So why are we paying Andre Baptiste?”

“This has to be the first time in the history of mankind that [the TTFA] is paying a radio station to cover our football,” said Harford, who has extensive experience in radio and television.

John-Williams was asked to produce a copy of the contract with i95.5FM, reveal the figure paid to the radio station and the tender process and prove that the “sweetheart deal” had Board approval. Again, he could not.

Downer successfully moved a motion that the information be brought to members at an extraordinary general meeting in 60 days.

Look Loy also probed the operations of the technical committee, which was headed by recently retired Pro League chairman Sam Phillip.

“We found out yesterday that there is no functioning technical committee,” said Harford.

“There have been no reviews submitted of coaching personnel or our tournament performances,” said Look Loy. “John-Williams claimed he had a report for the [CONCACAF Women’] National Under-20 tournament but nobody had seen it. None of the coaches were being appraised.

“[…] So now we realise that our problems go well beyond player development. We need to look at root-and-branch changes in our technical staff.

“[…] So we asked to see letters of commitment and contracts for all of our coaches.”

After some discussion by the floor, it was agreed that a newly constituted technical committee would review the performance of all technical staffs, establish a national technical plan, analyse the domestic elite competition structure from the regional zones through to the TTSL and TT Pro League and look at the relationship between the TTSL and TTPL and review TTFA distribution of FIFA funds to members and apply criteria to same.

The dominance of W Connection coaches under the multi-million-dollar NLCB programme was another sore point.

“In seven years, Connection has won nothing at youth level but they have all the jobs,” Look Loy told the gathering, “and Jabloteh are scooping up trophies but they have nothing.”

“But look at how many players Defence Force has on the senior team,” John-Williams retorted, “and they ent win nothing. So how come people not complaining about that?”

“Because you are president of Connection,” Look Loy shot back. “Perception is reality.”

How much were those coaches earning anyway? The TTFA’s biggest line item on its financial statement was TT$15 million for “professional fees.” The floor demanded specifics.

John-Williams refused to provide details.

“I can’t do that,” said the TTFA president. “That is people’s private money.”

“It is not what you want,” Browne shot back. “The membership is directing you to do so!”

Central Football Association (CFA) general secretary Clynt Taylor pointed out that, at his credit union, shareholders were entitled to information on all salaries. Why should football be different?

“Is we who are paying them, not you,” said Look Loy. “It is our football money and we need to know what they are making.”

The matter went to a vote and, again, John-Williams lost. In 60 days, the TTFA Board must provide detailed financial information at an extraordinary general meeting.

“I, on a personal level, have some reservation about people’s salaries [being shared in the general meeting],” said Harford. “But people voted for that information to be released […] so David has no choice now but to comply.”

Without such information at hand, for the sixth time, the members did not pass the 2016 financial statement.

There are impending changes at board level too. Second vice-president Allan Warner lost his place on the board after missing more than four successive meetings while, owing to potential conflicts of interest, Wayne Cunningham and Sharon O’Brien were both ordered to choose between employment at the TTFA and board places.

“They have been told that they must relinquish their posts as Board members or their employment [with the TTFA],” said Harford. “You can’t be Justin’s boss on some days and he is your boss on other days; that is crap.”

As the sun set, the AGM haemorrhaged delegates and, by the end, only roughly a third of the members who had started the meeting remained. Downer, who took pain killers in the morning for an old spinal injury, was among them.

“I have got to thank Osmond Downer for his commitment and tenacity yesterday,” said Look Loy. “He showed more stamina than people half his age.”

John-Williams had survived too. Despite the discontent voiced by several members, there was no formal move to replace him at the helm of the local football body.

“I think by the end of the evening, people felt ‘let us see if there is any improvement’ since they know that we are watching them now,” said Harford. “But it is still an option that people are holding.

“[…] David is enthusiastic about the football but [some of his flaws are not] good for the football. For instance, he is not a good listener… He doesn’t like to listen, he likes to speak and that is a major flaw for a chairman.”

Despite grumbles about the length of the meeting, many felt significant progress had been made.

“It was a great day for democracy and the constitutional authority of the membership,” said Look Loy, “which passed a series of key resolutions that, once implemented seriously, could put our football on an even keel and give it direction.”

Harford agreed.

“I think they understand now,” he said, “that they are dealing with people who are not going to sit back and accept whatever they tell us.”

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Sam on April 05, 2018, 11:41:38 AM
DJW is a contractor, he probably paying his own company the money to build the Centre.

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Kingk on April 05, 2018, 10:56:09 PM
 60 days is dum :  i'll give you 60 days to go make up a contract and make up everything else that is needing that  is what I see happening over 60 days
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on April 08, 2018, 12:34:29 AM
Board votes to take Home of Football project away from DJW; bills and contracts still missing.
By Lasana Liburd (Wired868).


Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) president David John-Williams has allegedly retreated from the Home of Football project, after being outvoted by four to three on a motion to bring the construction work under the control of the Board of Directors.

Remarkably, almost a year since work started on the TTFA’s technical centre, training pitch, hotel and entertainment centre, Wired868 understands there is still no sign of Board approval for contracts related to the project or details on how much money has so far been spent.

On Saturday, John-Williams, who insisted that the work done on the Home of Football had Board approval, was ordered by TTFA members to prove his claim by providing all details on the project to date. However, not only was John-Williams still unable to do so at yesterday’s emergency Board meeting but the figure supposedly spent on the project allegedly doubled in the space of three days.

At Saturday’s AGM, the embattled TTFA president told members that he split the US$2.25 million FIFA funding for the project into US$50,000 packages and had already given out one such project.

On Tuesday, John-Williams, who is a contractor himself, told members that he had given out two contracts and denied ever saying otherwise.

Regardless, he could not find paperwork to support either claim or a copy of the contracts entered into by the football body. It means that neither the Board nor stakeholders have any idea how much football money has been committed already—and to whom.

John-Williams also sought to defend his decision to hire a project manager while keeping some aspects of the works under TTFA watch, such as the purchasing of material like limestone. He allegedly claimed that he did so to save money for the football body.

“Show me where in the Constitution it says the Board has to approve [every] contract,” John-Williams allegedly told his fellow Board members.

Trinidad and Tobago Super League (TTSL) president Keith Look Loy, who joined the Board in January 2018, moved a motion for:

The establishment of a Tenders sub-committee of the Board;

Submission of all draft contracts for approval by the Board;

Approval of all selected contractors by the Board;

Award of all contracts by the Board.

In what would arguably be an eye-raising stance in almost any organisation barring the TTFA, three administrators allegedly abstained on vote as to whether the president should be allowed to give contracts to whomever he pleased without having to so much as notify the Board.

The three abstentions came from John-Williams, his first vice-president Ewing Davis—who would take over the top role if a no confidence motions were successfully moved against the president—and Eastern Counties Football Union (ECFU) president Sherwyn Dyer.

Northern Football Association (NFA) delegate Kanjabari Williams, Southern Football Association (SFA) delegate Richard Quan Chan, Trinidad and Tobago Football Referees Association (TTFRA) president Joseph Taylor and Look Loy voted to bring the Home of Football project under Board supervision.

Having lost the vote, John-Williams allegedly told the meeting that he was withdrawing from the helm of the project “to protect [his] integrity.” The meeting promptly ruled that Davis should head the Tenders Committee, which will also include second vice-president Joanne Salazar and Quan Chan.

There were changes at Board level too yesterday, as interim Pro League CEO Julia Baptiste and attorney Colin Partap—a former UNC MP—attended their first meetings as representatives of the Pro League and Central Football Association (CFA) respectively. Neither will have voting rights until the next AGM.

In the departure lounge was WOLF president Sharon O’Brien who agreed to step down after members insisted that her dual roles of Board member and TTFA employee constituted a conflict of interest. She opted to keep the latter position and informed the Board that the women’s football body will select her replacement in 14 days.

Eastern Football Association (EFA) representative Wayne Cunningham is yet to officially concede his Board role, though, despite continuing to operate in the role of media officer for the TTFA.

Wired868 understands that Cunningham described his paid job for the football body as that of a consultant and not employee, although TTFA members seem unlikely to accept that there is any material difference between the two titles.

The TTFA Board also passed a resolution yesterday to immediately suspend any TTFA member which had not submitted by the deadline of 31 March, 2018 all of the documents required for membership compliance.

TTFA general secretary Justin Latapy-George was mandated to provide an updated list of all compliant and non-compliant members by Friday 6 April, 2018.

The Board’s provisional suspension of members will come up for ratification at an Extraordinary General Meeting on 30 April, 2018.

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Deeks on April 08, 2018, 05:48:45 AM
Forumites, oh dear Forumites. Is this the light at the of the tunnel? O dear!
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on April 17, 2018, 03:41:45 AM
TTFA faces incurable debt.
By Walter Alibey (Guardian).


DAVID JOHN-WILLIAMS, president of T&T Football Association and the sport could face severe consequences if a report on the status on the construction of the Home of Football at Balmain in Couva is not tabled later this month at a scheduled statutory meeting.

At a hotly contested AGM over two weeks ago, Keith Look Loy, the T&T Super League president led a call for an update on the construction work currently taking place as he believes the Board has been left in total darkness on everything related to the project, such as its budget, the contractors involved, the scope of works and if the works were feasible.

Yesterday, Look Loy said he was reliably informed that work of this magnitude could cost the cash-strapped association in the region of $50 million at a minimum.

"The football association is already in debt of $20 million and a project of this magnitude could saddle us with terminal debt, as we would have to borrow money to ensure it is completed. I'm not prepared to support that," Look Loy said.

The Super League boss said he is willing to work with the money available to them in the TTFA's coffers, which is in the region of about $16 million provided by the FIFA. "I am prepared to vote for the construction of fields for futsal, beach and 11-a-side football, and dormitories for players to stay, and that's it for now," Look Loy explained.

Work was allowed to continue on the home of football at the reconvened AGM meeting last month, but Look Loy said he intends to take more severe actions if the report is not produced by John-Williams at the statutory meeting, to take place at a date to be announced this month.

Look Loy said that while the Board supports the construction of the home of football, it wanted to ensure there is transparency.

John-Williams, who was contacted yesterday said, "I have nothing to tell the media".

The Board is also expected to meet this weekend and among the issues to be raised is finding a replacement for TTFA's second vice president Allan Warner of Tobago, who was ousted at the last AGM, for breaching the TTFA's constitution by missing four consecutive Board meetings. A reliable source close situation and spoke to Guardian Media Sports on the condition of anonymity said Warner had deliberately stayed away from the meetings as a form of a "Silent Protest" against the way the affairs of the sport is being managed and that included the construction of the home of football.

Calls to Warner's phone for a comment went unanswered yesterday.

The Board is also set to deal with a replacement for Sharon O'Brien, the Women's football body president who was a representative on the Board and also an employee of the TTFA.

O'Brien's decision followed last month's AGM in which the members asked O'Brien and Wayne Cunningham, the East Zone representative on the Board as well as a Communications Consultant for the TTFA, to chose a position, as their double roles constituted a conflict of interest with in the organisation.

But while O'Brien has already given up her Board position, Cunningham remains reluctant and he has made it clear that he's not an employee of the TTFA and merely receives a stipend. He said, "I do not receive any benefits, etc, I am a consultant." However, the source said that the Board members will reject Cunningham's explanation.

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Deeks on May 07, 2018, 09:16:11 PM
From the Express

https://www.trinidadexpress.com/sports/local/clubs-to-account/article_edd50dfa-5252-11e8-a571-6b798c1818a9.html

Clubs to account
Minister lays down rules in meeting with Pro League

Money is coming to the country’s top football clubs. But they will have to account for how they use every cent.

The Trinidad and Tobago Pro League and new Minister of Sport Shamfa Cudjoe met face-to-face yesterday, and acting League chairman Richard Fakoory is hopeful that clubs will start receiving their monthly subventions of $50,000 from the Sports Company of Trinidad and Tobago (SporTT)as early as next month.

Fakoory described yesterday’s meeting as “very fruitful.” Prior to that, League officials had been in the dark over how the $11.1 million Government allocation over three years—as announced in the Senate by Minister Cudjoe on April 26—and more specifically the $4.8m for this season would be apportioned. But yesterday, Fakoory confirmed the funds would be distributed to the clubs and not the League.

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on May 08, 2018, 04:02:09 AM
FIFA technical directors in T&T.
T&T Guardian Reports.


Technical Directors from 11 member associations including T&T will participate in a course designed specifically by the FIFA, to educate technical directors around the world, and thereby assist the development of the sport.

The course, schedule to take place at the Home of Football, Ato Boldon Stadium in Balmain, Couva from today and runs until Friday, will see the involvement of a four-member team from FIFA, including Head of Technical Development Services for FIFA Jürg Nepfer, Roberto Perna, Group Leader Education and FIFA Technical consultants Rodrigo Kenton, Lenny Lake and Willi Ruttensteiner. CONCACAF Director of Development Jason Roberts will also be present.

Anton Corneal, the T&T Football Association’s Director of Football, has also been listed as a FIFA TD and expert, to contribute towards the overall development of the sport. The participating member associations will include T&T, Aruba, Barbados, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Guyana, Jamaica, Montserrat, Suriname, US Virgin Islands and the United States.

T&T will be represented by Dennis Lawrence, the Senior Men’s National coach, Men’s Under -17 and 20 coach Russell Latapy and Women’s coach Desiree Sergeant.

FIFA, through its Chief Technical Development Officer, former Dutch forward, Marco van Basten said “FIFA started in 2016 with a programme for the education of Technical Directors in member associations. An evaluation has shown that there was quite a turnover in this position since then and we, therefore, decided to offer this course to new Technical Directors or those who were not in a position to attend the first edition in 2016. The purpose of the course is to provide an opportunity to Technical Directors to gain additional knowledge in important subjects, which are essential for their daily business. The course will also serve as a platform for experience sharing among Technical Directors, the confederation and FIFA.”

Among the topics will be the roles and responsibilities of a technical director, report on training analysis, reporting of match training analysis and coach education analysis among other items. There are practical and theoretical sessions foreseen. Importance will be given to the practical sessions on days one to three, which are: the organization of a youth match; the visit of the training of one of these two teams; and a session on coaching education as part of your coaching education system.

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on May 08, 2018, 04:13:28 AM
Concerned parent: TTFA must start considering education of national youth players in its scheduling.
Wired868.com.


“For your information, training for the National U-17 and U-20 boys was originally scheduled on Thursdays and Tuesdays at 4:30pm at the Mannie Ramjohn Stadium, Marabella.

“This would have caused a little hardship for boys who live in North and in the East, who would have to travel—as they would need to leave school early to get there on time.”

The following Letter to the Editor was submitted to Wired868 by the parent of a Trinidad and Tobago national youth team footballer:

Dear Sir,

I write as a very concerned parent who has seen the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) make scheduling decisions without regard for the educational priority of parents and our youth in the national youth team set-up. Here are just a couple examples:

For your information, training for the National U-17 and U-20 boys was originally scheduled on Thursdays and Tuesdays at 4:30pm at the Mannie Ramjohn Stadium, Marabella. This would have caused a little hardship for boys who live in North and in the East, who would have to travel as they would need to leave school early to get there on time.

Later on, the training was moved to Larry Gomes Stadium in Arima—on the same day and same time. The hardship was then transferred to the boys from South, some of whom had to travel and would even have to leave school half day early to get there on time.

Recently, a decision was made without consultation to swap both teams’ training days so that U-17s would train Tuesday, and U-20s would train on Thursday. Many kids who would have set up their after-school lessons to ensure they didn’t miss training ended up in some turmoil as they felt as if they had to stop going to lessons or be dropped.

Keep in mind, many of our talented youth need these lessons to be able to successfully pass their term tests and graduate from school.

Now, I am being advised that the National Under-20 has had an upcoming trip to Guadeloupe scheduled from May 15-22, which would cause some kids to choose between their team selection and sitting CXC or other exams. Who wins here?

These are just a couple examples. There are more, however. Why are we doing this to our kids?

Decisions are made and then communicated with very little chance for discussion or review. Who is making these decisions? Have they ever heard of stakeholder consultation? The stadiums being used are well lit. Consequently, most parents, if asked would agree that education is higher priority and allow the kids to start training at a later time—maybe 6pm.

Making such heavy-handed scheduling decisions can only shrink our talent pool and cause disillusionment amongst parents and kids. What would be the situation of a kid who goes to Guadeloupe, skips his CXC (or other) exams and gets injured thereafter? How about the kid who needs his subjects to move on to higher level education?

Sir, we haven’t had much success in football as a nation lately, and I submit that the TTFA must improve their consultation and communication efforts to help change that. All of us parents would like to support our kids and the national programme; however, the TTFA is making it extremely hard to do so with its extreme lack of empathy.

I hope by writing this letter, it encourages more respectful discussion and consultation with all stakeholders, allowing for better planning, co-ordination and eventually improved on-field success. I know WE can do this.

Yours respectfully,
A very concerned parent of a National Youth Team player

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on May 30, 2018, 01:41:34 AM
TTFA to hold AGM today.
T&T Newsday Reports.


THE TT Football Association (TTFA) will try, for the fifth time, to have its 2016 financial statement approved during its Annual General Meeting (AGM), which is scheduled to take place today, from 9 am, at the “Home of Football” — the Ato Boldon Stadium in Couva.

A number of issues will be on today’s agenda, including contractual details for the Home of Football project, legal matters facing the local governing body by former coaches and administrators, and a media rights deal with local radio station I95.5 FM.

The AGM could mark the first return, to the public eye, for TTFA president David John-Williams, who suffered injured ribs from a fall a few weeks ago.

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on June 02, 2018, 01:40:38 AM
TTFA braces for FIFA intervention.
By Walter Alibey (Guardian).


As no-confidence vote awaits presidents

Years after avoiding the implementation of a FIFA Normalisation Committee to run the affairs of football in T&T, the country now faces a similar fate, if TTFA's Board members have their way.

Wednesday's adjourned Emergency General Meeting (EGM) has led to plans by the TTFA membership to plan a vote of no confidence motion in chairman and football association president David John-Williams, who is on medical leave after an injury two weeks ago.

The motion is to also include second vice president Ewing Davis and Joanne Salazar, the third vice president when the reconvened EGM takes place. It is tentatively set for June 13.

This is due to the reluctance by John-Williams and his executive to provide answers on the financial affairs of the Home of Football which is being constructed in Balmain, Couva.

Guardian Media Sports understands that several members who attended Wednesday's meeting questioned Davis' decision to call off the meeting at 9:30 am although they claim that a quorum was formed when a member walked in three minutes after the start. They felt that the chairman should have exercised the "Chairman's Watch" which was instituted to give a few extra minutes to members who were en route to the meeting.

Yesterday, Raymond Tim Kee, a former president of the TTFA, said if a vote of no-confidence is successfully moved against the three remaining presidents, then FIFA, the world governing body for the sport, will intervene to run the affairs of the sport.

However, he admitted that he felt heartbroken by this reality after he had to plead with FIFA when he took office back in 2012, to stop the implementation of the normalisation committee, as the sport had been in shambles.

Tim Kee told Guardian Media Sports he was able to convince FIFA he could have changed things by forming a special committee to make key changes in the association's constitution and that was achieved.

However, yesterday Keith Look Loy, the T&T Super League's representative on the Board, said he was unsure if a no-confidence vote would lead to the introduction of a normalisation committee, but said he will welcome it as the membership is fed up of trying to get answers from the president and his officers. "What this will do is expose the ills of the John-Williams' administration. John-Williams is in a no-win position and has to come clean on everything that's happening in the association," Look Loy said.

The T&TSL president also took offence to rumours that John-Williams, along with Davis and general secretary Justin Latapy-George are set to leave T&T on June 9 for the official FIFA World Cup opening in Russia, which could see him miss reconvened EGM.

"Let him go and he will see. I think the no-confidence vote will be a political statement that will carry the belief of the Board," Look Loy said.

Tim Kee said he does not support the no-confidence vote but believes John-Williams should be left to clean up the mess he has made. He also disagreed with plans to construct a hotel in Couva, saying, "I don't know where all these plans to construct a hotel at the home of football came from. It was merely supposed to be an accommodation centre where rooms could have been provided for football executives when they visit T&T, but not to have a hotel as TTFA is not into the hotel business."

The former-football boss also called for answers on why the TTFA is still in red when it received twice as many monies from the FIFA than when he was in power.

He said, "The TTFA used to receive US$58,000 every quarter for development and I have heard that the new president now receives much more than that, so where is the money going?"

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: lefty on June 02, 2018, 04:20:17 PM
d man wid d pdf.......where andre samuel
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on June 04, 2018, 03:26:16 AM
Browne: Trinidad and Tobago football in shambles and lacks proper vision and transparency.
Wired868.com


“The sad reality today is the TTFA is in shambles, with a lack of proper vision, poor administration, poor management, no accountability or transparency, generating enormous debt and without the major focus of development of a proper football product on the field of play by our national teams.”

The following Letter to the Editor on the state of Trinidad and Tobago football was submitted to Wired868 by Veteran Footballers Federation of Trinidad and Tobago (VFFOTT) president Selby Browne:

As the FIFA World Cup 2018 approaches its start on 14 June in Moscow, the situation of the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) is sad for me.

I have long advocated that our vision must be to return Trinidad and Tobago football to No 1 position in the Concacaf on the field, which would be achieved with proper management, structure, technical development, accountability [and] international funding—to produce the quality, world-class football we once demonstrated back in the early 1970s and of which we are fully capable.

The fact is the TTFA will be in Moscow to participate solely at the FIFA Congress on June 13th and not to participate on the field of play in the prestigious FIFA World Cup football competition.

The sad reality today is the TTFA is in shambles, with a lack of proper vision, poor administration, poor management, no accountability or transparency, generating enormous debt and without the major focus of development of a proper football product on the field of play by our national teams.

The Veteran Footballers Federation of Trinidad and Tobago laments the squashed opportunity of qualifying for the FIFA WC 2018, based on poor administrative decisions with respect to coaching appointments and technical staff for the men’s national teams—further manifested by the abandonment of a world-class women’s coach and technical staff, capable of taking the national team to the Women’s World Cup.

The fact is while the FIFA Congress is taking place in Moscow on 13th June, the business of the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) will be determined by its membership with judgement on the failure of the TTFA to provide “pellucidly clear answers with evidence” to the myriad of questions presented for answers since 5 July 2017.

The membership judgement on the poor administration, poor management, no accountability or transparency, generating enormous debt, and outright incompetent lawlessness of the TTFA will be eventually decided on the eve of the start of the FIFA World Cup, which will hopefully provide the removal of the discarded era of the Football Administration “Onemanism” and herald the adherence to the dictates of the new TTFA Constitution, eventually passed in July 2015—long championed by the Veteran Footballers Foundation of Trinidad and Tobago (VFFOTT).

I look forward with optimism to the start of a New Day for the vision, structure and administration of football in Trinidad and Tobago.

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: asylumseeker on June 14, 2018, 05:04:40 AM
So ...?
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: soccerman on June 14, 2018, 05:20:17 AM
I waiting patiently to hear too
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Controversial on June 14, 2018, 05:04:41 PM
Schupsss

After the dictator sabotage and sell out our football and ruin our best chance to qualify for the big dance..

These men real dotish...
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: asylumseeker on June 14, 2018, 09:45:51 PM
I waiting patiently to hear too

Joke ting. Sense wid spineless nonsense. Fuhget about it!
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on June 15, 2018, 12:47:08 AM
TTFA 2016 financial statement approved.
By Joel Bailey (Newsday).


Questions linger about Home of Football but…

PRESIDENT OF the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) David John-Williams says he has local football’s best interest at heart, following the passing of the 2016 financial statements at a five-hour long Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) on Wednesday at the National Cycling Centre, Couva.

John-Williams was under pressure to pass the 2016 financial statements after several TTFA meetings were held but members were not satisfied with information received.

John-Williams stressed, “I remain steadfast in what I do, I remain honest in what I do, I know what I want to do for Trinidad and Tobago football, I know what I am doing for Trinidad and Tobago football, and my heart is very pure. And the members have realised that.”

Selby Browne, president of the Veterans Football Federation of Trinidad and Tobago (VFFOTT), said yesterday there is still much to be clarified regarding the TTFA’s finances.

“The concerns were still what was the financial health or condition of the TTFA,” Browne said.

“The cost of professional and legal fees, and wages, were 43 per cent of the administrative cost, which is absurd. The fact that a debt was inherited in 2015, out of the (Raymond) Tim Kee regime, which was (approximately) $28 million, and of the revenue received, payments were made towards debt reduction. The figure of the total outstanding debt did not reflect what was the true amount. The meeting agreed and was put to a vote, and (it) was approved,” Browne said.

John-Williams, after Wednesday’s meeting, told Newsday that he suffered his injury, which has seen him miss the last EGM, at the Home of Football project on April 29.

“It happened right here,” said the TTFA president. “I mis-stepped, I slid and I fell...I am back to 95 per cent of what I am supposed to be.”

He refuted claims that he missed this week’s FIFA Congress in Moscow, Russia due to pressure he faced regarding Wednesday’s meeting.

“Since the 14th of May I wrote to FIFA that I can’t travel,” John-Williams said. “The doctor has to re-assess me next week to see if I can travel for the final. I have been invited for the final, my ticket has been paid already but, if I can’t go I can’t go.”

Browne said yesterday members are present to assist John-Williams but he must get his act together and follow the rules of its constitution. He said there is still a lot of information unknown about the Home of Football project in Couva.

A motion was moved by Osmond Downer, TT Football Referees Association vice-president, seconded by Central Football Association general secretary Clynt Taylor and voted by the members present for John-Williams to be censured for his role in the Home for Football.

Browne said, “The (issue) of the Home for Football, where a motion was moved, directing that the work be stopped (and) an emergency meeting of the Board be called to identify and present the following documents back to the general meeting – the minutes with approval for the Board meeting for the project; the Board minutes that approved tenders, quantities surveyors and a host of different things that, since last year, we were unable to receive.”

Browne continued, “It took the form of on-screen (display), with a host of documents purporting to be the approvals, and letters of approvals from FIFA for the different aspects of release of funding for the project.”

But Browne insisted that John-Williams was accountable to the TTFA, “who writes the cheques for these payments” instead of FIFA “(who) provides the loans or the grants.”

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: FF on June 15, 2018, 07:01:27 AM
Is a damn joke. Not enough people who actually care to put in the time and effort to see our football prosper.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Deeks on June 15, 2018, 04:02:30 PM
Is a damn joke. Not enough people who actually care to put in the time and effort to see our football prosper.

You correct. Football fans doh care about TTFa. And they show this by not going to their games. It is up Selby, Downer, Lookloy and the rest of the committee to keep demanding transparency from DJW.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: royal on July 02, 2018, 07:48:39 AM
The Trinidad and Tobago Football Association regrettably advises that our brother Muhammad Isa passed this morning. Isa had been warded at the Intensive Care Unit of the San Fernando General Hospital for just over a week. Isa served as the Director of Football for the TTFA
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DhGhQ6sWkAAycG3.jpg)
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on July 12, 2018, 12:39:10 AM
Look Loy wants TTFA answers in 14 days.
By Jelani Beckles (Newsday).


Pre-action protocol letter served to John-Williams

TT Football Association (TTFA) board member Keith Look Loy has threatened to take TTFA president David John-Williams to court if he does not explain by July 24 how money was spent on the Home of Football project in Couva.

A pre-action protocol letter by Look Loy’s attorneys to John-Williams on Tuesday questioned the details of the construction being done by the local football body utilising FIFA funding.

The letter, which was copied to TTFA general secretary Justin Latapy-George and Look Loy, said, “From as early as the 26th December 2017, my client has been requesting from the board, the general secretary and most recently from the president, disclosure of the following documents and/or information:

a. The contribution made by FIFA, TTFA and the Government of TT in respect of the technical centre under construction in Balmain;

b. The names of all the companies/parties which submitted construction/professional bids in connection with the said construction;

c. The TTFA committee, delegate or employee responsible for the selection of the contractor and any subcontractor who has been, is and/or it is intended will be engaged in any way on this project;

d. The name of the project manager is and was and/or it is intended will be engaged in managing this project;

e. The name of the contractors and any subcontractors who have been, who are, and who it is intended will be involved in the said project;

f. The value, duration and terms of all contracts, sub-contracts and/or any other instruments under which services are engaged and/or managed;

g. The current financial and construction status of the project, together with the documentary evidence of same.”

Look Loy said he had received a response from Latapy-George on April 5 saying that he had authorised the release of the requested information via the (TTFA) manager of finance and administration. On June 14, Look Loy asked for further information on the project which was followed up by more requests on July 1.

The letter also said that a number of other board members are asking for the TTFA to be clear on how the technical centre is being developed. “These calls for transparency have also been echoed by other key stakeholders, including fellow board members: Clynt Taylor; Collin Partap; Jason Labon; Anthony Harford; and Steve Gopeesingh.”

Look Loy’s attorneys reminded Williams that it is the TTFA’s responsibility to reveal how money is being spent. “The TTFA should keep in mind that, as the national sporting organisation for football, it has a public duty to maintain the highest levels of transparency and impartiality.”

Look Loy’s representatives warned: “This is the final demand my client will make before approaching the High Court to seek to have a judge order you make the necessary disclosure forthwith. Mr Look Loy has considered Clause 65 of the TTFA constitution which seeks to exclude the jurisdiction of the courts. Given the central role played by the president and the wider board of directors in the establishing of any tribunal thereunder, he is of the firm view that the informed, fair-minded observer would apprehend the possibility of bias in respect of any tribunal established under the TTFA constitution.”

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on July 13, 2018, 12:47:02 AM
Look Loy serves John-Williams with pre-action protocol letter.
T&T Guardian Reports.


President of the T&T Super League Keith Look Loy has intensified his efforts to ensure that there are transparency and accountability within the operations of the T&T Football Association (TTFA) by serving a pre-action protocol letter yesterday on the President David John-Williams, as a final request for financial information on the now controversial Home of Football in Balmain, Couva.

Look Loy’s Attorneys Matthew GW Gayle, Barrister & Attorney at Law, delivered a two-page document outlining a list of requests he made to David John-Williams, the TTFA president, concerning the construction of the multi-million dollar football home which is set to be equipped with indoor and outdoor fields, a hotel and restaurant area, among other things.

Look Loy’s attorneys noted that as a TTFA board member by virtue of being the representative for the T&T Super League, their client was entitled to the information requested.

Look Loy’s list of requests which were made initially in December 2017 included the contribution made by FIFA, TTFA and the Government in respect to the technical centre under construction; the names of all the companies/parties which submitted construction/professional bids in connection of the construction; the committee, delegate or employees responsible for the selection of contractor or sub-contractors; the name of the project manager; the name of the contractors; and any sub-contractors who have been, who are, and who it is intended to be involved in the project.

Look Loy, who has received the support of key stakeholders such as Anthony Harford, Clynt Taylor, Collin Partap, Jason Labon and Steve Gopeesingh, also requested the value, duration and terms of all contracts, sub-contracts and/or any other instruments under which services are engaged and/ or managed and the current financial and construction status of the project, together with the documentary evidence. At an emergency general  meeting recently, John-Williams

released the name of some of the contractors employed at the football project, namely ECOTEC EPC Construction Technologies, Transbrokerage Services Limited, Ready Mix (West Indies) Trinidad Limited, Trinrico Steel and Wire  Products Ltd,Ramlagan General Hardware,

Point Lisas Steel Products Ltd and Alescon Ready Mix.

He, however, did not provide the contracts or any financial  agreement with the contractors for works to be done. Look Loy, a former national player and coach as well as a football administrator, sought to expand scope of the disclosure by asking for further documents relevant to the project, seeking invoices and receipts for payment regarding expenditure in relation to the companies.

Look Loy’s attorneys said their client has been seeking information on the financial affairs of the Home of Football for the past months, including as recently as July 1, but has been ignored.

Title: TTFA officials attend CONCACAF Managers Workshop
Post by: Tallman on August 01, 2018, 04:18:41 PM
TTFA officials attend CONCACAF Managers Workshop
TTFA Media


Trinidad and Tobago Football Association General Secretary Justin Latapy and Senior Men’s Team manager Richard Piper were among Twenty officials from across the region  in Barbados for the CONCACAF Team Managers Workshop this past weekend.

This was the second in a series of five seminars being hosted by CONCACAF with representatives attending from T&T from St. Kitts and Nevis, Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Grenada, Antigua and Barbuda, St. Lucia, Monsterrat, Sint Maarten and the host nation.

The participants are being taken through several topics over the three days, inclusive of pre-event management, stadium inspection and marketing by CONCACAF instructors Les Meszaros of Canada and David Sabir of Bermuda . Speaking during the ceremony, CONCACAF Development Manager for the Caribbean Andre Waugh gave a preface to the upcoming course, which has come quickly on the heels of one in Jamaica.

Calling it CONCACAF’s newest development initiative, Waugh told the participants that there was much in store for them. “This is directly aimed at building capacity in the area of team administration. For us, it is important that the link is clear between the off-the-field activities and the performance on the field and we really want to bring that into perspective and ensure that after three days we leave here with a clear understanding as to the importance of proper team administration.” he said.

Going on to say that participants were charged with carrying the information of to share in their respective nations at the national and club level, Waugh said that the development of all involved in football was pinnacle to its advancement. “We want to continue along that line in investing in capacity for us. That is the important thing. The important thing is not to give a fish, but to teach people how to fish – to build capacity – because we believe that it is through that investment in the human capital that the beautiful game of football that we love will develop within this region.”

The first Concacaf workshop in Jamaica a week ago, targeting team managers and general secretaries was deemed a success by participants and instructors alike.

Staged at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel in Kingston, the three-day event had an exciting climax on Friday and many attendees gave the development activity the proverbial thumbs up.

“There is no school you can go to become a team manager as that is something that a lot of the times you learn as you go along, so we have seen the need and recognise that we can help develop a curriculum for team administrators, and one of the reasons for bringing the general secretaries along is because a lot of the time the gen-sec doesn’t know what the team manager is doing and vice versa, and we have to get them to understand the importance of communications between the two and that they must work hand in hand,” said instructor, Renee John-Williams, a football administrator in her native Trinidad and Tobago, a report on CONCACAF.com stated.
Title: TTFA holds situation analysis of Women’s Football
Post by: Tallman on August 01, 2018, 04:44:42 PM
TTFA holds situation analysis of Women’s Football
TTFA Media


The Trinidad and Tobago Football Association hosted a symposium entitled “Situation Analysis of Women’s football in Trinidad and Tobago” at the Home of Football, Ato Boldon Stadium today.

The forum was led by TTFA Technical Director Anton Corneal with National Men’s team head coach Dennis Lawrence, Under 15 National Girls Team and Elite Development head coach Marlon Charles, TTFA Vice President Joanne Salazar and Women’s League President Sharon O’Brien among those present. Coaches attached to local women clubs were also in attendance.

According to Corneal, the forum was a critical step in identifying some of the areas that need addressing as it relates to the development of the women’s game in this country.

“What we did today was a situation analysis of where we are now, where we are planning to be and the implementation of what needs to be done. It’s a really circle to come right back around, to improve the level of the game… to grow the amount of women playing the game. We had a coaches who have coached in women’s football over the years, Vice President Joanne Salazar was here and there was also a representation from WOLF, the Women’s Football League,” Corneal told TTFA Media.

“We touched on different areas such as grassroots and areas we can look at including schools, academies,zones, shorelines, youth football, league systems and other areas All of this will be supported by our coach education programme, There is not enough women in football and not enough competitive women’s football and we are looking to address this,”Corneal added.

Salazar expressed satisfaction with the forum and left with a feeling of optimism regarding the direction the TTFA is taking with regards to women’s football development.

“What happened today is so profound. It actually sets a new benchmark for us in terms of planning and preparation for the development of the women’s game. It highlighted a lot of challenges but it has not highlighted any challenge that we cannot deal with. The most important thing with challenges is knowing that they’re there and being prepared to work around them. Wit the passion, excitement and the commitment that I heard from the people here today I couldn’t help but be moved and also be motivated and moved to action,” Salazar stated.

She commented on the approach that was necessary to enable this country to compete with the rest of Concacaf on the international and regional level.

“First of all you have to get your grassroots and youth correct. When you’ve got that sound, it then builds a momentum… . the girls are accustomed playing together, they are familiar with each other’s play, they are familiar with each other’s challenges and they’ve built the right physical strength. And really, the people we are competing against when we come out of the Caribbean, they are actually playing together four to six months of the year. They are not coming together like we do to prepare for a particular tournament and do our best in the tournament, They have got a psyche that is common amongst them because of the familiarity and frequency at which they play and that is what we need to get to as well,” Salazar added.

The TTFA Vice President mentioned that the FA will look at creative ways to improve funding for the development of women’s football.

“I see us putting things in place. Funding is always a ticklish area. We are going to redouble our efforts to actually identify the particular funding but we are also going to look at creative ways at making it happen. So for instance, there is a vast corporate social responsibility programme that our corporate sector gets involved in and there are some very low cost items that we can encourage them to provide us which will enable games to go ahead. For instance, movable goals, cones, simple items of equipment that makes the difference in having a properly regulated game. So yes, funding is always tricky, yes we are going to double our efforts but we are also going to look at what creative ways are available to us to enable the games to go ahead,” Salazar concluded.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on August 11, 2018, 12:48:05 AM
Look Loy calls for TTFA executive to resign.
T&T Guardian Reports.


Keith Look Loy, president of the T&T Super League is calling on the public to support his call for the immediate resignation of T&T Football Association president David John-Williams, vice presidents Ewing Davis and Joanne Salazar, and the appointment of a caretaker administration by the Board of Directors, to govern the affairs for the remainder the term.

Look Loy, who is also the TTSL’s representative on the Board of the TTFA, believes the football boss has exceeded his bounds when John Mc Intyre of the Charge d’Affaires at the US Embassy can publicly criticise the way the sport is being managed.

Only recently John-Williams said the reason why the country’s Under-15 Girls team did not go to the CONCACAF Under-15 Championship at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, USA, was because most Caribbean nations are faced problems when trying to acquire US Visas. Due to this John-Williams suggested that the Concacaf looked into the idea of hosting the event and others in the future in other countries.

However, Mc Intyre, in a response yesterday said, “Williams and the TTFA just flat out dropped the ball on the visa process. Our Embassy for months noted that individuals and groups should plan well in advance for any trips to the USA. The T&T Girls u-15 representatives approached the Embassy about visas after we were closed on Tuesday, July 31 to get their visas by Friday, August 3 with the Emancipation holiday in between.”

Meanwhie, when contacted John-Williams said that what has happened is unfortuniate and the TTFA will contact Mr John McIntyre, Chargé d’Affaires of the U.S. Embassy, to have the issue resolved in an amicable way.

Look Loy, who has already written to the CONCACAF and the FIFA about the way the sport is being managed, believes the US embassy’s involvement should be the last straw for the embattled president and his executives.

He said collectively, these three TTFA officials have presided over, indeed engineered the calamitous deterioration of our football.

“Since the advent of John-Williams and his officers in November 2015, TTFA has been buffeted by Unilateral decision-making by the president: “one-manism” with no consultation of, and/or agreement by, the TTFA Board of Directors, such as contracts supposedly awarded in the “Home of Football” project: Purchase of service from radio I95.5FM: Steady deterioration of TTFA’s national teams’ programme – we no longer win in the international arena and are no longer a force even in CFU: and Cronyism in the appointment of national teams/programmes technical and administrative staff who are all associated (past or present) with W Connection FC.”

He also took offence to “Mismanagement of TTFA’s finances– the debacle of the 2016 audit, the inability to pay staff and players and maintain programmes: Frivolous accumulation of lawsuits and the various expenses associated with same, e.g. Caroline Morace, Sheldon Phillips, Stephen Hart, etc – due to poor management and illegal actions: Lack of transparency in administrative and financial matters – legitimate requests for information from members almost invariably go unanswered, e.g. the ongoing failure to present documents from the works on the “Home of Football”

He said the current administration has taken football to its lowest point and it might be a position we may not recover from.

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on August 12, 2018, 03:05:53 AM
Press Release – US Visa Application.
TTFA Media.


The Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) has taken note of the recent statement issued by the Chargé d’Affaires of the U.S. Embassy, Mr. John McIntyre.

With utmost respect for the sovereign authority of the Chargé d’Affaires, and based on the already agreed plan of action decided by the TTFA given the matter surrounding visa applications for our Girls Under-15 Team, the TTFA will be seeking an audience with the U.S. Embassy through the Chargé d’Affaires.

Notably, it remains our desire to maintain the cordial relationship we have developed with the U.S. Embassy over these many years. A relationship that augurs well for the TTFA and all stakeholders of football.

Therefore, following an opportunity to meet and treat with this matter directly, with a designated official(s) of the U.S. Embassy, the TTFA will be better positioned to treat with visa related affairs.

Additionally, we wish to state that a recent report in a local daily news publication, ascribed to the President of the TTFA, was taken out of context, and more importantly, was not sanctioned by the TTFA.

RELATED NEWS

US Embassy news release.
T&T Guardian Reports.


Re: T&T Girls U-15 Football Team Port of Spain August 10, 2018:

I, along with my embassy colleagues, rarely comment on visa matters due to the respect we have for the privacy of the applicants and our rules and regulations. However, I must respond to the Red Card commentary of Mr. David John Williams. Why we have chosen to respond is because your failure to plan is effecting promising football (soccer) players from Trinidad and Tobago who we would welcome playing in the USA. In addition, your comments can adversely affect our ongoing efforts to grow our sports diplomacy programs here in T and T.

I will be blunt. Mr. Williams and the TTFA just flat out dropped the ball on the visa process. Our Embassy for MONTHS noted that individuals and groups should plan well in advance for any trips to the USA. The Trinidad and Tobago Girls Under-15 representatives approached the Embassy about visas after we were closed on Tuesday, July 31 to get their visas by Friday, August 3 with the Emancipation holiday in between.

No names or details about the visa applicants were provided. Even after games were rescheduled, there was too little time allowed, just two working days for an established 7-10 day process, not to mention that this is peak visa season when most people have to wait six weeks just for a visa interview. Many groups have successfully traveled to the USA by being prepared and planning in advance. In fact, if you look at our Facebook page from a few weeks ago you will see a youth team playing in the USA at a major football (soccer) tourney.

I want to take this opportunity to again ask the Trinidad and Tobago public, as we have since April, to please plan in advance for travel to the USA. Know, as you see in the news almost daily, we are committed to our relationship with the citizens of T and T at all levels, including sports diplomacy. Don’t let folks with cocoa in the sun mislead you.

Be well,

John McIntyre
Chargé d’Affaires
U.S. Embassy


Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Deeks on August 12, 2018, 06:14:08 AM
Not taking side with DJW on this. but imagine if the US had approached TT in a similar situation. You doh think that TT would have done everything to accommodate the USSF to come to TT.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: asylumseeker on August 12, 2018, 07:12:35 AM
Not taking side with DJW on this. but imagine if the US had approached TT in a similar situation. You doh think that TT would have done everything to accommodate the USSF to come to TT.

Relevance?
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: palos on August 12, 2018, 08:44:30 AM
Not taking side with DJW on this

Ahmmmmm....yes you are.  And you’ve done it consistently from when he was running for TTFA President.

Nothing wrong with that BTW. You free to support who you want.  But doh support and then play like you eh supportin
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: 100% Barataria on August 12, 2018, 11:25:50 AM
Loud steups
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Trini Madness on August 12, 2018, 12:17:21 PM
Not taking side with DJW on this. but imagine if the US had approached TT in a similar situation. You doh think that TT would have done everything to accommodate the USSF to come to TT.

Doesnt matter who you are or where you're from. There are rules to follow, and you simply cant get a Visa within a few days. These other countries, who dont have a US embassy by the way, got theirs done. What do you have to say about that?
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: rastafari on August 12, 2018, 01:24:10 PM
Everybody on this board blind or what? We knock dem out the world cup at the qualifying stage and dey toting feelings. Let we blank dem entry to t&t and yuh will hear d cry.

Jah bless
Rastafari
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: soccerman on August 12, 2018, 02:23:58 PM
Not taking side with DJW on this. but imagine if the US had approached TT in a similar situation. You doh think that TT would have done everything to accommodate the USSF to come to TT.
Maybe but the USSF are very organized and well prepared so the chances of this happening are slim to none. How long in advance did we know we were going to this tournament?
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: asylumseeker on August 12, 2018, 03:30:27 PM
This tournament? This is not ah eff-up of first impression. There's a long and torturous history between the TTFA and the US consular section. The path forward by way of a workable solution has been clear for some time now ... before the call for an "audience" at Marli Street.
Title: TTFA football foul
Post by: Tallman on August 12, 2018, 05:54:18 PM
TTFA football foul
T&T Express


ONE can only imagine the disappointment of the national Under-15 Girls team which has been forced to sit out Concacaf’s Girls Under-15 Championship that opened at the IMG Academy campus in Bradenton, Florida on Monday.

Billed as the “largest Concacaf tournament ever for female participants”, it features a record number of Concacaf member associations. By any standard, the championships are a big deal for young female footballers and our team should have been there. Unfortunately, they have had to stay at home because of a visa application slip-up which has prompted strong words between TTFA president David John-Williams and the US Embassy Charge d’Affaires John McIntyre.

In rather surprising language, the US diplomat has taken public issue with John-Williams’ statement that the TTFA had applied for visas for the footballers “in the usual way, at the usual time” and had thereafter done everything possible to secure them, including making representations to the Government, Concacaf and the US Olympic Committee. What may have stung was John-Williams’ loaded comment that Concacaf “needs to look at ... where they place the tournament” in the future.

Accusing John-Williams of having “just flat out dropped the ball on the visa process”, the US Charge d’Affaires went on to say that the visa applications were submitted with inadequate information late Tuesday July 31 for Friday August 3, with the August 1 Emancipation holiday in between. If this is the “usual way at the usual time” that the TTFA applies in seeking visas, then it must enjoy a quite unusual advantage over the rest of the population. There is no excuse for such a last-minute application. As far back as the end of May, details of the Girls Under-15 tournament in Florida were announced. Somewhere along the line, the ball was indeed dropped and instead of suggesting that the regional football federation should consider where it locates tournaments, John-Williams should be focusing on where the responsibility for such a disaster is located.

The football fraternity and the general public are owed an explanation about where along the chain of command, from the team manager to the TTFA president, the responsibility for this fiasco resides, bearing in mind that the ultimate responsibility lies with the president. In the interest of transparency, such an exercise should be conducted by an independent investigator. The one option the TTFA president must avoid is escalating the situation into a war of words with the US Embassy. In attempting to set the record straight as he knew it, Charge d’Affaires McIntyre’s warning to the public not to let “folks with cocoa in the sun mislead you”, was unnecessary and even undiplomatic.

However, regardless of where the responsibility lies, the TTFA owes an apology to the Under-15 Girls team which was in training for this tournament for the past three months. To discover at the last minute that they would not be among the estimated 2,000 footballers in Florida this week, testing themselves against the other Concacaf teams, must have been devastating. One can only imagine what opportunities might have been lost to them by not showing up.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Tallman on August 12, 2018, 05:56:25 PM
‘A football disaster’
By Azard Ali (T&T Newsday)


Warner hits TTFA as officials seek US talks

UPDATE:

A NATIONAL football disaster.
This was former FIFA vice-president Jack Warner’s opinion of the fallout over the TT Football Association’s (TTFA) failure to secure US visas for the Under-15 girls team, for which association president David John-Williams blamed the US Embassy’s application process drawing sharp criticism from Charge d’ Affaires John McIntyre.

“TTFA today has given this country a national disaster and the quicker they relieve themselves from office, the better for football,” Warner said, weighing in on the issue.
In a rare statement on local affairs, McIntyre on Friday accused Williams of improper planning saying he had dropped the ball with a late attempt to apply on July 31, on the eve of the August 1 Emancipation Day holiday, for visas for the players to attend the Concacaf Under-15 girls championship which began in Florida last Monday. The tournament ends tomorrow.

McIntyre knocked Williams for suggesting the embassy delayed processing the applications, saying the public must not be misled by “folks with cocoa in the sun.”
Williams, in a Newsday interview on Friday, denied the diplomat’s claims, saying it was “a lie” and demanded an apology. He claimed the visas were paid for on July 26, but also said the coach only selected the players on July 30. The embassy, he further said, scheduled an appointment for August 28, a date after the end of the tournament.

However, the TTFA yesterday distanced itself from Williams’ comments and said it will be “seeking an audience” with the embassy through McIntyre, given the agenda for the girls team. The TTFA said it wanted to maintain “the cordial relationship” it had with the embassy for many years. “Therefore, following an opportunity to meet and treat with this matter directly, with a designated official(s) of the US Embassy, the TTFA will be better positioned to treat with visa-related affairs,” the TTFA said in a release posted on its website.

On Williams’ remarks to Newsday, although the TTFA said his comments were “taken out of context” it noted “more importantly” that his statement “was not sanctioned by the TTFA.”
US embassy spokesman AJ Jagelski, contacted yesterday for comment, told Sunday Newsday that “nothing will be added at this time to the Charge d’ Affaires statement.” Although he faces extradition on FIFA corruption-related charges, Warner, who admitted he and the US were not “the best of friends” agreed with McIntyre.

Warner said Concacaf tournaments are scheduled years in advance, “and, therefore, preparations are made months in advance.”
He said before training tournaments are held, visas are obtained months in advance.
“So, no amount of press release from Williams and the embassy, will correct what is now a national embarrasment,” Warner said.

Referring to his decades-long tenure at the helm of local football, Warner said the current TTFA “came into office like a knight in shinning armour to correct the ills of the Jack Warner regime.
“Today, it is ten times worse and to compound matters, Government is pouring money into football when it is at its lowest and in chaos. No amount of money will help football today.” Only recently, the Sport Company of TT gave the TTFA $4.8 million for the Pro League clubs, and funding had been delayed because teams were financially non-compliant.

Despite his legal woes, Warner said he was willing to once again help local football but in an advisory capacity.
“After 30 years in football, I will be willing to advise. Though, I have no special love for the US,” he said.

Sunday Newsday was told that TTFA’s officials were locked in a meeting yesterday and were not willing to speak further on the matter.

ORIGINAL STORY:

The TT Football Association wants to meet with US Embassy officials after its president David John-Williams accused Charge d'Affaires John McIntyre of lying in his criticism of how Williams handled applying for visas for an Under-15 girls team.

In a statement posted on its website today, the TTFA said it will "seek an audience" through McIntyre, adding it wants to maintain a "cordial relationship" with the embassy.

On Thursday, Williams said TTFA was unsuccessful in getting visas for the girls team to attend a development tournament in the US which began on Monday. He said the TTFA could not get a group appointment for the players.

McIntyre, in a statement on Friday, criticised Williams for dropping the ball, warning the public to not be misled by "folks with cocoa in the sun" and said team representatives approached the embassy after it was closed on July 31, noting the next day, August 1, was a public holiday for Emancipation Day.

Williams in a Newsday interview said the embassy release was "an outright lie", and demanded an apology. He said the TTFA paid for visas on July 26, and the embassy gave them an appointment date for August 28, long after the tournament. He said though the coach selected players for the tournament on July 30.

Williams had promised to issue a statement on Friday, but this was not done until the TTFA posted a release online.

See TTFA statement below:

The Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) has taken note of the recent statement issued by the Chargé d’Affaires of the US Embassy, Mr. John McIntyre.

With utmost respect for the sovereign authority of the Chargé d’Affaires, and based on the already agreed plan of action decided by the TTFA given the matter surrounding visa applications for our Girls Under-15 Team, the TTFA will be seeking an audience with the U.S. Embassy through the Chargé d’Affaires.

Notably, it remains our desire to maintain the cordial relationship we have developed with the U.S. Embassy over these many years. A relationship that augurs well for the TTFA and all stakeholders of football.

Therefore, following an opportunity to meet and treat with this matter directly, with a designated official(s) of the U.S. Embassy, the TTFA will be better positioned to treat with visa related affairs.

Additionally, we wish to state that a recent report in a local daily news publication, ascribed to the President of the TTFA, was taken out of context, and more importantly, was not sanctioned by the TTFA.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: asylumseeker on August 12, 2018, 06:08:54 PM
Quote
Despite his legal woes, Warner said he was willing to once again help local football but in an advisory capacity.

 :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

Sounds familiar.

Buh if Sepp could roll into Moscow during the WC,  why not the Dean of Advice? ;D
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: asylumseeker on August 12, 2018, 06:11:12 PM
Who allyuh think penned the tempered TTFA media release?
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on August 13, 2018, 02:43:57 AM
T&TFA seeks meeting with US Embassy.
T&T Guardian Reports.


After the United States Embassy here in T&T put all the blame from T&T national girls Under-15 team not securing visas to participate in a CONCACAF tournament in the United States earlier this week, through a news release on Friday by the Embassy’s Charge d’Affaires, John Mc Intyre, the T&T Football Association (TTFA) headed by David John-Williams, the president issued the following release.

It reads: ‘The Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) has taken note of the recent statement issued by the Chargé d’Affaires of the U.S. Embassy, Mr John McIntyre.

With utmost respect for the sovereign authority of the Chargé d’Affaires, and based on the already agreed plan of action decided by the TTFA given the matter surrounding visa applications for our Girls Under-15 Team, the TTFA will be seeking an audience with the U.S. Embassy through the Chargé d’Affaires.

Notably, it remains our desire to maintain the cordial relationship we have developed with the U.S. Embassy over these many years. A relationship that augurs well for the TTFA and all stakeholders of football. Therefore, following an opportunity to meet and treat with this matter directly, with a designated official(s) of the U.S. Embassy, the TTFA will be better positioned to treat with visa-related affairs.

Additionally, we wish to state that a recent report in a local daily news publication, ascribed to the President of the TTFA, was taken out of context, and more importantly, was not sanctioned by the TTFA.”

Speaking earlier this week after the local girls’ team was not granted US Visas to attend the tournament at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, USA, T&TFA president John-Williams suggested that the governing body for the region, Concacaf, looked into the idea of hosting the event and others in the feature in other countries, because most Caribbean nations are faced with problems when trying to acquire US Visas.

However, in a strongly worded reply from them, the T&TFF was cited as being the ones to drop the ball on the matter.

According Mr. McIntyre, who wrote: “I, along with my embassy colleagues, rarely comment on visa matters due to the respect we have for the privacy of the applicants and our rules and regulations. However, I must respond to the Red Card commentary of Mr David John Williams. Why we have chosen to respond is because your failure to plan is effecting promising football (soccer) players from Trinidad and Tobago to whom we would welcome playing in the USA. In addition, your comments can adversely affect our ongoing efforts to grow our sports diplomacy programs here in T and T.

I will be blunt. Mr Williams and the TTFA just flat out dropped the ball on the visa process. Our Embassy for MONTHS noted that individuals and groups should plan well in advance for any trips to the USA. The Trinidad and Tobago Girls Under-15 representatives approached the Embassy about visas after we were closed on Tuesday, July 31 to get their visas by Friday, August 3 with the Emancipation holiday in between. No names or details about the visa applicants were provided. Even after games were rescheduled, there was too little time allowed, just two working days for an established 7-10 day process, not to mention that this is peak visa season when most people have to wait six weeks just for a visa interview. Many groups have successfully travelled to the USA by being prepared and planning in advance. In fact, if you look at our Facebook page from a few weeks ago you will see a youth team playing in the USA at a major football (soccer) tourney.

I want to take this opportunity to again ask the Trinidad and Tobago public, as we have since April, so please plan in advance for travel to the USA. Know, as you see in the news almost daily, we are committed to our relationship with the citizens of T and T at all levels, including sports diplomacy. Don’t let folks with cocoa in the sun mislead you.”

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: RichGFootball on August 13, 2018, 04:35:19 AM
‘A football disaster’
By Azard Ali (T&T Newsday)


Warner hits TTFA as officials seek US talks

UPDATE:

A NATIONAL football disaster.


However, the TTFA yesterday distanced itself from Williams’ comments and said it will be “seeking an audience” with the embassy through McIntyre, given the agenda for the girls team. The TTFA said it wanted to maintain “the cordial relationship” it had with the embassy for many years. “Therefore, following an opportunity to meet and treat with this matter directly, with a designated official(s) of the US Embassy, the TTFA will be better positioned to treat with visa-related affairs,” the TTFA said in a release posted on its website.

On Williams’ remarks to Newsday, although the TTFA said his comments were “taken out of context” it noted “more importantly” that his statement “was not sanctioned by the TTFA.”
US embassy spokesman AJ Jagelski, contacted yesterday for comment, told Sunday Newsday that “nothing will be added at this time to the Charge d’ Affaires statement.” Although he faces extradition on FIFA corruption-related charges, Warner, who admitted he and the US were not “the best of friends” agreed with McIntyre.

The TTFA President made a statement as the TTFA President and did not speak on behalf of the TTFA concerning TTFA football.  ??? ??? ???

T&TFA seeks meeting with US Embassy.
T&T Guardian Reports.


After the United States Embassy here in T&T put all the blame from T&T national girls Under-15 team not securing visas to participate in a CONCACAF tournament in the United States earlier this week, through a news release on Friday by the Embassy’s Charge d’Affaires, John Mc Intyre, the T&T Football Association (TTFA) headed by David John-Williams, the president issued the following release.

It reads: ‘The Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) has taken note of the recent statement issued by the Chargé d’Affaires of the U.S. Embassy, Mr John McIntyre.

With utmost respect for the sovereign authority of the Chargé d’Affaires, and based on the already agreed plan of action decided by the TTFA given the matter surrounding visa applications for our Girls Under-15 Team, the TTFA will be seeking an audience with the U.S. Embassy through the Chargé d’Affaires.

Notably, it remains our desire to maintain the cordial relationship we have developed with the U.S. Embassy over these many years. A relationship that augurs well for the TTFA and all stakeholders of football. Therefore, following an opportunity to meet and treat with this matter directly, with a designated official(s) of the U.S. Embassy, the TTFA will be better positioned to treat with visa-related affairs.

Additionally, we wish to state that a recent report in a local daily news publication, ascribed to the President of the TTFA, was taken out of context, and more importantly, was not sanctioned by the TTFA.”

Speaking earlier this week after the local girls’ team was not granted US Visas to attend the tournament at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, USA, T&TFA president John-Williams suggested that the governing body for the region, Concacaf, looked into the idea of hosting the event and others in the feature in other countries, because most Caribbean nations are faced with problems when trying to acquire US Visas.

However, in a strongly worded reply from them, the T&TFF was cited as being the ones to drop the ball on the matter.

According Mr. McIntyre, who wrote: “I, along with my embassy colleagues, rarely comment on visa matters due to the respect we have for the privacy of the applicants and our rules and regulations. However, I must respond to the Red Card commentary of Mr David John Williams. Why we have chosen to respond is because your failure to plan is effecting promising football (soccer) players from Trinidad and Tobago to whom we would welcome playing in the USA. In addition, your comments can adversely affect our ongoing efforts to grow our sports diplomacy programs here in T and T.

I will be blunt. Mr Williams and the TTFA just flat out dropped the ball on the visa process. Our Embassy for MONTHS noted that individuals and groups should plan well in advance for any trips to the USA. The Trinidad and Tobago Girls Under-15 representatives approached the Embassy about visas after we were closed on Tuesday, July 31 to get their visas by Friday, August 3 with the Emancipation holiday in between. No names or details about the visa applicants were provided. Even after games were rescheduled, there was too little time allowed, just two working days for an established 7-10 day process, not to mention that this is peak visa season when most people have to wait six weeks just for a visa interview. Many groups have successfully travelled to the USA by being prepared and planning in advance. In fact, if you look at our Facebook page from a few weeks ago you will see a youth team playing in the USA at a major football (soccer) tourney.

I want to take this opportunity to again ask the Trinidad and Tobago public, as we have since April, so please plan in advance for travel to the USA. Know, as you see in the news almost daily, we are committed to our relationship with the citizens of T and T at all levels, including sports diplomacy. Don’t let folks with cocoa in the sun mislead you.”


Too late, too late is the cry now...... Damn shameful.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Deeks on August 13, 2018, 05:01:06 AM
Not taking side with DJW on this

Ahmmmmm....yes you are.  And you’ve done it consistently from when he was running for TTFA President.

Nothing wrong with that BTW. You free to support who you want.  But doh support and then play like you eh supportin

Dude, doh play the arse with me. I am just as pissed off with DJW as you. As Lookloy said, it is high time he and  his assistants resign. But I stick to what I say. If the shoe was on the other foot. TT embassy in DC and the HC in NY would have BEND OVER to accommodate them. I living in US and yes, they are a stickler for rules and regulation. But there are always exceptions when their friends are close to the edge. I am not making excuses for John Williams. He has to know that US immigration under Trump is going by the "book".
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Deeks on August 13, 2018, 05:02:56 AM
And by the way, tell Jack to shut his arse.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Tallman on August 13, 2018, 06:24:05 AM
Who allyuh think penned the tempered TTFA media release?

It's been said that it was Salazar.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: asylumseeker on August 13, 2018, 07:38:46 AM
Who allyuh think penned the tempered TTFA media release?

It's been said that it was Salazar.

No doubt.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: rastafari on August 13, 2018, 05:10:53 PM
Jack d us embassy have a visa 4 u. Go and collect it nah.

Jah bless
Rastafari
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Brownsugar on August 14, 2018, 06:11:07 AM

Despite his legal woes, Warner said he was willing to once again help local football but in an advisory capacity.
“After 30 years in football, I will be willing to advise."  he said.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Deeks on August 14, 2018, 06:40:26 AM

Despite his legal woes, Warner said he was willing to once again help local football but in an advisory capacity.
“After 30 years in football, I will be willing to advise."  he said.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: palos on August 15, 2018, 10:52:57 AM
For all he Jackula ways, Jack infinitely more competent than this clown we have masquerading as a TTFA President.

And no....I not advocating for Jack Warner to be anywhere near our football.  I just outlining what dire straits T&T football is in with DJW and he crew.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Tallman on August 16, 2018, 06:36:12 AM
Shameful TTFA; Congratulations TTPBA
By Colin Murray (T&T Guardian)


When I think about the Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board (TTCB), I think of a soap opera; a never-ending drama series but, along comes to an action-packed horror movie desperately trying for the #1 rating: the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA).

Just like cricket, you hold steadfast to the belief that our football can’t get any worse than it already is, and wham! a headline hits you, “McIntyre: Williams, TTFA dropped the ball”. I asked myself, who is Mc Intyre? I was unfamiliar with the goodly gentleman, but I assumed he may have been associated with some aspect of football. To my absolute horror, I realised the man is the Chargé d’Affaires at the US Embassy and penned an unprecedented release, accusing Williams and his jokers of total inefficiency in not obtaining visas for our National Girls Under-15 team to compete in the CONCACAF Girls Under-15 Championship in Florida, USA.

Can you imagine the hurt and pain that these young girls would have been made to endure by not getting the opportunity to showcase their talents in the USA? I am certain many football scouts, who would be on the lookout for young recruits to give them scholarships to attend their respective universities, will be present. What about their parents who would have been psyching them up for this tournament? How would they be feeling? How do they now explain this to their daughters?

There is absolutely no excuse for submitting visa applications with inadequate information to the US Embassy on 31st July 2018, to be processed by 3rd August 2018 with a public holiday on August 1st. I have neither seen nor heard of the US embassy coming out and penning a release about why a particular group had not obtained visas. They have always been known to not comment on individual cases; of course, the TTFA has once again created history for the wrong reasons. The US Embassy officials must have felt betrayed by the TTFA’s President’s statement that CONCACAF looked into the idea of hosting the event (and others in the future) in other countries because most Caribbean nations are faced with problems when trying to acquire US visas. The US has hosted many tournaments, both at the junior and senior level, and there are a procedure and time span for clubs, teams and countries to obtain visas. You can check with your technical director if you were ignorant to the procedure, as he tours yearly with his club team; I am sure he is well aware of how you obtain visas to play in the USA.

It is glaringly obvious that the TTFA and its President didn’t drop the ball, but rather turned up at the wrong venue for the match. To be blunt, this Administration continues to be inept. Its failure to plan has adversely affected these young girls and they then have the audacity to blame the US Embassy.

Now the horse has bolted, the TTFA is requesting a meeting with the same people who were lambasted and blamed for not getting the visas. What has quite obviously shocked the TTFA President is the response from the Embassy. My dear readers, the jokers never expected such a response from the Embassy, so the goodly President gave us his usual garbage to hold and thought we would have accepted it hook, line and sinker; but may the good Lord bless Chargé d’Affaires McIntyre who came out and told us the truth. But it is unfortunate because the jokers don’t care. I hope they get their wish for a meeting.

If I was McIntyre, I would tell Williams December 25th as he seems to enjoy having meetings on public holidays.

On another note, TTFA Board Member Keith Look Loy is still waiting for over two years for the financials from the “Home of Football” and has gone the legal route to get the TTFA to supply some form of accountability to the members.

He has now called for the TTFA executive to resign (he must be dreaming!) after this latest debacle and in his own words, “collectively they have engineered the calamitous deterioration of our football”. Look Loy has listed close to a dozen examples of total mismanagement by this bunch and as he says, “the frightening aspect is the bunch have taken football to its lowest point and it might be a position we may never recover from”. A scary thought indeed, didn’t I say it was a horror show starring the TTFA executive?

Anyway, on a more positive note, congratulations to the Trinidad and Tobago Powerboat Association (TTPBA) as this Saturday we will witness the 50th running of the Great Race. The Great race has gone from being a national event to an international event with the sanctioning of the race by the Union Internationale Motonautique (UIM), the world governing body for all powerboating activities which makes the event eligible for the UIM record books. This year also sees a foreign boat joining the competition in Lucas Oil; something which I have been clamouring for as I felt our racers need to be exposed to more international competitors.

Godspeed to all the participants! My wish for you is a safe crossing and great racing on the 50th running of the Trinidad and Tobago Great Race.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on August 19, 2018, 04:51:26 AM
Aanensen: TTFA rife with arrogant, deceitful, power-hungry leadership; true fans must stand up!
Wired868.com


“Dictatorship, poor leadership, arrogance and downright defiance at the top, seem to be the order of the day. Poor selection or appointment of administrators and staff continues unabated, and planning, implementation of policies in accordance with the constitution, transparency, honesty and accountability do not exist at any level of the TTFA…”

The following Letter to the Editor on the current state of the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) was submitted to Wired868 by World Cup 2006 manager Bruce Aanensen, who was also a former WICB CEO, Royal Bank HR director and QPCC president:

I had the distinct honour and privilege of being the Manager and Head Of Delegation of the National Football Team of Trinidad and Tobago at the 2006 Soccer World Cup in Germany.

When I reflect on the representation, the great team camaraderie, and the positive performances of the players and staff who proudly represented our country on and off the field—in the build up to, and during the tournament—my heart still pounds with pride and joy.

The entire team of players were like a family, proud and happy to represent their country knowing that all administrative matters were responsibly and carefully taken care of by their managerial and technical staff. We all knew our roles and responsibilities, but also knew that if something needed to be done, and we were there, we did it—even if it was not our job. We were all a very happy bunch of ambassadors for our country.

It is against this background that my heart—and those of the 2006 group of ambassadors—aches to see the depths to which our national game and teams have descended in the last five to 10 years.

There seems to be no end to the negative issues within the framework of the TTFA. Nothing seems to function, there is no cohesion among the TTFA Board and corruption appears to be rampant from what one reads. Dictatorship, poor leadership, arrogance and downright defiance at the top, seem to be the order of the day.

Poor selection or appointment of administrators and staff continues unabated, and planning, implementation of policies in accordance with the constitution, transparency, honesty and accountability do not exist at any level of the TTFA.

From what I can see, there is no proper evaluation or matching of income and expenditure streams to ensure that proceeds—particularly grants from the FIFA and the Trinidad and Tobago government (GORTT)—are utilised for the purpose for which they were granted.

Decision-making—critical to the success of the sport—appears to be vested in the hands of one or a few, and the appointed board or senior technical officers are either not privy to or are not part of those discussions, in accordance with the constitution.

All of this has left the sport without public interest or adequate government and corporate financial support, as these parties do not wish to be supporters of a runaway train.

There seems to be only one—or two maybe—appointed board members with the guts to stand up to the leaders and demand proper processes for decision making, transparency and accountability. I say to the others, if you do not have the ability to carry out your duties in accordance with the constitution, please step down in the interest of the game.

All of our young and promising as well as our experienced players and support staff are suffering at the hands of a few power-hungry, objectionable, arrogant, selfish and deceitful leaders. The time has come for football lovers and decent people to do something drastic to rescue the game from these destroyers.

I would seek the assistance of the “serious and respectable media personnel” to join in a crusade to free our sport from these people, who are carefully enjoying the benefits of positions while the players, support staff and sport-loving people in this country continue to suffer because of their selfishness, incompetence, arrogance, deception and power-hungry lifestyle.

In closing, let me say that my time with the National Team—and working with a group of players and staff who were all 100% committed to the cause and to each other—was a healthy, rewarding and wonderful time.

If only we could find our way back to that experience that had the entire country proud to be Trinbago football supporters or contributors.

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: soccerman on August 19, 2018, 01:50:40 PM
Even Bruce had enough with this bunch.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on August 29, 2018, 12:43:01 AM
Look Loy takes TTFA to High Court.
By Andrew Gioannetti (Newsday).


TT SUPER League president Keith Look Loy has sought the help of the High Court to compel TT Football Association (TTFA) president David John-Williams to provide documents on the controversial "home for football" project.

Following a pre-action protocol letter issued to John-Williams's lawyers last month, Look Loy made good on his promise to involve the court as he filed a claim for judicial review on Monday in a final attempt to get the TTFA chief to provide the details.

Last month, Look Loy's lawyers sent John-Williams a pre-action protocol letter, which gave the TTFA chief a July 24 deadline to act on the request.

"We're no longer playing their game with them because what they intend to do is to clearly is to deferring and bluffing and, therefore, we've taken this course," Look Loy said in an interview with Newsday today.

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on September 03, 2018, 12:49:33 AM
TTFA meets with US Embassy Consular Chief, Panama Ambassador.
TTFA Media.


The Trinidad and Tobago Football Association wishes to advise all stakeholders that two recent meetings were held with the Ambassador of Panama, His Excellency Luis Cigarruista Vargas, on his invitation at the Embassy of the Republic of Panama, St Clair, Port of Spain on August 14th, 2018. TTFA officials also met with Consular Chief Tim Swanson of the US Embassy at its Port of Spain offices late last month.

Attending the meeting with the Ambassador of Panama on the FA’s behalf was General Secretary Justin Latapy-George.

According to Latapy-George, “His Excellency was particularly interested in Exchange Programmes, All Star Games and Training and Development that included Language as an element. His Excellency was very open about his expectations and will now engage persons within his networks so we can forge forward with planning and agreeing on a defined partnership.”

Also meeting with the Panamanian Ambassador was Secondary Schools Football League (SSFL) General Secretary Azaad Mohammed-Khan upon invitation, as discussions were also held  around support and collaborations with the SSFL.

The FA also wishes to advise that Consular Chief Tim Swanson met with Latapy-George and Manager of the Trinidad and Tobago Men’s Under 20 Team Alexandrine Elliot-Procupe on August 29th at the US Embassy, Port of Spain to discuss the visa process and requirements for the team members traveling to the United States for future tournaments. The next set of T&T national team slated to travel are the Women’s Senior Team for the CONCACAF Final round of Women’s Qualifying in October and the Men’s Under 20 team for the CONCACAF qualifiers in Florida in November.

Latapy-George wishes to thank the Embassy for facilitating the meeting and providing guidance.

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on September 09, 2018, 12:36:10 AM
Look Loy proposes motion to dismiss TTFA boss.
By Andrew Gioannetti (Newsday).


TT Super League and FC Santa Rosa president Keith Look Loy has submitted a proposal to TT Football Association (TTFA) general secretary Justin Latapy-George to include a motion for the dismissal of TTFA president David John-Williams in the agenda for the upcoming TTFA annual general meeting (AGM).

Look Loy, in his capacity as FC Santa Rosa president, submitted the proposal to Latapy-George via email on Friday ahead of the AGM, which according to the TTFA constitution, will have to be scheduled for November or before.

Look Loy highlighted Article 28 in the new TTFA Constitution which notes: “The general secretary shall draw up the agenda based on proposals from the board of directors and the members. Any proposal that a member wishes to submit to the general meeting shall be sent to the general secretariat in writing, with a brief explanation, at least 40 days before the date of the AGM.”

The proposal, therefore, is expected to be tabled at the 2018 AGM unless it is called prior to October 17.

He provided examples of ways in which he believes “David John-Williams, has presided over...the calamitous deterioration of our football.” A summary of the examples he provided are as follows:

“Unilateral decision making by the President”; “steady deterioration of TTFA’s national teams’ programme”; “cronyism”; “mismanagement of TTFA’s finances”; “frivolous accumulation of law suits”; “lack of transparency in administrative and financial matters”; “deterioration of league football”; and “international shame brought about our country by the attempt to blame the US embassy for the debacle of our women’s U-15 team being withdrawn from the CONCACAF tournament.”

Look Loy also quoted Article 38 of the constitution which addresses the dismissal of a person or body.

The article states: “The general meeting may dismiss a person or a member of a body. The board of directors may place the dismissal of a person or a member of a body on the agenda for the general meeting. The board of directors may also dismiss a person or a member of a body provisionally. Any board of directors member may submit a proposal to place such a motion for dismissal on the agenda of the board of directors or general meeting.”

The article also notes that the motion must be justified; the person or body in question has the right to defend himself or herself; the motion for dismissal shall be decided by means of secret ballot.

A three-quarter majority of the valid votes is requires for the motion to be passed and if successful, according to the constitution, “the person or body dismissed (provisionally) is relieved of his or its functions with immediate effect.”

Look Loy, in an interview with Newsday yesterday said he is unsure what to expect when the motion is raised.

“I do this knowing that it can succeed or it could fail but that’s not my point. I do this for two reasons. One, is that they have to be challenged because we cannot afford another year of this nonsense. And secondly, I want everybody to see who is who in TTFA. Let us see who are the forces aligned to oppose this rut in the TTFA and those who are aligned to support it.”

Drawing reference to the successful no-confidence vote against then Eastern Football Association (EFA) president Linus Sanchez on Thursday, Look Loy said, “They (the clubs) had enough. They haven’t kicked a ball for the season.”

“He has people who have voted in the important issues in the TTFA like board members who are supporting this...These people are encouraging, shielding John-Williams in his behaviour. I am exposing it and I want to expose it now.”

Less than two weeks ago, Look Loy filed a application for judicial review in the high court to compel John-Williams to provide documentation on the TTFA’s “home of football” project.

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on September 15, 2018, 12:52:39 AM
TTFA drops the ball again.
By Keith Clement (Guardian).


Min­is­ter of Sport and Youth Af­fairs (MYSA) Sham­fa Cud­joe along with se­nior of­fi­cials of the Min­istry met yes­ter­day with gen­er­al sec­re­tary of the T&T Foot­ball As­so­ci­a­tion (TTFA), Justin Lat­apy-George and Jinelle James, man­ag­er of the se­nior women’s na­tion­al foot­ball team, in light of the re­cent claims cir­cu­lat­ing on so­cial me­dia in re­la­tion to the lack of sup­port shown to the T&T se­nior women’s team.

The Min­istry of Sport and Youth Af­fairs ad­vised that no for­mal re­quest was made to the min­istry by TTFA for as­sis­tance for the CON­CA­CAF qual­i­fiers for the FI­FA women’s World Cup, or any oth­er ac­tiv­i­ties this year.

Last week, a re­quest was made for as­sis­tance with trans­porta­tion for the lo­cal­ly-based play­ers to be trans­port­ed to and from train­ing at the Ato Boldon and Man­nie Ramjohn Sta­di­um in Cou­va and Mara­bel­la, re­spec­tive­ly. Then, the Min­istry pro­vid­ed its bus­es to be used by the team.

On Mon­day, James con­tact­ed Patrice Charles, di­rec­tor of Phys­i­cal Ed­u­ca­tion and Sport, MSYA to in­quire about as­sis­tance for the team, in its ef­forts to have the for­eign-based play­ers trav­el to Trinidad to join the lo­cal­ly based play­ers for train­ing.

Charles pro­vid­ed the nec­es­sary guid­ance to James and in­formed her that a for­mal de­tailed re­quest must be sub­mit­ted by the TTFA, on its let­ter­head, to the Min­istry, since the TTFA is the na­tion­al gov­ern­ing body that has re­mit over the na­tion­al team.

How­ev­er, on Tues­day, the MSYA through Charles re­ceived an in­for­mal email from the man­ag­er re­quest­ing a to­tal of $159,360, to cov­er the cost of air­fare for 28 per­sons, in the ef­fort to have all for­eign-based play­ers trav­el to Trinidad for train­ing and prepa­ra­tion.

Fol­low­ing the de­vel­op­ments in the me­dia re­lat­ing to the is­sue, Min­is­ter Cud­joe called the man­age­ment of TTFA to a meet­ing to dis­cuss and at­tempt to re­solve the mat­ter.

At yes­ter­day’s meet­ing, Lat­apy-George claimed that nei­ther he nor the ex­ec­u­tive of TTFA was aware of the pro­pos­al be­ing made by James and he re­quest­ed that James’ pro­pos­al, be with­drawn with im­me­di­ate ef­fect.

Lat­apy-George fur­ther stat­ed that the ex­ec­u­tive of TTFA is in the process of con­sid­er­ing oth­er op­tions, con­trary to what James pro­posed, to fa­cil­i­tate the prepa­ra­tion of the play­ers, that may con­sist of hav­ing the lo­cal­ly-based play­ers trav­el to the USA to train with the for­eign-based play­ers, rather than have the USA-based play­ers fly to Trinidad. He al­so stat­ed that the TTFA ex­ec­u­tive is al­so in the process of fi­nal­is­ing arrange­ments for a coach and oth­er tech­ni­cal sup­port for the team.

Lat­apy-George stat­ed that the ex­ec­u­tive would like the op­por­tu­ni­ty to meet and rea­son with the team’s man­age­ment in or­der to prop­er­ly dis­cuss the mat­ter at hand, and sub­se­quent­ly pro­duce a de­tailed pro­pos­al along with a for­mal re­quest for fund­ing to the Min­istry.

Min­is­ter Cud­joe re­mind­ed the TTFA of­fi­cials that time is of the essence and that the team is de­pend­ing on the TTFA man­age­ment to work dili­gent­ly and har­mo­nious­ly in the best in­ter­est of ded­i­cat­ed play­ers, and foot­ball by ex­ten­sion.

Min­is­ter Cud­joe gave the of­fi­cials a dead­line of Mon­day (Sep­tem­ber 17), no lat­er than noon, to sub­mit the rel­e­vant pro­pos­al for con­sid­er­a­tion by the min­istry.

In a re­lease, the min­istry said: "Giv­en the fact that the end of fis­cal year 2017/2018 is up­on us, the Min­istry will ex­plore all pos­si­ble means in or­der to pro­vide the nec­es­sary as­sis­tance to the team, once the re­quired doc­u­ments are sub­mit­ted.

"The Min­istry of Sport and Youth Af­fairs re­mains com­mit­ted to pro­vid­ing the rel­e­vant sup­port in en­sur­ing that T&T at­tains the high­est stan­dard of ath­letes at the in­ter­na­tion­al lev­el. Fur­ther, the fu­ture of the sport in T&T is in good hands un­der the lead­er­ship and guid­ance of the Min­istry of Sport and Youth Af­fairs."

On Au­gust 10, Charge d Af­fairs John McIn­tyre of the Unit­ed States Em­bassy ac­cused the TTFA of drop­ping the ball by not mak­ing a time­ly re­quest for visas for the girls Un­der-15 team to par­tic­i­pate in a CON­CA­CAF tour­na­ment in the USA. The team did not trav­el.

Title: Axe Latapy-George
Post by: Tallman on September 24, 2018, 03:24:55 PM
Axe Latapy-George…Look Loy says explanation not good enough
By Ian Prescott (T&T Express)


THE continued tenure of Justin Latapy-George as General-Secretary of the Trinidad and Toba-o Football Association (TTFA) is being questioned and is tabled for discussion on Wednesday when a group of dissident TTFA Board members hold an ad-hoc board meeting from 5:30 pm at Couva.

TTFA board member Keith Look Loy has repeated calls for the resignations of president John-Williams and vice-president Ewing Davis, and now also thinks General Secretary Latapy-George should go as well - for his failure to immediately inform Board members of the September 11 resignation of TTFA second vice-president Joanne Salazar.

Latapy-George has offered an explanation by stating he was under orders of the TTFA president to withhold the information until further advised "All of them are complicit and, for that matter, Latapy as well because although he was claiming he was under orders not to reveal it, you also have your professional requirements and your constitutional requirements," Look Loy said.

"In my view and in other people's view, it isn't enough for him to simply say he was under orders. That is not good enough," Look Loy declared" (When) you are in charge of the administration of TTFA and if something like that comes up and happens, it is your duty and responsibility to communicate it to members."

Super League president Look Loy along with Karanjabari Williams (Northern FA), Joseph Taylor (TTFRA), Sharon Warrick (Women's League Football), Julia Baptiste (T&T Pro League) and Collin Partap (Central Football Association) have called a board meeting, despite the president John-Williams not initiating the discussion. "We are going to invite John-Williams, we going to invite Davis, we going to invite Latapy.....the whole executive will be invited. But if they don't come, the six members who called it have the right to proceed and we intend to do that."

The rebel Board Members have wowed to push on with deliberations but it is debatable whether decisions emerging from their Board meeting have any legal footing on its own, without being ratified at an AGM.

That is a big issue. Who knows if that is going to be another issue? But we fully intend to go ahead. I'm sure they are going to make that an issue," group spokesman Look Loy stated. "We believe that we have the authority."

The agenda also includes the discussion of issues surrounding the national women's football team; the dormant Under-17 and Under-20 men teams; issues surrounding the recent resignation of vice-president Joanne Salazar; and Look Loy's calls for John-Williams' resignation.

'We are allowed to do that under Article 35," Look Loy said. 'The article says that fifty per cent of the Members can call a meeting and the meeting has to be called within 10 days of the date in which they submitted their request"

He continued: 'The constitution states that if the president does not call it, then the members have the right to proceed without them."

Look Loy's meeting may face a hitch, however, with the TTFA president only recognising Warrick, Baptiste and Partap as provisional members, they having replaced other representatives after the Board was initially selected. Any decisions taken might not be considered legal.

"That is a debate. John-Williams and others have been saying that," Look Loy countered. "He (John-Williams) declaring people to be provision or part-representative. We challenge that. He doesn't have that right under the constitution."

He continued: "We have an annual general meeting on the 24th of November and we definitely will be addressing that (issue) in that meeting."
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: royal on September 24, 2018, 04:20:42 PM
so Latapy-George is a grown man and he dunno right from wrong? He blaming others for doing wrong? A man holding such position and behaving like he in kindergarten?   
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Mad Scorpion a/k/a Big Bo$$ on September 25, 2018, 10:10:23 AM
so Latapy-George is a grown man and he dunno right from wrong? He blaming others for doing wrong? A man holding such position and behaving like he in kindergarten?   

He full ah shit just like de next imps running things
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on September 26, 2018, 12:49:51 AM
Look Loy: John-Williams’ agenda a delay tactic.
By Andrew Gioannetti (Newsday).


PRESIDENT of the TT Football Association (TTFA) David John-Williams, on Monday, issued an extensive 15-item agenda to be tabled at tomorrow’s highly anticipated board meeting, leaving all four items submitted by member of the TTFA board of directors Keith Look Loy and agreed to by six other members who called the meeting, for last.

On September 15, Look Loy, with sufficient support from members of the TTFA’s board of directors compelled John-Williams to call a meeting within ten days as stipulated in the association’s constitution.

On Sunday, however, TTFA general secretary Justin Latapy-George emailed the board of directors notifying them in following advice from John-Williams, the meeting will take place tomorrow — two days past the deadline— at the Ato Boldon Stadium, Couva, where the TTFA’s head office is located.

Look Loy replied to the email Sunday evening stating, “Please note that six (6) board members have legally requested a meeting (on 15 September) under Article 35, and have declared an agenda.

The President is constrained by the Constitution to call this meeting within ten days ( by 25 September). As usual, the President chooses to ignore the Constitution and pretends to be calling a Board meeting on his own volition.

“In the interest of calm within TTFA we are prepared to meet on 27 September but, 1) the start time should be 5.30pm to ensure full attendance, and 2) the agenda declared by the six members in their petition must be respected and adhered to: Women’s team, including appointment of coach; Men’s U17 and U20 teams; TTFRA referee issues; Other business.”

However, on Monday, Latapy-George notified the board via email with a 15-item agenda presented to him by John-Williams. The agenda, in order, comprised, “Prayer; Conf. of the Agenda; Conf. of Minutes; Confirmation of resignation of V P Salazar; Status of board member Wayne Cunningham; Correspondence from board members; code of ethics; 2017 Statement of Accounts; 2018 Management Accounts; Membership Subscriptions; Public Statements by Members of the Board of Directors; Refereeing issues previously tabled by TTFRA; Status of Men’s Under 17 and Under 20 team; Appointment of a technical staff to the Women’s National Team; Any other business.”

Look Loy once again addressed Latapy-George in an email response stating, “As usual, the President is ignoring the Constitution and the wishes of members.

We have legally requested a meeting under Article 35, with a defined agenda (sic)...The President must respect the requirements of Article 35 or the membership is free to meet without him.” Look Loy took issue with the placement of the four items from his proposed agenda on John-Williams’ 15-item list.

“It is (a delay tactic). We are insisting on our agenda under 35 (of the constitution). The constitution demands he observe it. But, of course, he cares nothing for the constitution,” he said in an interview yesterday.

Look Loy also took issue with John-Williams’ call for the meeting to start at 3 pm, on a working day, as opposed to his proposed 5.30 pm start.

“A leader who wants full participation would facilitate it, not hinder it and make attending a sacrifice. Also, in his style, he will drop the time late tomorrow (today) so people get minimum notice.

In reference the 15-item agenda, Look Loy said, “He (John-Williams) puts it at the end of an agenda that we won’t finish in four meetings.

His priorities are code of ethics and statements by board members when the women play in seven days and the Under-17s haven’t trained since May 28th.”

According to the constitution, the president is responsible with compiling the agenda for the board meeting before a vote is taken at the meeting for confirmation of the agenda.

Look Loy sought to address those who have suggested publicly that his intent is to take TT football into further disrepute.

“I wish to underline the fact that I, and we, are standing for the constitution of TTFA, and for transparency and accountability.

John-Williams and cohorts are the ones who are causing the instability in the association. (There are some) who refer to myself and the people who fighting this matter of the meeting on Thursday as rebels and dissidents and we strenuously object to that. It is a total misrepresentation of our stance,” he said.

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Tiresais on September 27, 2018, 07:16:56 AM
so Latapy-George is a grown man and he dunno right from wrong? He blaming others for doing wrong? A man holding such position and behaving like he in kindergarten?

This is the time-honoured strategy of "having a cake and eating it"
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on September 29, 2018, 01:00:34 AM
TTFA board meeting bears little fruit.
By Andrew Gioannetti (Newsday).


THE TT Football Association (TTFA) held its first board meeting since June, on Thursday, during which Shawn Cooper was confirmed as head coach of the senior national women's team, something that, according to the TTFA constitution, should have taken place following the resignation of former coach, Jamaal Shabazz.

Despite the constitution making it clear that the TTFA president is to call a board meeting at least once every two months, it took six board members to come together to compel president David John-Williams to call a meeting to address a series of mounting issues affecting the administration and by extension, the problems surrounding domestic and national team football, one of which was the unconstitutional appointment of Cooper as head coach without a legitimate technical committee or vote.

All members of the TTFA board of directors were present at the board meeting. Three, however, were barred from voting by John-Williams, apparently because of their standing as provisional members, although nothing in the 2015 TTFA constitution alludes to this.

The board members include: president John-Williams, Ewing Davis (vice-president), Sharon Warrick (Women’s League Football - WOLF), Keith Look Loy (TT Super League), Julia Baptiste (TT Pro League), Joseph Taylor (TT Football Referees Association), and from the zones: Karanjabari Williams (Northern FA), Richard Quan Chan (Southern FA), Wayne Cunningham (Eastern FA), Anthony Moore (Tobago FA).

Eastern Counties FA is currently suspended for its failure to meet compliance requirements.

Discussions at the meeting focused on: Wayne Cunningham and his dual role as a representative of the EFA and as a media officer for the TTFA; VP Joanne Salazar’s resignation; matters pertaining to the TT Football Referees Association; matters pertaining to the senior national women’s team; and matters pertaining to the inoperative national men’s U-17 and U-20 teams.

On the issue of Salazar’s resignation, John-Williams claims he spoke to the former vice president, a claim supported by Moore.

“I held to the view that he denied info to the board and lacked transparency,” Look Loy said.

A thread of emails obtained by Newsday recently showed correspondence between John-Williams and TTFA general secretary Justin Latapy-George, in which the president clearly gave instructions to the latter to hide the resignation of Salazar from the board.

Salazar effectively resigned on September 11, ten days before the board was informed.

“(At the board meeting) Partap made the point she (Salazar) resigned with immediate effect and advised the board ten days later with immediate effect. There was nothing to discuss. I asked if he didn’t accept her resignation… if she remained a VP. In the end, as chair, he closed the discussion with consensus acceptance of the resignation,” Look Loy said.

In between that ten-day period with the TTFA in the dark over Salazar’s resignation, another unconstitutional farce took place in which a vote led by Richard Quan Chan as chairman of the technical committee, was taken via email to appoint Cooper as head coach of the senior women’s national team.

However, as confirmed in the board meeting, there is in fact no such working committee at present.

In addition to there being no technical committee, John-Williams advised the board that Cooper has been appointed by means of a majority vote.

He counted nine votes, although by his own estimation, only eight members were eligible to vote. In a media release, constructed by John-Williams, he indicated that five board members voted in favour of appointing Cooper as coach, while three voted against and there was one abstention.

There was also the matter of the vote being taken by email, which is expressly forbidden in the constitution.

As the women’s team is due to compete at the Concacaf Women’s Championship, starting next Thursday, each member of the board voted to appoint Cooper as coach. “We agreed to begin an immediate search for a coach to lead the women’s team in the next cycle,” he said.

“All of this,” Look Loy said, “should have been dealt with immediately after Shabazz resigned.

“As I have been saying all along, last night, John-Williams’ deceit and delays in coming to the board, forced the board to go with the staff we already have in place. With the first match only six days off, we not chance. In any event, TTFA has no money to bring in anyone new, including Waldrum.”

According to Look Loy, the two women in the board, Warrick and Baptiste, both expressed “great dissatisfaction” with TTFA’s handling of the women's team and women's football in general. “I endorse that,” he said.

In regard to the discussions surrounding the inactive U-17 and U-20 teams, Look Loy said a plan and budget was mandated to cover a period of six months and two months, respectively, for the two programmes.

Look Loy was asked by Newsday if he considered including discussions for the controversial “home of football” project for the agenda, to which he responded: “No, I will rely on the high court to force John-Williams to provide access to all the financial records of the TTFA and the home of football project.”

He said a court date of October 26 has been confirmed.

However, he added that, “his lawyer has repeatedly offered a date when I could come and then backed out.”

“Last thing they offered was October 4. I said okay for 10 am. I wanted guarantee I would have access to all documents I requested. They have not responded. They are playing a game, so I will rely on the judge.”

“But the issue is, why should a board member have to resort to the judicial system to access documents that belong to the TTFA?"

Look Loy said there were several albeit small positives to take from Thursday’s meeting.

“We see the decision taken regarding the three national teams and the decision to form a technical committee as a victory for the constitutional authority of the board over those who would undermine it.”

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on October 07, 2018, 12:24:48 AM
TTFA, the next Petrotrin.
By Keith Clement  (Guardian).


Since tak­ing of­fice on No­vem­ber 29, 2015, the T&T Foot­ball As­so­ci­a­tion (TTFA) led by David John-Williams has been the sub­ject of nu­mer­ous me­dia at­tacks from both the tra­di­tion­al and so­cial me­dia sur­round­ing its op­er­a­tions and the lead­er­ship style of its pres­i­dent.

Over the past few months, Guardian Me­dia Sports has reached out to sev­er­al mem­bers of the board in an ef­fort to as­cer­tain if the claims from the board’s most vo­cal mem­ber - Su­per League pres­i­dent Kei­th Look Loy - are jus­ti­fied.

A source close to the TTFA’s op­er­a­tions said for any­one to give the im­pres­sion the board is a one-man show would be dis­hon­est and out­right mak­ing mis­chief to desta­bilise the ad­min­is­tra­tion and the sport.

"We are not per­fect but our records and board min­utes will show that Joanne Salazar was the chair­per­son of the Fi­nance Com­mit­tee be­fore she re­signed last month while vice pres­i­dent Mr Davis (Ew­ing) is the chair­man of the Ten­ders Com­mit­tee, which in­cludes Wayne Cun­ning­ham and Joseph Tay­lor is chair of the Ref­er­ees Com­mit­tee and Richard Quan Chan is chair­man of the Tech­ni­cal Com­mit­tee.

"I will agree that the board should push for a wider cross-sec­tion of per­sons to be co-opt­ed in­to the com­mit­tees so that we can de­liv­er more and be­come more ef­fi­cient," the source said.

Af­ter Guardian Me­dia Sports was turned down sev­er­al times by var­i­ous board mem­bers for in­ter­views, a di­rec­tor agreed to speak to us about the ad­min­is­tra­tion of the sport strict­ly on the con­di­tion of anonymi­ty.

The source re­vealed that there are one or two board mem­bers who want to lead but refuse to abide by the rule of col­lec­tive re­spon­si­bil­i­ty when they don't get their way and that can­not be good for the sport.

"It's ei­ther you are a board mem­ber or you are not. Not every­one will agree with you and your opin­ion," said the source, who point­ed out that there has been a lot of noise in the me­dia about the TTFA’s ac­counts and fi­nan­cial af­fairs but the fact is that every­one on the board has all the ac­counts and every­one knows the true fi­nan­cial sta­tus of the body.

Guardian Me­dia Sports was shown au­dit­ed fi­nan­cial ac­counts for 2014 through 2017 done by Madame Ram­nar­ine & Com­pa­ny Lim­it­ed.

The source said, "When we came in­to of­fice in 2015 there were no au­dit­ed ac­counts for 2008 to 2015 and we fixed that.”

In fact, the source added, "The AGM of 2015 was con­duct­ed with­out fi­nan­cial state­ments and FI­FA fund­ing was sus­pend­ed for a long time as a re­sult of no fi­nan­cial ac­counts. It is this ad­min­is­tra­tion that re­stored FI­FA fund­ing. The FA (foot­ball as­so­ci­a­tion) al­so has an up to date fi­nan­cial man­age­ment state­ment of ac­counts up to Au­gust 31, 2018."

Armed with a brief­case, the source said, "Every mem­ber of the board knows that when we were elect­ed we in­her­it­ed a debt of well over $23 mil­lion dol­lars ($23,507,263.10 to be ex­act) and we dis­cussed it at every meet­ing when we meet and much of the in­come the FA has raised to date has been used to ser­vice that debt."

The source ex­plained that back in June, for­mer pres­i­dent Ray­mond Tim Kee, in an ar­ti­cle in the T&T Guardian, called for an­swers on why the TTFA was still in the "red" when it re­ceived twice as many monies from FI­FA than when he was in pow­er. The source point­ed out that Tim Kee had said in the ar­ti­cle, "The TTFA used to re­ceive US$58,000 every quar­ter for de­vel­op­ment and I have heard that the new pres­i­dent now re­ceives much more than that, so where is the mon­ey go­ing?"

The source said, "Mr Tim Kee knows that when FI­FA gives mon­ey it's for spe­cif­ic pur­pos­es and it can­not be used for any debt serv­ing. The cur­rent debt ser­vic­ing comes from oth­er rev­enues raised and sourced by the FA."

Ac­cord­ing to a doc­u­ment ti­tled “Mem­ber­ship Pre­sen­ta­tion 2018,” which was pre­sent­ed to mem­bers in April, a sum of $7,673,680.54 was paid to sev­er­al debtors which in­clude coach­es, a for­mer ref­er­ee, play­ers World Cup match fees and ser­vice providers.

The source said the debt to for­mer women's coach Even Pellerud of $1.3 mil­lion or (US$210,146,00) was the most cru­cial for T&T be­cause the FI­FA's Dis­ci­pli­nary Com­mit­tee had giv­en T&T 120 days from March 2015 to pay Pellerud or face sanc­tions which in­clud­ed be­ing dis­qual­i­fied from par­tic­i­pat­ing in the World Cup qual­i­fiers.

To date, the FA has al­so cleared part of the $3.6 mil­lion owed to cur­rent tech­ni­cal di­rec­tor An­ton Corneal and part of the $7 mil­lion owed to coach Rus­sell Lat­apy, while for­mer World Cup ref­er­ee Ramesh Ramd­han was paid $572.280.00 in full, while the Ban­quet and Con­fer­ence Cen­tre, Graph­ics Ad­ver­tis­ing and two out of six ho­tels were al­so paid.

The doc­u­ments ob­tained by Guardian Me­dia Lim­it­ed show that the TTFA still owes $15,121,815.34, which in­cludes over a mil­lion dol­lars to PTSC, the staff of the se­nior and ju­nior teams and play­ers.

The source said, "The FA owed al­most all the ho­tel and trav­el agency busi­ness­es in T&T and they all sued us for their monies. Some we've paid in part, some we have paid in full and oth­ers we have asked for time and there are still mat­ters be­fore the courts. This is one of the main rea­sons why foot­ball is in this state to­day.

“As mon­ey comes in most of it goes out to pay the debts that we in­her­it­ed and a cou­ple of the debts were in­curred by keep­ing our na­tion­al team op­er­a­tions ac­tive. We know that as a board we must ho­n­our all the debts as the FA.”

The source added, “This is not about John-Williams and Kei­th Look Loy, this is about T&T foot­ball. A large sum of the monies the FA has got­ten from Con­ca­caf has gone to pay loans, which means our na­tion­al teams and de­vel­op­ment pro­grammes have tak­en a hit."

From the doc­u­ments re­viewed, the $15 mil­lion debt does not in­clude a claim by for­mer gen­er­al sec­re­tary Shel­don Phillips, who in April filed a trade dis­pute in the In­dus­tri­al Court for wrong­ful dis­missal and is seek­ing dam­ages of US$1.4 mil­lion or TT$10 mil­lion.

The source said, "I don't want to say much about this mat­ter. How­ev­er, Mr Phillips was hired by the for­mer FA un­der pres­i­dent Tim Kee on May 9, 2013, to a four-year con­tract which was ter­mi­nat­ed in Oc­to­ber 2015. I want to in­vite all of T&T to be present in court for this mat­ter be­cause we want every­one to know what the FA is be­ing sued for here. I hope the me­dia will be present al­so to re­port on this mat­ter.”

The FA al­so set­tled all fines from FI­FA to­talling 12,500 Swiss francs or TT$90,000.

The source said the fig­ures pro­vid­ed to the T&T Guardian did not in­clude a le­gal claim by a for­mer ad­min­is­tra­tor of the FA for $15 mil­lion and an­oth­er $2.4 mil­lion by nine in­di­vid­u­als and com­pa­nies, which in­cludes a for­mer gen­er­al sec­re­tary and a com­pa­ny owned by the son of a for­mer pres­i­dent.

In Feb­ru­ary, John-Williams, the TTFA pres­i­dent wrote FI­FA seek­ing as­sis­tance in an ef­fort to avoid the or­gan­i­sa­tion from shut­ting down in his let­ter to Veron Mosen­go-Om­ba he wrote: "The pay­ments made above to­tal TT $8,632,129.82 or (USD 1,290,000.00) and rep­re­sents funds which the FA has earned and should have been utilised in our foot­ball pro­grammes. At the mo­ment all our pro­grammes are grind­ing to a halt as a re­sult. We fore­see with­in one month the need to sig­nif­i­cant­ly re­duce staff in or­der to just sur­vive.

"Our FI­FA for­ward mon­ey for spe­cial projects for 2016-2018 (USD2, 250,000.00) has been com­mit­ted to our Home of Foot­ball Project which we hope to com­plete by Sep­tem­ber 2018. We en­vis­age this project as a ma­jor in­come gen­er­a­tor for the as­so­ci­a­tion there­after. Our 2018 FI­FA For­ward op­er­a­tions mon­ey is ful­ly bud­get­ed for - the ma­jor cost be­ing wages and salaries.

"In the cir­cum­stances, in or­der to sur­vive in the im­me­di­ate, we are seek­ing some fund­ing or ad­vances from FI­FA to as­sist our cash flow needs. I am avail­able at any time to dis­cuss this ur­gent mat­ter at hand."

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Deeks on October 07, 2018, 08:06:03 AM
Steiuuups!!!!!!
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: FF on October 07, 2018, 09:05:45 PM
What is this? A propaganda piece??
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: presspass on October 11, 2018, 10:32:46 AM
Look Loy refuses to sign non-disclosure agreement
...To proceed with High Court action against TTFA president


THERE are two ways in which TT Super League president Keith Look Loy or other Football Association (TTFA) board members may access information to the controversial TTFA “home of football” project in Couva, which is currently under construction.

Look Loy will either have to sign a non-disclosure agreement put out by TTFA president David John-Williams’ attorney – something he refuses to do – or he will have no choice but to take legal action to force John-Williams to release details to the board.

Look Loy said since he has no intention of signing the document, he is left with little choice but to pursue the matter through the courts, although it will inevitably add to the mounting debt the association faces through various lawsuits and arrears.

According to information obtained by Newsday, John-Williams’ attorney Annand Misir recently sent Look Loy and his attorney a non-disclosure agreement, which, if he signed, would effectively prevent them from disclosing the financial and contractual details on the FIFA-funded project to the board or make it public.

Last Wednesday, Look Loy wrote to the TTFA board by e-mail advising them of his continued inability to access information on the project, as well as John-Williams’ attempts to keep the matter private by means of the non-disclosure agreement, which he scanned and copied to the e-mail.

In the e-mail, Look Loy sought to remind the board members of the numerous attempts made, since December 26, 2017
, to acquire information on the project from both John-Williams and TTFA general secretary Justin Latapy-George.

Look Loy said after several unsuccessful attempts, he hired attorney Matthew Gayle, who wrote to John-Williams in July, telling him of a final request for information before the commencement of legal proceedings.

“This failed to convince the TTFA president that said documents should be made available,” Look Loy told the board.

On August 27, Gayle, on behalf of Look Loy, filed an application for leave to claim for judicial review in the High Court, which Look Loy said was done in the “interest of transparency and accountability within the association, and to ensure the right of TTFA board members – the governors of the association ­– to information, is respected.

“Following on this, and in the effort to ensure TTFA does not have yet another legal matter on which to spend legal fees, as well as to reduce conflict within the association, I made, through Mr Gayle, more than one unsuccessful attempt to secure access to the requested information without final intervention of the High Court.

“Finally, the legal representative of TTFA, Annand Misir, wrote to my legal representative offering to make documents available today (October 3) at 10 am.”

Look Loy said that on Tuesday, the day before, Misir wrote to Gayle in an attempt to impose a non-disclosure agreement “that seeks to limit and qualify my right – as a TTFA board member – to access and to report on said documentation to my constituency (TTSL membership) and to the TTFA general membership.”

Look Loy continued: “The TTFA board has never discussed and/or approved any contract for project works by any company and/or service provider in Couva. Indeed, in TT Super League all commercial agreements are discussed and agreed by the entire membership – not just the board – in the effort to ensure transparency and to eliminate the possibility of corruption, e.g. the League’s recent signing of a broadcast contract with TTEN TV.”

He added that the TTFA board never discussed or agreed any legal course of action in response to his High Court application. “The TTFA president and/or Mr Misir does not have sole authority to decide on same and should be required to table this matter before the board membership.”

The president’s refusal to present the requested documents.

Look Loy said, “contradicts his assurance to the 2017 TTFA Annual General Meeting that said documents are available in the TTFA office.”

The TTFA board, he said, “has never discussed and/or agreed the imposition of a non-disclosure agreement on board members regarding access to any TTFA documents. The president, and/or Mr Misir, does not have authority to impose same, which in any event would be unconstitutional and an illegal limitation of member representative rights and responsibility to report to their membership. I stand by my commitment to transparency and accountability in TTFA.

I refuse to sign any non-disclosure agreement,” Look Loy wrote.

He concluded by signalling his intention to go ahead with legal action in the High Court, “unless the TTFA board ensures the TTFA president makes all the requested documents available to me – and by definition, to all TTFA board members.”
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Mad Scorpion a/k/a Big Bo$$ on October 11, 2018, 11:03:48 AM
Either DJW hiding something or he's a pigheaded moron
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on October 18, 2018, 12:53:11 AM
Help! TTFA hiding & Windies drifting!
By Colin Murray (Guardian).


I, like many of you, re­main ut­ter­ly frus­trat­ed with the ex­ec­u­tive of the T&T Foot­ball As­so­ci­a­tion (TTFA). It makes ab­solute­ly no sense writ­ing any­thing more about them. They just don't seem to care about our foot­ball, much less our foot­ballers in T&T. They sent our So­ca Princess­es to be em­bar­rassed in the re­cent­ly con­clud­ed 2018 CON­CA­CAF Women's Cham­pi­onship, the tour­na­ment which serves as the qual­i­fiers to the 2019 FI­FA Women's World Cup in France.

The team end­ed with ze­ro points and con­ced­ed 14 goals from three match­es. But the one thing the TTFA ex­ec­u­tive ap­pears good at is keep­ing all the con­tracts and fi­nan­cials for their beloved 'home of foot­ball' top se­cret. They are so tal­ent­ed; the way they shift in­for­ma­tion, the ex­ec­u­tive should run for of­fice in the Chess As­so­ci­a­tion. Imag­ine, a TTA Board mem­ber has to take them to court to gain ac­cess to the As­so­ci­a­tion's fi­nan­cial records and con­tracts re­lat­ing to the con­tro­ver­sial project in Cou­va. Am I miss­ing some­thing here? Of course not. This is their modus operan­di.

The once mighty Windies (25 years ago) were crushed by In­dia in the 2 test match­es both in­side 3 days but I hope no one was sur­prised, as I had in­di­cat­ed we would have need­ed a ma­jor mir­a­cle to get any­thing from the se­ries. So nat­u­ral­ly, to rub salt in­to an ex­treme­ly bad wound and en­sure it hurts, even more, the In­ter­na­tion­al Crick­et Coun­cil (ICC) de­duct­ed 1 rat­ing point to leave us still lan­guish­ing in 9th spot with 76 points ahead of Bangladesh on 67 points. What's in­ter­est­ing is the Windies tour the “Tigers” next month for a cru­cial 2 test se­ries. Hav­ing beat­en them here last month in a two test se­ries quite con­vinc­ing­ly, one has to hope we will come out on top in the se­ries. If the un­think­able were to hap­pen and we lose in Bangladesh, then the Tigers could well be turn­ing around to look at us be­hind them in the rank­ings but that's all in the fu­ture.

I am hop­ing we are at least com­pet­i­tive in the short­er ver­sions of the game in In­dia from this Sun­day, but let us do a lit­tle soul search­ing with this 6 days two test se­ries. Skip­per Ja­son Hold­er (I still feel sor­ry for the young man) says it's hard to take. He can't un­der­stand the rea­son why it is hap­pen­ing and every­one needs to put their heads to­geth­er i.e. the man­age­ment, se­lec­tors and play­ers.

Nice words from Ja­son; he comes across as an ex­treme­ly good, hum­ble and lev­el-head­ed in­di­vid­ual. He is with­out doubt one of the good guys in Windies crick­et. Could you imag­ine if the man be­ing in­ter­viewed was Sir Vi­vian Richards? Do I have to draft a tran­script for the in­ter­view would be like? Quite sim­ply, Ja­son, we have some in­di­vid­u­als who are just not good enough or to put it an­oth­er way, we have square pegs in round holes.

Our bat­ting has some tal­ent but when in three in­nings from four you can't score 200 runs, then se­ri­ous tech­ni­cal prob­lems arise. Kraigg Brath­waite has a good av­er­age of 36.54 with eight cen­turies and 17 half cen­turies in 96 in­nings since mak­ing his de­but in 2011, but af­ter sev­en years he is too in­con­sis­tent. How­ev­er, he thinks he is the rock of Gibral­tar and can­not be dropped so it mat­ters not if he makes 2, 8 or 78, he will still be in the team.

Kier­an Pow­ell al­so made his de­but in 2011 and has an av­er­age of 27.98 with 3 cen­turies and 6 half cen­turies in 72 in­nings - a dis­as­ter. Shai Hope who de­buted in 2015, av­er­ages 30.25 in 45 in­nings with 2 cen­turies and 4 half cen­turies. Ros­ton Chase is 34.80 from 44 in­nings since he de­buted in 2016 with 4 cen­turies and 6 half cen­turies. I will leave Shim­ron Het­my­er and Sunil Am­bris out as they have on­ly bat­ted 16 and 8 in­nings re­spec­tive­ly. Put that in­to con­text with the top 5 In­di­an bats­men all av­er­ag­ing above 40, with the ex­cep­tion of KL Rahul who av­er­ages 37.71 and is in dan­ger of be­ing dropped then Vi­rat Kohli who is in a league of his own with 54.57. We can­not ex­pect 250 and above con­sis­tent­ly from our bats­men with the av­er­ages they pos­sess.

I have pre­vi­ous­ly writ­ten that in our bowl­ing out­side of Hold­er who has im­proved con­sid­er­ably, Shan­non Gabriel when he is ag­gres­sive and fir­ing, and Ke­mar Roach when he is fit, we have no test match spin­ners. When our faster men are tired and when the pitch is wear­ing, we have De­ven­dra Bishoo who has a test av­er­age of 37.77 and is a shad­ow of the bowler he was when he made his de­but in 2011. Jomel War­ri­can has on­ly just start­ed his ca­reer in 2015 and has an av­er­age of 46.92. By con­trast, the In­di­an spin­ners Ravi Ash­win on 25.44, Ravin­dra Jade­ja on 23.50 and Kuldeep Ya­dav on 25.26. It is there­fore easy to un­der­stand the huge gap in the abil­i­ty of the test teams. To put it in­to per­spec­tive, a don­key has en­tered a horse race but the own­ers know the don­key can't win.

So what is the so­lu­tion? First­ly, our smil­ing se­lec­tors have to make some brave de­ci­sions, think out­side the box and give oth­er play­ers an op­por­tu­ni­ty. This crop will soon un­der­stand that you are picked by per­for­mance and not by name.

They have to iden­ti­fy some gift­ed 19-21-year-olds from open­ing bats­men, right down to the mid­dle or­der, wick­et­keep­ers, fast men and spin­ners of all types, and train them for 1 year from Sun­day to Sun­day. Get our leg­ends to spend time with them and give them the right kind of train­ing.

It can be done, we just have to set up the right en­vi­ron­ment or 'cra­paud smoke we pipe' as it is the cra­paud who has the lighter in hand to smoke away Windies crick­et at in­ter­na­tion­al test lev­el.

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on October 28, 2018, 12:53:39 AM
Judge Boodoosingh grants Look Loy leave.
By Derek Achong (Guardian).


T&T Su­per League pres­i­dent Ki­eth Look Loy has been giv­en the green light to kick off his law­suit against the T&T Foot­ball As­so­ci­a­tion (TTFA) over trans­paren­cy in the con­struc­tion of its US$2.5 mil­lion "Home for Foot­ball".

On Fri­day, High Court Judge Ron­nie Boodoos­ingh grant­ed Look Loy leave to pur­sue his ju­di­cial re­view claim against the TTFA over the fail­ure of its se­nior of­fi­cials to dis­close de­tails re­lat­ed to the project in Bal­main, Cou­va, to him and oth­er di­rec­tors.

Look Loy filed the case dur­ing the Ju­di­cia­ry's an­nu­al va­ca­tion in Au­gust, but Boodoos­ingh on­ly ruled that he had pre­sent­ed an ar­guable case with a re­al­is­tic prospect of suc­cess, this week.

Boodoos­ingh's rul­ing on the is­sue is on­ly the first stage of the law­suit, which is ex­pect­ed to go on tri­al lat­er this year or ear­ly next year.

In the claim, Look Loy is al­leg­ing that he is en­ti­tled to the in­for­ma­tion which in­cludes fi­nan­cial records and de­tails on the con­trac­tors and project man­ag­er hired for the project.

He is al­so seek­ing a de­c­la­ra­tion that TTFA pres­i­dent David John-Williams and gen­er­al sec­re­tary Justin Lat­apy-George act­ed ir­ra­tional­ly and un­rea­son­ably in re­peat­ed­ly fail­ing to dis­close the in­for­ma­tion.

In an af­fi­davit, that would serve as ev­i­dence in the even­tu­al tri­al, Look Loy claimed that he made sev­er­al re­quests to both men since De­cem­ber, last year, all of which were ig­nored.

"My re­quests for in­spec­tion of the doc­u­ments afore­men­tioned has not been made whim­si­cal­ly to the TTFA in any way, My re­quests have been on­go­ing for at least eight months and are of ut­most im­por­tance to en­sure trans­paren­cy in the in­ter­est of the pub­lic," Look Loy said.

He al­so sug­gest­ed that the de­lays could fa­cil­i­tate tam­per­ing with the doc­u­ments.

"Mem­bers of the con­stituen­cy that I rep­re­sent on the board of the TTFA have ex­pressed to me that they are con­cerned that the re­peat­ed stalling in the pro­vid­ing of the in­for­ma­tion to me, is to fa­cil­i­tate the man­u­fac­ture and the ma­nip­u­la­tion of the fi­nan­cial project records," he said.

In a sup­ple­men­tal af­fi­davit filed last week, Look Loy said he was of­fered an op­por­tu­ni­ty to see the re­quest­ed doc­u­ments af­ter he filed the law­suit. How­ev­er, the day be­fore he was ex­pect­ed to do so, he was told he had to sign a non-dis­clo­sure agree­ment first. He re­fused.

"I came to the con­clu­sion that the TTFA clear­ly was tak­ing con­tin­u­ing steps to avoid hav­ing to show me the doc­u­ments and in­for­ma­tion I had re­quest­ed and the last minute im­po­si­tion of this pre-con­di­tion on my ac­cess was just an­oth­er step in the process," he said.

Look Loy said that at a board meet­ing on Oc­to­ber 9, he again made a re­quest that was sup­port­ed by Collin Par­tap of the Cen­tral Foot­ball As­so­ci­a­tion (CFA), Joseph Tay­lor of the ref­er­ees' as­so­ci­a­tion and Sharon War­rick of the Women's League.

He said that TTFA vice-pres­i­dent Ew­ing Davis re­fused to put the mo­tion to a vote as he claimed that it would re­quire le­gal ad­vice.

Look Loy is be­ing rep­re­sent­ed by Matthew Gayle, Dr Emir Crowne and Sher­iza Khan of New City Cham­bers.

The "Home for Foot­ball" project is ex­pect­ed to in­clude a 72-room ho­tel, train­ing pitch­es, an en­ter­tain­ment cen­tre and ad­min­is­tra­tive of­fices for the as­so­ci­a­tion.

The sod was turned in Sep­tem­ber, last year, with con­struc­tion start­ing in Feb­ru­ary. The project was spon­sored by Fi­fa and is be­ing con­struct­ed on a lit­tle over sev­en hectares of land do­nat­ed by the Gov­ern­ment.

The project was al­ready at an ad­vanced stage when Fi­fa rep­re­sen­ta­tive Veron Mosen­go-Om­ba and Sports Min­is­ter Sham­fa Cud­joe con­duct­ed a tour in Au­gust.

Title: TTFA Served...Look Loy awaits John-Williams' defence
Post by: Tallman on November 01, 2018, 07:44:31 AM
TTFA Served...Look Loy awaits John-Williams' defence
By Ian Prescott (T&T Express)


TRINIDAD and Tobago Football Association Board member Keith Look Loy has confirmed that documents have been served by the court in relation to his ongoing dispute with the Association and its president, David John-Williams.

Look Loy told reporters yesterday that the court served the documents on Tuesday morning and they (the TTFA and John-Williams) have to respond. 'They have to submit documents to the court indicating why they should not have to give up documents I have been asking for (for) almost a year now, although I am a board member.'

Having won the first round in his battle with TTFA boss David John-Williams, Keith Look Loy said he was awaiting whatever defence, if any, the Association and its president would present after judge Ronnie Boodoosingh ruled on Friday that he (Look Loy) had put forward enough of a case for his legal matter against the Association's president to proceed to the next step.

Look Loy took John-Williams to court seeking the release of documents pertaining to the TTFA's Home of Football in Balmain, Couva among other matters. John-Williams had previously stated that the said documents were available to members, providing a confidentially and non-disclosure clause was signed.

However Look Loy, who is also president of the Trinidad and Tobago Super League, has thus far refused such terms. He argues that as a board member, it is his right to see documents pertaining to the Association's business. 'We had a hearing on the 26th of the month (October) and the judge gave permission to go ahead and file for judicial review, and that hearing is on the 15th of November,' he said.

'I have already made my argument. They have to defend,' Look Loy added. 'Now that the TTFA have been served by the court, they have to respond and try to convince the court that they don't have to give up the documents.'

Despite initial success, Look Loy acknowledges not knowing in what time frame the matter would be determined. 'John-Williams, if he wants, supposedly on behalf of the TTFA, could take this as far as the Privy Council if he wants.'

Look Loy felt he had given the TTFA president every chance to produce the relevant documents, the last time being October 9 at a TTFA meeting when he sought to have a motion put to a vote.

'I guaranteed that if the documents were produced, I would drop the case,' he said.

Meantime, Look Loy also revealed he would proceed with a motion for the removal of John-Williams at the next TTFA AGM, set for November 24. Look Loy listed the action on behalf of his club, FC Santa Rosa. 'Santa Rosa has a motion to dismiss John-Williams at the annual general meeting on the 24th of November, ' he said. 'If he survives that (AGM motion), the TTFA will have an election next year in October.'
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Sando prince on November 02, 2018, 08:09:23 PM

.
At this stage in TnT we want our next football President to be a man/woman who has a history and already relationships within the private sector. Someone who is professional, someone who is business oriented, someone with a long term vision of success and will implant the necessary elements in our football instructor to develop and seek talent from the grassroots level, Like I said before someone who is "professional" so no issues with having players and coaches paid on time. Someone who will hold himself/herself accountable and hold the men and women beneath him accountable. Someone who will use his private sector experience to help bring forth sponsorship support for national and youth football programs. Someone who is UP TO DATE with TODAY's aspect marketing TT football, which means he will understand the value of social media, television, internet, mainstream radio to intensify momentum behind the national team for future games.

Someone who knows their NO DAMN coach in Trinidad right now that can take our national men and women team out of the deep hole we have thrown ourselves in recent years therefore we need a capable proven foreign coach with his team and he needs to be given full support without any negative interference from the old boys local coaches club or from the TTFA administration. Someone who will have a young local coach eager to learn as an assistant under this foreign coach therefore , once again like I said someone with long term vision will understand this

In the end we do not need someone who has football experience per say, he never had to be a coach or football player.
.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on November 05, 2018, 01:53:34 AM
TTFA Home of Football near completion.
T&T Guardian Reports.


A vis­it to the Ato Boldon sta­di­um yes­ter­day showed that the TTFA 72-Room Ho­tel is about 90-per cent com­plet­ed and to­geth­er with the Fa­cil­i­ty Build­ing and the In­come Gen­er­at­ing Project Build­ing (Sports Bar and En­ter­tain­ment Cen­tre), all are ex­pect­ed to be com­plet­ed by No­vem­ber 30, 2018.

The project has an es­ti­mat­ed bud­get of TT$18 mil­lion. Fol­low­ing that com­ple­tion, the TTFA will then move to have all the build­ings out­fit­ted so that it can start do­ing busi­ness which is ex­pect­ed to ben­e­fit all the stake­hold­ers in the sport.

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: asylumseeker on November 05, 2018, 06:57:03 AM
Who is the contractor on the Home of Football project?
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on November 09, 2018, 05:32:56 AM
TTFA President takes Sporting heads on tour of Home of Football.
TTFA Media.


A US$2.5 million (TT$16.85 million) grant was given to the Trinidad and Tobago  Football Association to build TT football’s new “home.”

President of the TTFA David John-Williams, revealed the price tag of the facility yesterday in a conversation with Newsday during a tour of the “Home of Football”, which is located next to the Ato Boldon Stadium in Couva.

John-Williams responded to claims of being secretive on the specifics of building the facility, dismissing them as mischief.

“I have absolutely no problem with transparency in this project. But we took a different approach that a lot of people are not too happy with,” John-Williams said.

“But we live in a society where you will get a lot of criticism. I am not new to it. I am not a president that is well-liked, because of some of the changes. We had to make some really difficult changes that people could not accept. When we came into the Football Association, football was in a bad way, and we had to take drastic decisions that rubbed people in the wrong way. But criticisms would only make me stronger.”

John-Williams expressed pride and gratitude for the progress the multi-million-dollar building project has made, boasting that building would be completed by the end of November, and that final touches would be done by February 2019.

Yesterday, during the tour, John-Williams showed off all the sections of the complex, which include a hotel, an entertainment centre and training grounds.

“This is the future of Trinidad football…This is the future of Trinidad sport!” John-Williams said as he displayed the facility to stakeholders.

During the tour he explained the complex was built using ICF technology, which utilises blocks of Styrofoam filled with concrete to make a cheap, easy-to-use, lightweight and durable building block. He said the blocks would insulate the facility from heat from the outside, making rooms “exceptionally cool.” The largest rooms in the hotel are about 24 feet long by 25 feet wide, Newsday was told.

He said despite the speed at which the buildings were erected, there were no more than 20 contractors working on the site each day.

John-Williams thanked the Government and FIFA for their investment in TT football. The Government supplied the TTFA with the 17.5 acre parcel of land on which the facility stands.

“The Government has supported this project tremendously in giving us what we consider prime land to do these three facilities that we see today. That was a huge help for us…We felt that we needed to prove the government right in building this facility and I hope that we have done such,” John-Williams said

The Home of Football project, he said, was the first fully funded FIFA Forward project — the organisation’s initiative to provide 360-degree, tailor-made support for football development.

The facility was met with excitement from various stakeholders, who included key members of multiple sporting fraternities

“This is of an international standard and I think this is what the sporting fraternity would want,” said Dr Patricia Butcher, president of the TT Netball Association.

“When you are talking sport tourism, we can now invite teams down here and be proud to bring them here to perform and relax. I am hoping we will be able to bless it when we celebrate our 40th anniversary late in 2019 or early in 2020.”

Andrew Gomez-Burke, president of the TT Gymnastics Federation, added, “I travel internationally at all times, and there are no facilities that I have seen that look so complete compared to what I have just witnessed here. I think John-Williams is doing a fantastic job. I could only hope that the other sporting organisations would utilise this facility to its maximum.”

Guardian Report - By Keith Clement

The TTFA showed off its 72-Room Ho­tel, (a Three-sto­ry build­ing) the In­come Gen­er­at­ing Project Build­ing (a sports bar and En­ter­tain­ment Cen­tre) and a fa­cil­i­ty build­ing which is 6000 sq feet and will com­priuse (2 dress­ings rooms, a Kitchen, 2 youth dorms (male and fe­male), din­ing room for the youths, laun­dry and two coach­es quar­ters). He said all the build­ings are 90 per cent com­plet­ed.

Among the tour­ing par­ty were Pa­tri­cia and Ken­neth Butch­er (net­ball), Dud­nath Ramkissoon (crick­et), Robert Far­ri­er (cy­cling), Wen­dell Lia Hing (swim­ming) and Andy Gomez-Burk of gym­nas­tics.

John-Williams told guests about the en­gi­neer­ing of the build­ing and ex­plained the ICF tech­nol­o­gy that is be­ing used in the con­struc­tion.

He boast­ed about the en­er­gy us­age and the type of air-con­di­tion sys­tem which will be in­stalled up­on com­ple­tion.

He said, “This build­ing (re­fer­ring to the ho­tel) is earth­quake proof.” He showed them the ma­te­r­i­al be­ing used in the con­struc­tion, the vary­ing sizes of rooms for ath­letes and head of del­e­ga­tions and a dor­mi­to­ry for youths which, he said, can house up to 70 youths.

Asked by Lia Hing when the fa­cil­i­ties will be ready he re­spond­ed: “All con­struc­tion work will be com­plet­ed by No­vem­ber 30, 2018, and then we will fo­cus on out­fit­ting the build­ings for use and busi­ness in the New Year.”

He even jok­ing­ly threw out a chal­lenge of a bet when ques­tioned by two of his guests about the com­ple­tion date. He said, “Let’s take a bet nah”.

Far­ri­er said the fa­cil­i­ty is world class and these are the kind of fa­cil­i­ties which will help cy­cling in its fu­ture plans and pro­grammes and for when teams vis­it T&T.

He said, “I just re­turned from Switzer­land where I saw sim­i­lar fa­cil­i­ties. Foot­ball is on the right track and my sport can ben­e­fit from this. I’m re­al­ly im­pressed and like what I am see­ing here to­day. “

Every­one ex­pressed shocked about the fa­cil­i­ties and even its en­gi­neer­ing and de­sign and the thought that went in­to the vi­sion for the fa­cil­i­ties which will al­so have six prac­tice fields.

Ramkissoon, who rep­re­sent­ed the T&T Crick­et Board, said, “It’s re­al­ly im­pres­sive. All sport­ing or­gan­i­sa­tions can now ben­e­fit from all that they have on of­fer here. This is tru­ly a tremen­dous ef­fort and this fa­cil­i­ty will ben­e­fit sports in T&T. Cou­va is be­com­ing the cen­tre for sports in T&T with cy­cling, swim­ming, the crick­et cen­tre, the Ato Boldon sta­di­um.”

He added: “Even cul­ture can be in­clud­ed with all these world-class fa­cil­i­ties here. Var­i­ous na­tion­al teams can be housed here for rea­son­able rates once they can ne­go­ti­ate with the Foot­ball As­so­ci­a­tion. I see they (TTFA) al­so have plans for the easy flow of traf­fic in and out of this area. In ad­di­tion, this area is not known to for flood­ing, so you can­not say you will have that kind of thing.”

As the tour con­tin­ued, John-Willaims told his op­po­site num­bers that the project is fund­ed by FI­FA, the world gov­ern­ing body for the sport at a cost of TT$18 mil­lion.

He said, “When I be­came pres­i­dent back in 2015, the TTFA as­sets stood at $149,000 and in 2017 it in­creased to $46 mil­lion and when the home of foot­ball project is com­plet­ed it is es­ti­mat­ed that our as­set base will be around $160 mil­lion.”

Patri­ca Butch­er, of the Net­ball As­so­ci­a­tion, was very high in praise about the fa­cil­i­ties say­ing: ” This is of in­ter­na­tion­al stan­dard. I think this is what the sport­ing fra­ter­ni­ty will want. If you’re talk­ing about sports tourism we can in­vite teams down here and feel proud to bring them here to per­form and feel re­lax in an en­vi­ron­ment that is very con­ducive. I’m re­al­ly hap­py to see this. I hope that net­ball will get an op­por­tu­ni­ty to bless it when he cel­e­brates our 40th an­niver­sary late in 2019 or ear­ly in 2020. I have just re­turned from Liv­er­pool, Eng­land to see where the 2019 World Cham­pi­onship will take place and this is very com­pa­ra­ble to what is out there in the big coun­tries. We just need some­thing com­pa­ra­ble for net­ball to what ex­ists for net­ball in­ter­na­tion­al­ly.”

Fol­low­ing that com­ple­tion, the TTFA will then move to have all the build­ings out­fit­ted so that it can start do­ing busi­ness which is ex­pect­ed to ben­e­fit all stake­hold­ers in the sport.

John-Williams, a busi­ness­man and con­trac­tor while ad­dress­ing his guests, not­ed, “The aim to make this a three-star ho­tel. What we’ve here is the fu­ture of foot­ball, the fu­ture of sports. Sports have to start think­ing big busi­ness, and think­ing dif­fer­ent­ly and be­ing in­de­pen­dent. I must thank the gov­ern­ment for sup­port­ing us in this ini­tia­tive. This fa­cil­i­ties have mas­sive cor­po­rate po­ten­tial such as nam­ing rights, we can rent the fa­cil­i­ties to com­pa­nies, and fel­low sport­ing or­gan­i­sa­tions and get ser­vice providers in­volved.”

He end­ed by say­ing: “We’ll have a wall of fame, a foot­ball mu­se­um. The rooms will bear the names of foot­ballers and the walls will sport pic­tures of our foot­ball he­roes. When teams vis­it and stay here they must feel in­tim­i­dat­ed.”

Home of Football and Income Generation Project End of Week 38 Update (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8MxYzmDFDls&feature=youtu.be)

Title: TTFA agrees to pay Couva hotel in instalments
Post by: Tallman on November 09, 2018, 02:34:56 PM
TTFA agrees to pay Couva hotel in instalments
By Jada Loutoo (T&T Newsday)


THE TT Football Association (TTFA) has agreed to pay $207,174.88 to a hotel in Couva in 12 equal instalments, starting from November 30.

The agreement was arrived at on Wednesday, and communicated to High Court judge Frank Seepersad, who signed off on it.

According to the Metro Hotel’s lawsuit against the TTFA, it provided accommodation and meals for the TT men’s under-20 football team, the Barbados men’s senior team, for various periods between January to April, last year.

The TTFA said it could not pay the amount owed on the invoices in one lump sum, and agreed to pay instalments.

According to its financial statements, the TTFA said it earned an annual income of $24,657,919 annually,but its expenses were calculated at $26,598,766. Technical expenses were put at $5,745,320 while its loan and borrowings amounted to just over $4 million, and accounts payable was put at just over $30 million.

In its lawsuit, Metro Hotel, of Noel Street, Couva, said it made several attempts to contact TTFA president David John-Williams, and the TTFA had refused to settle the invoices sent for payment.

The hotel was represented by attorney Kelvin Ramkissoon and Nizam Saladeen. The TTFA was represented by Annand Misir and Janelle Ganess.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Tallman on November 15, 2018, 08:03:02 AM
Back to Court: Look Loy pressing on with bid to remove John-Williams
By Ian Prescott (T&T Express)

 
BOARD member Keith Look Loy will proceed with his November 24 motion for the dismissal of Trinidad and Tobago Football Association president David John-Williams, regardless of today's outcome of a judicial review matter against the Association in the High Court.

Despite two previously unsuccessful attempts to have John-Williams ousted, Look Loy has successfully had a motion for John-William's dismissal, tabled for the TTFA's Annual General Meeting which, according to General Secretary Justin Latapy-George, is carded for November 24 from 9:30am at the University of the West Indies, St. Augustine.

Latapy-George confirmed that Look Loy's motion was one of 20 or so agenda matters due for discussion.

"The constitution guides that once a member submits a matter for consideration by the general membership within the specific time line of at least 40 days prior to the AGM, then that matter must be put on the agenda for discussion," Latapy-George stated.

Look Loy also believes his motion for John-Williams' dismissal is gaining momentum but whether he has the 75 per cent backing of the general membership needed to unseat the TTFA President is uncertain.

"It will get support too. I don't know if it will get enough because to be effective it has to get 75 percent of the vote," Look Loy admitted. "But I know it will get support, based on what people have said to me."

Today's court matter could also strengthen Look Loy's hand. At an October 26 hearing, judge Ronnie Boodoosingh granted T&T Super League president Look Loy leave to pursue judicial review against the TTFA and John-Williams over the failure to disclose financial records pertaining to the Home of Football project at Balmain Couva. Today the parties return to the High Court from 10:30am with the TTFA having to present a case as to why the records should not be handed over.

With no certainty that the matter will be concluded today, Look Loy nevertheless vowed to press on with the motion to remove John-Williams, regardless of what happens in court today. However, a positive outcome will give Look Loy access to the Home of Football.

"Once the judge declares that he has to make the document available, I want to see them the next day," Look Loy declared. "But If he doesn't want to abide by the court, he could be in contempt of court and face the consequences."

The Home of Football is being built by a USS2.5 million FIFA grant on 18 acres of land at Couva donated by the Trinidad and Tobago Government. Both FIFA and Sport Minis-er Shamfa Cudjoe have endorsed the work done thus far on the project.

And during a tour of the facility just last week, officials from cricket, swimming, cycling. gymnastics and athletics congratulated John-Williams on the speed and quality of the work in building the facility, whose foundation was laid only on February 14.

"The issue here is not the Home of Football. My issue is the lack of accountability in the implementation of the project," Look Loy stated. "Who is being given contracts? Who is awarding contracts? How much money is being spent? Nobody but David John-Williams knows." It is irrelevant what impact it (Home of Football) has on people from other NGOs. They have no influence in football."
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on November 17, 2018, 01:34:50 AM
TTFA members reject ‘Home of Football’ invitation.
By Andrew Gioannetti (Newsday).


CFA, NFA, SSFL, WoLF call for transparency

SEVERAL members of the TT Football Association (TTFA) board of directors and other ordinary members have blanked an invitation by TTFA president David John-Williams to visit the controversial "Home of Football" project.

On Wednesday, TTFA general secretary Justin Latapy-George, on behalf of John-Williams, issued an invitation to all members of the TTFA to a site-visit, advising of three open dates of their choice – yesterday, today and on Monday.

They were given a deadline of Thursday to respond to the invitation, at which point several members declined via email.

Newsday obtained a number of responses to Latapy-George, one of which came from TT Super League president Keith Look Loy, who currently has a matter with John-Williams before the High Court.

Look Loy was recently granted leave for judicial review in the court to compel John-Williams to release documents on the "Home of Football" project as well as other unrelated TTFA financial records and statements.

The court matter was scheduled to begin on Thursday but was rescheduled to November 30.

Look Loy also proposed a motion for the dismissal of John-Williams at the TTFA's November 24 AGM, which has been tabled in the agenda by Latapy-Williams.

The same day he received the invitation, Look Loy responded to Latapy-George, writing: "Keith Look Loy will visit the project when the TTFA president accounts to the TTFA membership for the expenditure of the membership's money.

"All of this propaganda won't erase the lack of accountability in this project...Macoya has nice buildings also and no one knew what was happening with the project finances then. Those who wish to ignore that example are doomed to repeat it."

Northern Football Association president Anthony Harford, an ordinary TTFA member, also dismissed the invitation in an elaborate response.

"I would welcome a visit to the Home of Football when the following happens: the president reveals who the contractor(s) is; when the president reveals the financials for this project; when stakeholders see a business plan for the home of football; when Delise Joseph who was sent home after 23 years service to the TTFA and a year later has been paid just $30,000 of her agreed retirement of $196,000. She faces ejection from her rented home," he wrote, adding, "This is not political dexterity it is sham, it is breathtakingly disingenuous and lamentable leadership."

Clynt Taylor, general secretary of the Central Football Association (CFA), wrote to Latapy-George on behalf of the body, chiding the administration in his decline to the invitation.

"CFA and its officials would love to entertain a visit of the Home of Football and look forward to a visit, however, this visit can only take place when this administration is guided by the mandate of the General meeting to provide openness, transparency and providing the information requested by members who are within their constitutional rights to request.

"Without this measure of openness and transparency and this administration mandate to follow the explicit will of our constitution and the General Membership direction, CFA and its Administration respectfully declines."

Secondary Schools Football League president Williams Wallace and Women's League Football (Wolf) vice-president and representative Sharon Warrick also opted out of the visit.

Wallace's response read, "There are too many unanswered questions pertaining to this project and many other issues, It is with a heavy heart therefore that I decline the invitation," while Warrick similarly wrote: "I will not be part of this. I will welcome an invitation to view The Home of Football, when all documents that have been requested are submitted for the board to review."

John-Williams has been accused by members of his own board of operating the TTFA in a unilateral and secretive manner. Look Loy has claimed to have asked John-Williams for information on the project, which is in its final stages of construction, since last December.

During a tour with the media at the Couva site of the project recently, John-Williams was quoted as saying, "I have absolutely no problem with transparency in this project. But we took a different approach that a lot of people are not too happy with."

However, John-Williams recently attempted to have Look Loy sign a non-disclosure agreement in order to access documents. Look Loy refused to do so and opted to continue with his High Court pursuit.

Look Loy continues to insist he will drop the court matter, considering the TTFA's mounting legal expenses, if John-Williams releases the documents related to the project.

The project is said to have cost an estimated US$2.5 million and is being paid for with a FIFA grant on land leased by the T&T government.

Title: Jason Gordon: Officials don't care about T&T football
Post by: Tallman on November 22, 2018, 01:26:07 PM
Jason Gordon: Officials don't care about T&T football
By Walter Alibey (T&T Guardian)


Ja­son Gor­don, the Met­al X Erin FC own­er and man­ag­er has called for the right peo­ple to be put in charge of foot­ball lo­cal­ly when the elec­tion of of­fi­cers of the T&T Foot­ball As­so­ci­a­tion (TTFA) is held next year.

Gor­don's Erin FC which won the South­ern Foot­ball As­so­ci­a­tion (SFA) League and League Cup ti­tles last year, said the sport has been at its low­est in T&T.

"While foot­ball con­tin­ues to suf­fer at the re­gion­al, as­so­ci­a­tion and youth lev­els, of­fi­cials seem to be more con­cerned with the con­struc­tion of a Home of Foot­ball.

"In the south zone, we are yet to re­ceive pay­ment for our win­nings last year, while there is yet to be as­sis­tance for the re­gion­al as­so­ci­a­tions."

Gor­don told Guardian Me­dia Sports that teams are al­so un­sure to re­ceive monies this year in the SFA al­so, while in the East­ern Coun­ties Foot­ball Union (EC­FU), there was no foot­ball this year.

"Such a large area to cater for, yet the EC­FU couldn't reach out to thou­sands of young, tal­ent­ed play­ers be­cause there was no help from the par­ent TTFA," Gor­don ex­plained.

Erin FC which earned pro­mo­tion to the T&T Su­per League (TTSL) this year, be­fore they pulled out be­cause of their in­abil­i­ty to pay play­ers match fees, has called on the TTFA to fo­cus more on the re­gion­al as­so­ci­a­tions which are the feed­er pro­grammes for na­tion­al teams, TTSL clubs, T&T Pro League teams and schools in the Sec­ondary Schools Foot­ball League.

Gor­don's team is still owed $22,000 for its $15,000 and $7,000 win­nings in the SFA League and League Cup tour­na­ments last year. Pitch­men FC, which cap­tured the Ex­ec­u­tive Cup is al­so owed $7,000 in prizes.

"We need now to elect peo­ple who care about the sport and care about the sports­men and women in the sport. As it is now, there is too much pol­i­tics which has led to ne­glect of the sport on the field. We need on­ly to look at the re­sults of our women foot­ballers and the Un­der-20 team at the CON­CA­CAF World Cup Qual­i­fiers re­cent­ly, as well as the state of our youth foot­ball to recog­nise the demise of the sport," Gor­don said.
Title: All eyes on TTFA AGM
Post by: Tallman on November 24, 2018, 12:35:55 PM
All eyes on TTFA AGM
By Andrew Gioannetti (T&T Newsday)


A MOTION to dismiss president of the TT Football Association (TTFA) David John-Williams is tabled for today’s highly anticipated annual general meeting, which takes place at UWI, St Augustine at 9 am, but TT Super League president and member of the board of directors, Keith Look Loy – who proposed the motion – will need the backing of a simple majority.

Citing Article 38 of the TTFA constitution, Look Loy submitted the proposal for a dismissal of the president to TTFA general secretary Justin Latapy-George in September, beyond the 40-day requirement for its tabling.

Article 38 of the constition states: “Any Board of Directors Member may submit a proposal to place such a motion for dismissal on the agenda of the Board of Directors or General Meeting.” It also says the motion must be justified; the person or body in question has the right to defend him or herself; the motion shall be decided by secret ballot; a majority of three quarters of the valid votes is required for it to be passed; and, the person or body dismissed (provisionally) is relieved of his or its functions with immediate effect.

However, in order for it to be included in the final agenda, a member must move the motion and another member must second it, then acquire a majority of 50 per cent and at least one additional member to seal the variation.

Look Loy is hoping to secure the vote and a majority to dismiss John-Williams.

He, however, is uncertain whether members, who have previously expressed disapproval of the administration’s day-to-day dealings, will “step up to the plate.”

“People tell you all kinds of things but in the crunch, in the moment, God alone knows what will happen,” he said.

“I know that we have support among some of the regional associations. We have support in the Super League and the Pro League.” In his September letter to Latapy-George, Look Loy gave a point-by-point rationale for his proposal for John-Williams’ dismissal.

It said, “Unilateral decision-making by the President, ‘one-manism’ with no consultation of, and/or agreement by, the TTFA Board of Directors, for example contracts supposedly awarded in the ‘Home of Football’ project, purchase of service from radio I95.5FM; Steady deterioration of TTFA’s national teams’ programme—we no longer win in the international arena and are no longer a force, even in CFU; Cronyism in the appointment of national teams/programmes technical and administrative staff; Mismanagement of TTFA’s finances—witness the debacle of the 2016 audit, the ongoing inability to pay staff and players and to maintain programmes; Frivolous accumulation of law suits and the various expenses associated with same, for example Carolina Morace, Sheldon Phillips, Stephen Hart, etc—due to poor management and illegal actions;

“Lack of transparency in administrative and financial matters—legitimate requests for information from members almost invariably go unanswered, for example the ongoing failure to present documents from the works on the ‘Home of Football’; Deterioration of league football—from elite to regional—and an absence of appropriate guidance and support from TTFA; International shame brought upon our country by the attempt to blame the US embassy for the debacle of our women’s U-15 team being withdrawn from the Concacaf tournament, due to TTFA’s failure to secure US visas, and the Embassy’s denial of such claims.”

In addition to the numerous lawsuits faced by the association, is one brought against it by Look Loy, who is scheduled for a High Court matter with John-Williams next month, which was brought about in an effort to have the president release documents related to the “Home of Football” project in Couva, as well as other TTFA financial documents. Look Loy said he has requested such accounts and documents related to the controversial project since last December.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Deeks on November 24, 2018, 03:14:02 PM
Goood luck! on that Keith!!!
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on November 25, 2018, 01:36:26 AM
Annual General Meeting has been adjourned again.
TTFA Media.


The Trinidad and Tobago Football Association is advising all stakeholders that the Annual General Meeting has been adjourned to December 9th, 2018 at 10:00 am.

This comes  after the successful completion of nine  items on the agenda of today’s meeting which took place at the UWI Faculty Lounge -The Faculty of Social Sciences.

The items covered were as follows:

– Roll Call
– Declaration that the Annual General Meeting has been convened and composed in compliance with the Constitution.
– Approval of the Agenda.
– Address by the President David John-Williams.
-Appointment of delegates to check the minutes.
– Appointment of scrutineers (for the President’s Address)
-Suspension of explosion of members (Nothing for Discussion).
– Audit report presented by Auditor and approved by the General Membership
– Election of the Members of the Board of Directors (Rayshawn Mars [Northern FA), Bandele Kamau [Eastern FA], Colin Partap [Central FA], Sharon Warrick [WOLF] and Julia Baptiste [TT Pro League].
–  Business arising from the Approval of the minutes of the preceding general meetings (Incomplete as the meeting was adjourned during this process.

RELATED NEWS

TTFA AGM adjourned after 'painstaking' deliberations.
By Stephon Nicholas (Newsday).


PRESIDENT of the TT Football Association (TTFA) will not face a motion for his dismissal – at least until December 9 – after Saturday's Annual General Meetings (AGM) was adjourned following seven hours of discussions.

The motion to dismiss John-Williams was proposed for the AGM by president of FC Santa Rosa and member of the TTFA board of directors, Keith Look Loy. However, members agreed to adjourn the matter, along with several others, for the reconvened meeting in two weeks.

Saturday's meeting began with John-Williams addressing the membership on several matters and defending his leadership.

According to Look Loy, he blamed previous administrations for the current administration's financial standing, saying large debts were inherited. He also addressed the Home of Football's revenue potential and according to Look Loy, chided him for his statements made in public with regard to the controversial FIFA-funded project in Couva.

"I responded to that, of course, making the point that nobody is against the Home of Football. What we are against is the culture of secrecy that is being continued from past administrations under his administration."

Look Loy said John-Williams also addressed the struggling men's national team but distanced his administration from blame.

"I made the point that while he may be talking about the collapse or the failure of the men's team, I wanted to talk about the national teams' programmes: the Under-15 women, the [senior] women's national team, the Under-20 men. It has all gone into free-fall under his leadership.

"His address did not talk about the failure of the coach education, the failure of the grass-roots programme which is sponsored but cannot pay coaches working in it. Don't mind that there is sponsorship from Nu Iron, and other things as well – the lack of transparency in financial matters. The referees are saying that FIFA is sending money that is not filtering to their programmes. So the matters of financial transparency not only arise but abound and increase. He mentioned none of this."

Minutes of the last AGM were discussed after the break.

"(It was)...painstaking, page by page. That's the TTFA culture. We have minutes going back to 2017.

"Now, how can people reasonably discuss minutes of events that took place more than a year ago, going back to March 2017? You now bringing the minutes. That's to show you the quagmire that the TTFA administration is."

In addition, despite the constitution making no explicit mention of provisional members' eligibility to vote and perform other functions, a proposal was made by FC Santa Rosa, and is expected to be sealed by an amendment to the constitution, granting full rights to the members. That will expressly permit the Eastern FA, Central FA, Northern FA and Women's Football (WoLF and any future board representative full rights should they be replaced during their tenure.

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Deeks on November 25, 2018, 07:50:30 AM
So what happened to Keith agenda?!!!!!
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: asylumseeker on November 25, 2018, 08:35:28 AM
So what happened to Keith agenda?!!!!!

December 9, 2018. Can kicked down the road.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Deeks on November 26, 2018, 07:08:24 AM
So what happened to Keith agenda?!!!!!

December 9, 2018. Can kicked down the road.

Then at the Dec. 9th meeting, DJW, will do something and say the next meeting is Dec 25th ??
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: asylumseeker on November 26, 2018, 03:42:04 PM
So what happened to Keith agenda?!!!!!

December 9, 2018. Can kicked down the road.

Then at the Dec. 9th meeting, DJW, will do something and say the next meeting is Dec 25th ??

Filibustered by DJW.

;D

Busy wrapping Xmas gifts, he must be smiling as he milks/watches the clock. Available to him is the entire Club WC window from 12/12 to 22/12 (read any FIFA business excuse  :devil:),  plus December 24, December 26, December 31, January 1, and all recovery days from the former and all points leading up to Carnival. And since those who need to vote are faced by similar constraints, do we expect any traction before the Gold Cup?  :)

Allyuh work on that, ah going and recruit meh own candidate. J. Salazar or buss! :P Ah feel she could take DJW.
Title: For the love of T&T football
Post by: Tallman on December 06, 2018, 09:30:31 AM
For the love of T&T football
By Colin Murray (T&T Guardian)


Some­thing very laugh­able caught my eye in last Sun­day's Guardian.

It in­volved a for­mer na­tion­al coach and gen­er­al coun­cil mem­ber shar­ing his views in an in­ter­view on the T&T Foot­ball As­so­ci­a­tion (TTFA) an­nu­al gen­er­al meet­ing (AGM) held on No­vem­ber 24. The items on the agen­da were dis­cussed but not com­plet­ed so the meet­ing was ad­journed to De­cem­ber 9 (this Sun­day).

Still to be dis­cussed is the ap­proval of fi­nan­cial state­ments for 2017, ap­proval of the 2019 bud­get and a mo­tion of no con­fi­dence in the pres­i­dent.

Be­fore the good­ly gen­tle­man, who prob­a­bly has his heart in the right place for foot­ball, gave his views on the meet­ing, he de­clared, "in my ef­forts to be trans­par­ent I must de­clare be­fore an­swer­ing any ques­tion in this in­ter­view that I am a friend of David John-Williams and I cam­paigned for his slate in the 2015 TTFA elec­tion".

At that point, I was faced with the prospect of spend­ing some pre­cious time on a Sun­day morn­ing hav­ing just come from church, with three Pre­mier League der­by match­es to come, to read this seem­ing­ly im­par­tial in­ter­view. For what it was worth, I de­cid­ed to go through it. I loved the diplo­ma­cy in some an­swers to some in­ter­est­ing ques­tions such as whether the pres­i­dent is open and trans­par­ent with the gen­er­al mem­ber­ship.

My ques­tion is if the pres­i­dent is open and trans­par­ent, why is he wor­ried about how his de­trac­tors use in­for­ma­tion re­ceived with­in the TTFA? I must be so naive, or sim­ply put, I must be an aw­ful politi­cian. I be­lieve in hon­esty, in­tegri­ty and no mat­ter how de­trac­tors twist in­for­ma­tion on so­cial me­dia, the truth and noth­ing but the truth will al­ways pre­vail.

We can all agree that the 'Home of Foot­ball' is an ex­cel­lent ini­tia­tive but why can't the in­for­ma­tion be made pub­lic? It is in­ter­est­ing in the in­ter­view that it was not­ed that the pres­i­dent could have han­dled the is­sues sur­round­ing the project dif­fer­ent­ly. Of course, one of the ways he could have ap­proached this was to sim­ply come out and tell the pub­lic what was the deal with the project if there is one. I be­lieve a year has passed and all the pub­lic has been told is that it has been fund­ed by FI­FA to the tune of TT$18 Mil­lion.

This whole sor­did di­vi­sion with­in the TTFA ranks based on the in­ter­view has de­gen­er­at­ed in­to a 'they say - we say' af­fair, even to the ex­tent where it is al­leged that the op­po­nents of the pres­i­dent are more skil­ful than him in pre­sent­ing half of the sto­ry to so­cial me­dia. I am sure the pres­i­dent has full ac­cess to all forms of me­dia in this coun­try and I am even more cer­tain that all the me­dia wants is cor­rect and truth­ful in­for­ma­tion com­ing from the pres­i­dent's of­fice.

I was un­sure where we were head­ing with this an­swer but I now un­der­stand that it was to make a point that the op­po­nents have not re­port­ed a scan­dal (here we go again) which has been un­earthed re­gard­ing a for­mer pres­i­dent and an al­leged email and sworn af­fi­davit. There­fore, if they haven't as you say, “buss that mark”, why doesn't who­ev­er with­in your rank and file “buss that mark”? Don't you think you owe it to the foot­ball-lov­ing pub­lic of T&T to get the truth about what­ev­er scan­dal is tak­ing place? Or are all of you “sis­sy like”, to re­state your words, and afraid to speak out?

To the big ques­tion: is the TTFA bet­ter off to­day than it was be­fore John-Williams be­came pres­i­dent? The cam­paign man­ag­er was seem­ing­ly chary in his as­sess­ment. He al­lud­ed to the TTFA be­ing in a bet­ter fi­nan­cial stand­ing from a debt man­age­ment and as­set base stand­point, as well as be­ing more fi­nan­cial­ly sus­tain­able.

I am over­joyed to know the TTFA is ad­dress­ing its debts so very quick­ly. Per­haps we should see where all the for­mer, and in some cas­es, cur­rent na­tion­al coach­es have been paid. Some coach­es have come and gone in re­cent years and we hear of them bit­ter­ly com­plain­ing that they are owed mon­ey. I know pri­vate com­pa­nies are owed and some are in a le­gal bat­tle with the TTFA. But the TTFA is ap­par­ent­ly bet­ter off to­day in ad­dress­ing its debts. Re­al­ly?

At least some good came out of the in­ter­view when it was re­vealed that re­sults on the field “are not great at the mo­ment”. To be fac­tu­al, re­sults are poor. Let us go back to qual­i­fi­ca­tion for the World Cup and the fir­ing of the coach; the de­ba­cle with the women's na­tion­al team; the Un­der-20 and U-17 men's teams are strug­gling. Dis­as­ter af­ter dis­as­ter with our na­tion­al teams and we are start­ing to be the laugh­ing stock of the Caribbean while Ja­maica con­tin­ues to move up in all di­vi­sions.

Com­plaints of no fund­ing for prepa­ra­tion of the na­tion­al teams? What about spon­sors? Can the good­ly gen­tle­man tell me how many spon­sors are knock­ing down the door of the TTFA? Say what you wish about Cor­po­rate T&T but they know a good prod­uct when they see one and for years T&T foot­ball had been a good prod­uct. One just has to look back at the last 'Hex' qual­i­fy­ing stage when quite a few spon­sors came on board but as re­sults did not go our way, they moved away. Let us, how­ev­er, be re­al­is­tic; which cor­po­ra­tion would want to get in­volved in an or­gan­i­sa­tion shroud­ed in se­cre­cy and di­vid­ed with board mem­bers not trust­ing their leader?

I con­tin­ue to hope and pray that one day we will have a TTFA that en­gages far more with the stake­hold­ers in foot­ball. En­gage the me­dia (isn't there a me­dia re­la­tions of­fi­cer?) and care more for the peo­ple of T&T who so dear­ly love and sup­port foot­ball.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on December 14, 2018, 05:39:56 AM
TTFA gets extension for judicial review response.
By Jada Loutoo (Newsday).


THE TT Football Association (TTFA) has received additional time to respond to the judicial review claim of TT Super League president Keith Look Loy as he seeks to the association’s president, David John-Williams, to provide documents on the controversial “home of football” project.

At a brief hearing at the Hall of Justice, Port of Spain, this morning, Justice Ronnie Boodoosingh gave the TTFA until January 7 to file its response. Look Loy’s lawyers will have an opportunity to put in a reply on January 21. Submissions are to be filed by February 4 and both sides are to return to court on February 22.

Look Loy in his claim said he had made requests – acting as a member of the TTFA board and president of the TT Super League – for information on the Balmain, Couva project since December 26 last year.

He is represented by New City Chambers’ attorneys Matthew Gayle, Dr Emir Crowne and Sheriza Khan.

Look Loy is challenging John-Williams’ failure to permit himself and the other board members access to the TTFA ledger for November 2015 to the present; the contribution of FIFA, TTFA and Government to the project of constructing the technical centre in Balmain, Couva, and the overall budget for the project; the names of all companies and parties who submitted bids for construction of the project; the TTFA body or representative who selected the contractor and sub-contractors; the identity of the project manager; the name of the contractor and sub-contractors engaged; the quantum, duration and terms of all the project’s contracts; and the current financial and construction status of the project.

The grounds for the application include the fact that the TTFA is a public company that receives funding from the Government, Look Loy being president of the TT Super League, a body affiliated with the TTFA.

Look Loy has openly accused John-Williams of “taking full control” of the project, which is being funded by FIFA and built on land leased by the Government.

On July 10, Look Loy, through his attorneys, issued a pre-action protocol letter threatening court action against John-Williams if the specified documents were not presented by July 24.

The letter stated: “...Mr Look Loy sought disclosure of the contract awarded to the project manager and asked to examine the ledger of financial transactions for the period 1 January and 13 June 2018.

“Mr Look Loy has renewed his request for the above sought information on a number of occasions, both in writing and in person, including as recently as Sunday 1 July 2018. These calls for transparency have also been echoed by other key stake holders, including fellow board members: Clynt Taylor; Collin Partap; Jason Labon; Anthony Harford; and Steve Gopeesingh. This suggests a wider and more systematic lack of transparency, since as of the date of writing this letter, Mr Look Loy has not been given access to any of the sought documents or information.

“Furthermore, no rationale (sic) explanation has yet been forthcoming as to why Mr. Look Loy has not been given this information / documents. Nor has it been suggested that he is not entitled to review these documents on request.”

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on December 15, 2018, 01:48:09 AM
“Look Loy is passionate but he is not a strategist”; Wired868 reviews the TTFA AGM, as DJW prevails again.
By Lasana Liburd (Wired868).


“If the same attitude persists and the president [David John-Williams] continues with the same ‘onemanship’,” said one football member, who spoke on condition of anonymity. “Any board member can call for an extraordinary general meeting to move a vote of no confidence in the president.”

Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) president David John-Williams faced a motion for dismissal at Sunday’s reconvened AGM at the Hasely Crawford Stadium’s VIP room in Port of Spain.

In the end, John-Williams faced a considerably tamer motion, which commended him for his efforts on the controversial Home of Football project in Couva but further declared that: ‘the President be strongly censured for not communicating matters to the board as demanded by the constitution; and that the President be made to realise that any reoccurrence of this non-communication of matters to the board shall result in a motion of no confidence’.

The motion was moved by Trinidad and Tobago Football Referees Association (TTFRA) vice-president Osmond Downer and was a near replicate of his ‘warning’ to John-Williams at the last AGM.

On 13 June 2018, as members again tried to hold John-Williams accountable for several constitutional violations and a lack of transparency, Downer moved a motion to: ‘compliment the President for the yeomen effort he has given to advance our beloved game, but also censure the President for the way in which he approached the [Home of Football] project singlehandedly’.

TTFA board member and Trinidad and Tobago Super League president Keith Look Loy, whose FC Santa Rosa club tabled the motion to dismiss John-Williams, suggested the weaker motion that was passed effectively undid all his efforts.

“I will now have to consider if it is worth my time and effort to continue with what seems to be a futile action to bring good governance, clear vision and proper management to the TTFA,” Look Loy told Wired868. “It would seem that the majority of people are content to go ahead, despite their protestations about bad management.”

John-Williams’ term as president ends in November 2019, and, having faced his last AGM until then, he is favoured to survive now.

It is hard to remember a more unpopular sitting president. The W Connection owner is largely ignored by the private sector, openly criticised by national players and coaches, repeatedly rebuked by the TTFA board and abandoned by two of his three vice-presidents.

Yet, his ability to win an election remains undimmed.

Thirty-two of 47 eligible members showed up for Sunday’s AGM. Roughly 14 of those members—or 44 percent of the electorate present—were felt to be committed to moving the sitting president.

According to the constitution, Santa Rosa’s motion to dismiss John-Williams required 24 from those 34 members to declare they had enough. And that looked extremely unlikely from the start.

Northern Football Association (NFA) president Anthony Harford suggested that the average age of attendees at the AGM was 55; and many seemed disinterested in anything about football save for the cause they came to champion.

“Leaving the meeting my thoughts were that the people who are representing football in this country—the stakeholders—are completely out of touch,” said Harford. “People go to meetings and their partisan views are so entrenched that they don’t want to hear from other people. Nothing you say—even presenting them with facts—seems to sway them one way or the other.

“When someone says they are unhappy with something that is happening and want change, they call you a dissident and a rebel. But they sit there with their partisan views and do not contribute for the whole meeting.

“I think that is unfair to the youths of our country who are relying on us… Nobody in that room is going to kick another ball in their lives. Old people are sitting in meetings and not listening to the young people of Trinidad and Tobago.”

There was a way around the political mountain that Santa Rosa faced. The NFA proposed an amendment to the constitution, which suggested that the threshold to remove a president be shifted from 75 per cent to 51 per cent.

“The threshold for electing someone is a simple majority, so why should the threshold for removing someone be different to that?” said Harford, after tabling the motion. “But the argument is that it could become too flippant and as soon as somebody get you vex, you move them…”

With John-Williams’ supporters believed to be out in their numbers, it was clear that his critics were going to need some constitutional foreplay to succeed.

So when North East Stars official Michael Awai moved and passed a motion to suspend debate on all constitutional amendments—including a change in the threshold to move the president—until an unspecified date in January, John-Williams was almost home and dry.

“I didn’t think that the constitutional matter had anything to do with the removal of John-Williams,” said Harford. “My zone submitted the proposal for an amendment and I hope it is discussed and we come up with a good formula. I wouldn’t say we did to affect the motion for John-Williams; and I don’t think any of us seriously thought [the motion to dismiss the president] would work.

“We were hoping that people could speak [on the no confidence motion] and discuss their view on our leadership.”

There was more pointing at the constitution over the future of general secretary Justin Latapy-George, who the president advised to start job hunting since October. John-Williams’ apparent loss of faith in his general secretary coincided with Latapy-George’s revelation—barely two weeks earlier—that the president asked him to deceive the board regarding the status of his former vice-president Joanne Salazar.

“We asked about Latapy-George’s job situation and John-Williams said the [contract] discussions are ongoing,” said Harford. “It was suggested to David that he should align the secretary’s tenure with the president’s tenure; so if he has one year to go, he should only have a secretary for one year, so there are none of the issues like with [former general secretary] Sheldon Phillips—whose contract outlasted the tenure of the president who hired him, Raymond Tim Kee.

“We also informed David that it was his right to propose but not to hire, so we informed him of the correct procedure.”

John-Williams has appeared blissfully unaware of the TTFA constitution at times. But he seemed to have the jump of his interrogators on the weekend, regarding his general secretary.

The football president pointed to article 36(f) of the constitution which stated that the board of directors: “shall appoint or dismiss the General Secretary on the proposal of the President.”

Downer, one of the framers of the constitution, got flustered, according to observers.

“That is an error; it should be shall consider the appointment of dismissal of the General Secretary on the proposal of the President,” Downer told the meeting. “Otherwise why go to the board with it at all? It must be up to the board to make the final consideration for appointment or dismissal; otherwise the president can select anybody he wants—even members of his family—and it must be done because of the word ‘shall’.”

Downer passed a motion that John-Williams ‘takes into consideration the views expressed at the meeting concerning the efficiency of his secretary [Latapy-George]’ and the football president agreed.

But history would suggest that John-Williams is happy enough to enforce his will on far flimsier ground on that. But sources noted that former TTSL general secretary Camara David has been a regular presence around the football president; and was an observer at the AGM.

Look Loy also raised the future of National Senior Team head coach Dennis Lawrence and John-Williams’ attempt to have the coach’s contract renewed via email, to fend off supposed interest from England National League club, Wrexham AFC.

“The point raised by Keith is that he wants see Lawrence’s contract, his terms of employment and be able to assess his performance before he can decide,” said Harford. “Dennis is a local boy and nobody wants to get rid of Dennis; but the right thing is the right thing. We told [NFA board representative] Rayshawn Mars to do all those things and we trust him to make the right decision; we told him he shouldn’t respond based on an email.”

John-Williams promised to address Lawrence’s potential renewal at a board meeting but, noticeably, still has not called one. It is already six days since the Welsh press suggested that Wrexham were interested in the Soca Warriors head coach.

If the TTFA president really was desperate to ensure he didn’t lose Lawrence’s services, he has a funny way of showing it.

Harford also raised the position of former TTFA official Delyse Joseph, who was due severance payment of TT$196,000 when she was retired last Christmas; but, to date, has received just TT$30,000.

Joseph, according to Harford, recently received an eviction notice from her landlord. However, John-Williams’ position was simply that the TTFA did not have the money to pay her.

“[Joseph’s situation] was brought to the TTFA’s attention, they promised to help and nothing happened,” said Harford. “This is a case of bad leadership and what irks me—and why I supported Keith’s motion—is it appears to me that honour, decency, fidelity and morality has left the TTFA. You can’t be doing this to people day in day out while putting all your energy into an inordinate object.

“We are not going to be penalised if we don’t finish the Home of Football in time. So why not take some money from that and keep people happy?”

It was time to deal with Santa Rosa’s motion to dismiss John-Williams; and to debate the football president’s leadership.

Look Loy and SSFL president William Wallace spoke about the lack of transparent leadership, the failure of the football teams and an array of missteps by the football president.

Board member Anthony Moore and Awai praised John-Williams’ work on the Home of Football and in supposedly addressing debt inherited from his predecessor, Tim Kee, while Eastern Football Association (EFA) representative Dharia Nelson-Seales wondered ‘who they would put’ if they moved him.

Anthony Clarke—a former W Connection goalkeeper and contractor who comments under the sobriquet ‘Cla Tones’ on Facebook—supposedly spoke for over 30 minutes with a long defence that was allegedly halted on a few occasions to deal with inaccuracies in his presentation.

“Clarke was talking about a representative board selected by the president,” said the anonymous source. “But our constitution is drawn up so members are assured of a say and representation on the board. He was making this long speech but it was clear that he didn’t even know the constitution.”

Downer followed up Clarke’s soliloquy with a subtle put-down.

“I was waiting for the President to answer the accusations,” said Downer. “But from the way the last speaker spoke, it was as if he were a lawyer representing the President.”

John-Williams, for his part, did a remix of his oft-repeated speech about the importance of a Home of Football and his work in cutting the debt left behind by Tim Kee—notwithstanding the number of successful lawsuits brought against the football body during his term.

Arguably, it did not matter much on the day. John-Williams was virtually assured of an electoral win.

Regardless, Look Loy wanted a referendum on the president’s leadership.

“Win, lose or draw, FC Santa Rosa wanted a vote on the motion to dismiss the president,” said Look Loy. “It was irrelevant if it succeeded or not, we wanted the members of the AGM to go on the record to give their view on the President.”

But Look Loy did not even get that much. Instead, as the meeting prepared to vote on the motion to dismiss John-Williams, Downer proposed a counter-motion to ‘censure’ the football president instead, which was seconded by Awai.

Downer’s full motion read:

“Whereas at the General Meeting of 13 June 2018, a motion was passed that the President be complimented on his valiant efforts to improve the state of football in the country, with a special reference to the creation of the Home of Football, and that in the same motion, the President was censured for not properly communicating with the Board, as he should do in all matters, according to the Constitution; and seeing that at present, the President should be again complimented on his continuing efforts as fore-mentioned.

“But, because of his continuing inadequate non-communication on all matters concerning these football projects, that the President be strongly reminded of the previous decision of censure and be made aware that any indication of such non-communication on the part of the President in the future will be treated as serious enough to engender a fulsome motion of no-confidence in the President.”

So, instead of deciding the future of the TTFA president, the AGM voted on whether it preferred Santa Rosa’s motion or Downer’s. And, by 24 votes to 7, Downer’s motion prevailed.

“Look Loy is passionate but he is not a strategist,” said the anonymous football member. “He would have lost that vote easily; and then ‘Mr Man’ would go out and say ‘the annual general meeting absolved me and gave me a vote of confidence’. So what Downer did was have the meeting’s dissatisfaction placed on record and gave members another chance to move on John-Williams if his behaviour did not improve.

“The President brought out all his sycophants and the politics just were not good for Look Loy.”

The Santa Rosa owner was inconsolable.

“This weak counter motion was tantamount to a vote against the motion to dismiss,” said Look Loy, “and a vote in favour of John-Williams!”

Harford conceded that John-Williams would have been the happiest person at the end of Sunday’s meeting.

“If people want to interpret that as a vote, then David is in firm control of the TTFA,” said the NFA president. “This is democracy; if the people want it then so be it. I am okay with that. At the end of the day, I am glad to offer some public service and do it to the best of my ability.”

Look Loy told Wired868 that he was not sure why he still bothered.

“I now have to consider whether I want to continue in football politics which I despise—which is why I declared I did not want to be the football president,” he said. “And I will go so far as to say I will even consider whether I chose to continue as Super League president or whether I should let the critics run the Super League.

“If after all that has transpired, people still want to leave it there with two raps on the knuckle, I have to consider whether it is worth my struggle. So no hard feelings; but I have other things I can do with my time.”

Harford complained that the array of agenda items for the AGM meant too much time was spent on mundane issues and it became a test of endurance to stay alert for the important stuff.

He noted that, yet again, John-Williams completed an AGM without addressing burning questions being asked by members for over a year.

“The major issues are still unresolved: we still don’t know who the contractors for the Home of Football are; and we still don’t know about the i95.5FM contract,” said Harford. “We have 41 radio stations in the country and 40 are being denied the chance to tender for what i95.5 has. We must be the only football jurisdiction in the entire world where we pay for journalists to travel, stay in hotels, eat with our teams and cover a game and then we don’t see a cent of their revenue.

“We have asked a multitude of times to see that contract and still can’t see it. I have no issue with Tony Lee and Andre Baptiste. I am just saying the other 40 media houses should be given a chance to tender too and if i95.5 are the best, then fine.

“But when I raise the issue, people look at you like ‘why you don’t hush and sit down’. I am not against John-Williams as a person; he might be a fine man. But I am totally against his leadership style.”

On the weekend, though, roughly 75 percent of the members present voted to give John-Williams another chance to ‘improve his communication’ on the job. There is unlikely to be another chance for a referendum on the football president before the 2019 TTFA election.

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Deeks on December 15, 2018, 07:23:34 PM
How pathetic! Contro.. I hope you have your people ready to deal with this guy and his cohorts.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: asylumseeker on December 15, 2018, 09:55:10 PM
So ... did Downer enable John-Williams or was he acknowledging political reality?
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Deeks on December 15, 2018, 10:11:55 PM
So ... did Downer enable John-Williams or was he acknowledging political reality?

Somewhere down the middle.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on December 19, 2018, 05:55:05 AM
TTFA on verge of Equatorial Guinea, Serbia friendlies.
By Walter Alibey (Guardian).


There will be no foot­ball for T&T's War­riors if it is not free.

T&T Foot­ball As­so­ci­a­tion (TTFA) pres­i­dent David John-Williams shared this yes­ter­day as he again con­firmed the sad fi­nan­cial state of af­fairs of his as­so­ci­a­tion.

"It (TTFA) is in the red," John-Williams said.

In spite of this, how­ev­er, his ne­go­ti­at­ing skills has land­ed the War­riors on the verge of friend­lies against Ser­bia and Equa­to­r­i­al Guinea next year. And Guardian Me­dia Sports learned that John-Williams is al­so locked in talks with a top Span­ish La Liga club, as well as Scot­land for match­es.

Af­ter two in­ter­na­tion­al friend­ly match­es against Thai­land and Iran, the em­bat­tled foot­ball as­so­ci­a­tion has not paid a sin­gle cent but has suc­cess­ful­ly arranged for its team to face Wales in Wrex­ham, Eng­land on March 20.

John-Williams is al­so set to sign on the dot­ted line to con­firm the match with Equa­to­r­i­al Guinea al­so in March in Spain, which will co­in­cide with a meet­ing be­tween Scot­land and Kaza­khstan.

The War­riors, it is un­der­stood will al­so play against the "Scots" in Mara­bel­la, Spain, once fi­nal arrange­ments have been sort­ed out.

The lo­cal foot­ball boss told Guardian Me­dia Sports his as­so­ci­a­tion is al­so still in talks with Ser­bia for a match on Feb­ru­ary next year, right here in Trinidad.

"We are at­tempt­ing to get Ser­bia to pay its own air­fare but we will take care of ac­com­mo­da­tion, meals and ap­pear­ance fee. To achieve this we have to get a spon­sor and are at­tempt­ing to do so right now," said John-Williams, who ruled out the use of the Home of Foot­ball in Bal­main, Cou­va, to house the Ser­bians as it will not be com­plet­ed in time.

He said be­cause the as­so­ci­a­tion has ab­solute­ly no mon­ey in its cof­fers, it has had to ask the fed­er­a­tions of teams the War­riors are play­ing in, to pay its ex­pens­es.

"Apart from the all-ex­pens­es-paid trips, the team (War­riors) al­so re­ceive ap­pear­ance fees, which we use to pay the play­ers their match fees. Be­cause of the lit­tle to no fund­ing in the cof­fers of the TTFA, we have had to re­sort to this," John-Williams said.

He not­ed that al­though on­ly two match­es have been con­firmed to date, he will give a guar­an­tee that the team will play a min­i­mum of at least four good in­ter­na­tion­al friend­ly match­es be­fore the CON­CA­CAF Gold Cup.

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Deeks on December 19, 2018, 07:25:03 AM
I am not trying to be picky, but it is Marbella, not Marabella as is in TT. They both mean the same thing though. "beautiful sea".
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on December 20, 2018, 05:42:18 AM
Look Loy: Money woes reflect instability within TTFA.
By Joel Bailey (Newsday).


KEITH LOOK LOY, president of the TT Super League, has bemoaned the instability within the TT Football Association (TTFA), after members of the national men’s team called on TTFA president David John-Williams to pay outstanding match fees, for the period October 2017 till now.

Last week, the T&T futsal team were awarded victory at the High Court over outstanding salaries. There were also complaints by members of both the T&T women’s and men’s Under-20 squad about the lack of respect shown to them, ahead of World Cup qualifiers, by the local governing body.

“This is not the first national team to find themselves in a crisis and in a freefall,” said Look Loy yesterday. “This is further evidence of complete mismanagement.

“The players are saying that the TTFA cannot be trusted,” Look Loy added. “That’s a terrible indictment, not only on the TTFA but the (leadership). We’re looking bad.”

He continued, “When we look at what happened with the futsal team, (the TTFA) are sending us into frivolous legal matters that (they) cannot win. (John-Williams) is not receiving the approval of the Board to do this and we have to pay extraordinary sums of money.”

The Super League president noted, “When you get to the point where players (are) speaking publicly, you know the point of desperation that they have reached.”

If the players indeed go on strike, it will severely impact the immediate plans of T&T coach Dennis Lawrence, whose contract is set to expire in January.

“This will be a terrible blow to the image of (the) TTFA and T&T football,” Look Loy said. “No player goes on strike easy because they want to play.”

He added, “The situation with the coach is up in the air. Nobody knows what is happening with that. John-Williams is refusing to bring a discussion on Lawrence’s future to the board. The board has to make a technical (and) financial analysis to decide if to keep Lawrence in place or bring in somebody new.”

The CONCACAF Gold Cup is set to take place from June 15 to July 7.

According to Look Loy, “With the Gold Cup on the horizon, to have a coach who doesn’t know what his future is, players (who) don’t know what their future is, and the president is busy arranging matches that the players are saying they’re not going to play. It is farcical.

“It is a reflection of the instability in the management of the TTFA, and the management of all our teams,” he added.

After their participation at the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany, 13 members of the then “Soca Warriors” sued the TTFA over unfulfilled promises and bonuses. The players were awarded an interim payment of US$1.14 million by the High Court in March 2011.

“When you make an agreement with players, then you have to fulfil your side of the bargain,” Look Loy said. “The players who sued in 2006 and the players who’re threatening to strike now are justified.”

With regards to the Home of Football project at Balmain, Couva, Look Loy refused to be drawn into speculation that the venture has been given prominence by the TTFA, at the expense of various T&T teams.

“That is speculation until it could be proven, and that is why I have been demanding, (since 2017) Boxing Day, documents. And I can’t see them yet. But we have programmes in the TTFA that are sponsored, and people are not being paid,” Look Loy said. “That is all part of the lack of transparency in the Association.”

Look Loy also mentioned the reconvened Annual General Meeting (AGM) at the VIP room, Hasely Crawford Stadium, Mucurapo on December 9, when he failed to gather support from TTFA board members for a motion to dismiss John-Williams.

“We have those who’re benefitting from what’s happening, those who’re afraid to vote because they’re afraid to be victimised and we have those who just don’t know any better, and that allows (the leadership) to continue.”

Repeated attempts to reach John-Williams for a comment proved futile up to press time last evening.

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: asylumseeker on December 27, 2018, 07:06:36 PM
Downer: John-Williams cannot force a general secretary on the TTFA Board
Letter to the Editor, Wired868


Trinidad and Tobago Football Referees Association (TTFRA) vice-president and former St Augustine Secondary principal Osmond Downer, one of the framers of the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) constitution, explains why football president David John-Williams cannot unilaterally decide on the fate of the TTFA general secretary:

At the reconvened AGM of the TTFA held on 9 December 2018, the following motion was accepted by unanimous vote of the delegates present: “That the AGM expresses satisfaction with the work of the General Secretary during his tenure and will exhort the President to take this into account in considering the renewal of the contract of the General Secretary.”

When this motion was adopted, the President gave the impression to the meeting that [he] has all the say in the appointment or dismissal of the General Secretary. Colleagues, according to the Constitution of the TTFA. This is certainly not not correct.

Article 39.3 of the Constitution states: “Only the President may propose the appointment or dismissal of the General Secretary.”

Now, the Oxford English Dictionary defines the word “propose” as follows: “To put forward for consideration” or “to nominate as a candidate.”

“Propose” does not mean “select” or “elect.”

To whom does the President put forward  a nominee for consideration  in a matter of appointment or dismissal of a General Secretary? The answer is, according to the Constitution, “The Board of Directors of the TTFA.”

Article 36(f) on the Powers of the Board of Directors states “shall appoint or dismiss the General Secretary on the proposal of the President”.

Now, therefore, who considers the appointment or dismissal of the General Secretary? The answer is “the Board of Directors.”

The President only puts forward to the board his proposals for the consideration of the Board and it is the Board that makes the decision whether to accept or not accept the President’s proposal: “The Board shall appoint or dismiss…”

The President’s only—but important—function here is to propose and nothing else. The Board, in this matter, can reject the President’s proposal; [but] the Board cannot, on its own, make an appointment or termination. The Board must then refer the matter back to the President for him to make another proposal for the consideration of the Board of Directors and for its decision.

I trust that this matter has now been clarified for all concerned.
Title: TTFA must solve outstanding debts problems
Post by: Tallman on December 28, 2018, 02:44:54 AM
TTFA must solve outstanding debts problems
By Alvin Corneal (T&T Guardian)


For yet an­oth­er time play­ers have been forced to take the T&T Foot­ball As­so­ci­a­tion to Court for monies owed to them af­ter promis­es were made. Why this con­tin­ues to hap­pen, why?

On this oc­ca­sion, it's the Fut­sal staff and play­ers who turned to the le­gal route to force the TTFA to ho­n­our a promise made back in 2015.

And I am sure there are many oth­ers which in­clude busi­ness­es just wait­ing in the wings to have their mat­ter set­tled for monies al­so owed to them.

It will be un­fair to say that this se­ri­ous fi­nan­cial dilem­ma has just start­ed, which means that pre­vi­ous ad­min­is­tra­tions are equal­ly to be blamed for not ho­n­our­ing some long-out­stand­ing debts to its play­ers, staff and busi­ness­es.

The dif­fer­ence be­tween these mat­ters and the in­debt­ed­ness could on­ly be drawn by the fact that some of the pre­vi­ous ad­min­is­tra­tions were mak­ing ef­forts to ho­n­our their com­mit­ments in small ways, leav­ing the re­cip­i­ents in hope that they will be even­tu­al­ly paid.

This cur­rent ad­min­is­tra­tion has not done a sat­is­fac­to­ry job in their re­pay­ment pat­tern.

Maybe they did not re­alise that when they took of­fice, all the pre­vi­ous debts were now in their hands. That is the case. The list of coach­es, play­ers, of­fice em­ploy­ees and clubs have suf­fered im­mense­ly, as they were ac­tu­al­ly de­prived of leav­ing hun­gry play­ers and staff mem­bers cash-less and un­able to feed their fam­i­lies.

For­eign coach­es were em­ployed here for pe­ri­ods of time, on­ly to re­alise that they will have to re­port di­rect­ly to FI­FA in or­der to re­ceive their pay­ments. Un­for­tu­nate­ly, the lo­cal em­ploy­ees have not been so for­tu­nate to ask for the fi­nan­cial re­turns from the work they have done.

The sit­u­a­tion had reached se­ri­ous pro­por­tions and the en­tire pub­lic are be­moan­ing the lack of funds for the debtors to build a huge ho­tel on a piece of land next to the Ato Boldon Sta­di­um in Cou­va.

Dur­ing the time of the com­mence­ment of the build­ing, na­tion­al foot­ballers have been ho­n­our­ing their com­mit­ment to the coun­try on the field of play, and have not been paid, which has now brought them to refuse well in ad­vance of play­ing friend­lies against Wales and oth­ers un­til they are ful­ly paid.

My ques­tion is: does it not wor­ry the Sports Com­pa­ny, the Min­istry of Sport, and al­so the TTOC that the im­age of our ma­jor team sport has gained so many neg­a­tives be­cause of this aw­ful predica­ment?

How­ev­er, I solid­ly blame the Clubs in this coun­try for this cur­rent sit­u­a­tion, sim­ply be­cause this state of af­fairs has not re­cent­ly been de­vel­oped and they (the clubs) have not made a sin­gle ef­fort to seek ur­gent en­quiries from qual­i­fied per­son­nel as to why the pay­ments for their labour have been ig­nored against a mas­sive gift by FI­FA to build a ho­tel. The stake­hold­ers should re­view the fi­nance at hand and seek per­mis­sion to ask FI­FA to pay at­ten­tion to the peo­ple and coach­es who play the match­es for our na­tion­al teams over the ur­gency of the ho­tel, even if it was to start the ho­tel for com­ple­tion in parts, to en­sure that the fi­nanc­ing of in­ter­na­tion­al match­es would take place.

Have the TTFA in­formed the clubs and pub­lic at large as to whether these pro league clubs and Su­per League or­gan­i­sa­tions have paid their reg­is­tra­tion fees, their ref­er­ees, and oth­er in­ci­den­tals such as se­cu­ri­ty for the pro­tec­tion of the fans.? If so, what have the sec­re­tari­at done with these funds?

And just in case any­one be­lieve that this in­for­ma­tion is not nec­es­sary for pub­lic ex­po­sure, I make no apolo­gies to ad­mit proof for some clubs win­ning prize monies in com­pe­ti­tions and did not re­ceive his or her win­nings.

Hav­ing been on the man­age­ment com­mit­tees of both Foot­ball and Crick­et, I can vouch for the fact that these prob­lems have ex­ist­ed for many years and we still seem un­able to find a per­ma­nent so­lu­tion. The qual­i­ty of our sports lead­ers was solid­ly com­pe­tent in their du­ties and play­ers were hap­py to rep­re­sent their coun­try in both sports, al­though there was no salary of­fered to play­ers, ex­cept for a five dol­lar per day for Crick­et.

On tour, our trans­port was com­fort­able, our meals were ex­cel­lent, and I have nev­er heard a play­er com­plain about mon­ey.

Are we so naive that we will con­tin­ue to say noth­ing of the in­com­pe­tence of mod­ern-day man­age­ment and just al­low the qual­i­ty of our ma­jor sports to de­cline south­wards to an al­ready unimag­in­able depth?

Our peo­ple love their sports. If you doubt me, just vis­it their homes dur­ing World Cup Foot­ball, World ICC crick­et, plus the en­ter­tain­ment that they en­joy from the out­side world of Foot­ball, Crick­et, Track and Field, Swim­ming, Box­ing, Field hock­ey for men and women.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on December 31, 2018, 11:13:05 AM
Off-field issues plague the ‘beautiful game’.
By Joel Bailey (Newsday).


OFF-FIELD issues were the common theme for football in TT during 2018, with problems affecting national teams, the Pro League, the Super League and, most importantly, the local governing body TT Football Association (TTFA).

Hardly a fortnight went by without any news which painted local football in a bad light.

A number of times, fingers were pointed at TTFA president David John-Williams, who did himself no favours by his reluctance to address contentious matters within his own organisation.

One such matter was the Home of Football project, at Balmain, Couva, which is located next to three major sporting venues – the Ato Boldon Stadium, the National Aquatic Centre and the National Cycling Velodrome.

Throughout the year, certain members of the TTFA, including Keith Look Loy (TT Super League president), Selby Browne (president of the Veterans Football Federation) and Anthony Harford (head of the Northern Football Association), tried unsuccessfully to get John-Williams to offer any form of transparency on his project.

Among the questions repeatedly asked were the contributions of FIFA, TTFA and Government towards the project, companies who submitted bids, the names of the project manager and contractor/sub-contractors and terms of contracts, and the financial status of the project.

In a Newsday article dated November 8, John-Williams told reporter Ryan Hamilton-Davis, during a tour of the facility, that a US $2.5 million (TT $16.85 million) grant was given to the TTFA. The TTFA boss said that the Home of Football was the first fully-funded FIFA Forward project.

He said then, “I have absolutely no problem with transparency in this project. But we took a different approach that a lot of people are not too happy with.”

A stain on the image of local football occurred on December 13 when members (players and technical staff) of the national futsal team were awarded TT $475,743 plus interest at three per cent per annum, after a two-year lawsuit against the TTFA for unpaid salaries, match fees, per diems and expenses for the 2016 CONCACAF Futsal Championships in Costa Rica.

The TTFA was also ordered to pay the legal costs of the futsal team, valued at TT $69,200.

The case revolved around an oral agreement made between team coach and former Strike Squad captain Clayton Morris and John-Williams’ predecessor Raymond Tim Kee.

But the TTFA adopted a stance that the agreement was done before John-Williams took up office (in December 2015) and was in violation of Article 36(j) of their constitution, which gives the board of directors the sole authority to select technical staff for a national team.

In November, the TTFA agreed to pay $207,174.88 to the Metro Hotel in Couva, in 12 equal instalments, to cover the costs for accommodation and meals for the TT Under-20 team and the Barbados men’s team, for various periods, between January and April 2017.

Controversy also followed a pair of national women teams, ahead of respective CONCACAF Championships in the United States.

Ahead of the CONCACAF Women’s Championship in October, defenders Lauryn Hutchinson and Arin King took to social media to call for support for the TT women’s programme, as well as assistance for a pre-tournament camp in Richmond, Virginia.

That team featured three people (Jamaal Shabazz, Anton Corneal and Shawn Cooper) holding the positions as coach during this year.

However, they failed in their bid to qualify for the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup in France.

The national Under-15s did not even kick a ball in their CONCACAF tournament as they were denied access to travel to the US, in August, due to the lack of visas.

US Embassy Charge d’Affaires John McIntyre condemned John-Williams for his lack of planning regarding the team’s visa applications.

“(John)-Williams and the TTFA just flat out dropped the ball on the visa process,” said McIntyre, in a media release. “Our Embassy for months noted that individuals and groups should plan well in advance for any trips to the USA. Many groups have successfully travelled to the USA by being prepared and planning in advance.”

The men’s team were active on most FIFA match dates, but their on-field results were average at best.

In six matches, the Dennis Lawrence-coached team won twice (1-0 away to Guadeloupe and 2-0 away to the United Arab Emirates), drew once (a goalless result away to Martinique) and lost three (1-0 at home to Panama, and 1-0 away to Iran and Thailand).

Lawrence, whose two-year-long contract is set expire in January, was touted as the next manager of his former club Wrexham FC in Wales. However, the TTFA issued a media release emphatically stating that Lawrence would not have any talks with Wrexham over the vacancy (which was eventually filled by Graham Barrow).

Lawrence may have a problem on his hands in the foreseeable future as members of his TT squad have threatened to go on strike over their failure to receive match fees, since October 2017, from the TTFA.

National youth teams also faced problems ahead of CONCACAF Qualifiers, and the end-results were disappointing.

The men’s Under-20 team, coached by Russell Latapy, barely had any training session before their Championship in the US in November, and they failed to progress to the 2019 FIFA Under-20 World Cup in Poland.

At home, in January, the national women’s Under-17s, under the guidance of Shabazz, lost all three matches, in the group stage, of their CONCACAF qualifiers.

The three main local leagues – Pro League, Super League and Secondary Schools League, were contested this year.

In the Pro League, W Connection captured their sixth league trophy while Central FC claimed the First Citizens Cup.

FC Santa Rosa triumphed in the Super League, with Cunupia FC taking home the Cup title.

And, in the Secondary Schools League, Naparima walked away with the treble – Premier Division, South Zone Intercol and National Intercol crowns.

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: kounty on December 31, 2018, 05:20:45 PM
I am not trying to be picky, but it is Marbella, not Marabella as is in TT. They both mean the same thing though. "beautiful sea".
what about Wrex­ham, Eng­land?
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Sando prince on January 01, 2019, 02:37:25 PM

.
At this stage in TnT we want our next football President to be a man/woman who has a history and already relationships within the private sector. Someone who is professional, someone who is business oriented, someone with a long term vision of success and will implant the necessary elements in our football instructor to develop and seek talent from the grassroots level, Like I said before someone who is "professional" so no issues with having players and coaches paid on time. Someone who will hold himself/herself accountable and hold the men and women beneath him accountable. Someone who will use his private sector experience to help bring forth sponsorship support for national and youth football programs. Someone who is UP TO DATE with TODAY's aspect marketing TT football, which means he will understand the value of social media, television, internet, mainstream radio to intensify momentum behind the national team for future games.

Someone who knows their NO DAMN coach in Trinidad right now that can take our national men and women team out of the deep hole we have thrown ourselves in recent years therefore we need a capable proven foreign coach with his team and he needs to be given full support without any negative interference from the old boys local coaches club or from the TTFA administration. Someone who will have a young local coach eager to learn as an assistant under this foreign coach therefore , once again like I said someone with long term vision will understand this

In the end we do not need someone who has football experience per say, he never had to be a coach or football player.
.

Let me repeat again since win in the midst of TTFA Administrative woes and players unpaid for more than a year
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on January 04, 2019, 06:09:16 AM
TTFA pays four match fees but Warriors maintain strike threat; DJW urged to reveal contracts with foreign FAs.
By Lasana Liburd (Wired868).


The Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) has paid match fees to its Men’s National Senior Team players for four of six outstanding games, although president David John-Williams is believed to remain some distance from mending his relationship with the Soca Warriors.

On Tuesday 18 December, Wired868 revealed exclusively that the TTFA owed players for outings against Mexico (6 October 2017), USA (10 October 2017), Grenada (11 November 2017), United Arab Emirates (6 September 2018), Thailand (14 October 2018) and Iran (15 November 2018).

The players were owed US$1,500 for their World Cup qualifying win over the United States and US$1,000 for their qualifying loss to Mexico, while all their remaining matches were valued at US$300 each.

On the same day of Wired868’s report, a player—who spoke on condition of anonymity—said John-Williams finally authorised payment for their games away to Thailand and Iran. Ironically, the controversial administrator then paid for the Mexico and UAE fixtures within hours of our second story on Christmas Eve. As a result, this article was updated to reflect the fact that the TTFA has now paid four match fees, as opposed to two.

However, thus far, the Warriors remain adamant that they will not represent their country in a friendly international away to Wales on 20 March 2019 unless the TTFA wipes out its entire debt to players and staff, which was given at TT$707,000 before last week’s payment.

Even if the TTFA’s meets its financial obligation to players on time, there is growing dissent regarding the US$300 match fees offered by John-Williams, which is less than a third of the US$1,000 per game provided by his predecessor, Raymond Tim Kee.

Last November, Minnesota United attacking midfielder Kevin Molino allegedly refused to play for the current match fee. And, after John-Williams boasted about getting his players to accept the vastly reduced sum—during a TV6 interview—at least one other overseas-based player vowed to join Molino on the sidelines in 2019.

An anonymous National Senior Team player said they will again approach John-Williams on the matter. Last November, the players asked the TTFA to at least pay US$800 per game. Several players told Wired868 that the football president promised to pay US$500 and to raise the fee to US$600, as soon as the body’s financial health improved.

However, John-Williams allegedly reneged on his verbal proposal and continued to offer US$300 match fees.

“We have to speak about match fees,” said the player. “I don’t think much of the players are willing to play for US$300 anymore.”

Part of the players’ concern is that the TTFA received appearance fees from their away matches against the UAE, Thailand and Iran. So why were they not immediately paid from that money?

Board member Keith Look Loy confirmed that the TTFA’s match contracts were never brought before the board and, over the weekend, he urged John-Williams to be transparent about financial arrangements for the international games.

“I have read with alarm recent reports regarding he non-payment of outstanding match fees to MSNT players, dating back to our last WC 2020 qualifying match against USA,” Look Loy stated in a letter to John-Williams, which was copied to the entire board. “As we are all aware, the TTFA Board has had no involvement with the recent round of international friendlies being played by our SMNT, nor has it approved any contact for same.

“I would, therefore, appreciate a copy of any contract for the matches played recently, or to be played in 2019, i.e. against Thailand, UAE, Iran, Wales.

“Further, given the problems with the participation of our national teams at all levels in international competition, I wish to know how you propose [the] TTFA should proceed on this front in 2019 and beyond.

“I await your response.”

Thus far, John-Williams has not responded to his board or Wired868 regarding the unpaid fees or international match contracts for National Senior Team matches.

John-Williams further irked local stakeholders last week when he travelled to the FIFA Forward Programme 2.0 Workshop at Barbados’ Hilton hotel with former Trinidad and Tobago Super League (TTSL) general secretary Camara David for company.

According to FIFA, the workshop—which is meant to bring member associations “up to speed with the new funding opportunities available”—is designed for “presidents, general secretaries, development officers and finance directors” of the various associations.

However, John-Williams did not invite current general secretary Justin Latapy-George and took David instead.

John-Williams and Latapy-George have had a strained relationship over the past three months with the TTFA general secretary sensationally revealing, two months ago, that his president ordered him to hide the resignation of vice-president Joanne Salazar from the board.

John-Williams subsequently advised Latapy-George, whose contract expired last month, to start looking for a new job. The football president is expected to decide on the general secretary matter when the marathon AGM ends with the final reconvened meeting next month.

In the TTFA’s reconvened AGM on 9 December, Trinidad and Tobago Football Referees Association vice-president Osmond Downer moved a motion urging John-Williams to take Latapy-George’s satisfactory work into account when considering the renewal of his contract.

The meeting voted in favour of the motion.

Look Loy suggested that John-Williams’ decision to take David—who is widely regarded as the president’s new man of business and general secretary-in-waiting—to the FIFA workshop was disrespectful to the will of the membership and classless, considering that Latapy-George remains on the job.

“The continuous duplicity of DJW is a stain on our country, our football and our football association,” Look Loy told Wired868. “How is it possible that the leaders of football—the members of the ttfa board and general meeting—could continue to accept the president’s never ending disrespect for the constitution and institutions of the TTFA, even in the face of his almost daily mismanagement and deceit?

“Camara David does not exist within the framework of our football. He holds no office nor is he employed anywhere in football. Surely, his tagging along with DJW to Barbados was an act completely lacking in ethics and legality.

“[…] The blame for all of DJW’s shenanigans rests squarely on the drooping shoulders of the TTFA board and the TTFA general meeting, which both refuse to rein him in, and dismiss him as he should be.”

Central Football Association (CFA) general secretary Clynt Taylor also called for clarity from John-Williams on the fate of his general secretary while FC Santa Rosa official Jason Laban described the TTFA president’s behaviour as grossly disrespectful.

However if, as expected, John-Williams recommends that David replace Latapy-George next month, he will have some support from the TTFA constitution.

At the reconvened AGM earlier this month, the John-Williams pointed to article 36(f) of the constitution which states that the board of directors: “shall appoint or dismiss the General Secretary on the proposal of the President.”

Downer, one of the framers of the constitution, told John-Williams then that his interpretation of his powers on the issue was a violation of the spirit of the constitution.

“That is an error; it should be shall consider the appointment of dismissal of the General Secretary on the proposal of the President,” Downer told the meeting. “Otherwise why go to the board with it at all? It must be up to the board to make the final consideration for appointment or dismissal; otherwise the president can select anybody he wants—even members of his family—and it must be done because of the word ‘shall’.”

Without an amendment to the constitution, John-Williams is likely to win that war although it could mean that David’s official tenure starts on awkward footing.

David, arguably, has already began to act as general secretary, even with Latapy-George still on the job.

Editor’s Note: TTFA president David John-Williams completed payment of match fees for the Mexico and UAE friendlies AFTER our second report on the issue on 24 December. This article has been updated to reflect the football body’s current liability to its players.

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on January 11, 2019, 04:17:34 PM
Confusion as TTFA fails to pay match fees to 10 players; Ranjitsingh among blanked Warriors.
By Lasana Liburd (Wired868).


Relations between Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) president David John-Williams and the National Senior Team are in danger of deteriorating further, after the discovery that roughly half of the squad were not paid match fees for internationals against Mexico and the United Arab Emirates in 2017 and 2018 respectively.

On 14 December 2018, four Soca Warriors revealed to Wired868 that they were waiting for as long as 14 months for match fees from international duty against: Mexico (6 October 2017), USA (10 October 2017), Grenada (11 November 2017), United Arab Emirates (6 September 2018), Thailand (14 October 2018) and Iran (15 November 2018).

Trinidad and Tobago’s 2-1 World Cup qualifying win over USA on 10 October 2017 was easily the most high profile result in three years under the John-Williams administration. Yet to date, the local football body has not paid the promised US$1,000 match fee plus US$500 win bonus for the affair.

Just hours after the initial story was published, John-Williams authorised payments for friendlies against Thailand and Iran—both controversially valued at US$300 each—while, on Christmas Eve, payments were made for the Mexico (US$1,000) and UAE (US$300) outings as well.

However, a reliable source close to the local football body revealed that 10 players were surprisingly overlooked during the latter pay-out.

There was no apparent pattern to the omissions as the players were a combination of overseas-based and local-based and several received money for other matches earlier that month, so the football body had their accurate bank information.

The 10 unpaid players, according to the source, are: team captain Khaleem Hyland, Leston Paul, Kevan George, Trevin Caesar, Ataulla Guerra, Marvin Phillip, Daneil Cyrus, Joevin Jones, Aubrey David and Greg Ranjitsingh.

The 25 year old Ranjitsingh, who was born in Toronto and qualifies to play for Trinidad and Tobago and Canada, was recently snapped up by US Major League Soccer (MLS) club, Orlando City.

He is still uncapped by the Soca Warriors and has not rejoined coach Dennis Lawrence’s squad since the qualifiers against Mexico and United States when he was an unused substitute. Almost 15 months later, the TTFA still owes the talented goalkeeper US$2,500.

Worse, according to the source, is John-Williams’ alleged refusal to speak directly to the players and explain the source of their issues or provide any assurances.

“All they were told is John-Williams didn’t give the authority to pay those players and there was no reason given,” the source told Wired868. “They can’t say when they will be paid either but they were told that those payments would be made along with the two outstanding match fees.”

Such inadequate communication, according to the source, is the norm rather than the exception for John-Williams; and although the players resent it, they no longer expect anything better.

“The players never hear anything from John-Williams and he never communicates with them,” said the anonymous source. “The only time he ever spoke to them directly in the last year was just before the AGM—when he wanted to make sure that everyone kept quiet until he dealt with a motion to dismiss him as president.

“Otherwise, he just sends a message through the coach or [team manager] Richard Piper. So the players never get a chance to put their case directly to him and have a proper discussion.”

Among the issues troubling the players is the current fee of US$300 for friendly matches, which is a huge drop from the US$1,000 paid under the last two football presidents.

The players allegedly countered with a proposed fee structure according to the ranking of their opponents. They suggested US$1,000 for the starting team against opposition ranked in the top 80 FIFA nations and US$750 and US$500 for used and unused substitutes respectively. For matches against lower-ranked nations, the Warriors were willing to accept US$750 for starters and US$500 for all substitutes.

Although the proposal was sent months ago, John-Williams has still neither accepted nor dismissed it.

The players are understood to be anxious to negotiate a pay structure for the 2019 Concacaf Gold Cup as well, which kicks off in June.

Last month, the Warriors said they would refuse to play against Wales unless all outstanding match fees were paid while some players insisted that they would not continue to turn out for US$300, as they felt disrespected by John-Williams.

Wired868 asked John-Williams to confirm whether the 10 players were unpaid and, if so, to explain why that was so. The football president was also asked to comment on the national players’ concern about the amount offered for match fees at present.

John-Williams had not responded up to the time of publication.

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Deeks on January 11, 2019, 06:36:56 PM
So with men like DJW in charge, why would Greg, Shaq Moore, Bostock, Deleon want to play for TT?
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on January 29, 2019, 01:44:46 AM
UEFA sees positive path ahead for T&T football.
TTFA Media.


Following a week of consultations and forum discussions between officials of UEFA and TTFA including various stakeholders, the consensus shared at a Press Conference at the Hyatt Regency on Monday was that the local football factions are on the right path towards sustainable development.

Robert Pon­gracz, a UEFA Football operations specialist  said a US$1mil­lion pro­pos­al is to be di­vid­ed among the two top tier Leagues (Pro League and Super League) with two main char­ac­ter­is­tics, the first is for there to be equal shar­ing among the clubs and there­by en­abling clubs to plan ahead, as they will know how much they will be earn­ing. And the sec­ond is for clubs to re­ceive monies based on their per­for­mances.

Pon­gracz al­so made a recommendation for a sys­tem of pro­mo­tion and relegation which will in­spire clubs to strive for ex­cel­lence and be re­ward­ed for it.

“Foot­ball is not just about play­ing foot­ball, but all the ad­min­is­tra­tion be­hind it. The mar­ket­ing stuff we have bud­get­ed for it, so the club has to learn what has to be done in this mod­ern world to at­tract the fans. Apart from that, we are in­vest­ing heav­i­ly in ed­u­ca­tion, as the clubs must know that there are dif­fer­ent sources of rev­enue.”

The UE­FA al­so pro­posed a club li­cens­ing sys­tem which will be used to guide clubs in un­der­stand­ing what is nec­es­sary to com­bat to­day’s foot­ball chal­lenges. Though the li­cens­ing sys­tem has be­come a norm world­wide, the UE­FA is in the process of fine tun­ing it to show ways it can ben­e­fit clubs.

Howard McIn­tosh, CON­CA­CAF and Caribbean projects se­nior man­ag­er ad­mit­ted there is a lot of work to do on the path of the TTFA to turn around the for­tunes of lo­cal foot­ball. How­ev­er, he be­lieves that be­cause of the po­si­tion­ing of the TTFA, with its own head of­fice, home of foot­ball and its own sta­di­um, it can take im­me­di­ate ad­van­tage of its sit­u­a­tion with some tweak­ing and hard work.

He said TT foot­ball is for­tu­nate present­ly, with the best foot­ball fa­cil­i­ties in the Caribbean, the most sup­port­ive gov­ern­ment, most sup­port from FI­FA, CON­CA­CAF and the CFU, has a home of foot­ball, and has a pas­sion­ate foot­ball pres­i­dent and peo­ple.

“The pro league can be tweaked in six weeks and im­ple­ment­ed. Home of Foot­ball can be tweaked in three months and the strate­gic plan in two months and im­ple­ment­ed” Mc In­tosh said. The TTFA has been a ben­e­fi­cia­ry of the FI­FA For­ward pro­gramme, like many oth­er coun­tries, which, be­cause of its achieve­ment over the years, has achieved an in­crease amount from the world gov­ern­ing body for the sport of US$1 mil­lion from US$500,000 for op­er­a­tional ex­pens­es, and US$750,000 for cap­i­tal projects over the past three years.

UE­FA’s Head of In­ter­na­tion­al Re­la­tions Eva Easquier made it clear her or­ga­ni­za­tion was not here to im­pose the prac­tices of Eu­rope on lo­cal foot­ball, but rather to look at the game and of­fer ideas to im­prove it, and the way it is run, by of­fer­ing tips on best prac­tice.

UE­FA of­fi­cials left a list rec­om­men­da­tion to en­hance the lo­cal game and make it sus­tain­able when they were here five months ago and it en­tailed in­creased in­volve­ment by the foot­ball as­so­ci­a­tion. Easquier said her team dealt with two mis­sions, name­ly the now con­tro­ver­sial Home of Foot­ball, which is ex­pect­ed to solve a num­ber of fi­nan­cial prob­lems be­ing faced: and the in­tro­duc­tion of a prop­er gov­er­nance struc­ture to as­sist the T&T Pro League.

RELATED NEWS

UEFA proposes US$1M to fix local football.
By Walter Alibey (Guardian).


Clubs must grow, be­come sus­tain­able

A glob­al fig­ure of US$1 mil­lion is be­ing pro­posed over a two-year pe­ri­od by the UE­FA to fix the is­sues fac­ing the T&T Pro League and lo­cal foot­ball in gen­er­al in the short to medi­um term.

But the onus is on clubs to grow and be self-sus­tain­able. Yes­ter­day Robert Pon­gracz, a vice pres­i­dent at the Ro­man­ian Foot­ball As­so­ci­a­tion who is among a team work­ing with the UE­FA on spe­cial de­vel­op­ment projects such as this one, said the pro­pos­al was made in the spir­it of the part­ner­ship with the T&T Foot­ball As­so­ci­a­tion, to as­sist lo­cal foot­ball. And at a press con­fer­ence at the Hy­att Ho­tel, Port-of-Spain, Pon­gracz be­lieves there is a dire need to make the prod­uct foot­ball more ex­cit­ing if cor­po­rate cit­i­zens have to come on board.

The US$1mil­lion pro­pos­al is to be di­vid­ed among the two Leagues with two main char­ac­ter­is­tics, the first is for there to be equal shar­ing among the clubs and there­by en­abling clubs to plan ahead, as they will know how much they will be earn­ing. And the sec­ond is for clubs to re­ceive monies based on their per­for­mances.

Pon­gracz al­so called for a sys­tem of pro­mo­tion and de­mo­tion which will in­spire clubs to strive for ex­cel­lence and be re­ward­ed for it.

He said, "Foot­ball is not just about play­ing foot­ball, but all the ad­min­is­tra­tion be­hind it. The mar­ket­ing stuff we have bud­get­ed for it, so the club has to learn what has to be done in this mod­ern world to at­tract the fans. Apart from that, we are in­vest­ing heav­i­ly in ed­u­ca­tion, as the clubs must know that there are dif­fer­ent sources of rev­enue."

The UE­FA al­so pro­posed a club li­cens­ing sys­tem which will be used to guide clubs in un­der­stand­ing what is nec­es­sary to com­bat to­day's foot­ball chal­lenges. Though the li­cens­ing sys­tem has be­come a norm world­wide, the UE­FA is in the process of fine tun­ing it to show ways it can ben­e­fit clubs.

Robert Mc In­tosh, CON­CA­CAF and Caribbean projects se­nior man­ag­er ad­mit­ted there is a lot of work to do on the path of the TTFA to turn around the for­tunes of lo­cal foot­ball. How­ev­er, he be­lieves that be­cause of the po­si­tion­ing of the TTFA, with its own head of­fice, home of foot­ball and its own sta­di­um, it can take im­me­di­ate ad­van­tage of its sit­u­a­tion with some tweak­ing and hard work.

He said TT foot­ball is for­tu­nate present­ly, with the best foot­ball fa­cil­i­ties in the Caribbean, the most sup­port­ive gov­ern­ment, most sup­port from FI­FA, CON­CA­CAF and the CFU, has a home of foot­ball, and has a pas­sion­ate foot­ball pres­i­dent and peo­ple.

"The pro league can be tweaked in six weeks and im­ple­ment­ed. Home of Foot­ball can be tweaked in three months and the strate­gic plan in two months and im­ple­ment­ed" Mc In­tosh said. The TTFA has been a ben­e­fi­cia­ry of the FI­FA For­ward pro­gramme, like many oth­er coun­tries, which, be­cause of its achieve­ment over the years, has achieved an in­crease amount from the world gov­ern­ing body for the sport of US$1 mil­lion from US$500,000 for op­er­a­tional ex­pens­es, and US$750,000 for cap­i­tal projects over the past three years.

UE­FA's Head of In­ter­na­tion­al Re­la­tions Ava Easquier made it clear her or­ga­ni­za­tion was not here to im­pose the prac­tices of Eu­rope on lo­cal foot­ball, but rather to look at the game and of­fer ideas to im­prove it, and the way it is run, by of­fer­ing tips on best prac­tice.

UE­FA of­fi­cials left a list rec­om­men­da­tion to en­hance the lo­cal game and make it sus­tain­able when they were here five months ago and it en­tailed in­creased in­volve­ment by the foot­ball as­so­ci­a­tion. Easquier said her team dealt with two mis­sions, name­ly the now con­tro­ver­sial Home of Foot­ball, which is ex­pect­ed to solve a num­ber of fi­nan­cial prob­lems be­ing faced: and the in­tro­duc­tion of a prop­er gov­er­nance struc­ture to as­sist the T&T Pro League.

It is be­cause of the dire fi­nan­cial bur­dens the TTFA has in­her­it­ed that a num­ber of de­vel­op­ment pro­grammes are not be­ing rolled out, she ex­plained. Her as­sess­ment of the state of foot­ball al­so re­vealed the need for prop­er com­mu­ni­ca­tion and trans­paren­cy.

UEFA proposes US$2m for football development.
By Jelani Beckles (Newsday).


TTFA, Pro League told to stand on their own feet –

THE TT Football Association (TTFA) will be hoping to get $2 million US over a two-year period through the FIFA Forward Programme to help with the development of local football. However, UEFA and CONCACAF officials are urging the TTFA to use this period to ensure local football can stand on its own feet.

Over the past week, UEFA, CONCACAF and TTFA officials have had daily meetings and discussions centred around charting a way forward for the TTFA as it pertains to good governance and football operations in TT.

Yesterday, a press conference, at Hyatt Regency, Port of Spain was held to discuss the week’s proceedings. The conference included TTFA president David John-Williams, senior executive at CONCACAF Howard McIntosh, head of international relations at UEFA Eva Pasquier, football operations specialist at UEFA Robert Pongracz and project specialist at International Relations of UEFA Chris Miles.

McIntosh said TT is fortunate that assistance is provided from the Government of TT. McIntosh said, “The Sport Company has already committed funding for three years – one was last year and you have two years remaining on that – and now the proposal that is on the table is that the TTFA, through the FIFA Forward Programme, use a portion of those monies specifically dedicated to projects to support professional football. The total amount of funds that has been proposed is approximately US$2 million over the period of the two years.”

McIntosh encouraged the TTFA to use the two-year period to put systems in place to ensure that the local football association is not dependent on the Government.

“The general idea there is to use that period to put in place a solid foundation to ensure the sustainability of professional football in TT. You have been lucky in that you’ve been able to go back to the Government a lot of times to get support. The idea is that the TTFA and the Pro League must now start to stand on its own foot and the idea is to use this period to ensure that structure is put in place – proper governance, proper marketing, proper commercial engagement, proper competition structure to make the product attractive and ensure more sustainability.”

Pongracz said the proposal considers what happens behind the scenes to help football develop. “Football is not just playing football, it is all the administration behind clubs. Therefore, marketing staff and activities we have budgeted for it in this proposal, so the clubs have the possibility to learn what has to be done or what can be done in this modern world in order to attract the fans.”

Pongracz said administrators must find a number of ways to earn money for football clubs. “We are looking to develop several sources of income for the clubs. It cannot be the club is just relying on some sources and depend on them. They have to know and understand that the ability of a club has to be to develop further and find different sources of revenue.”

To qualify for funding all the TTFA programmes must be running such as the Pro League, Super League, referee programmes and women’s football.

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Tiresais on January 29, 2019, 02:29:14 AM
"Group, motivated by White Man's Burden and paternal patronising, say that another group, who funded their holiday to the Caribbean, might be alright."

Glad UEFA is there to tell us the crippling debt, lack of autonomy or say in how football is run, and the sheer shit-storm of the top two divisions is all gravy.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: asylumseeker on January 29, 2019, 08:16:02 AM
The dollar figures stated in those articles do not suggest conviction by UEFA or FIFA that the objectives will be met or can be met or are going to be met. Those are paltry sums to accomplish the task at hand. Apparently the plan is to creep to the finish line and to stop in the middle of the creeping to assess the conditions (including distance to go).

Development programs by themselves demand a huge budget allocation. And, a comprehensive "development program" requires a centralized budget, not reactionary decision-making to what a decentralized process offers (of which there is reliance in the present operating model that UEFA/FIFA/CONCACAF have recognized is not viable).

Each junior national team across both genders requires separate budget allocations that should not be subsumed within the broader development program allocation(s).

And I haven't mentioned the Pro League yet.

In short, this wicket is stickier than sticky fingers.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Deeks on January 29, 2019, 08:39:29 AM
UEFA sees positive path ahead for T&T football.
TTFA Media.


Following a week of consultations and forum discussions between officials of UEFA and TTFA including various stakeholders, the consensus shared at a Press Conference at the Hyatt Regency on Monday was that the local football factions are on the right path towards sustainable development.

Robert Pon­gracz, a UEFA Football operations specialist  said a US$1mil­lion pro­pos­al is to be di­vid­ed among the two top tier Leagues (Pro League and Super League) with two main char­ac­ter­is­tics, the first is for there to be equal shar­ing among the clubs and there­by en­abling clubs to plan ahead, as they will know how much they will be earn­ing. And the sec­ond is for clubs to re­ceive monies based on their per­for­mances.

Pon­gracz al­so made a recommendation for a sys­tem of pro­mo­tion and relegation which will in­spire clubs to strive for ex­cel­lence and be re­ward­ed for it.

“Foot­ball is not just about play­ing foot­ball, but all the ad­min­is­tra­tion be­hind it. The mar­ket­ing stuff we have bud­get­ed for it, so the club has to learn what has to be done in this mod­ern world to at­tract the fans. Apart from that, we are in­vest­ing heav­i­ly in ed­u­ca­tion, as the clubs must know that there are dif­fer­ent sources of rev­enue.”

The UE­FA al­so pro­posed a club li­cens­ing sys­tem which will be used to guide clubs in un­der­stand­ing what is nec­es­sary to com­bat to­day’s foot­ball chal­lenges. Though the li­cens­ing sys­tem has be­come a norm world­wide, the UE­FA is in the process of fine tun­ing it to show ways it can ben­e­fit clubs.

Howard McIn­tosh, CON­CA­CAF and Caribbean projects se­nior man­ag­er ad­mit­ted there is a lot of work to do on the path of the TTFA to turn around the for­tunes of lo­cal foot­ball. How­ev­er, he be­lieves that be­cause of the po­si­tion­ing of the TTFA, with its own head of­fice, home of foot­ball and its own sta­di­um, it can take im­me­di­ate ad­van­tage of its sit­u­a­tion with some tweak­ing and hard work.

He said TT foot­ball is for­tu­nate present­ly, with the best foot­ball fa­cil­i­ties in the Caribbean, the most sup­port­ive gov­ern­ment, most sup­port from FI­FA, CON­CA­CAF and the CFU, has a home of foot­ball, and has a pas­sion­ate foot­ball pres­i­dent and peo­ple.

“The pro league can be tweaked in six weeks and im­ple­ment­ed. Home of Foot­ball can be tweaked in three months and the strate­gic plan in two months and im­ple­ment­ed” Mc In­tosh said. The TTFA has been a ben­e­fi­cia­ry of the FI­FA For­ward pro­gramme, like many oth­er coun­tries, which, be­cause of its achieve­ment over the years, has achieved an in­crease amount from the world gov­ern­ing body for the sport of US$1 mil­lion from US$500,000 for op­er­a­tional ex­pens­es, and US$750,000 for cap­i­tal projects over the past three years.

UE­FA’s Head of In­ter­na­tion­al Re­la­tions Eva Easquier made it clear her or­ga­ni­za­tion was not here to im­pose the prac­tices of Eu­rope on lo­cal foot­ball, but rather to look at the game and of­fer ideas to im­prove it, and the way it is run, by of­fer­ing tips on best prac­tice.

UE­FA of­fi­cials left a list rec­om­men­da­tion to en­hance the lo­cal game and make it sus­tain­able when they were here five months ago and it en­tailed in­creased in­volve­ment by the foot­ball as­so­ci­a­tion. Easquier said her team dealt with two mis­sions, name­ly the now con­tro­ver­sial Home of Foot­ball, which is ex­pect­ed to solve a num­ber of fi­nan­cial prob­lems be­ing faced: and the in­tro­duc­tion of a prop­er gov­er­nance struc­ture to as­sist the T&T Pro League.

RELATED NEWS

UEFA proposes US$1M to fix local football.
By Walter Alibey (Guardian).


Clubs must grow, be­come sus­tain­able

A glob­al fig­ure of US$1 mil­lion is be­ing pro­posed over a two-year pe­ri­od by the UE­FA to fix the is­sues fac­ing the T&T Pro League and lo­cal foot­ball in gen­er­al in the short to medi­um term.

But the onus is on clubs to grow and be self-sus­tain­able. Yes­ter­day Robert Pon­gracz, a vice pres­i­dent at the Ro­man­ian Foot­ball As­so­ci­a­tion who is among a team work­ing with the UE­FA on spe­cial de­vel­op­ment projects such as this one, said the pro­pos­al was made in the spir­it of the part­ner­ship with the T&T Foot­ball As­so­ci­a­tion, to as­sist lo­cal foot­ball. And at a press con­fer­ence at the Hy­att Ho­tel, Port-of-Spain, Pon­gracz be­lieves there is a dire need to make the prod­uct foot­ball more ex­cit­ing if cor­po­rate cit­i­zens have to come on board.

The US$1mil­lion pro­pos­al is to be di­vid­ed among the two Leagues with two main char­ac­ter­is­tics, the first is for there to be equal shar­ing among the clubs and there­by en­abling clubs to plan ahead, as they will know how much they will be earn­ing. And the sec­ond is for clubs to re­ceive monies based on their per­for­mances.

Pon­gracz al­so called for a sys­tem of pro­mo­tion and de­mo­tion which will in­spire clubs to strive for ex­cel­lence and be re­ward­ed for it.

He said, "Foot­ball is not just about play­ing foot­ball, but all the ad­min­is­tra­tion be­hind it. The mar­ket­ing stuff we have bud­get­ed for it, so the club has to learn what has to be done in this mod­ern world to at­tract the fans. Apart from that, we are in­vest­ing heav­i­ly in ed­u­ca­tion, as the clubs must know that there are dif­fer­ent sources of rev­enue."

The UE­FA al­so pro­posed a club li­cens­ing sys­tem which will be used to guide clubs in un­der­stand­ing what is nec­es­sary to com­bat to­day's foot­ball chal­lenges. Though the li­cens­ing sys­tem has be­come a norm world­wide, the UE­FA is in the process of fine tun­ing it to show ways it can ben­e­fit clubs.

Robert Mc In­tosh, CON­CA­CAF and Caribbean projects se­nior man­ag­er ad­mit­ted there is a lot of work to do on the path of the TTFA to turn around the for­tunes of lo­cal foot­ball. How­ev­er, he be­lieves that be­cause of the po­si­tion­ing of the TTFA, with its own head of­fice, home of foot­ball and its own sta­di­um, it can take im­me­di­ate ad­van­tage of its sit­u­a­tion with some tweak­ing and hard work.

He said TT foot­ball is for­tu­nate present­ly, with the best foot­ball fa­cil­i­ties in the Caribbean, the most sup­port­ive gov­ern­ment, most sup­port from FI­FA, CON­CA­CAF and the CFU, has a home of foot­ball, and has a pas­sion­ate foot­ball pres­i­dent and peo­ple.

"The pro league can be tweaked in six weeks and im­ple­ment­ed. Home of Foot­ball can be tweaked in three months and the strate­gic plan in two months and im­ple­ment­ed" Mc In­tosh said. The TTFA has been a ben­e­fi­cia­ry of the FI­FA For­ward pro­gramme, like many oth­er coun­tries, which, be­cause of its achieve­ment over the years, has achieved an in­crease amount from the world gov­ern­ing body for the sport of US$1 mil­lion from US$500,000 for op­er­a­tional ex­pens­es, and US$750,000 for cap­i­tal projects over the past three years.

UE­FA's Head of In­ter­na­tion­al Re­la­tions Ava Easquier made it clear her or­ga­ni­za­tion was not here to im­pose the prac­tices of Eu­rope on lo­cal foot­ball, but rather to look at the game and of­fer ideas to im­prove it, and the way it is run, by of­fer­ing tips on best prac­tice.

UE­FA of­fi­cials left a list rec­om­men­da­tion to en­hance the lo­cal game and make it sus­tain­able when they were here five months ago and it en­tailed in­creased in­volve­ment by the foot­ball as­so­ci­a­tion. Easquier said her team dealt with two mis­sions, name­ly the now con­tro­ver­sial Home of Foot­ball, which is ex­pect­ed to solve a num­ber of fi­nan­cial prob­lems be­ing faced: and the in­tro­duc­tion of a prop­er gov­er­nance struc­ture to as­sist the T&T Pro League.

It is be­cause of the dire fi­nan­cial bur­dens the TTFA has in­her­it­ed that a num­ber of de­vel­op­ment pro­grammes are not be­ing rolled out, she ex­plained. Her as­sess­ment of the state of foot­ball al­so re­vealed the need for prop­er com­mu­ni­ca­tion and trans­paren­cy.

UEFA proposes US$2m for football development.
By Jelani Beckles (Newsday).


TTFA, Pro League told to stand on their own feet –

THE TT Football Association (TTFA) will be hoping to get $2 million US over a two-year period through the FIFA Forward Programme to help with the development of local football. However, UEFA and CONCACAF officials are urging the TTFA to use this period to ensure local football can stand on its own feet.

Over the past week, UEFA, CONCACAF and TTFA officials have had daily meetings and discussions centred around charting a way forward for the TTFA as it pertains to good governance and football operations in TT.

Yesterday, a press conference, at Hyatt Regency, Port of Spain was held to discuss the week’s proceedings. The conference included TTFA president David John-Williams, senior executive at CONCACAF Howard McIntosh, head of international relations at UEFA Eva Pasquier, football operations specialist at UEFA Robert Pongracz and project specialist at International Relations of UEFA Chris Miles.

McIntosh said TT is fortunate that assistance is provided from the Government of TT. McIntosh said, “The Sport Company has already committed funding for three years – one was last year and you have two years remaining on that – and now the proposal that is on the table is that the TTFA, through the FIFA Forward Programme, use a portion of those monies specifically dedicated to projects to support professional football. The total amount of funds that has been proposed is approximately US$2 million over the period of the two years.”

McIntosh encouraged the TTFA to use the two-year period to put systems in place to ensure that the local football association is not dependent on the Government.

“The general idea there is to use that period to put in place a solid foundation to ensure the sustainability of professional football in TT. You have been lucky in that you’ve been able to go back to the Government a lot of times to get support. The idea is that the TTFA and the Pro League must now start to stand on its own foot and the idea is to use this period to ensure that structure is put in place – proper governance, proper marketing, proper commercial engagement, proper competition structure to make the product attractive and ensure more sustainability.”

Pongracz said the proposal considers what happens behind the scenes to help football develop. “Football is not just playing football, it is all the administration behind clubs. Therefore, marketing staff and activities we have budgeted for it in this proposal, so the clubs have the possibility to learn what has to be done or what can be done in this modern world in order to attract the fans.”

Pongracz said administrators must find a number of ways to earn money for football clubs. “We are looking to develop several sources of income for the clubs. It cannot be the club is just relying on some sources and depend on them. They have to know and understand that the ability of a club has to be to develop further and find different sources of revenue.”

To qualify for funding all the TTFA programmes must be running such as the Pro League, Super League, referee programmes and women’s football.



He said TT foot­ball is for­tu­nate present­ly, with the best foot­ball fa­cil­i­ties in the Caribbean, the most sup­port­ive gov­ern­ment, most sup­port from FI­FA, CON­CA­CAF and the CFU, has a home of foot­ball, and has a pas­sion­ate foot­ball pres­i­dent and peo­ple.


I have issue with AB stadium being given the appearance that TTFA own that stadium. That is a gov't facility. The gov't maintain it. TTFA has no resources to own and run any facility. The second point is, how does Connection figure is this. Connection has used that stadium for a long time. I have no problem with that. Do Connection and TTFA share the money. What happens when DJW mandatory term is up. Who will run the hotel? A DJW backed group? Hilton? Marriot? Bed-Bug Inn?
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Tallman on January 29, 2019, 08:49:16 AM
John-Williams says, ‘plan in place’ for TTFA matters
By Jelani Beckles (T&T Newsday)


TT Football Association (TTFA) president David John-Williams said “a plan is in place” to resolve the issues involving board member Keith Look Loy and technical director of the TTFA Anton Corneal.

TTFA board member Keith Look Loy has a matter in court against the TTFA in relation to information concerning the Home of Football, in Couva. Also, two weeks ago technical director at the TTFA Anton Corneal decided to withhold his services because of unpaid salaries.

During a press conference, at the Hyatt Regency yesterday, John-Williams, asked about both situations, said, “You will just have to wait and see. There is a plan in place and when there is a conversation in relation to that it will be made available.”

Probed more about the Look Loy situation, John-Williams said, “I ensure that information that has been requested was presented to the general meeting and the general membership is really happy about it.”

Senior executive at CONCACAF Howard McIntosh speaking about the situations facing the TTFA off the field, said, “Yes we have discussed it, yes it is always a concern...we really hope that within the next couple of months a number of these matters are indeed resolved so we could get back to focusing on football because those matters you raised – salaries, court cases and all of that is a conversation we really want to get away from.” McIntosh wants football on the field to be the focus.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Tiresais on January 29, 2019, 09:12:32 AM
John-Williams says, ‘plan in place’ for TTFA matters
By Jelani Beckles (T&T Newsday)


TT Football Association (TTFA) president David John-Williams said “a plan is in place” to resolve the issues involving board member Keith Look Loy and technical director of the TTFA Anton Corneal.

TTFA board member Keith Look Loy has a matter in court against the TTFA in relation to information concerning the Home of Football, in Couva. Also, two weeks ago technical director at the TTFA Anton Corneal decided to withhold his services because of unpaid salaries.

During a press conference, at the Hyatt Regency yesterday, John-Williams, asked about both situations, said, “You will just have to wait and see. There is a plan in place and when there is a conversation in relation to that it will be made available.”

Probed more about the Look Loy situation, John-Williams said, “I ensure that information that has been requested was presented to the general meeting and the general membership is really happy about it.”

Senior executive at CONCACAF Howard McIntosh speaking about the situations facing the TTFA off the field, said, “Yes we have discussed it, yes it is always a concern...we really hope that within the next couple of months a number of these matters are indeed resolved so we could get back to focusing on football because those matters you raised – salaries, court cases and all of that is a conversation we really want to get away from.” McIntosh wants football on the field to be the focus.

I mean it will be settled if he gives another kindergarden-level testimony in court, just not the way he likes...
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Tallman on February 05, 2019, 08:03:56 AM
John-Williams: It wasn’t me...Camara David named TTFA General Secretary on FIFA website
By Andrew Gioannetti(T&T Newsday)


THE football-supporting public may have had good reason to believe the TT Football Association (TTFA) has a new general secretary in the form of Camara David.

Camara, who was never an employee of the TTFA, is named as the association's general secretary on FIFA.com. Even more alarming is the fact that Justin Latapy-George, whose contract expired on November 30, continues to act daily in the very same role.

The official FIFA web-page also indicated there are three vice-presidents: Allan Warner, Ewing Davis and Joanne Salazar, although two – Warner and Salazar – resigned from their VP posts last year. The field for TTFA treasurer is blank.

Newsday sent an email to John-Williams asking how Camara's name came to reflect that of the association's general secretary on FIFA's website, if Camara signed any contract with the TTFA to reflect such and if the board was aware and gave approval.

John-Williams's responded via e-mail: "Dear sir, I have not communicated such information to FIFA."

Asked further whether the TTFA currently has an active general secretary, John-Williams said, "Maybe you should direct your question to the current GS and ask if he has been removed from his position or is he still in post. Too much mischief and agendas I am seeing."

Newsday was unable to reach both Latapy-George and Camara for clarity on their positions as calls to their cellphone went unanswered.

TTFA board members contacted yesterday said Latapy-George continues to share official correspondence with them, sits at meetings and conducts the regular functions of general secretary.

Recently, board members chided John-Williams for allegedly carrying Camara with him to Barbados for a FIFA Forward workshop in December last year, which was exclusively for regional football association presidents and general secretaries.

Newsday had e-mailed John-Williams to clarify the status of Camara at that workshop but he refused to address the issue. He said, "Noted. I reserve any response. I will advise though that you do proper research on the information provided to you before publishing your story.”

TTFA board member Keith Look Loy said he strongly believes John-Williams is moulding Camara for the position of general secretary, although a contract extension for Latapy-George was endorsed at a recent annual general meeting.

Article 36 (f) of the TTFA constitution (Powers of the Board of Directors) says, "[The Board of Directors]: shall appoint or dismiss the General Secretary on the proposal of the President."

Look Loy said, "Maybe he is waiting for him (Latapy-George) to voluntarily depart because he can't force David on the board, where I have been calling for months for a discussion (on the status of the general secretary)."

Newsday tried to reach Concacaf senior projects manager Howard McIntosh, who visited TT a week ago, to shed some light on the issue.

Newsday sent McIntosh a message asking who Concacaf recognises as TTFA's general secretary, since FIFA's website indicates Camara is the general secretary and John-Williams denied knowing how it got there.

There was no response from McIntosh up to press time.

During his visit, McIntosh was quoted in one online publication, Wired868, saying "the (TTFA) board should always be informed… The communication must be improved," in relation to the complaints by the members of the TTFA's board of directors that they were initially bypassed by John-Williams and the high-ranking visiting contingent, effectively breaking protocol.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Deeks on February 05, 2019, 08:43:13 PM
 :bs: >:( :( :cursing: ??? ::) :-[ :frustrated: :'( :pissedoff: :worried: :banginghead: :loser: :notlistening: :shameonyou: :timeout: :violin: :whistling:
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on February 06, 2019, 01:43:26 AM
Latapy-George keen on new TTFA contract.
By Andrew Gioannetti (Newsday).


As FIFA corrects error on website…

JUSTIN Latapy-George, the out-of-contract general secretary of the TT Football Association (TTFA), continues to receive his pay and perform practically all the functions outlined in his last contract, which expired in November.

Newsday contacted Latapy-George yesterday, after FIFA, the world football governing body, posted on its website that Camara David was the TTFA general secretary.

On Monday, that information was present on the TTFA's "Association Information" page on FIFA.com, but both the position and Camara's name were removed when Newsday visited the website yesterday.

Camara's name listed as general secretary added to the confusion created when TTFA president David John-Williams and Camara were present at a FIFA Forward workshop in Barbados recently. The FIFA Forward workshop was specifically targeted to the presidents and general secretaries of the regional association. The TTFA board members and Latapy-George said they were unaware of the workshop. TTFA board member Keith Look Loy said John-Williams' actions were disrespectful to the board and Latapy-George.

Yet, after all that has transpired, Latapy-George said yesterday he remains keen to sign another contract with the TTFA.

"I mean, obviously, as someone who is in the capacity and doing the job, I remain interested in the job. What decisions are made there (regarding the status of the general secretary) relies on the president and his consideration as to what he thinks he wants to do within the organisation," Latapy-George said.

Asked directly about the impression that David is being moulded for the position, Latapy-George said, "We saw articles suggesting that...it's been noted on FIFA's website, (and) that he has attended some related meetings, under the allegation he was general secretary, I cannot speak on any of those things in any meaningful way.

"I can only speak directly to the fact that as far as I'm concerned and as far as I can see at this very moment, I continue to operate as the general secretary. I have not been told anything different from the president or the board of the TTFA, who ultimately make the decision on the president's recommendation, whether I am continuing in this particular capacity or not."

Latapy-George said he spoke with John-Williams twice about his tenure.

"Once, prior to my contract ending in November, in which he asked me to stay on – which is where I am as we speak – and then on January 2 when he articulated a position. But I would prefer not to speak to that because he will be better placed to have those discussions based on his plan," he said.

Fortunately, unlike several coaches, their technical staff and the technical director attached to the association, Latapy-George continues to receive pay.

He said, "The assumption of me not being paid is incorrect. All terms and conditions with the exception of the question mark being my tenure remain the same. As I said, save and except for when that tenure is – whether it is 10 years, two months, three months, a year, six years – I don't know. But I can speak for me, I continue to receive my remuneration."

Asked whether the TTFA boss should be more open about his activities related to the association, Latapy-George said, "I cannot speak for Mr David. I think that would be inappropriate of me to speak on his behalf. He has to speak for himself."

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: asylumseeker on February 06, 2019, 07:04:24 AM
While "they" were removing Camara David's name, did "they" bother to remove the other names to properly reflect that those persons are no longer part of the hierarchy?

Although I like the chess and poker that's being played here by Latapy-George and his collaborators, may it not long continue. This farce needs to come to a screeching halt.

Also, it is absolutely ... shall we say ... "intriguing" that Joanne Salazar is setting a record for reticence since her official departure from the TTFA. Usually the departing are a loquacious and disgruntled bunch of grapes. I guess DJW has his house in order.

The only thing missing is somebody hacking de site to put Jack Warner on the executive. But perhaps even that would escape FIFA's attention, engaged as it is with repetitive rubber-stamping.

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on February 08, 2019, 05:43:37 AM
Fresh farce as TTFA appears to have two general secretaries, DJW mum on fate of Latapy-George and Lawrence
By Lasana Liburd (Wired868).


In chaotic Venezuela, beset by economic turmoil and protests, there are two presidents. Not to be outdone, the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA)—also cash-strapped and plagued by governance issues and a lack of transparency—now appears to have two general secretaries.

Although Justin Latapy-George has operated as general secretary since 1 December 2016 and literally occupies the office at the TTFA’s headquarters in the Ato Boldon Stadium, Couva, Camara David—widely tipped as John-Williams’ favoured man for the job—has now attended at least two official events meant for the local football body’s general secretary.

And the stakes appear to have been raised further as David is now listed on the FIFA website as the TTFA’s general secretary.

The TTFA general secretary is the chief executive officer of the football body’s general secretariat, which is responsible for the daily operations of the member association and implementing the board of directors’ vision.

Latapy-George confirmed that he is the TTFA’s general secretary at present.

“As far as I am aware, at this very point I remain in the position of general secretary,” Latapy-George told Wired868 on 4 February.

John-Williams did not respond to Wired868’s questions regarding why David has now appeared as general secretary—or in a role intended for the general secretary—on at least three occasions: the FIFA Forward Programme in December 2018, the FIFA/CIES Football Executive Programme at UWI, St Augustine Campus in January 2019, and now the FIFA website.

David, who served for one year as the Trinidad and Tobago Super League (TTSL) general secretary, declined comment.

In truth, Latapy-George’s relationship with John-Williams appeared to have been damaged on 22 September 2018 when the general secretary admitted that the president ordered him to withhold information from the board, on the resignation of former vice-president Joanne Salazar.

The deception was exacerbated when John-Williams declared Shawn Cooper as Women’s National Senior Team head coach after an email vote which counted more board members than existed at the time—and the inherent suggestion that the football president tallied Salazar’s vote, two weeks after she resigned effective immediately.

John-Williams, after he was outed, told Latapy-George to start looking for a job. However, the president subsequently asked his general secretary to hold on to the post before his contract expired on 31 November 2018; and, a month later, the general membership moved a motion expressing satisfaction in Latapy-George’s performance. John-Williams was urged by the membership to re-hire Latapy-George until the next TTFA elections in November 2019.

“Just before my contract ended, I was asked to hold on [by John-Williams],” Latapy-George told Wired868. “There was no time frame given. We did meet on 2 January and I am waiting for related feedback on that meeting, which I would rather not comment on.

“But even then, no specific date was given to me about any decision regarding my post. There is nothing else I can say; because only the president would be able to answer anything further.”

John-Williams, as usual, did not respond to requests for information. However, Keith Look Loy confirmed that the board has not met since November 2018 and, as such, no decision was made on the position of general secretary.

The TTFA constitution stipulates that only the board of directors can hire or fire the general secretary—or a football coach or any other technical staff member—with the president’s role confined to making recommendations to fill the former post.

Look Loy, the TTSL president and FC Santa Rosa club owner, has already seen the TTFA’s updated profile on the FIFA website—which, incidentally, still carries the names of John-Williams’ two former vice-presidents, Allan Warner and Salazar, who both resigned within the first and third years of his term.

“That information on the TTFA website can only have been put there from high echelons of the TTFA,” said Look Loy, “because FIFA could not come up with that themselves and they did not get it from Justin. That is deceit of the highest order, a lack of democracy and transparency and an abandonment of the constitution.

“Camara David is a man who lectures on [issues like] good governance at UWI; and, if he is aware, this is the second example of a lack of ethics by him after the Barbados trip [for the FIFA Forward Programme workshop in December 2018].

“David was buzzing around the Uefa meetings [with the Pro League and TTSL clubs] as though he is the general secretary already and I wonder if he is being paid… And then people with their own agendas want to remove me for fighting for transparency; and here it is yet again, another example.

“Transparency is not only about money; it is about governance.”

David is a part-time lecturer on Introduction to Sports Management at UWI, St Augustine but, at present, does not have an official post at the TTFA.

“This situation supports the theory that Camara David went to Barbados as the general secretary of the TTFA [in December 2018],” said Look Loy. “I want to know if Camara David has already been given a contract; because this is not approved by the board.

“[…] Is he already contracted?”

Article 35.1 of the TTFA constitution stipulates that: “the President shall convene the meetings of the Board of Directors at least once every two months…” At present, John-Williams is in violation of the constitution on that point.

Latapy-George apart, Men’s National Head coach Dennis Lawrence’s contract expired on 31 January 2019 and he is also anxious to be reappointed—pending board approval—while the Men’s National Under-17 and Women’s National Under-15 Teams are among a host of inactive outfits at present.

The Under-17 are due to start their Peru 2019 World Youth Cup campaign in just over a month, yet they do not even have a coaching staff.

Look Loy said he will try to invoke Article 35.1, which also allows for board members to call a meeting when the president is negligent of his duties:

“… If 50% of the members of the Board of Directors request a meeting in writing, the President shall convene it within ten days. If the President does not convene the requested meeting by the aforementioned period of time, the other members of the Board of Directors may convene it themselves.”

Look Loy promised to contact his colleagues today to discuss addressing the aforementioned issues.

“The position of general secretary, the national coach, the National Under-17 Team that play in just over a month,” said Look Loy. “There are other burning issues but those are at the top of the agenda…”

Wired868 asked John-Williams: “Can you explain why FIFA now lists Camara David as TTFA general secretary? Has David been hired? Has a position been taken on current general secretary Justin Latapy-George and communicated to the board?

“And why has the board not been asked to meet on position of head coach Dennis Lawrence? Can you update us on the status of the National Under-17 Team? When will the next board meeting be held?”

John-Williams did not respond up to the time of publication.

At present, the Trinidad and Tobago Men’s National Team is ranked 92nd in the world by FIFA as well as 10th in Concacaf and third in the Caribbean—behind Jamaica and Curaçao.

The Soca Warriors were ranked 49th by FIFA when John-Williams was elected as TTFA president in November 2015, while they were third in Concacaf and first in the Caribbean at the time.

The Warriors were 80th in FIFA, seventh in Concacaf and second in the Caribbean—behind Jamaica—when Lawrence took over from Tom Saintfiet as head coach in February 2017.

Editor’s Note: Camara David’s name was removed from the TTFA association’s webpage on the FIFA website on 5 February 2018; but Justin Latapy-George’s name was not inserted either. Instead, the TTFA chose to leave off the general secretary title altogether.

The names of vice-presidents Allan Warner and Joanne Salazar remained on the FIFA site, although they retired in 2016 and 2018 respectively. TTFA president David John-Williams, in an interview with the Trinidad Newsday, claimed not to know how David was listed as general secretary on the FIFA site.


Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on February 14, 2019, 05:40:19 AM
Only six percent of TTFA’s committees are functioning! Wired868 looks at issue within DJW-led football body.
By Lasana Liburd (Wired868).


The framers of the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association’s (TTFA) constitution—a policy document approved by the world governing body, FIFA—felt the local sporting body should be served by a number of standing committees, which were meant to not only ensure oversight and accountability but also to afford the TTFA’s board of directors the benefit of a range of ideas and expertise.

The current TTFA constitution was adopted and ratified on 12 July 2015 by an Independent Reform Commission (IRC) that included: former West Indies Players’ Association (WIPA) president and Test cricketer Dinanath Ramnarine, attorney Elton Prescott SC, Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee (TTOC) president Brian Lewis, archivist Patrick Raymond, former 2006 World Cup player Shaka Hislop, then Media Association of Trinidad and Tobago (MATT) executive member Dr Sheila Rampersad, Trinidad and Tobago Football Referees Association (TTFRA) vice-president Osmond Downer and late KPMG managing partner Raoul John.

In its wisdom, the IRC divided the duties of the TTFA into a minimum of 16 standing committees while also creating the framework for additional ad hoc committees, which were to be created when necessary.

At present, the TTFA has just one functioning committee: the referees committee.

Contrary to misleading reports from sections of the local media and often the football body itself, the TTFA has not had a functioning technical committee in well over a year.

In January 2017, technical committee chairman Dexter Skeene and more than half of his colleagues quit their post, after the TTFA board ignored their advice and appointed Dennis Lawrence as Soca Warriors head coach—although the committee named Lawrence as its third choice behind Stuart Charles-Fevrier and Terry Fenwick.

The current ‘technical committee’ consists of one person, Richard Quan-Chan, although the constitution stipulates, under article 43.3, that ‘each standing committee shall consist of a chairman, a deputy chairman and maximum of five other members’.

It is hardly the only constitutional violation.

The TTFA’s ‘compliance process’, for instance, was overseen by employees Sharon O’Brien—who was also a board member at the time—and Michelle Lynch. However article 45.3 states: ‘the chairman and deputy chairman of the Audit and Compliance Committee shall be independent from TTFA, its bodies and Members’.

This stipulation of independence, as spelt out by the constitution, was intended to: ‘ensure the completeness and reliability of the financial accounting and review the financial statements, the consolidated financial statement and the independent external auditors’ reports’.

At the TTFA AGM on Saturday 23 December 2017, John-Williams proposed members for the body’s judicial committees, which were ratified.

Those judicial committees, which must be populated by persons unattached to bodies within the local football body, are:

Disciplinary: Newton George (chair), Auldrin Neptune (vice-chair), Sushilla Jadoonanan, John Jeffrey and Norris Ferguson (members).

Ethics: Cedric Neptune (chair), Cheryl Wallace (vice-chair), Dr Beverly Beckles (member).

Appeals: Michael Quamina (chair), Sandra Elcock-Stanisclaus (vice-chair).

Audit and Compliance: Rodney Smart (chair), Ann-Marie Abbott (vice-chair), Kit Kennedy (member).

Fifteen months later, not one of the three bodies has held a single meeting—which might suit Trinidad and Tobago Women’s National Senior Team star Kennya ‘Yaya’ Cordner, who refused to play in a World Cup qualifier last October but cannot be censored by non-functional disciplinary committee.

At least two committee members told Wired868 that requests for updates on their roles were met only with empty promises of feedback.

According to article 59.3, the TTFA general secretary is responsible for ‘attending the […] meetings of the Board of Directors, Emergency Committee and the standing and ad-hoc committees; organising the General Meeting and meetings of the Board of Directors and other bodies; [and] compiling the minutes for the meetings of the General Meeting, Board of Directors, Emergency Committee and standing and ad-hoc committees’.

On 19 October 2018, TTFA general secretary Justin Latapy-George could not say what had gone wrong with the various standing committees.

“The standing committees were all ratified at the AGM of 23 December,” said Latapy-George. “However, they have not met in any form. They are active but not functional.

“[…] I can’t say why they have not met.”

Four months later, Latapy-George did not seem any better informed.

“At the time, the notice of appointment [for the judicial committees] was handled by then [vice-president Joanne] Salazar,” Latapy-George told Wired868, last week. “I can confirm that the notices were sent. I am and remain subject to [board] instruction thereafter re:the committees’ activities.”

But what exactly is local football missing as a result of the non-functional committees?

The TTFA constitution gives the roles of its standing committees as thus:

Emergency Committee: The Emergency Committee shall deal with all matters requiring immediate settlement between two meetings of the board of directors. The Committee shall consist of the President, Vice President, and four members chosen from amongst the Members of the Board of Directors… All decisions taken by the Emergency Committee shall be ratified by the Board of Directors at its next meeting.(Notably, TTFA president David John-Williams—by his own admission—has largely acted as a virtual one-man emergency committee ever since his election on 31 November 2015. Worse, the TTFA Board has often not met within the mandated time frame of two months.)

Finance Committee: The Finance Committee shall monitor the financial management and advise the Board of Directors on financial matters and asset management. It shall analyse the budget of TTFA and the financial statements prepared by the General Secretary and submit them to the Board of Directors for approval.

Audit and Compliance Committee: The Audit and Compliance Committee shall ensure the completeness and reliability of the financial accounting and review the financial statements, the consolidated financial statement and the independent external auditors’ reports.

The Audit and Compliance Committee shall advise and assist the Board of Directors in monitoring the Association’s financial and compliance matters, and issue and monitor compliance with the relevant regulations of the Association.

Organising Committee for TTFA Competitions: The Organising Committee for TTFA Competitions shall propose the competitions of TTFA in compliance with the provisions of this constitution and the regulations applicable to TTFA’s competitions.

Technical and Development Committee: The Technical and Development Committee shall primarily analyse the basic aspects of football training and technical development.

Legal Committee: The Legal Committee shall analyse basic legal issues relating to football and the evolution of the Constitution, rules and regulations of TTFA and its Members.

Committee for Women’s Football: The Committee for Women’s Football shall organise the women’s football competitions of TTFA and deal with all matters relating to women’s football.

Youth Football and Development Committee: The Youth Football and Development Committee shall organise the youth football competitions of TTFA and deal with all matters relating to youth football.

Sports Medicine Committee: The Sports Medicine Committee shall deal with all medical aspects of football.
Players’ Status Committee: The Players’ Status Committee shall set up and monitor compliance with transfer regulations in accordance with the applicable FIFA Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players and determine the status of Players for the various competitions of TTFA.

Marketing Committee: The Marketing Committee shall advise the Board of Directors with regard to drafting and implementing contracts between TTFA and its marketing partners and analyse marketing strategies that have been devised.

Club Licensing Committee: The Club Licensing Committee is in charge of the club licensing system within the TTFA in accordance with the regulations of TTFA […] in conformity with the FIFA Club Licensing Regulations and the minimum requirements of the club licensing system set up by CONCACAF.

Electoral Committee: The Electoral Committee is the body in charge of organising and supervising the election process in accordance with the Electoral Code of TTFA.

Disciplinary Committee: The Disciplinary Committee may pronounce the sanctions described in this Constitution and the Disciplinary Code of TTFA on Members, Officials, Players, Clubs and match and players’ agents.

Ethics Committee: The Ethics Committee may pronounce the sanctions described in this Constitution, the Code of Ethics of TTFA and the Disciplinary Code of TTFA on Officials, Players and match and players’ agents.

Appeal Committee: The Appeal Committee is responsible for hearing appeals against decisions from the Disciplinary Committee and the Ethics Committee that are not declared final by the relevant regulations of TTFA. Decisions pronounced by the Appeal Committee may only be appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne, Switzerland, or to a national, independent Arbitration Tribunal in accordance with the provisions in this Constitution.

John-Williams shared his respect for the TTFA’s standing committees in his election manifesto, ‘Imperatives for change’—when he declared ‘effective and efficient functioning committees’ to be one of the cornerstones of his vision for the local football body.

“Our team is committed to immediately appointing the necessary sub committees, as required under the constitution,” stated John-Williams, in October 2015. “The proper and efficient functioning of these committees are important to regaining stakeholders and corporate confidence in the TTFA.”

Wired868 asked for an opinion on the potential impact of the TTFA’s 14 non-functional standing committees—excluding the electoral committee—from FIFA IFAB board member and 2006 World Cup goalkeeper Shaka Hislop, TTOC president Brian Lewis, TTFA board member Keith Look Loy, UWI Sports Management lecturer and T&T’s 2003 Indoor Hockey World Cup captain Sherlan Cabralis, management consultant and ex-TIDO president Brian Harry and management account and ex-Trinidad and Tobago Hockey Board (TTHB) official Kendall Tull.

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on February 14, 2019, 05:43:18 AM
‘The TTFA appears stuck in a unilateral approach!’ Hislop, Look Loy, Cabralis and others give views on management issues.
By Lasana Liburd (Wired868).


The constitution of the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) mandates that the local football body has 16 standing committees to guide its board of directors in its operations.

At present, the TTFA is operating with just one functional standing committee—the Referees Committee.

In his October 2015 election manifesto, titled ‘Imperatives for Change’, current president John-Williams hinted at his respect for the TTFA’s standing committees, as he declared that ‘effective and efficient functioning committees’ were one of the cornerstones of his vision for the local football body.

“Our team is committed to immediately appointing the necessary sub committees, as required under the constitution,” stated John-Williams, in October 2015. “The proper and efficient functioning of these committees are important to regaining stakeholders and corporate confidence in the TTFA.”

There is little sign of that respect for standing committees now. Wired868 asked a panel of experts for their own views on the issue:

Shaka Hislop, FIFA IFAB board member, TTFA Independent Reform Commission (IRC) member and T&T goalkeeper at the Germany 2006 World Cup:

The thinking behind the multiple committees, in my view, was to provide a comprehensive oversight and input into all the necessary functions and programs of a properly run FA—with overarching responsibility for programs ranging from youth to senior levels, grassroots and developmental through to elite; for both women and men.

The fact that so many of these committees are inactive suggests a unilateral approach to our football governance. [And the concern about such a governance style] was one of the main drivers behind the then TTFA administration calling for constitutional reform in the first place.

Keith Look Loy, TTFA board member, Trinidad and Tobago Super League (TTSL) president and former FIFA technical committee member:

The committee structure of TTFA is intended to ensure the Association functions properly. It also facilitates and ensures broad democratic input into—and influence over—the Association and its work by the wider football community.

The fact that the committee structure has never functioned under the current administration has consequences, which together may correctly be described as the collapse of the Association and of football in general.

Specifically regarding the Technical Committee, the failure of the President to ensure this is active and exerts guidance over the core business of the Association—football—is an outrage. This, despite many many entreaties to kick start this body.

So, we have no technical plan and we see all the programmes—national teams, education, grassroots, women, youth—are rudderless, ineffective, and even nonexistent.

With regard to the Audit and Compliance Committee, again—despite this committee having been appointed many months ago—this has never been activated. This committee should be playing a key role in the financial affairs of the Association; in ensuring members meet the Association’s membership requirements, and in certifying same. Currently, this is not the case and there is a lack of transparency in the conduct of these matters.

A democratic and effective Association requires a broad based, vibrant, system of working committees. We don’t have that and the consequences of this failure are patently clear.

Sherlan Cabralis, UWI Sports Management lecturer, Malvern Sports Club president and T&T hockey captain at the Leipzig 2003 Indoor World Cup:

The European Commission defines good governance as ‘the framework and culture within which a sports body sets policy, delivers its strategic objectives, engages with stakeholders, monitors performance, evaluates and manages risk and reports to its constituents on its activities and progress including the delivery of effective, sustainable and proportionate sports policy and regulation’.

Ultimately, sport organisations establish committees to assist in achieving their strategic objectives. Once these committees are non-functional, the organisation will not fulfil its strategic objectives and contravene good governance.

Good governance is simply doing the right thing for your stakeholders, that is players, members, media, spectators, etc.

Brian Lewis, Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee (TTOC) president and former TTFA Independent Reform Commission (IRC) member:

It’s important from a good governance perspective that sub-committees function as they are intended, to aid and provide strategic and operational effectiveness and efficiency.

Where sub-committees are independent, they provide oversight and transparency. Sub-committees ought not to be seen as obstacles.

Kendall Tull, chief financial officer at Teleios Systems Limited and former Trinidad and Tobago Hockey Board official and Queen’s Park and Notre Dame captain:

Google any definition of governance and you will find a reference to the importance of the Board of Directors in ensuring that the organisation is run efficiently, effectively and in compliance with all applicable laws and regulations.

[…] Aside from ensuring the reliability of the financial statements—itself a monumental task given the history of the TTFA—the [Audit and Compliance] Committee is supposed to provide an independent check on the activities of the organisation. Its mandate is deliberately broad to include all operational areas.

So for example, should the TTFA appropriate funding intended for say the running of a youth competition under the FIFA Forward Development Programme and were to use said funds to build a hotel, it is the responsibility of the Audit Committee to investigate such a matter and report to the Board.

[…] Looking at the broader question of the roles of the Standing Committees, while it is easy to see the importance of some—such as the Finance and the Audit & Compliance Committees—the others are somewhat harder to analyse, particularly as the constitution is vague on their purpose.
For example, the difference between the Ethics and Disciplinary Committees isn’t clearly spelt out; and this isn’t helped by the fact that Ethics Committee can sanction based on the Disciplinary Code of Conduct which is the purview of the Disciplinary Committee.

But all Board Committees are intended to allow the Board to delegate tasks to a subsection for more in-depth attention which will then allow the Board to operate more effectively and efficiently based on the work of the Sub-committees.

When these Standing Committees aren’t functional, that would mean that either the Board deals with the specific responsibilities bestowed on the Committees and thus become bogged down in dealing with the details; or the work of those Standing Committees does not get done to the detriment of the TTFA and football on the whole.

Take the Technical and Youth Development Committees for example, in their absence, where is the oversight that was intended to ensure that our youth development programmes are being implemented and achieving the desired results for example?

Or in the case of the Judicial Bodies, where does the legal advice come from [absent from the Legal Committee] to ensure the TTFA is properly managing its legal risks in dealing with issues?

Where Board committees are not functioning optimally or is non-existent, there will be a direct impact on the ability of the Board to adequately fulfil its mandate. And the Board itself has to take a share of the blame for the non-functional committees, since it has the power to appoint members to the various standing committees based on the constitution.

Maintaining the Committee structure will be challenging, even with the fact that outsiders are allowed and/or required to serve on some committees—the constitution creates 12 Standing Committees, three Judicial Bodies and two other bodies for a total of 17—given that the Board itself has 13 members who serve on essentially a part-time basis.

But without those committees, it is difficult to see how the Board could meaningfully execute its responsibilities for the management and development of Trinidad and Tobago’s football.

Brian Harry, management consultant with Futurix Partners, former TIDCO president and CEO and ex-QRC football coach:

First, there are far too many committees; much of the work covered by committees should be done by the board while sitting. For example, what is the purpose of an Emergency Committee and a committee for Marketing or Licensing?

It appears that committees are replacing organisational functions and processes which should be held within the TTFA organisation and not at board level. Thus the board is running things on a ‘daily’ basis, which is a cause for real concern. Governance. which is functional oversight and direction setting, must be separate from management, which is the day to day operations.

The committees that are most typical/common at a board level are: Finance and Budget (includes all tendering), HR, Risk Management, Audit and Compliance and Reporting.

There are, in some organisations, a few advisory committees, which have no authority but are only called upon to provide advice to the Chairman or the broader board. A best practice is to share the reports of the advisory committees with the full board.

A large number of poorly defined and non-functioning committees leads to uncertainty as to where and how the work is being done. Simultaneously, it gives the impression that leadership is unclear about the mandate of the organisation.

In some organisations which were later found to be corrupt, investigations showed a series of ‘special’ committees which were called to ad hoc meetings to approve or support ill-thought through or poorly understood actions or intent—they thus supported without proper background and grounding.

If only the Referees Committee is functioning, what’s the purpose of the others? It makes me suspicious and wonder.

Nothing is being done in a formal governance structure and all the work and power seems dispersed and uncoordinated. The structure is unwieldy.

Where are those minutes kept? How are projects and decisions ratified or adopted into organisational functions?

An organisation cannot function with such a disjointed governance structure! That situation simply lends itself to management by arbitrary fiat.

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on February 16, 2019, 01:35:45 AM
TTFA no-show, loses in court again.
By Jelani Beckles (Newsday).


Ex-general secretary wins wrongful dismissal case

FORMER general secretary of the TT Football Association (TTFA) Sheldon Phillips was yesterday instructed by the court to quantify his claim for wrongful dismissal by the TTFA, after the judge ruled in his favour. Phillips was fired by former TTFA president Raymond Tim Kee in October 2015.

At the Industrial Court yesterday, the judge made the ruling after TTFA president David John-Williams failed to show up at the trial to make a defence.

Phillips provided his statement but there was no one from the TTFA to provide a statement. The court asked Phillips' lawyers to assess the damages and present their claim. Phillips, who was fired 18 months before his contract expired. told Newsday yesterday he was uncertain what the damages would amount to.

"We are assessing that right now, it would be premature for me to provide that figure," Phillips said.

Newsday called John-Williams for a comment yesterday but he did not answer his cellphone.

This was the second judgement won by Phillips against the TTFA. In April last year, he won a lawsuit over an unpaid loan to the local football body.

Tim Kee had fired Phillips prior to TTFA elections for "failure to adhere to directives regarding the operational activities of the FA.”

The TTFA had said Phillips was asked to resign but refused.

Phillips was described by Tim Kee as competent and efficient before he was fired.

Soon after his sacking, Phillips said he believed he was fired, not because of his performance or because he failed to follow procedures, but because he had written to FIFA about the manner in which the election process was being managed in the TTFA.

Phillips, asked yesterday how he felt that the situation was nearing its end, said, "(I feel) grateful to my family and the support that they have given and continue to give. Certainly very thankful for the incredible level of professionalism from my attorneys...They put a tremendous amount of work in and I was very comfortable with what they provided."

Phillips said the case was not over and the process needs to unfold.

He said, "I feel very relieved at this point in time (but) certainly the matter is not over. We still have to wait on the judgement. I am also very pleased at the process and I put faith in the process. The proceedings today and the questions and the manner in which the proceedings were held by the judges and the court staff confirmed my faith in the process."

The former secretary made a call to all sporting leaders to show athletes and their workers respect. "At the end of the day, I hope that this is a signal to sporting organisations that the manner in which they deal with their workers, especially the athletes, has to dramatically change. The old days of bullying people are over."

Phillips was represented by Tara Thompson, Joel Roper, Justin Leung and Gideon McMaster.

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Tiresais on February 16, 2019, 03:04:57 AM
At least DJW was spared the embarrassment of being put in the stand
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on February 17, 2019, 01:31:44 AM
Correction: Phillips, TTFA case not over.
By Stephon Nicholas (Newsday).


ON Saturday, February 16, Newsday erroneously published a story stating ex-TT Football Association (TTFA) general secretary Sheldon Phillips won his case for wrongful dismissal against the TTFA and has been asked to quantify his claim for damages.

The case, however, is still ongoing. On Friday, local football president David-John Williams – the TTFA's witness – was unable to testify as he was abroad. A request for adjournment was requested by the TTFA lawyers but was denied. Both sides have been invited to give their closing submissions which will allow the court to make a judgment.

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: asylumseeker on February 17, 2019, 07:53:52 AM
At least DJW was spared the embarrassment of being put in the stand

Embarassing David John-Williams is a thing? Doubt that!
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: asylumseeker on February 17, 2019, 08:02:39 AM
Correction: Phillips, TTFA case not over.
By Stephon Nicholas (Newsday).


ON Saturday, February 16, Newsday erroneously published a story stating ex-TT Football Association (TTFA) general secretary Sheldon Phillips won his case for wrongful dismissal against the TTFA and has been asked to quantify his claim for damages.

The case, however, is still ongoing. On Friday, local football president David-John Williams – the TTFA's witness – was unable to testify as he was abroad. A request for adjournment was requested by the TTFA lawyers but was denied. Both sides have been invited to give their closing submissions which will allow the court to make a judgment.

The contradiction was evident in the initial article. It was the duty of the writer and editor to ask that question before going to press.
Title: Look Loy vs TTFA ruling expected March 20
Post by: Tallman on February 23, 2019, 10:06:21 AM
Look Loy vs TTFA ruling expected March 20
By Jada Loutoo (T&T Newsday)


JUSTICE Ronnie Boodoosingh is prepared to rule on TT Super League president Keith Look Loy’s lawsuit against the TT Football Association (TTFA) over transparency in the construction of its US$2.5 million “Home for Football” by next month, if the parties do not settle the issue themselves by then.

Boodoosingh said he can give a decision on March 20, but expressed hope that the parties can sort out the issue themselves.

Look Loy was granted permission to pursue his judicial review claim against the TTFA over the failure of its senior officials to disclose details related to the project in Balmain, Couva, to him and other directors.

In the claim, Look Loy has alleged he is entitled to the information which includes financial records and details on the contractors and project manager hired for the project.

He also sought a declaration that TTFA president David John-Williams and general secretary Justin Latapy-George acted irrationally and unreasonably in repeatedly failing to disclose the information.

In an affidavit, Look Loy claimed he had made several requests of both men since December, 2017, all of which were ignored.

“My requests for inspection of the documents have not been made whimsically to the TTFA in any way. My requests have been ongoing for at least eight months and are of utmost importance to ensure transparency in the interest of the public,” Look Loy said.

In a supplemental affidavit, Look Loy said he was offered an opportunity to see the requested documents after he filed the lawsuit. However, the day before he was expected to do so, he was told he had to sign a non-disclosure agreement first. He refused.

Look Loy is represented by Matthew Gayle, Dr Emir Crowne and Sheriza Khan of New City Chambers.

The “Home for Football” project is expected to include a 72-room hotel, training pitches, an entertainment centre and administrative offices for the association.

The sod was turned in September, 2017, with construction starting in February. The project was sponsored by Fifa and is being constructed on a little over seven hectares of land donated by the Government.

The project is already at an advanced stage and was toured by Fifa representative Veron Mosengo-Omba and Sports Minister Shamfa Cudjoe in August last year.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: asylumseeker on February 23, 2019, 10:29:08 AM
Heheh Justice Boodoosingh, not before the Wales friendly but the day of it.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on February 25, 2019, 01:39:43 AM
Awai: Look Loy's Board appointment illegal.
By Walter Alibey (Guardian).


Michael Awai, Di­rec­tor of Foot­ball at T&T Pro League cam­paign­ers North East Stars be­lieves Kei­th Look Loy, Pres­i­dent of the T&T Su­per League was il­le­gal­ly ap­point­ed as a mem­ber of the Board of Di­rec­tors of the T&T Foot­ball As­so­ci­a­tion.

The out­spo­ken Awai, equipped with a copy of the T&TFA Con­sti­tu­tion point­ed to the min­utes of De­cem­ber 23, 2017, re­con­vened An­nu­al Gen­er­al Meet­ing (AGM) at the of­fice of the Na­tion­al Cy­cling Cen­tre (NCC) in Bal­main, Cou­va, at which Look Loy and Sam Phillips, the for­mer T&T Pro League chair­man was ap­point­ed to the Board.

Both were il­le­gal­ly made mem­bers of the Board as de­ci­sions re­lat­ing to ap­point­ments or dis­missals of of­fi­cers could not have been made, Awai point­ed out.

In a let­ter to all mem­bers of TTFA Board re­cent­ly he said while he was not at the re­con­vened meet­ing, he got the op­por­tu­ni­ty to pe­ruse the min­utes of the meet­ing, and it re­vealed that cer­tain ac­tions and de­ci­sions tak­en were ul­tra-virus and un­con­sti­tu­tion­al.

Though there was no need for a quo­rum, the meet­ing start­ed with 21 mem­bers with no of­fi­cer of the TTFA present ex­cept gen­er­al sec­re­tary Justin Lat­apy-George who was made to sit out­side. It was lat­er joined by three oth­er mem­bers, push­ing the tal­ly to 24 of the to­tal 49 mem­bers.

Pres­i­dent David John-Williams, who was ill at the time was ab­sent and was ex­pect­ed to be re­placed by his vice pres­i­dent Ew­ing Davis, who al­so failed to make the 8 am start of the meet­ing.

How­ev­er, Guardian Me­dia Sports which ob­tained a copy of the Let­ter un­der­stands that Os­mond Down­er, vice-pres­i­dent of the TT Foot­ball Ref­er­ees As­so­ci­a­tion was giv­en the op­por­tu­ni­ty to chair the meet­ing be­cause of Davis' late ar­rival, a de­ci­sion that one mem­ber of the Board said was al­so against the guide­lines of the con­sti­tu­tion.

The North East Stars boss sought to en­force Ar­ti­cle 24 of the con­sti­tu­tion which states- " As per Ar­ti­cle 24 - Quo­rum of the Gen­er­al Meet­ing Para. 3. A quo­rum is not re­quired for the sec­ond meet­ing of the Gen­er­al Meet­ing un­less any item on the Agen­da pro­pos­es the amend­ment of the Con­sti­tu­tion, the elec­tion of a mem­ber of the Board of Di­rec­tors, the dis­missal of a mem­ber of a body of the TTFA, the ex­pul­sion of a Mem­ber or the dis­so­lu­tion of the TTFA."

Ac­cord­ing to Awai, "On a mo­tion moved by Mr Sel­by Browne and sec­ond­ed by Mr Os­mond Down­er, the fol­low­ing mem­bers were ap­point­ed to the TTFA Board with im­me­di­ate ef­fect; Mr Kei­th Look Loy - T&T Su­per League and Mr Sam Phillip - TT Pro League."

He not­ed, "Sub­se­quent­ly, the fol­low­ing mo­tion was moved by Mr Os­mond Down­er and sec­ond­ed by Mr Sel­by Browne and unan­i­mous­ly ap­proved. And that mo­tion read: This meet­ing is a re­con­vened meet­ing of the AGM which was du­ly called on No­vem­ber 25th 2017 at which a full quo­rum was present and this meet­ing is a con­tin­u­a­tion of that meet­ing and has the au­thor­i­ty to elect a mem­ber of the Board.

In ac­cor­dance with the Con­sti­tu­tion, and in keep­ing with the min­utes of the AGM of De­cem­ber 23, 2017 (which was con­firmed by the 2018 AGM), de­ci­sions were tak­en at the meet­ing of De­cem­ber 23, 2017, which re­quired a quo­rum to be in at­ten­dance are null and void."

Awai's let­ter has since caused a ma­jor stir as he calls on the Board of the TTFA, to im­me­di­ate­ly in­ves­ti­gate the sit­u­a­tion and take the nec­es­sary ac­tion with haste and dis­patch.

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: asylumseeker on February 25, 2019, 05:34:08 AM
Awai: Look Loy's Board appointment illegal.
By Walter Alibey (Guardian).


Michael Awai, Di­rec­tor of Foot­ball at T&T Pro League cam­paign­ers North East Stars be­lieves Kei­th Look Loy, Pres­i­dent of the T&T Su­per League was il­le­gal­ly ap­point­ed as a mem­ber of the Board of Di­rec­tors of the T&T Foot­ball As­so­ci­a­tion.

The out­spo­ken Awai, equipped with a copy of the T&TFA Con­sti­tu­tion point­ed to the min­utes of De­cem­ber 23, 2017, re­con­vened An­nu­al Gen­er­al Meet­ing (AGM) at the of­fice of the Na­tion­al Cy­cling Cen­tre (NCC) in Bal­main, Cou­va, at which Look Loy and Sam Phillips, the for­mer T&T Pro League chair­man was ap­point­ed to the Board.

Both were il­le­gal­ly made mem­bers of the Board as de­ci­sions re­lat­ing to ap­point­ments or dis­missals of of­fi­cers could not have been made, Awai point­ed out.

In a let­ter to all mem­bers of TTFA Board re­cent­ly he said while he was not at the re­con­vened meet­ing, he got the op­por­tu­ni­ty to pe­ruse the min­utes of the meet­ing, and it re­vealed that cer­tain ac­tions and de­ci­sions tak­en were ,ul­tra-virus and un­con­sti­tu­tion­al.

Though there was no need for a quo­rum, the meet­ing start­ed with 21 mem­bers with no of­fi­cer of the TTFA present ex­cept gen­er­al sec­re­tary Justin Lat­apy-George who was made to sit out­side. It was lat­er joined by three oth­er mem­bers, push­ing the tal­ly to 24 of the to­tal 49 mem­bers.

Pres­i­dent David John-Williams, who was ill at the time was ab­sent and was ex­pect­ed to be re­placed by his vice pres­i­dent Ew­ing Davis, who al­so failed to make the 8 am start of the meet­ing.

How­ev­er, Guardian Me­dia Sports which ob­tained a copy of the Let­ter un­der­stands that Os­mond Down­er, vice-pres­i­dent of the TT Foot­ball Ref­er­ees As­so­ci­a­tion was giv­en the op­por­tu­ni­ty to chair the meet­ing be­cause of Davis' late ar­rival, a de­ci­sion that one mem­ber of the Board said was al­so against the guide­lines of the con­sti­tu­tion.

The North East Stars boss sought to en­force Ar­ti­cle 24 of the con­sti­tu­tion which states- " As per Ar­ti­cle 24 - Quo­rum of the Gen­er­al Meet­ing Para. 3. A quo­rum is not re­quired for the sec­ond meet­ing of the Gen­er­al Meet­ing un­less any item on the Agen­da pro­pos­es the amend­ment of the Con­sti­tu­tion, the elec­tion of a mem­ber of the Board of Di­rec­tors, the dis­missal of a mem­ber of a body of the TTFA, the ex­pul­sion of a Mem­ber or the dis­so­lu­tion of the TTFA."

Ac­cord­ing to Awai, "On a mo­tion moved by Mr Sel­by Browne and sec­ond­ed by Mr Os­mond Down­er, the fol­low­ing mem­bers were ap­point­ed to the TTFA Board with im­me­di­ate ef­fect; Mr Kei­th Look Loy - T&T Su­per League and Mr Sam Phillip - TT Pro League."

He not­ed, "Sub­se­quent­ly, the fol­low­ing mo­tion was moved by Mr Os­mond Down­er and sec­ond­ed by Mr Sel­by Browne and unan­i­mous­ly ap­proved. And that mo­tion read: This meet­ing is a re­con­vened meet­ing of the AGM which was du­ly called on No­vem­ber 25th 2017 at which a full quo­rum was present and this meet­ing is a con­tin­u­a­tion of that meet­ing and has the au­thor­i­ty to elect a mem­ber of the Board.

In ac­cor­dance with the Con­sti­tu­tion, and in keep­ing with the min­utes of the AGM of De­cem­ber 23, 2017 (which was con­firmed by the 2018 AGM), de­ci­sions were tak­en at the meet­ing of De­cem­ber 23, 2017, which re­quired a quo­rum to be in at­ten­dance are null and void."

Awai's let­ter has since caused a ma­jor stir as he calls on the Board of the TTFA, to im­me­di­ate­ly in­ves­ti­gate the sit­u­a­tion and take the nec­es­sary ac­tion with haste and dis­patch.


The "virus" is actually a cancer of shenanigans and it looks to have afflicted Michael Awai,  who apparently is this week's Dissenter-in-Chief and ultra vires authority.

Haste and dispatch, eh?  :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: How many thwarted meetings has the TTFA had during the course of recent time? Buh as de knives out, ah sure all de knife sharpeners will neither be ill, late nor otherwise indisposed.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: palos on February 26, 2019, 12:23:51 AM
Maybe this article will go “ultra vires” on social media  ;)
Title: Camara David is TTFA’s new General Secretary
Post by: Tallman on February 26, 2019, 02:13:23 PM
Camara David is TTFA’s new General Secretary
TTFA Media


The Trinidad and Tobago Football Association has a new General Secretary. The appointment of Camara Mackenson David was approved by the Board of the TTFA on Monday evening which will see the position filled by David as he replaces the outgoing Justin Latapy.

David will officially commence duties at the beginning of March following the close of Latapy’s tenure at the end of February.

In a reaction to his appointment, David said he was excited to be part of the FA’s thrust to continue taking Trinidad and Tobago’s football forward.

“I am thankful for the faith the President and the Board of the TTFA has put in me and I am very optimistic about the challenges ahead with God’s guidance,” David stated today.

“The association is slowly but surely finding its feet on solid ground and I’m excited to be part of the change. Bringing back the public’s trust in the association and their love for the game is key and part of the major objectives I intend to achieve,” he continued.

David is a former general secretary at the TT Super League, a former director of the inaugural Trinidad and Tobago Women’s Pro League as a was a past business analyst in the Sportt Company . David also holds a FIFA Masters Degree in Management, Law and Humanities of Sport. He is currently an adjunct lecturer at UWI for the FIFA/CIES Post Graduate Diploma in Sport Management.

The TTFA wishes to thank Mr Latapy for his services to the organization and sincerely wishes him the best in his future endeavors.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: soccerman on February 26, 2019, 03:28:54 PM
Papayo. Still no word on who he was representing in his official capacity in Barbados? As it stands, looks like he was acting as GS before the position was offered and accepted.
I thought transparency was was a main item on the PDF :devil:
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: asylumseeker on February 27, 2019, 02:15:35 AM
Alas, confirmation that the virus is spreading. Civil war cometh.

If yuh have a racehorse, the going seems good or maybe good to soft. Hmmm, on my to do list: buy ah horse and get the name Secret Ballot approved.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: soccerman on February 27, 2019, 08:27:40 AM
Alas, confirmation that the virus is spreading. Civil war cometh.

If yuh have a racehorse, the going seems good or maybe good to soft. Hmmm, on my to do list: buy ah horse and get the name Secret Ballot approved.
:rotfl:
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on February 28, 2019, 05:00:01 AM
Lawrence set to become T&T’s longest serving coach after TTFA extension; but board blocks Camara.
By Lasana Liburd (Wired868).


Trinidad and Tobago Men’s National Senior Team coach Dennis Lawrence is set to become the longest serving football head coach in his country’s history, after the TTFA’s board of directors approved a two and a half year extension for him tonight.

The decision means that Lawrence is contracted to the local football body until mid-2021 and is expected to oversee the Soca Warriors’ Qatar 2022 World Cup bid. No coach has ever taken Trinidad and Tobago from one World Cup qualifying series to the next—in fact, no T&T coach has kept his job for an entire World Cup campaign since Everald ‘Gally’ Cummings in 1989.

At present, Trinidad and Tobago’s two longest serving coaches are Stephen Hart (2013-2016) and Bertille St Clair (1997-2000).

Hart led the Warriors to back to back Concacaf Gold Cup quarterfinal places and a FIFA ranking of 49th in the world.

St Clair was the first coach to take the Trinidad and Tobago football team into the knockout phase of the Gold Cup and got as far as the semifinal rounds in 2000, while he also snagged two Caribbean Cup titles.

The board’s decision to stick with Lawrence, which was taken via secret ballot, was overwhelming but not unanimous. Remarkably, the decision was made despite the board being denied the opportunity to review either Lawrence’s initial two year contract or the extension that will now be handed to him by football president David John-Williams.

The president did not divulge Lawrence’s salary to the board—as, for instance, Public Utilities Minister Robert Le Hunte revealed TSTT CEO Ronald Walcott’s financial remuneration to Parliament—but, instead, offered a combined salary for the technical staff which supposedly included the head coach.

At present, the TTFA does not have a functioning technical committee or even a technical director. Anton Corneal, who fulfils the latter responsibility, has downed tools due to unfulfilled contractual obligations. Regardless, the board voted that John-Williams essentially award Lawrence whatever terms he sees fit.

Central Football Association (CFA) representative Collin Partap said he had no idea what the terms of Lawrence’s contract will be, even though the constitution mandates the the TTFA board—and not the president—to appoint the Warriors’ technical staff.

“No information was given to us regarding financial terms [and] there were some members who wanted a performance appraisal and key performance indicators placed into the contract itself,” said Partap. “But the board [collectively] decided to pass it as is… I don’t know what the terms will be.”

Partap said he agreed with fellow board members that the team should not be disrupted before the June Concacaf Gold Cup, which the Warriors qualified for automatically once former coach Stephen Hart got them into the Hex. However, he felt Lawrence should have been further assessed after the Gold Cup; or, at the least, that there ought to be exit clauses inserted in his contract for poor performance.

“I agree that we need a head coach and didn’t think we should have disruptions before the Gold Cup; but after the Gold Cup, I felt if we didn’t have the performances and results we wanted, we should have been able to look at the situation again,” he said. “Some of the board members, including myself, wanted to know what the expense would be if we wanted to change the coach within the next two and a half years—because we are $42 million in debt.

“But it was approved for two and a half years anyway, although the details of the contract I don’t know and don’t think I will ever know; and that was a bit frustrating.

“I am a lawyer, so I would love to see the terms of the contract and the exit clauses. I would love to find out if there were other applicants for the post of head coach or if it was even advertised.”

John-Williams did not have his way on the matter of the general secretary, though, as the board refused his proposed choice of Camara David as replacement for the incumbent, Justin Latapy-George.

“The way I see it, if the constitution wanted to give complete prerogative to the president regarding the hiring and firing of the general secretary,” said Partap, “he would have [explicitly been given] the authority to appoint or dismiss; and that would be the end of it.

“Myself and some of the members—if he tries to push through the hiring of [Camara David] without the board’s approval—have decided that we will take legal action; because he is trying to circumvent the power of the board.”

The TTFA president is not believed to have conceded and he declined the chance to put the matter to a vote tonight. Instead, he is likely to try to get his man appointed again when the board reconvenes next week.

Partap believes that, with just months left on his presidential term, issues like his insistence on a new general secretary—a decision taken by John-Williams after Latapy-George admitted that the president asked him to deceive the board on Salazar’s resignation—was an unnecessary distraction for the board.

“These are issues that we shouldn’t be dealing with,” said the CFA representative. “He has seven months left on his tenure and we have the Gold Cup coming up, the Under-17 World Cup qualifying series, we have grassroots football matters to deal with… This issue of him trying to force a change of general secretary at the moment is really trivial and wasting the time of the members.

“I also think we need a board meeting once every month on a statutory date set, like the first Tuesday or Saturday of every month—that way everyone keeps that date clear, instead of the way it is being run. This is the first board meeting since November and we are in the last week of February.

“One board meeting every three months? That doesn’t fly.”

The fate of the Trinidad and Tobago Men’s National Under-17 Team, which is due to start its Peru 2019 World Youth Championship campaign in May, is undetermined as their case will also be discussed next week.

The Under-17 Team have not trained since April 2018 and they do not have a confirmed coaching staff at present.

John-Williams will also try to get two vice-presidents on the board next week, as replacements for Allan Warner and Joanne Salazar who both walked out on the TTFA boss over the past two years.

North East Stars director Michael Awai and San Fernando Giants president Anthony ‘Cla Tones’ Clarke are believed to be John-Williams’ picks for the vacant roles.

One thing that is settled is that Lawrence will head the Warriors for the foreseeable future.

A rookie when he applied for the job, Lawrence was initially the TTFA technical committee’s third choice behind Stuart Charles-Fevrier—Lawrence’s current assistant—and Terry Fenwick. The technical committee, headed by Dexter Skeene and Alvin Henderson, resigned after the board ignored their recommendations and appointed Lawrence instead.

Lawrence, who previously worked as assistant to current Belgium coach Roberto Martinez at Wigan Athletic and Everton FC, had a mixed spell in his first job as head coach.

In 20 matches, there were five wins, four draws and 11 losses while the Warriors finished at the bottom of the Concacaf Hex—six points adrift of the second from bottom nation, USA—and slipped from 80th to 93rd in the FIFA rankings.

However, Lawrence can point to a seismic 2-1 qualifying win over USA in Couva and a 2-0 friendly win over the United Arab Emirates in Spain as evidence of his value. The board agreed he was worth keeping.

Current TTFA board: David John-Williams (president), Ewing Davis (vice-president), Raeshawn Mars (Northern FA), Richard Quan Chan (Southern FA), Anthony Moore (Tobago FA), Joseph Taylor (Trinidad and Tobago Football Referees Association), Sharon Warrick (Women’s League Football), Julia Baptiste (TT Pro League), Collin Partap (Central Football Association), Keith Look Loy (TTSL), Bandele Kamau (Eastern FA), Sherwyn Dyer (Eastern Counties Football Union), Selby Browne (Veteran Footballers Foundation of Trinidad and Tobago).



Feb-22 News

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Rastaman on February 28, 2019, 07:28:21 AM
So armmmm.... was he appointed or not ???
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Tallman on February 28, 2019, 08:29:05 AM
So armmmm.... was he appointed or not ???

He was.
Title: When will the TTFA chaos end?
Post by: Tallman on February 28, 2019, 02:48:10 PM
When will the TTFA chaos end?
By Colin Murray (T&T Guardian)


Last Mon­day (Feb­ru­ary 25), the start of Car­ni­val week and those of you who know me well know that I am a Christ­mas to Car­ni­val ba­by. I thor­ough­ly en­joy Christ­mas but I al­so en­joy Car­ni­val to the max.

Be­ing Car­ni­val week I have al­ready planned the fetes I will at­tend: Machel Mon­day, Kes Tues­day, Bayview and then take it from there. I was even con­tem­plat­ing writ­ing about some of my ex­pe­ri­ences thus far for this long but en­joy­able Car­ni­val sea­son.

Sit­ting as usu­al with cof­fee in hand, wham! the Guardian head­line smashed me, “Awai: Look Loy’s TTFA ap­point­ment il­le­gal”. The au­thor was none oth­er than Michael Awai, the North East Stars Di­rec­tor of Foot­ball. He very ac­cu­rate­ly quot­ed parts of the con­sti­tu­tion and the min­utes of the re­con­vened T&T Foot­ball As­so­ci­a­tion (TTFA) an­nu­al gen­er­al meet­ing (AGM) dat­ed De­cem­ber 23, 2017, at which Look Loy and Sam Phillips were ap­point­ed to the board.

But as far as he is con­cerned, both were il­le­gal­ly ap­point­ed as de­ci­sions re­lat­ing to ap­point­ments or dis­missals of of­fi­cers could not have been made ac­cord­ing to ar­ti­cle 24, para­graph three (Quo­rum of the Gen­er­al Meet­ing) of the TTFA con­sti­tu­tion.

Awai may or may not have sol­id ground to stand on and I am not go­ing to de­bate his po­si­tion. Phillips, the for­mer T&T Pro League chair­man, has tak­en grave of­fence and is de­mand­ing an apol­o­gy and went fur­ther to state that Awai is mis­lead­ing the pub­lic. Of course, in true "Tri­ni" style, the at­tack then be­came per­son­al as the words cho­sen by the North East Stars man has in­censed Phillips.

So why would Awai sud­den­ly take up this case? I didn’t have to wait long for the an­swer as my mo­bile phone start­ed ring­ing. ‘Town’ says that Awai is be­ing court­ed as one of the per­sons ear­marked to be a vice-pres­i­dent of the TTFA. ‘Town’ al­so went on to sug­gest that if Awai is so big on the con­sti­tu­tion, he should go back to the 2015 TTFA elec­tions as he is con­fus­ing an elec­tion with a con­fir­ma­tion. He should open the door again to ques­tion the le­git­i­ma­cy of the TTFA 2015 elec­tions as a ma­jor­i­ty of non-com­pli­ant mem­bers vot­ed. I was even sent a nine-page doc­u­ment on the TTFA elec­tions. Per­haps Awai should seek a copy and pe­ruse it.

My dear read­ers, quite frankly I am not in­ter­est­ed in the 2015 TTFA re­port­ed­ly far­ci­cal elec­tions but hope­ful­ly Awai could shed some light on it. What dis­turbs me is the con­tin­ued neg­a­tive pub­lic­i­ty that fol­lows the beau­ti­ful game un­der this regime since 2015. Two of the three vice pres­i­dents have re­signed; in one case the sec­ond vice pres­i­dent re­signed when it was re­port­ed that the pres­i­dent of the TTFA or­dered the gen­er­al sec­re­tary to with­hold in­for­ma­tion from the board on the res­ig­na­tion. This was ac­tu­al­ly ad­mit­ted by the gen­er­al sec­re­tary in the pub­lic do­main.

Soon af­ter, the gen­er­al sec­re­tary, whom I have been ad­vised was do­ing a good job, was told to be­gin to seek em­ploy­ment else­where. The end came for him a cou­ple of days ago when there were 11 board mem­bers present for a re­con­vened board meet­ing; the se­cret bal­lot vote went five-for and five-against with one ab­sten­tion. Who had the cast­ing vote? Not hard to fig­ure out, right? So good­bye to Justin Lat­apy- George the for­mer gen­er­al sec­re­tary of the TTFA. Thanks for what you tried to do for foot­ball. What was rather pe­cu­liar about this vote was that it was done by se­cret bal­lot. I won­der why? Al­so not hard to fig­ure out, right?

In comes Ca­ma­ra David as the new gen­er­al sec­re­tary of the TTFA. I met David when he was the sec­re­tary of the T&T Su­per League (TTSL). He seemed very com­pe­tent at his job and was as­sured in all that he did. He was out­spo­ken with his views and my hope is that he hasn’t changed and does what is right for the good of T&T foot­ball and stands for his be­liefs be­cause he would have failed the pub­lic and clubs if he does not. He is the third gen­er­al sec­re­tary in this regime’s tenure.

I have nev­er seen so many changes in the TTFA be­fore a four-year term comes to an end. Poor Ol­lie (Oliv­er) Camps must be turn­ing in his grave; two vice pres­i­dents and three gen­er­al sec­re­taries makes you won­der from the out­side, what is wrong? These are high pro­file po­si­tions and I would have thought the foot­balling pub­lic would know why these changes have come about but this is not so. There are about nine months to go be­fore the TTFA have their elec­tions and it is go­ing to be very in­ter­est­ing if the two vice pres­i­dent po­si­tions are filled be­fore those elec­tions. Who will ap­point those po­si­tions and who will the names be? It will be riv­et­ing or should I say in­for­ma­tive?

While I sin­cere­ly ap­plaud the idea of the “Home of Foot­ball” (hope­ful­ly we will get some true dol­lar fig­ures even­tu­al­ly), I hold my head and bawl with the gov­er­nance of foot­ball in sweet T&T.

Have a great and safe Car­ni­val. It is ours and we are proud to say it is the great­est show on earth.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: soccerman on February 28, 2019, 03:12:15 PM
Lawrence's contract was extended without an official contract for the board to review, either our president don't know how he's going to consistently pay him or we just backwards. I do agree with the rationale that something temporarily should be put in place for DL through the GC then we proceed with an official contract in writing after the tournament if they didn't want to disrupt their preparations.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Tallman on February 28, 2019, 03:54:04 PM
Lawrence's contract was extended without an official contract for the board to review, either our president don't know how he's going to consistently pay him or we just backwards. I do agree with the rationale that something temporarily should be put in place for DL through the GC then we proceed with an official contract in writing after the tournament if they didn't want to disrupt their preparations.

Yuh thinking too logical.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: palos on February 28, 2019, 11:40:04 PM
Why do you guys bother?

Seriously

The man does whatever he wants, to whomever, without consequence.

Why are you continuing to question and wonder and investigate etc?  It’s all to no avail

Football in T&T is f**kED.  And we all know it
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on March 01, 2019, 05:22:32 AM
TTFA board appoints Camara as general secretary in secret ballot; Stern named U-17 coach.
By Lasana Liburd (Wired868).


Camara David, a UWI Sports Management part-time lecturer and former Trinidad and Tobago Super League (TTSL) general secretary, will assume the post of Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) general secretary for the next 12 months, after he was appointed by the TTFA board last night.

David, who is just 28 years old and holds a FIFA Masters Degree in Management, Law and Humanities of Sport, will officially replace Justin Latapy-George on 1 March 2019, although, in truth, he began making appearances as ‘general secretary’ since December 2018—to no little controversy.

At the TTFA’s 2018 AGM, members moved a motion crediting Latapy-George for his efforts and urging football president David John-Williams not to make a change, with just eight months left in his term. Not for the first time, John-Williams proved that he is his own man.

The TTFA constitution dictates that only the president can propose the hiring or dismissal of a general secretary—which is essentially the CEO of the local football body—but the board ultimately has the power to accept or reject his suggestion.

Last Wednesday, John-Williams raised the issue of hiring David but opted not to put it to a vote with an estimated eight from 13 board members opposed to the change.

Yesterday, there were 11 members present—Sherwyn Dyer (Eastern Counties) and Julia Baptiste (TT Pro League) were both absent—for the reconvened meeting; and the president started the gathering by immediately demanding a vote. Tellingly, John-Williams requested a secret ballot, as was used the previous week to re-appoint Soca Warriors head coach Dennis Lawrence—on the suggestion of new board member and Eastern Football Association (EFATT) president Bandele Kamau.

And the vote was allegedly tallied as five for David and five against with one abstention.

John-Williams then used his casting vote as president to break the deadlock and install his namesake—an ambitious young man who has been virtually inseparable from his side over the past year.

Unlike Lawrence, David’s contract will be passed before the board and should include KPIs (Key Performance Indicators). John-Williams, who refused to reveal Lawrence’s salary to the board, is believed to have already shared the financial terms for the new appointee which was considered an acceptable sum.

David is John-Williams’ third general secretary in his still uncompleted term, which is an unprecedented figure. Counting a five-week stint as interim general secretary by Paula Chester-Cumberbatch in the lead-up to the 31 November 2015 election, the TTFA had three general secretaries in 18 years prior to the current president taking office.

Azaad Khan served as general secretary for John-Williams’ first year in office before he opted to hire Latapy-George in late 2016. Latapy-George was walking on borrowed time since September 2018, though, when he admitted to Wired868 that John-Williams ordered him to withhold information from the board on the resignation of former vice-president Joanne Salazar.

Soon after, John-Williams told Latapy-George to begin looking for a new job and it was an open secret that the president would jettison him as soon as the AGM was out of the way.

Last night was the end of the line for Latapy-George and the beginning of the David era, which may generate little enthusiasm for half of the board and a significant portion of the general membership.

“I am thankful for the faith the president and the Board of the TTFA has put in me and I am very optimistic about the challenges ahead with God’s guidance,” David told TTFA Media. “The association is slowly but surely finding its feet on solid ground and I’m excited to be part of the change. Bringing back the public’s trust in the association and their love for the game is key and part of the major objectives I intend to achieve.”

In no less meaningful news, the TTFA board also agreed to activate the Men’s National Under-17 Team, which will have roughly two months to prepare for their opening 2018 World Youth Cup fixture.

The Junior Soca Warriors open their campaign against Bermuda on 1 May at the IMG Academy campus in Bradenton, Florida while they tackle Jamaica and Mexico on 3 and 5 May respectively. Three of the four Group E teams will advance to the knock-out stage.

National Senior Team assistant coach Stern John, who has barely a year and a half’s experience as a head coach at Pro League outfit Central FC, was named National Under-17 Team head coach. The remainder of the staff will be appointed on 7 March.

John’s willingness to work without remuneration—other than his current stipend with the senior team—is believed to have been key to his selection. Similarly, the TTFA will try to fill the Under-17 Team’s technical staff with persons who are willing to work for free.

The TTFA also promised to place advertisements for coaching staff to run the Women’s National Under-17, Under-20 and Senior Teams. All staff members will be hired for two years while the new role of Head of Women’s Football—which is essentially a women’s technical director—will come with a four year contract.

Discussions between the Pro League and Super League clubs on the proposed merged league will continue from Ash Wednesday—on 6 March—from 6pm at a venue to be determined in Couva.

TTFA board members who met last night: David John-Williams (president), Ewing Davis (vice-president), Raeshawn Mars (Northern FA), Richard Quan Chan (Southern FA), Anthony Moore (Tobago FA), Joseph Taylor (Trinidad and Tobago Football Referees Association), Sharon Warrick (Women’s League Football), Collin Partap (Central Football Association), Keith Look Loy (TTSL), Bandele Kamau (Eastern FA), Selby Browne (Veteran Footballers Foundation of Trinidad and Tobago).

Absent: Sherwyn Dyer (Eastern Counties Football Union), Julia Baptiste (TT Pro League).

Stern John on his appointment as T&T U-17 Men's head coach (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ejThbMamvos)

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Cocorite on March 01, 2019, 01:28:47 PM
Why do you guys bother?

Seriously

The man does whatever he wants, to whomever, without consequence.

Why are you continuing to question and wonder and investigate etc?  It’s all to no avail

Football in T&T is f**kED.  And we all know it

Ah does wonder de same ting.

A bunch of spineless, Uncle Toms who lack character, willing to sell their souls, and willing to live off of scraps will support this tyrant's evil
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on March 14, 2019, 04:29:40 AM
Davis unaware of decisions made at TTFA meeting.
By Joel Bailey (Newsday).


EWING DAVIS, first vice-president of the TT Football Association (TTFA), said he was unaware if any unconstitutional decision was made in a recent TTFA meeting.

According to an e-mail to the TTFA stakeholders sent by Michael Awai, director of football at Pro League club North East Stars, “I have had the opportunity to review the minutes of the reconvened AGM (Annual General Meeting) of the TTFA of 23rd December 2018 held at the National Cycling Velodrome in Balmain, Couva. I wish to point you to several items which will reveal that certain actions and decisions taken at that meeting were ultra-vires and unconstitutional.”

Davis, who chaired the meeting, said on Tuesday that he was late in his attendance and was not sure of all the decisions which were made during the day.

He added, “As chairman of a meeting, the general secretary (did) the roll call and informed me whether he has a quorum or not.”

Then TTFA general secretary Justin Latapy-George was replaced by Camara David on March 1.

“I got in to that meeting late,” said Davis. “(TT Football Referees Association vice-president Osmond) Downer had called that meeting to order and I was advised there was a quorum and I went about it.”

According to a Newsday report on March 4, Awai said he was misrepresented in a recent newspaper article, which quoted him as saying the appointments of TT Super League president Keith Look Loy and ex-TT men’s team manager Joseph Sam Phillip as members of the TTFA board of directors were done illegally.

Phillip, who has threatened to take legal action against Awai, said recently, “(Awai) is saying that it’s unconstitutional but as far as I’m aware the TTFA, for which I once served, I know (don’t) indulge themselves in anything unconstitutional. If that is so, then I’m eternally disappointed in the TTFA.

“I’m asking the TTFA and the general membership to state their position on this matter where this man is alleging that (they) had two members that (were) unconstitutionally installed. If that is so, therefore all the meetings that Mr Look Loy and myself would have attended or any decisions made while we were there would be deemed null and void.”

Phillip continued, “If this goodly gentleman knows so much about the constitution, and this is unconstitutional as he said, he himself should attend no meetings where anybody is unconstitutionally installed. I am a defender against anything unconstitutional and/or illegal behaviour.”

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on March 15, 2019, 04:08:20 AM
TTFA elects two Vice Presidents.
TTFA Media.


Under 17 staff appointments approved

The Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) Board of Directors at its meeting yesterday elected two Vice Presidents, Tobago Football Association (TFA) president Anthony Moore and Southern Football Association (SFA) president Richard Quan Chan were elected to replace Allan Warner and Joanne Salazar who were elected in November 2015. Both were nominated by by Veteran Footballers Foundation of Trinidad and Tobago (VFFOTT) president Selby Browne.

The Board also elected Anthony Moore as the TTFA Representative to the new Commission. He will join the other Representatives to the Commission Brent Sancho and Jamal Shabazz elected by the Pro League along with Keith Look Loy and Terry Joseph elected by the Super League. The Board at the previous meeting instructed that the new National League will begin this year 2019, and will include clubs from the Pro League and Trinidad and Tobago Super League. The Commission will be comprised of seven members and upon the appointment of the other two members, the Commission will be responsible for all preparation for the start of the new National Football League to be launched by the TTFA.

Camara David, new TTFA General Secretary informed the Board of the CONCACAF decision that TTFA clubs would not be participating in the CONCACAF Club Competition 2019, due to the fact that Club Licensing requirements submitted were not found to be in good order. The Board instructed that all measures to have the Club Licensing addressed be immediately  taken and accepted the offer of CONCACAF to conduct a training exercise at the TTFA in the coming days. The Board also instructed that positions be filled by trained persons and the post of Club Licensing Officer be immediately advertised.

The TTFA President was Chairman of the Board meeting which was attended by twelve directors.

The TTFA board  approved the appointment of the U -17 Technical staff members, namely; Kenwyne Jones (assistant coach), Caleb De Souza (assistant coach), Ross Russell (goalkeeper coach), Aaron Pollard (manager) and Devin Elcock (equipment manager). The members were all recommended by National Under-17 Team head coach Stern John.

RELATED NEWS

TTFA members rule DJW’s vice-presidents were illegally appointed; Downer explains.
Wired868.com.


“[The] appointment [of the two TTFA vice-presidents] were broadcast throughout the media and even on the official website of the TTFA, and appeared in the roll call list for the meeting […] when, in fact the, appointment of these two ‘vice-presidents’ was not in keeping with the dictates of the present Constitution of the TTFA.

“[…] I proceeded to move the following motion: ‘Whereas the selection of 2 Vice-Presidents for the TTFA at the last Board Meeting was not done in keeping with the Constitution of the TTFA, be it resolved that the AGM now directs the Board of Directors to now proceed to elect the three Vice-Presidents, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd, separately in keeping with the dictates of the TTFA’s Constitution’.

“This motion was seconded by Mr Clynt Taylor of the Central Football Association (CFA) and unanimously accepted by the delegates present.”

The following statement on the improper election of TTFA president David John-Williams’ two vice-presidents, Richard Quan Chan and Anthony Moore, at a recent board meeting was issued by TTFRA vice-president Osmond Downer, who helped frame the TTFA Constitution:

Dear fellow delegates to the general meeting of the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) and the members of the board of directors (BOD) of the TTFA,

I wish to express great disappointment on two things arising out of the reconvened AGM that took place yesterday morning at the Ato Boldon Stadium in Couva:

First, the apparent non-interest and, indeed, non-commitment, on the part of a large number of the members’ delegates, and also of the majority of the members of the board of directors of the Association;

Second, the shocking lack of knowledge of the up-to-date changes in the Constitution of the Association on the part of the members of the board.

Delegates to the general meetings of the TTFA are elected by their respective members of the TTFA to represent such members at general meetings of the Association.

Such delegates must understand that they are obligated to be present at all such meetings so as to be informed enough to report back to their respective members on matters that affect their members and football in general. If a delegate accepts such an appointment then he/she must undertake to fulfil these obligations and the delegate’s member association must also ensure that these obligations are fulfilled.

It is indeed shocking that many general meetings over the last few years have not been able to conduct the important business of the Association because of a lack of quorums for these meetings. Also it is the duty of members of the BOD to attend all such general meetings to give relevant information to delegates.

We have had two reconvened general meetings in February and last Sunday to complete the discussions on the very important item of amendments to the Constitution but we were unable to do so because the Constitution stipulates that a majority of over 50% must be present for such amendments to be considered. Also, at Sunday’s meeting only the President and Vice-President of the Board Members were present at the start, with two other members arriving after the end of the meeting.

At the starting time of the meeting, 9:00am, only five delegates were present, the full two representatives from the TTFRA and full three from the CFA. About four other delegates arrived after the start.

However the meeting, being a reconvened one, was convened and the last item on the Agenda, ‘Any other business’, was dealt with. I moved a motion that the consideration of the remaining proposals to the amendments of the Constitution be dealt with at the Annual General Meeting in November—where, being an election year, nearly everyone will turn out—so as to not waste any more of the precious time of the conscientious delegates.

This motion was passed unanimously I will state here that the records will show that the two delegates of the TTFRA have been present at all the general meetings of years of this session.

I raised the matter of the selection of two ‘Vice-Presidents’ at the recent meeting of the board of directors and that such appointments were broadcast throughout the media and even on the official website of the TTFA, and appeared in the roll call list for the meeting as ‘two Vice-Presidents’ with the names of the incumbents—when, in fact the, appointment of these two ‘Vice-Presidents’ was not in keeping with the dictates of the present Constitution of the TTFA.

I expressed shock and, indeed, dismay that no board member had brought to the attention of that Board meeting the fact that there was a change in the Constitution concerning the posts of Vice-Presidents in Article 33, proposed by the TTFRA and accepted at the reconvened AGM of 27/01/2019 by a large majority vote.

I referred the meeting to Article 32 of the Constitution regarding ‘Effective dates of Decisions’ which states ‘Decisions passed by the general meeting shall come into effect immediately…’

All the changes made in the Constitution on 27/01/2019 were printed and presented to delegates by the previous General Secretary, Mr Justin Latapy-George, at the reconvened AGM held in February.

The President, Vice-President, and other board members were present at the meeting of 27/01/2019 when these changes were made.

Article 33 of the Constitution dealing with the composition of the BOD stated in the previous Constitution states ‘The Members of the BOD are: 1 President, 3 Vice-Presidents and one member representing each of the named Member Associations’. The amendment accepted at the AGM of 27/01/2019 changed ‘3 Vice-Presidents to 1st Vice-President, 2nd Vice-President, and 3rd Vice-President’—three separate posts.

I put to the meeting that my information was that at the board meeting nominations for the two posts of ‘2 Vice-Presidents’ were invited and that Mr Selby Browne proposed two names which were seconded and that Mr Keith Look Loy proposed one name which was seconded, and that voting proceeded. And that eventually the first two receiving the most votes were named as the ‘2 Vice-Presidents’.

This was accepted as what was actually done. I put to the meeting that the proper procedure, in keeping with the change in the Constitution, should have been as follows: the election for the three posts of 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Vice-Presidents should have been done separately with each board member having the right to make or second only one nomination for each post and voting done for each post separately.

I even suggested that for the post of 1st Vice-President, the Chairman [David John-Williams] could have put to the meeting that someone propose that Mr Ewing Davis—because of his present standing as the only remaining original Vice-President—be nominated and chosen as the 1st Vice-President, and then proceed to elect the 2nd and 3rd separately.

I proceeded to move the following motion: ‘Whereas the selection of 2 Vice-Presidents for the TTFA at the last board meeting was not done in keeping with the Constitution of the TTFA, be it resolved that the AGM now directs the Board of Directors to now proceed to elect the three Vice-Presidents, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd, separately in keeping with the dictates of the TTFA’s Constitution’.

This motion was seconded by Mr Clynt Taylor of the Central Football Association (CFA) and unanimously accepted by the delegates present.

Members, therefore we remain now with only one named VP, Mr Ewing Davis, but we do not have a 1st, 2nd, and third VP of the TTFA. Also Constitution changes could be considered to encourage greater participation in all general meetings.

Yours in Football,
Osmond O Downer


Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on March 16, 2019, 12:14:50 AM
TTFA Vacancies.
TTFA Media.


The Trinidad and Tobago Football Association is looking for someone to lead the new club licensing department of the TTFA, to ensure club football is at a high level in administration, infrastructure hence producing good football on the field of play.

Click here to View Job Description- Club Licensing Manager (http://ttfootball.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Job-Description-Club-Licencing-Manager.pdf)

Under 20 and Under 17 Women’s Head Coach Position

The TTFA is accepting applications for the positions of Under 20 and Under 17 Women’s Head Coach.

Click here for Job Descriptions- Head Coaches U-20 & U-17 Women (http://ttfootball.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Job-Description-Head-Coaches-U20-U17-Girls.pdf)

Interested persons can keep following the TTFA Social Media platforms and TTFA Releases in the Press for more openings in the coming weeks.

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: asylumseeker on March 16, 2019, 11:07:07 PM
Presumably none of these ppl will be volunteers.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: maxg on March 17, 2019, 03:18:59 PM
Presumably none of these ppl will be volunteers.
History indicates otherwise doh, till one contracts a lawyer, ent ?
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: asylumseeker on March 17, 2019, 03:27:57 PM
Presumably none of these ppl will be volunteers.
History indicates otherwise doh, till one contracts a lawyer, ent ?

Correct is right. Name yuh salary is joke ting.  :bs:
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on March 20, 2019, 12:27:04 AM
Action taken to freeze TTFA Bank Accounts.
TTFA Media.


Documents on the action taken by persons who have approached the court to have instructions issued to freeze the bank accounts of the TTFA last Friday was received on Monday March 18th 2019 by the TTFA

We at the TTFA have inherited a debt of over 30 million dollars incurred by the previous administrations and continue the uphill task of addressing that financial situation, while also addressing the ongoing operating requirements of the Association.

The facts are that while these are not debts created by the David John Williams Administration, they remain the debts of the TTFA.

This matter at hand has to be dealt with in the same manner as other matters of a similar nature that we have dealt with over the past three-year period.

Unfortunately the funding is just not there at this time to service these debts, but we at the TTFA continue to soldier on, hence the reason for emphasis on completing the Hotel and the Home of Football which will be a major income generation project not just for football but will change the face of sport in Trinidad and Tobago.

We are very mindful of those whose sole agenda is to destroy Trinidad and Tobago Football by their actions, but under no circumstances shall they derive such a result.

The TTFA has sought to embrace all persons and resources who we have determined willing to rebuild football in Trinidad and Tobago, and will continue the work necessary to achieve success with the administration of football in Trinidad and Tobago.

David John Williams
President
TTFA


Title: Like Wales, T&T can climb FIFA rankings
Post by: Tallman on March 20, 2019, 07:14:09 AM
Like Wales, T&T can climb FIFA rankings
T&T Newsday


THE EDITOR: Today, a rusty T&T men’s football team plays a revamped Wales team. With a population of just over three million, Wales forms the United Kingdom with England and Scotland. In 2013, Wales opened Dragon Park, a similar football facility/project to our “home of football.”

In 2015 when the current TTFA (T&T Football Association) assumed office, T&T’s men were 49th in the FIFA (International Federation of Association Football) rankings and has today dropped to 93rd. In 2012, Wales was ranked 83rd and is now 19th; with the potential to play any team in the world.

Its massive climb took time but wasn’t solely due to a facility. It was aided by an overhaul of grassroot development, increased competitions, training programmes, national team development, better finance management and, most importantly, good administration.

In researching, I found no instances of administration practices similar to our TTFA. This isn’t to say the Wales FA does not have politics, disagreements, differences, but the trend was overall support for good administration – accountability, transparency, independence [limited internal political interference], inclusion [particularly women and grassroots development], and unanimous practice to follow its FA’s constitution and laws. Simple!

On our end, we see the opposite. The TTFA has no strategic plan, is still millions of dollars in debt, with further debt looming with the president’s legal battles/decisions; no preparation for women and youth teams, secrecy in hiring and contracts of coaches, lack of information at board level, little accountability for funding etc.

Even the FIFA US$2.5 million grant for the “home of football” facility, while a great asset, seems shrouded in secrecy with no one publicly going on record to provide detailed costs, tenders, payments, budgets etc. No wonder national sponsors stay out.

To hear members overlook, discredit or silently gag legitimate questioning reminds me of the TTFF (TT Football Federation) under Jack Warner. Where are the morals or voices of members who should want better for TT football after the Warner era, or are self-serving agendas the reason for acceptance?

By supporting poor administration, members allow creeping dictatorship which leads to secrecy, manipulation, incompetence, stagnation and eventual organisational failure and debt.

Only the TTFA membership can break this cycle if the association is to climb the world rankings and dig itself out of financial debt. The public, fans and players can’t.

Our football needs a revamp and principled leadership to set the trend. With the TTFA elections and qualifiers for the 2022 Qatar World Cup later this year, we have a real opportunity to put our house in order.

If Wales can climb from 83rd to 19th, I see no reason why the TTFA can’t be in the top 40. But, more importantly, under good administration with ethics and transparency, running like a profitable business to develop our youth/women/men national teams, referees, coaches, administrators and clubs. Best of luck to our players in our match against Wales. It should be an eye-opener, both on and off the field.

DAVID GEORGE via e-mail
Title: A dark day for local football
Post by: Tallman on March 20, 2019, 07:16:58 AM
A dark day for local football
By Andrew Gioannetti (T&T Newsday)


THE ARROGANCE and authoritarian leadership of one man – T&T Football Association (TTFA) president David John-Williams – has resulted in one of the darkest days seen yet in local football, said TTFA board member Keith Look Loy.

On Monday, the High Court ordered a freeze on all of TTFA’s bank accounts, perhaps as many as six, after the association failed to honour a court order in December for the cash-strapped TTFA to pay the national futsal team nearly $500,000 with interest, as well as its legal fees. The ruling followed a two-year lawsuit stemming from unpaid match fees, salaries and expenses.

Today, Justice Ronnie Boodoosingh is set to rule on yet another lawsuit facing the TTFA, this one filed by Look Loy, who in December 2017 requested contracts and the identity of contractors associated with the Home of Football project.

The two parties faced the court last month, when Boodoosingh said he was prepared to rule on the matter today if the parties failed to settle the matter privately.

Look Loy said he trusts the court will decide in his favour, and if it does, he intends to visit the TTFA’s office tomorrow with a forensic accountant to examine the documents, which he said include TTFA’s income and expenditure ledger, and the contracts and financial records of the Home of Football.

“A favourable court decision will be a landmark day in the fight for transparency and accountability in TTFA,” he declared.

Meanwhile, the court order to freeze the TTFA’s accounts joins a mounting list of scandals plaguing the association and football nationwide.

Three T&T Pro League clubs – Police FC, North East Stars FC and W Connection all qualified for this year’s Concacaf Caribbean Club Championships, but were recently banned by Concacaf from playing in the tournament because of the TTFA’s failure to implement its club licensing requirements.

Look Loy blamed John-Williams, calling once again for the president’s immediate resignation.

“He has unilaterally, without board approval, forced the association into unwinnable legal matters, thereby increasing its debt. He should do the honourable thing and fall on his sword. He should resign.”

Look Loy said the freeze on the TTFA’s bank accounts presents an “existential threat to the association.”

“TTFA cannot spend a cent, cannot pay staff, cannot run its programmes, cannot support the preparation of the Under-17 team that is preparing for Concacaf action in early May.

“The potential for TTFA creditors to come after the association’s accounts and assets, such as the Home of Football, is obvious and real.

He added that the court’s freezing of the accounts supports his argument against the Sport Company of T&T (SporTT) using its funds to support the formation of the proposed new elite league being organised by the TTFA.

“This money should come directly to the league and its member clubs,” he insisted.

Further to TTFA’s defeat to the futsal team, there are still looming legal battles between the association and former national women’s team coach Carolina Morace, former TTFA general secretary Sheldon Phillips, former technical director Kendall Walkes, and others, with combined damages being claimed in the millions of dollars.

“Due to its increasing debt, there is talk of the need to wind up TTFA and to establish a new association. This is the reality that faces our football,” Look Loy said.

The various lawsuits and court rulings have rekindled memories of the former TTFF’s failure to honour a High Court order to pay 13 of the play­ers who rep­re­sent­ed TT at the 2006 World Cup a to­tal of $4.6 mil­lion (US$724,000). In 2012, po­lice car­ried out an or­der to seize all re­mov­able as­sets from the federation’s Dun­don­ald Street, Port of Spain of­fice.

Newsday tried unsuccessfully to reach John-Williams by phone yesterday and also sent an e-mail him to ask, among other things, if he is concerned that the association’s assets, including the Home of Football project, may be liquidated and if he has any intention of resigning as a result of the latest series of scandals.

However, the TTFA issued a media release last evening, acknowledging that they inherited a debt of over $30 million “and continue the uphill task of addressing that financial situation, while also addressing the ongoing operating requirements of the Association.”

The TTFA stated, “This matter at hand has to be dealt with in the same manner as other matters of a similar nature that we have dealt with over the past three-year period.

“Unfortunately, the funding is just not there at this time to service these debts, but we at the TTFA continue to soldier on, hence the reason for emphasis on completing the Hotel and the Home of Football which will be a major income generation project not just for football but will change the face of sport in T&T.”

The media release added, “We are very mindful of those whose sole agenda is to destroy T&T Football by their actions, but under no circumstances shall they derive such a result.”
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: soccerman on March 20, 2019, 07:34:22 AM
Like Wales, T&T can climb FIFA rankings
T&T Newsday


THE EDITOR: Today, a rusty T&T men’s football team plays a revamped Wales team. With a population of just over three million, Wales forms the United Kingdom with England and Scotland. In 2013, Wales opened Dragon Park, a similar football facility/project to our “home of football.”

In 2015 when the current TTFA (T&T Football Association) assumed office, T&T’s men were 49th in the FIFA (International Federation of Association Football) rankings and has today dropped to 93rd. In 2012, Wales was ranked 83rd and is now 19th; with the potential to play any team in the world.

Its massive climb took time but wasn’t solely due to a facility. It was aided by an overhaul of grassroot development, increased competitions, training programmes, national team development, better finance management and, most importantly, good administration.

In researching, I found no instances of administration practices similar to our TTFA. This isn’t to say the Wales FA does not have politics, disagreements, differences, but the trend was overall support for good administration – accountability, transparency, independence [limited internal political interference], inclusion [particularly women and grassroots development], and unanimous practice to follow its FA’s constitution and laws. Simple!

On our end, we see the opposite. The TTFA has no strategic plan, is still millions of dollars in debt, with further debt looming with the president’s legal battles/decisions; no preparation for women and youth teams, secrecy in hiring and contracts of coaches, lack of information at board level, little accountability for funding etc.

Even the FIFA US$2.5 million grant for the “home of football” facility, while a great asset, seems shrouded in secrecy with no one publicly going on record to provide detailed costs, tenders, payments, budgets etc. No wonder national sponsors stay out.

To hear members overlook, discredit or silently gag legitimate questioning reminds me of the TTFF (TT Football Federation) under Jack Warner. Where are the morals or voices of members who should want better for TT football after the Warner era, or are self-serving agendas the reason for acceptance?

By supporting poor administration, members allow creeping dictatorship which leads to secrecy, manipulation, incompetence, stagnation and eventual organisational failure and debt.

Only the TTFA membership can break this cycle if the association is to climb the world rankings and dig itself out of financial debt. The public, fans and players can’t.

Our football needs a revamp and principled leadership to set the trend. With the TTFA elections and qualifiers for the 2022 Qatar World Cup later this year, we have a real opportunity to put our house in order.

If Wales can climb from 83rd to 19th, I see no reason why the TTFA can’t be in the top 40. But, more importantly, under good administration with ethics and transparency, running like a profitable business to develop our youth/women/men national teams, referees, coaches, administrators and clubs. Best of luck to our players in our match against Wales. It should be an eye-opener, both on and off the field.

DAVID GEORGE via e-mail
:beermug: Well said sir!
Quote
With a population of just over three million, Wales forms the United Kingdom with England and Scotland.
This is Great Britain, the UK includes Northern Ireland.
Title: Taylor takes front as election race begins
Post by: Tallman on April 03, 2019, 10:41:33 AM
Taylor takes front as election race begins
By Walter Alibey (T&T Guardian)


The race for the pres­i­den­cy of the T&T Foot­ball As­so­ci­a­tion be­gan in earnest yes­ter­day with last year's beat­en can­di­date Clynt Tay­lor look­ing like a strong choice to take over the reins of lo­cal foot­ball.

The Cen­tral Foot­ball As­so­ci­a­tion's (CFA) sec­re­tary-gen­er­al has been qui­et­ly putting to­geth­er an equal­ly strong team of pro­fes­sion­als he be­lieves is trust­wor­thy, ca­pa­ble and com­pe­tent, has the in­ter­est of the sport at heart and are guid­ed by the prin­ci­ples of trans­paren­cy and ac­count­abil­i­ty. He did not name any mem­bers of his slate but promis­es it will be a gen­uine group of peo­ple, who will pro­vide the sport with the boost it needs at this time.

Ac­cord­ing to Tay­lor "Un­der the cur­rent pres­i­dent David John-Williams, we have seen ab­solute­ly noth­ing pos­i­tive tak­ing place."

"What foot­ball needs now is a change. It needs peo­ple who gen­uine­ly care about it and un­der­stand pro­grammes and process­es, or some­one who can put down a prop­er man­age­ment sys­tem and put it on par with in­ter­na­tion­al foot­ball. If I were vot­ed in­to of­fice, I would im­me­di­ate­ly se­lect a team of qual­i­fied per­sons in law and fi­nance etc to deal with the pletho­ra of fi­nan­cial and le­gal is­sues the as­so­ci­a­tion face at this time. We need peo­ple who can sit and talk to peo­ple, some­one who is un­der­stand­ing" Tay­lor ex­plained.

The TTFA An­nu­al Gen­er­al Meet­ing (AGM) and elec­tion of of­fi­cers is card­ed to be held no lat­er than the last day in No­vem­ber this year, ac­cord­ing to the con­sti­tu­tion. John-Williams, the in­cum­bent is al­ready brac­ing for a chal­lenge, hav­ing faced a bar­rage of ques­tions and le­gal is­sues from var­i­ous mem­bers in the fra­ter­ni­ty, in­clud­ing mem­bers with­in his Board of Di­rec­tors.

Un­der John-Williams, the long-await­ed but now con­tro­ver­sial Home of Foot­ball in Bal­main Cou­va was con­struct­ed. And the em­bat­tled foot­ball boss views it as a so­lu­tion to many of his as­so­ci­a­tion's fi­nan­cial woes.

Un­der John-William' lead­er­ship al­so came a stig­ma of dic­ta­tor­ship, lack of trans­paren­cy and ac­count­abil­i­ty, par­tic­u­lar­ly con­cern­ing mat­ters re­lat­ed to the home of foot­ball.

There were al­so many le­gal wran­gles that took place un­der John-Williams' reign, such as the T&T Fut­sal team tri­umph in the court that earned them more than $.5 mil­lion, Kei­th Look Loy's vic­to­ry in get­ting the foot­ball as­so­ci­a­tion to open its books on all the mat­ters re­lat­ed to the con­tro­ver­sial home of foot­ball, among many oth­ers.

Apart from Tay­lor and John-Williams, Ray­mond Tim Kee, the for­mer pres­i­dent is bid­ding for a re­turn to the of­fice to com­plete the work he start­ed be­tween 2012-2015. Guardian Me­dia Sports al­so learnt that Tony Har­ford, the North­ern Foot­ball As­so­ci­a­tion pres­i­dent is al­so set to throw his hat in­to the ring, while Sel­by Browne and Ramesh Ramd­han, both of whom con­test­ed the pres­i­den­cy back in 2015, will not be go­ing up.

Ramd­han said yes­ter­day that though he will not be con­test­ing the elec­tions, he is in­clined to throw his sup­port be­hind the can­di­date he be­lieves can take the sport for­ward.

Kelvin Jack, the for­mer na­tion­al goal­keep­er for the 2006 World Cup So­ca War­riors team, is al­so set to throw his hat in the ring, but Guardian Me­dia Sports was told that his can­di­da­cy could be in doubt due to re­stric­tions out­lined in ar­ti­cle 34 of the TTFA con­sti­tu­tion.

Ar­ti­cle 34 (6) of the Con­sti­tu­tion which states that "Any can­di­date wish­ing to be­come a memm­ber of the Board of Di­rec­tors shall ful­fill the fol­low­ing el­i­gi­bil­i­ty cri­te­ria- (1) can­di­dates must have been ac­tive in foot­ball for at least three years dur­ing the five years pre­ceed­ing the elec­tions. This ac­tiv­i­ty must have been per­formed in a man­age­r­i­al or a sim­i­lar po­si­tion in the ter­ri­to­ry of the Re­pub­lic of T&T."
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: soccerman on April 03, 2019, 12:13:53 PM
Tony Harford will be a very good choice for the job.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Sam on April 04, 2019, 11:59:59 AM
Tony Harford will be a very good choice for the job.

He have money?

If he dont, is de same setta problems he will run into.

TTFA in a 30 mill death... or maybe even more.

Title: 'Gangs' in football now
Post by: Tallman on April 17, 2019, 09:22:06 PM
'Gangs' in football now
By Andre Baptiste (T&T Guardian)


As T&T was drawn against the USA again in yet an­oth­er tour­na­ment, I could al­most hear the col­lec­tive yawn from a group of men in this coun­try, who seem on­ly in­ter­est­ed in what foot­ball can do for them and not what they can do for foot­ball.

Can we de­scribe them as a "gang" or should we say some­thing else? That is a de­bate worth lis­ten­ing for in the next few weeks.

Some of these in­di­vid­u­als, who have sad­ly been de­scribed re­cent­ly as prob­a­bly, false prophets, jok­ers or pre­tenders, would have rep­re­sent­ed this coun­try at one time or the oth­er but now that their best play­ing days are be­hind them, they are still strug­gling to stay in the lime­light with ir­rel­e­vant di­a­logue and mis­placed words. Did some­one say, once a foot­baller on­ly a foot­baller?

Imag­ine if you may and if you care that is about foot­ball on the field of play, that the ma­jor­i­ty of our lo­cal play­ers have been in­ac­tive for al­most four to five months in terms of league foot­ball, whether at Pro League or Su­per League lev­el.

It is safe to say that there is noth­ing pro­fes­sion­al or noth­ing su­per in what is be­ing de­scribed as plans to amal­ga­mate the two leagues. As can be ex­pect­ed, it ap­pears every­one is wait­ing on some de­ci­sion to start some­thing with much more con­cern with ap­par­ent­ly de­fend­ing his or her own beat­en up turf.

It is ab­solute­ly shame­ful and sig­ni­fies to every­one, why it is that a lot of ad­min­is­tra­tors are not trust­ed in var­i­ous sports in this coun­try and in the re­gion. It is easy to talk but ac­tion speaks loud­er than words.

If I did not know bet­ter, then I could be­lieve that this was an in­ten­tion­al con­spir­a­cy by well-known fig­ures, to en­sure that cur­rent na­tion­al foot­ball coach and goal-scor­ing hero from Bahrain, for­mer play­er Den­nis "Tallest" Lawrence and his staff are em­bar­rassed at the up­com­ing Gold Cup.

How­ev­er, when last I checked, it was Team T&T that is wear­ing our na­tion­al colours and hope­ful­ly, that should mean some­thing to peo­ple who pur­port to know bet­ter.

What a lot of these "men", seem to have for­got­ten, is that many per­sons are well aware of their con­cert­ed plans and there­fore a lot of re­spect has been lost if not al­ready erod­ed and per­haps that is why some of their com­plaints, no mat­ter le­git­i­mate or not, will be tar­nished by their ob­vi­ous ap­par­ent self­ish be­hav­iour. It is not too late though to change all of that.

So this is the cur­rent re­al­i­ty.

First­ly, T&T will play against USA, Pana­ma and Guyana in Group D at the Gold Cup, with lo­cal play­ers who will most like­ly have on­ly played three or four friend­lies as their match prac­tice ahead of this en­counter.

Sec­ond­ly, while foot­ball burns on the field, all we hear is gun talk about this and that off the field, who wants to be in charge, who should be in charge and who can do what, if in charge, re­al gang­land it seems.

Third­ly, our lo­cal foot­ballers mean­while are earn­ing no mon­ey and there­fore are be­ing forced to find oth­er ways to earn a liv­ing so they can sup­port their fam­i­ly.

Giv­en all of the above, we have to ask why the T&T Foot­ball As­so­ci­a­tion is not in­volved and the an­swer is that it again ap­pears those at both the Pro League and Su­per League, do not be­lieve that is a "wise de­ci­sion". But mean­while our lo­cal foot­ballers are in­ac­tive and frus­trat­ed and quite nat­u­ral­ly are won­der­ing if dur­ing this process to es­tab­lish a new league sys­tem, there is some promised fund­ing from UE­FA or FI­FA.

It is a rel­e­vant and per­haps ex­treme­ly per­ti­nent ques­tion in light of the con­cern for many with be­ing paid for their ser­vices es­pe­cial­ly with so many cred­i­tors aris­ing from ap­par­ent­ly nowhere re­cent­ly.

Sad­ly, no­body cares enough to at­tempt to in­ter­vene in the mat­ter and in­stead, we the pub­lic wrong­ful­ly will de­mand suc­cess from Lawrence and his squad de­spite the ob­vi­ous lack of match prac­tice. That is just how the peo­ple of this coun­try be­have, many times pass­ing judge­ment with­out all the nec­es­sary facts.

It is ac­tu­al­ly ridicu­lous that there is not a greater out­cry by more. But I want to bet all of you, read­ing this to­day, that if it was friend­ly char­i­ty match, then all these so-called for­mer foot­ballers from the past, would be the first set en­quir­ing about play­ing, about uni­forms, about food, about drinks and every­thing else.

We have be­come too self-cen­tred in this coun­try and there is a mis­guid­ed opin­ion that talk­ing loud helps but let me con­vince those with those er­rant thoughts, that it is the com­plete op­po­site.

When the pub­lic was re­cent­ly asked about what was wrong with sports in this coun­try, they all point­ed to cur­rent ad­min­is­tra­tors and many who seek to be ad­min­is­tra­tors or re­turn­ing ad­min­is­tra­tors, in oth­er words, the pub­lic can see the cloth you wear or the lie you pile.

What is hap­pen­ing with the se­nior na­tion­al foot­ball team should con­cern these peo­ple if they re­al­ly be­lieve in foot­ball in­stead of agen­das and sad­ly, there are many in the me­dia for their own per­son­al self-grat­i­fi­ca­tion that has fall­en prey to such. What can be said, soon the truth will set all free.

The good thing is that af­ter the last few weeks in lis­ten­ing to the pub­lic on the ra­dio and tele­vi­sion, is that there is now an aware­ness of the re­al­i­ty that is foot­ball in this coun­try, that a few do not care about our foot­ballers but rather them­selves. I get the feel­ing the pub­lic can name this "gang" if asked.

Lawrence though, giv­en his up­bring­ing and train­ing from over­seas, is not al­low­ing the many ob­sta­cles be­ing placed in front of him to de­ter his pur­pose, and the process­es he and his team have put in place. It is sad when peo­ple for­get that their lega­cy is now be­ing writ­ten and it is one filled with self-in­ter­est for foot­ball and no care for its fu­ture and it does not mat­ter, where you were ed­u­cat­ed or if you played foot­ball in the ’70s, ’80s or ’90s, it is be­ing doc­u­ment­ed and I ex­pect a strike back soon.

A lot of in­tel­li­gent per­sons have stat­ed that it is a case of a lot of jeal­ousy and while some have learnt hard life lessons, oth­ers on­ly seek to de­stroy at all costs, re­gard­less of the in­no­cent as­pir­ing foot­ballers that are be­ing hurt dai­ly by the be­hav­iour of a few.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: FF on April 18, 2019, 02:56:16 PM
What absolute shit is this??

Who Andre Baptiste think he fooling?
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on April 19, 2019, 05:44:43 AM
Hotel Normandie considers run on TTFA’s accounts after winning $750k judgment; Look Loy: TTFA effectively bankrupt.
By Lasana Liburd (Wired868).


The legal and financial woes of the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) have intensified with Hotel Normandie joining the list of creditors weighing up a run on the football body’s finances.

Last month, attorney Tamilee Budhu gave TTFA president David John-Williams two weeks to satisfy a judgment for over TT$750,000 awarded to her client, Hotel Normandie. However, it was not until Sunday 7 April—just 48 hours before the deadline—that John-Williams, via his general secretary Camara David, revealed the debt and legal threat to his board.

Although details are scarce, Wired868 can confirm that Hotel Normandie won a High Court judgment against the TTFA on 26 February 2019 for TT$751,682.90. Justice Carol Gobin also ordered the John-Williams-led body to pay the hotel’s legal fees of TT$1,606.38

Almost two months later, the TTFA has paid neither and Budhu pointed out that, according to the Remedies Creditors Act, the local football body is obliged to also pay interest which increases by TT$102.97 for the hotel and 22 cents for the attorney on a daily basis.

At the time of writing, the TTFA owes an additional TT$4,736.62 to Hotel Normandie and TT$10 to Budhu.

“In light of the foregoing, please submit to my office on or before 9 April 2019: a certified cheque made payable to ‘Hotel Normandie Limited’ in the sum of $754,669.03 (together with the additional interest accrued up to the date of payment),” stated Budhu, in her letter to the TTFA on 26 March, “and a certified cheque made payable to ‘Tamilee Budhu’ in the sum of $1,606.38 (together with the additional interest accrued up to the dates of payment).”

TTFA Board members Keith Look Loy and Sharon Warrick told Wired868 they had never even heard of the Normandie judgment before last Sunday and the board played no role in the football body’s ultimately unsuccessful legal defence.

“The TTFA Board was not aware of that before; we don’t have anything to do with these cases,” said Warrick, who represents the Women’s League of Football (WoLF) on the board. “I came on the board on the 21st of April last year and there is lots of stuff that I learn about in the media although I’m sitting in the board room.

“And I just know there are other things that will come out that we are not privy to as well; and that is why I keep calling for transparency and accountability.”

On Friday 5 April, Look Loy, the Trinidad and Tobago Super League (TTSL) president, urged his colleagues to support his call for an emergency Board meeting to address allegations of commingling of funds by John-Williams, which emerged during a recent court hearing with the National Futsal Team.

John-Williams, via his attorney, allegedly told the court that US$24,000 in the TTFA’s First Citizens Bank account was his personal money. Master of the Court Shurlanne Pierre rejected the request due to a perceived lack of evidence.

Pierre ordered First Citizens Bank to empty all seven of the local football body’s accounts and hand over what was there—minus banking fees—to 15 former National Futsal players and their five technical staff members and attorneys.

The decision saw the Futsal contingent awarded TT$270,871.33 from a judgment of over TT$500,000. They are expected to return to court with another garnishee order for the remaining sum.

Look Loy said the TTFA is in crisis mode and urged his colleagues to act.

“If members do not support my call for an emergency Board meeting in these circumstances,” stated Look Loy, in an email to the board that was copied to John-Williams and David, “then the TTFA Board is complicit by way of continued inaction and is truly useless.”

Thus far, five board members have supported Look Loy’s request for an emergency meeting. The six petitioning members are: Raeshawn Mars (Northern FA), Colin Partap (Central FA), Joseph Taylor (Referees Association), Julia Baptiste (Pro League), Warrick (WoLF) and Look Loy (TTSL).

The TTFA Board has 13 members and more than half must support the call for an emergency meeting for it to be triggered, according to the constitution. It means Look Loy is short of just one signature.

The other seven board members are: Ewing Davis (vice-president), Richard Quan Chan (Southern FA), Anthony Moore (Tobago FA), Bandele Kamau (Eastern FA), Sherwyn Dyer (Eastern Counties FU), Selby Browne (Veteran Footballers Foundation) and John-Williams (president).

“It is quite clear that the TTFA is in a financial crisis which will only deepen, as there are court cases in the pipeline including that of former general secretary Sheldon Phillips,” said Look Loy. “When you can’t pay your office staff then that tells you how bad things are. We have the National Under-17 Team preparing to go into a tournament soon. How do we finance this team?”

Look Loy claimed that there is growing concern among members of the proposed merged league, involving Pro League and TTSL clubs, about the TTFA’s financial status and how it might impact on them.

The league, tentatively christened the ‘T-League’, was due to kick off in June and seeks to bring local top flight football back under the direct supervision of the TTFA for the first time in over two decades.

The seven-member Commission to guide the T-League is chaired by businessman Lindsay Gillette, who is the current Swimming Association (ASATT) president and ex-Petrotrin chairman, and includes Anthony Harford (independent), Jamaal Shabazz and Brent Sancho (both Pro League), Look Loy and George Joseph (both TTSL) and Moore (TTFA).

Last Wednesday, the Commission selected former TTFA general secretary Justin Latapy-George to run its administrative arm.

Look Loy said members of the Commission are concerned that the money earmarked to run the T-League can be seized by the TTFA’s creditors if it is put into the football body’s accounts and want a meeting with John-Williams to address their fears.

Moore, according to Look Loy, told the Commission that the TTFA’s emergency committee will meet soon to address the issue. However, as Wired868 pointed out in February, only one from 16 TTFA standing committees is active at present.

“Moore said he was in touch with the president and the emergency committee of the TTFA will call a meeting soon,” said Look Loy. “But that is a fiction [because] there is no emergency committee! They are trying to forestall the signatures that would force such a meeting to be called. You ask them when and they reply: as soon as possible.

“[…] The president and his cohorts are fiddling while Rome burns.”

Look Loy described the TTFA as effectively bankrupt and urged local football stakeholders to act decisively to address John-Williams’ supposedly disastrous stewardship.

“The TTFA might as well be bankrupt because it cannot receive or spend money,” said Look Loy. “Another aspect of this is the growing vulnerability of the Home of Football to creditors. Other than old computers and bibs and balls, the one asset the TTFA has is the Home of Football; and it is increasingly likely that [creditors will move on the recently completed technical centre and hotel].

“The ripple effect of all that is happening is provoked by the bad management style and substance of David John-Williams [and] it is only going to get worse. I cannot see how it can continue this way for another seven months until the election in November.”

Title: TTFA debt solution
Post by: Tallman on April 20, 2019, 08:20:59 AM
TTFA debt solution
By Andrew Gioannetti (T&T Newsday)


OFFICIALS from Fifa and Concacaf yesterday called a meeting with the TT Football Association (TTFA) board of directors, asking them for a solution to deal with the association’s debt crisis.

Only two board members were absent for the meeting with Fifa and Concacaf representatives.

The visiting delegation included development director for Africa and the Caribbean region, Veron Mosengo-Omba, Concacaf director of Caribbean football, Horace Reid, Concacaf project director, Howard McIntosh and chief financial and administration officer Alejandro Lesende.

Newsday obtained a copy of a report of the meeting in which the officials asked the board to offer proposals to deal with the mounting debt haunting the organisation.

Board member Keith Look Loy, who took the association to court because of TTFA David John-Williams’ refusal to grant him access to contracts and other documents related to the Home of Football Couva-based project, said he told the delegation that since John-Williams’ election, the TTFA has never discussed its debt issues in a board meeting.

The point was supported by Joseph Taylor, head of the TT Football Referees’ Association, and a long-time board member.

A proposal was subsequently put forward by Veteran Footballers Foundation (VFOTT) president Selby Browne, who suggested a loan be sought to pay off the debt.

In an interview following the meeting, Look Loy said the solution was, “pie in the sky, because you need to have property or something to put up as security for a loan.”

The Home of Football cannot be mortgaged, as clarified by Mosengo-Omba, nor can the TTFA use funds from the Fifa Forward programme to satisfy debts, as both are prohibited by Fifa.

“I asked them if Fifa and/or Concacaf can give us a loan. The answer as I understand it is no.

“So they are asking us for a solution for something that we have not discussed,” Look Loy said.

One Concacaf official admitted John-Williams and newly-appointed general secretary Camara David submitted a proposal to clear the debt, which came to the annoyance of some board members.

“I said this is the problem that we are faced with. That proposal is not a proposal from the board of the TTFA. The board of the TTFA should be discussing that and then making a proposal if we chose to do so to Fifa.

“What I said last is that the debt crisis in the TTFA is not the problem, because the debt crisis is merely a manifestation of a wider problem which is the lack of leadership and poor management style, which does not bring people into discussion both inside and outside the TTFA...That under the John-Williams administration, the TTFA has collapsed. The committees...national team programmes collapsed, we have no technical department, we have no women’s football, we have sponsored programmes with which people still can’t be paid, and of course we had the elephant in the room – the Home of Football – and I recounted to them that I had go to court (for access to information) and all of that.”

He said the Fifa representative responded, saying it cannot get involved in TTFA affairs and from Fifa’s standpoint, the expenditure of its funds is their primary concern.

“I said that is not the point. The accounting might be good on Fifa side, but from the TTFA side, nobody has ever given approval for a contract and we don’t know how the money has been spent, who received it, and that is our issue.”

Look Loy said he offered a three-part proposal.

“One, David John-Williams and Ewing Davis (vice president) must resign immediately; just like Joanne Salazar and Anthony Warner (former vice presidents), they need to go too.”

They need to resign, Look Loy said, in order for the football body to “talk to creditors, who say they will talk, but not to them (president and vice-president).”

“Secondly, we have a board meeting scheduled for next Wednesday and that meeting should appoint an interim president and call an election within 60 days, according to the constitution; and thirdly, that meeting should order a forensic audit of all TTFA finances, and specifically the finances of the Home of Football and the income generation project,” a proposal supported by Central Football Association’s Colin Partap, Northern Football Association’s Rayshawn Mars and Women’s League representative Sharon Warrick.

Look Loy said the meeting ended “without a clear path forward other than the promise of a discussion of this matter at the FIFA and Concacaf levels.”

The debt crisis is expected to reach a practically insurmountable point if former general secretary is awarded a substantial judgement for damages resulting from a lawsuit he filed for wrongful dismissal.

The case is expected to close late April.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Thomo on April 20, 2019, 03:06:03 PM
What absolute shit is this??

Who Andre Baptiste think he fooling?

Big long watery STEUPS 💦 He's deluded at best. Absolute load of hogwash SMFH
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: lefty on April 21, 2019, 08:33:23 AM
What absolute shit is this??

Who Andre Baptiste think he fooling?

Big long watery STEUPS 💦 He's deluded at best. Absolute load of hogwash SMFH

not deluded frien' ting and maybe money....dirty money IMHO
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: asylumseeker on April 22, 2019, 03:34:05 AM
Adulterated nonsense.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on April 22, 2019, 03:58:23 AM
TTFA red card for Look Loy?
By Andrew Gioannetti (Newsday).


Outspoken Board member’s appointment queried

INSTEAD of seeking ways to fix its debt crisis, as requested by Fifa and Concacaf officials in a recent visit, the TT Football Association (TTFA) will discuss the legitimacy of outspoken member Keith Look Loy's appointment to the board of directors in 2017, at a board meeting on Wednesday.

Newsday received a copy of an email of the agenda of the meeting. It showed recently appointed TTFA general secretary Camara David tabling "Board Appointment Issue" as item number two.

However, there has already been major push back from several other board members and ordinary members, who have questioned the president and general secretary's motives, especially as there are current and potentially crippling issues plaguing the association, including its mounting debts, the bank accounts ordered frozen by the courts, the lack of activity by several national football teams, non-payment of salaries, among others.

David informed Look Loy of the query on Saturday, saying the issue arose because of his receipt of legal advice, sought from attorney and former chairman of the constitution committee, Elton Prescott SC, after an enquiry was made by a member, Mike Awai.

Awai wrote to TTFA members in February, citing article 24.3 of the TTFA constitution, which he said indicated that a quorum was required for Look Loy's election.

It states: “A quorum is not required for the second meeting of the General Meeting unless any item on the Agenda proposed the amendment of the constitution, the election of a member of the Board of Directors, the dismissal of a member of a body of the TTFA, the expulsion of a Member or the dissolution of the TTFA.”

David subsequently wrote Prescott for advice, to which Prescott responded, "It appears to me that the cited passage from Article 24 of the constitution of the TTFA makes it obligatory that a quorum is required at a reconvened meeting which includes on the agenda, the election of members of the Board.

With this response, Camara wrote Look Loy with the legal opinion attached and said he would be required to respond by Wednesday's board meeting.

That e-mail was shared with the board and other members, several of whom quickly responded with questions of their own to the general secretary and president David John-Williams.

They included Sharon Warrick and Joseph Taylor, as well as ordinary member Clynt Tayor, who said the move appears to be part of an effort to muzzle Look Loy, a most vocal critic of John-Williams' style of leadership.

Look Loy recently won a lawsuit against the organisation for access to documents pertaining to the Home of Football project in Couva, including contracts and the list of contractors connected to the project – information which John-Williams, for months, refused to release to his own board.

Incidentally, when FIFA and Concacaf officials visited TT last week, they requested TTFA's board of directors offer solutions to address the body's debt.

Look Loy gave the visiting contingent a three-part proposal. The first part he said would require the immediate resignation of John-Williams and vice-president Ewing Davis, so that the football body can once again begin speaking to creditors.

"(There are creditors) who will talk, but not to them (John-Williams and Davis),” Look Loy told the officials.

Look Loy also told the visiting officials that an interim president should be appointed on Wednesday, an election called within 60 days, and a forensic audit be conducted into all TTFA finances, including the Home of Football and income generation project.

The proposal was supported by Central Football Association’s Colin Partap, Northern Football Association’s Rayshawn Mars and Women’s League representative Sharon Warrick.

Up until press time, four board members and one ordinary member have responded by email, questioning the motive behind the agenda.

"I hope this is an attempt to openly deal with the issues plaguing the TTFA and seek a solution whiles (sic) obeying the Court order, rather than an attempt to silence board members like Mr Look Loy," wrote Clynt Taylor, Central Football Association general secretary and an ordinary member. "Keith is not the problem, so let's look for a solution. Any move to silence members rightfully seeking answers must be resisted."

Warrick responded with questions of her own.

"Some food for thought here: Is this an attack on Look Loy or what he is standing for?" Warrick asked.

"Why a year later this is an issue? If due diligence was the order of the day, then this issue would have been dealt with a long time ago."

But the most hard-hitting reply came from Joseph Taylor, head of TT Referees Association, who suggested that had Awai been interested in respect for the constitution and electoral procedures, he should have first sought legal advice on the legitimacy of the 2015 election, which saw John-Williams win the president's post.

"Is this again another attempt at distraction from the very important matters that face the TTFA at this time. The records/minutes of meetings from the induction of the TTSL and its representative to the Board of Directors and the subsequent changes to the Constitution would have dealt with this matter, and all was quite above board," Taylor wrote.

"I agree with the representative for Women's Football. Why now? Because there are several other decisions/things that can be queried constitutionally, starting with the elections in 2015, that I would ask Mr Awai to seek legal advice on and bring the findings back to the general membership for debate and voting on," Taylor wrote.

He also questioned why Look Loy's "appointment issue" would be important enough to precede all other matters which have direct implications on the future of football.

"The listing of this as the second item is quite alarming to me and others, as the matters of the financial status of the TTFA and the impromptu Thursday meeting (by Fifa and Concacaf officials) for me as a board member, about suggestions for ideas/plans to deal with the growing debt of the TTFA are more relevant and pressing.

"There were at least six members who called for an emergency board meeting to specifically deal with the financial situation after learning of the garnishing of the funds from the TTFA bank accounts.

"We got no response to the request. Where is the Finance Committee? On the agenda, we have listed the Emergency Committee. Why is this, I am now provoked to ask?

"Mr President and General Secretary, several board members also requested the inclusion of other matters on the agenda. Can I respectfully get a response to these requests and also for the umpteenth time, can I and others who have requested a later start time with reason get a definite response for the board meeting on Wednesday 24th April, 2019."

Before the issue of Look Loy's appointment began receiving attention, serious questions have been asked about the legitimacy of the entire TTFA presidency, dating back to the 2015 elections.

Former general secretary Phillips, who took the TTFA to court for wrongful dismissal, wrote a document, which said non-compliant members were allowed to participate in the election process. He also outlined a number of electoral code breaches which were ignored through the election process, which he said he feared would leave a dire and lasting impact.

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on April 24, 2019, 08:53:58 AM
FIFA/Concacaf delegation meets TTFA Board as concerns grow; but are they here to help football? Or DJW?
By Lasana Liburd (Wired868).


A joint high-powered delegation from FIFA and Concacaf met the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association’s Board in a secret meeting today, as, for the first time, the world governing body betrayed their concern over the instability of the local game under President David John-Williams.

The million dollar question, though, is: exactly who is FIFA and Concacaf here to help?

Is it the embattled TTFA president who not only voted for Gianni Infantino as FIFA president but helped power his campaign through the Caribbean?

Or is it the local football association which is effectively bankrupt and racking up legal losses at an alarming rate, due in large part to John-Williams’ abrasive stewardship?

Veron Mosengo-Omba (Director of Development for Africa and the Caribbean) represented FIFA along with the governing body’s CFO for Strategic Planning while the Concacaf delegation were: Horace Reid (Member Associations department), Howard McIntosh (One Concacaf and Caribbean Projects senior manager) and Alejandro Lesende (CFO).

TTFA President David John-Williams and Vice-President Ewing Davis were there along with Board Members Raeshawn Mars (Northern FA), Richard Quan Chan (Southern FA), Joseph Taylor (Trinidad and Tobago Football Referees Association), Sharon Warrick (Women’s League Football), Julia Baptiste (TT Pro League), Collin Partap (Central Football Association), Keith Look Loy (TTSL), Bandele Kamau (Eastern FA) and Selby Browne (Veteran Footballers Foundation of Trinidad and Tobago). General Secretary Camara David was also present.

Ostensibly, FIFA/Concacaf requested the meeting to deal with the TTFA’s debt crisis. At present, the local football body’s bank account is frozen while creditors are lining up with court orders in their favour.

The FIFA delegation, according to an insider, were told of a large inherited debt by John-Williams and wanted to hear ideas on dealing with it.

How can you possibly arrive at the correct answer with a flawed question?

John-Williams’ predecessor, Raymond Tim Kee, cut the local football body’s debt—which stood at TT$35 million in 2012—by more than a half in three years, before he was voted out of office in 2015. That debt has been mushrooming ever since while a lack of transparency regarding the TTFA’s finances and ongoing court cases makes it hard to determine the current health of the organisation.

Two years ago, former General Secretary Sheldon Phillips made what now appears to be a prophetic statement, as he linked the TTFA’s escalating woes to John-Williams’ stewardship.

“In this era of ‘wrong and strong’, [the] TTFA leadership persists in acting in a manner that may very well push creditors to seek legal redress and have the TTFA placed in court-appointed administration,” wrote Phillips. “There simply seems to be no evidence of desire on the part of the current TTFA President and its board to pay debt unless creditors go through arduous litigation, win a judgment—at greater expense to the TTFA, I may add—and collect on said judgment.

“This is not a prudent or honourable manner of stewardship of the game; in fact, it marks a further deterioration in the relevance of the sport and general goodwill towards it.”

For FIFA and Concacaf to address the TTFA’s debt without first looking for a possible crisis of leadership there, would be like handing a man an umbrella to face a hurricane.

Not that FIFA brought an umbrella either; they are not in the debt forgiveness business. Rather, the ‘experts’ from Zurich and Miami are here to help fix local problems with ‘knowhow’ and ‘experience’.

Other than the fact that the tourists appeared not to grasp—or pretended not to know—what the problem was in the first place, there were a few tell-tale signs as to how useful their time might be in these climes.

First, take a look at Trinidad and Tobago’s domestic game. The perennially cash-strapped Pro League has been in existence since 1999 while the Super League was formed in 2003 and redone into the TTSL in 2017.

UEFA and Concacaf delegates insisted that they both be put under the TTFA’s direct watch immediately—coincidentally, in time for the local football body’s elections in November.

Today, the newly proposed ‘T-League’ is in paralysis with neither administrators nor clubs certain as to when they will start with the likelihood of a September kick-off certain to see them out dazzled by the better supported Secondary Schools Football League (SSFL) product.

Or consider the fact that Mosengo-Omba was a frequent face at the controversial Home of Football project in Couva and was always ready with a ‘thumbs up’ and helpful quote about how well things were going.

And his response to roughly 80 per cent of the money spent on the FIFA-approved project being unaccounted for and used without Board approval? Eh… That’s an ‘internal problem’.

If that was not enough to make a farce of the FIFA/Concacaf ‘reconciliation mission’—whether financial or otherwise—then two other points jarred alert Board members.

First, Mosengo-Omba admitted that John-Williams and David made a proposal to FIFA to get the TTFA through the current crisis. However, the FIFA official allegedly declined several opportunities at today’s meeting to reveal the details of John-Williams’ offer.

Since FIFA helped frame and ultimately approved the TTFA constitution, Mosengo-Omba should know full well that John-Williams cannot legally represent his association without the support of his Board.

If John-Williams’ perceived dictatorial tendencies have alienated him from local administrators and football supporters, then Mosengo-Omba is in no position to help assuage those fears.

Second, David gave Board members barely 24 hours notice before today’s key meeting and claimed that FIFA and Concacaf only advised of the get-together on Wednesday.

However, there is considerable doubt that this is the case, with one suggestion that FIFA actually served notice to the TTFA a week prior.

Did David intentionally try to mislead his Board? Was the aim to have less participation from stakeholders? As usual, the ruthlessly ambitious General Secretary refused to come clean on his intentions.

In such a spirit of distrust on all sides, there is little surprise that the meeting ended without little hint of progress.

Browne, who has recently and suddenly grown fond of John-Williams, proposed that the TTFA be given a loan. However, Mosengo-Omba made it clear that FIFA regulations forbid the local football body from mortgaging the Home of Football while the FIFA Forward Programme funds should not be used to settle debts.

So how can a virtually insolvent TTFA access a loan with no security?

Look Loy’s proposal was that John-Williams and his last remaining vice-president, Davis, resign immediately with an interim president appointed until an election can be held, along with a forensic audit of the TTFA’s finances with specific attention to the Home of Football.

The TTSL President suggested that a new face at the helm could buy time from creditors and make the TTFA more attractive to potential sponsors and investors.

Suffice to say, the FIFA and Concacaf delegates did not ask that Look Loy’s suggestion be put to a vote.

The meeting ended without solution, although the visitors at least had a better understanding of the temperature at the TTFA. And, just so they know, local football stakeholders would be marking their card as well.

This is the land of Jack Warner; we have seen this movie before.

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on April 25, 2019, 12:21:26 AM
Look Loy lawyers block removal.
By Derek Achomg (Guardian).


T&T Foot­ball As­so­ci­a­tion (TTFA) di­rec­tor Kei­th Look Loy has ob­tained an in­junc­tion block­ing a pro­posed move by his fel­low board mem­bers to chal­lenge the va­lid­i­ty of his ap­point­ment to the or­gan­i­sa­tion.

De­liv­er­ing an oral rul­ing at the Hall of Jus­tice in Port-of-Spain, yes­ter­day af­ter­noon, High Court Judge Robin Mo­hammed grant­ed the in­junc­tion, which ef­fec­tive­ly pre­vent­ed the is­sue of Look Loy's ap­point­ment from be­ing dis­cussed dur­ing a TTFA board meet­ing sched­uled for yes­ter­day evening.

As part of his de­ci­sion, Mo­hammed grant­ed Look Loy leave to pur­sue a ju­di­cial re­view claim over the move to oust him. The in­junc­tion will stay in place un­til the sub­stan­tive law­suit is de­ter­mined.

Ac­cord­ing to Look Loy's court fil­ings, which were ob­tained by Guardian Me­dia, the move to re­move him stemmed from his firm stance on the dis­clo­sure of in­for­ma­tion re­lat­ed to the con­struc­tion of the TTFA's US$2.5 mil­lion "Home for Foot­ball" in Cou­va.

Af­ter mul­ti­ple failed at­tempts to get the in­for­ma­tion from em­bat­tled TTFA Pres­i­dent David John-Williams and for­mer gen­er­al sec­re­tary Justin Lat­apy-George, Look Loy, the pres­i­dent of the T&T Su­per League, filed a law­suit over that is­sue.

On March 20, High Court Judge Ron­nie Boodoos­ingh ruled in Look Loy's favour and stat­ed that both John-Williams and Lat­apy-George act­ed ir­ra­tional­ly and un­rea­son­ably when they turned down the re­quests. Boodoos­ingh al­so or­dered the dis­clo­sure.

Look Loy then made a fur­ther re­quest for the or­gan­i­sa­tion's bank records af­ter he and his foren­sic ac­coun­tant al­leged­ly found dis­crep­an­cies in the gen­er­al ac­count­ing ledger pro­vid­ed to him.

"I al­so note from the doc­u­ments I have re­ceived that the cu­mu­la­tive val­ue of the con­tracts which have been dis­closed to me ap­pears to be ap­prox­i­mate­ly $3 mil­lion. The val­ue of the stat­ed FI­FA in­vest­ment is ap­prox­i­mate­ly $19.25 mil­lion; mean­ing that there is an ap­par­ent dis­crep­an­cy of ap­prox­i­mate­ly $16 mil­lion," Look Loy said in his af­fi­davits in sup­port of the in­junc­tion.

Look Loy's col­leagues again re­fused to re­lease the records and he was in­formed by cur­rent TTFA gen­er­al sec­re­tary Ca­ma­ra David that his ap­point­ment to the TTFA board was in­valid.

Guardian Me­dia Sports un­der­stands that David al­leged­ly claimed that when Look Loy was con­firmed in the board po­si­tion in 2017, he was "rec­om­mend­ed" and not elect­ed by the T&T Su­per League.

In his af­fi­davit, Look Loy sought to de­fend his po­si­tion as he point­ed out that David, who for­mer­ly served as league sec­re­tary of the T&T Su­per League, iron­i­cal­ly wrote the let­ter which was sent to the TTFA to con­firm Look Loy as its can­di­date for the di­rec­tor post.

"While I am of the firm view that this lat­est de­vel­op­ment on the part of the TTFA is no more than a base­less and un­law­ful at­tempt to pre­vent my hav­ing ac­cess to the doc­u­ments as re­quest­ed, I am fear­ful that if this Ho­n­ourable Court does not re­strain the TTFA from tak­ing ac­tion forth­with, I will be un­law­ful­ly re­moved as di­rec­tor and my dri­ve for trans­paren­cy in the TTFA stalled," Look Loy said.

Look Loy al­so sug­gest­ed that le­gal ad­vice on his ap­point­ment, which was ex­pect­ed to be used in yes­ter­day's meet­ing if the in­junc­tion was not grant­ed, was flawed. Look Loy claimed that it was based on a false premise that the al­so board did not have a quo­rum when it con­firmed him in the po­si­tion. He claimed that is­sue was clar­i­fied by Lat­apy-George and a mem­ber of the or­gan­i­sa­tion's con­sti­tu­tion­al re­view com­mit­tee.

While there were me­dia re­ports of Look Loy seek­ing to chal­lenge the ap­point­ments John-Williams and two TTFA vice-pres­i­dents af­ter his ap­point­ment was ques­tioned, the is­sue was not raised in the law­suit in its pre­lim­i­nary form.

In the law­suit, Look Loy is al­so seek­ing an or­der from the court or­der­ing the dis­clo­sure of the bank state­ments.

Look Loy was rep­re­sent­ed by Matthew Gayle, Dr Emir Crowne and Crys­tal Paul. TTFA at­tor­neys were no­ti­fied of the in­junc­tion hear­ing but did not at­tend. The doc­u­ments were filed yes­ter­day and the mat­ter heard hours lat­er.

About the Project

The "Home for Foot­ball" project is ex­pect­ed to in­clude a 72-room ho­tel, train­ing pitch­es, an en­ter­tain­ment cen­tre and ad­min­is­tra­tive of­fices for the as­so­ci­a­tion.

The sod was turned in Sep­tem­ber 2017, with con­struc­tion start­ing in Feb­ru­ary, last year. The project was spon­sored by Fi­fa and is be­ing con­struct­ed on a lit­tle over sev­en hectares of land do­nat­ed by the Gov­ern­ment.

The project was al­ready at an ad­vanced stage when Fi­fa rep­re­sen­ta­tive Veron Mosen­go-Om­ba and Sports Min­is­ter Sham­fa Cud­joe con­duct­ed a tour in Au­gust, last year.

The project is still in­com­plete but the fa­cil­i­ty is sched­uled to be opened, lat­er this year.

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on April 25, 2019, 12:25:19 AM
Uproar as Camara gives Look Loy deadline to prove he is valid TTFA Board member; but attorney’s admission could undo exercise.
By Lasana Liburd (Wired868).


The Trinidad and Tobago Football Association’s Board of Directors was thrown into chaos on the night of Glorious Saturday, as TTFA General Secretary Camara David suggested that Trinidad and Tobago Super League (TTSL) President Keith Look Loy’s election to the TTFA Board of Directors was ‘invalid’.

David used a three month old complaint by North East Stars director Michael Awai and a recent legal opinion by Elton Prescott SC as grounds for his claim, which, if approved, could have significant repercussions on the short-term future of embattled football president, David John-Williams.

Awai’s concern, which he shared with stakeholders on 18 February 2019, is that Look Loy’s ‘election’ occurred at a General Membership meeting without a quorum.

The petition was brushed aside by Trinidad and Tobago Football Referees Association’s Vice-President Osmond Downer; and a week after Awai’s email, the TTFA Board met—chaired by John-Williams and with David in attendance—without a peep about Look Loy’s status.

However last night, David resuscitated Awai’s claim with a legal opinion from Prescott—the attorney for the Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee (TTOC) and one of the framers of the TTFA Constitution—which appeared to support the case against Look Loy’s prior appointment.

David wrote to Prescott on Monday 15 April, seeking a legal opinion on the clause cited by Awai, which was Article 24.3. The article states: “a quorum is not required for the second meeting of the General Meeting unless any item on the Agenda proposed the amendment of the constitution, the election of a member of the Board of Directors, the dismissal of a member of a body of the TTFA, the expulsion of a Member or the dissolution of the TTFA.”

And Prescott, via an email that was shared with the Board, agreed with Awai.

“It appears to me that the cited passage from Article 24 of the Constitution of the TTFA makes it obligatory that a quorum is required at a reconvened meeting which includes on the agenda, the election of members of the Board,” stated Prescott. “[…] And so, in my view, it would have required the presence of 25 or more in order for any decision taken at the reconvened meeting to have validity.

“In those circumstances, the resolution which sought to give authority to delegates present to elect a member of the Board was itself invalid.”

David relayed this information to Look Loy and the rest of the Board, three days later, and gave the TTSL president until the next Board meeting on Wednesday 24 April to present a legal response for ‘deliberation’ by that body.

“Further to an enquiry by a Member with respect to the validity of your election to the TTFA Board of Directors, I write to inform you of the legal opinion provided to the TTFA, received in response to the member’s enquiry,” stated the TTFA General Secretary. “This opinion indicates that your election to the Board of Directors of the TTFA is invalid and not consistent with the constitution of the TTFA. The TTFA Secretariat hereby provides you with a copy of the legal opinion for your review.

“You are kindly requested to provide a response by return correspondence on or before the next scheduled meeting of the Board of Directors where this legal opinion will be presented for deliberation and a decision of the Board. Please be advised accordingly.”

Due to the Easter holidays, David’s deadline meant Look Loy would have less than two working days to source a legal opinion. On Saturday night, the agenda for Wednesday’s Board meeting was also adjusted with Look Loy’s ‘Appointment Issue’ as the second item for discussion—right after ‘Minutes’ and ahead of issues such as the TTFA’s ongoing legal woes and the appointment of coaches to the Men’s National Under-23 and Women’s National Under-20 and Under-17 Teams.

The alleged discovery of a US$20,000 payment to John-Williams in the TTFA’s bank account was not listed among the agenda items, although, a week ago, six Board members—headed by Look Loy—requested an emergency meeting to discuss it.

There was one striking omission in the TTFA’s claim against Look Loy’s eligibility. And that is Article 34.1, which read: “the [TTFA] President and Vice-Presidents of the Board of Directors shall be elected by the General Meeting; the other members of the Board of Directors representing the Members of the TTFA shall be elected by the Members they represent and inducted by the General Meeting…”

It was the clause that Downer turned to, three months ago, to dismiss Awai’s complaint. The TTSL—like other bodies under the TTFA umbrella—elects its representative internally, Downer argued, and the General Meeting only rubber stamps this choice.

Since the TTFA president and vice-presidents are the only Board members who are elected by the General Meeting, then, arguably, Article 22.3 could only refer to them.

“That seems to be a good point,” said Prescott, when Wired868 read out Article 34.1 and enquired about its potential repercussions for Article 22.

Did David share Article 34.1 with Prescott when he requested his legal guidance?

“No sir, [the TTFA’s request] was limited to Article 24,” said Prescott. “I was not asked to comment on Article 34.”

Wired868 asked David if he intentionally tried to mislead Prescott, so as to engineer a skewed legal perspective for his Board. The General Secretary did not respond.

David’s legal manoeuvre comes at a time when Look Loy is openly contemplating contempt of court proceedings against the TTFA president and general secretary for their supposed failure to share the football body’s financial documents.

Look Loy has vowed to return to the High Court to force John-Williams and David to share the TTFA’s bank records. Were he to be removed as a Board member, he would no longer have legal claim to the various financial documents he is demanding at present.

Look Loy, who noted the irony since John-Williams was elected by some non-compliant members in 2015, believes the question of his Board eligibility is linked to his case against the TTFA.

“This is nothing but a transparent attempt at victimisation for the questions I have been asking and the High Court action I have successfully undertaken to force transparency and accountability on the TTFA president and his administration,” said Look Loy. “Indeed, there is more to come as that campaign meets increasingly desperate resistance from increasingly desperate people. This will not deter us.

“In this connection, I call on FIFA and Concacaf, yet again, to rein in the run-away horse that is the current TTFA leadership. Indeed, that leadership, in this latest effort to break my momentum, is demonstrating its lack of ethics and limits.”

Downer, who also worked on the framing of the TTFA constitution, said the furore regarding Look Loy’s eligibility was a storm in a teacup, since the TTSL only needs to send a letter to the Board to confirm its choice as representative.

The TTFA’s new constitution in 2015 stated that a body’s choice for a Board position was meant only to be ‘confirmed’ by the General Membership. However, after John-Williams refused to allow Board members to vote unless their roles were ratified by the General Meeting, Downer proposed an amendment which sought to clarify the issue in December 2018.

Downer’s amendment—which was approved—replaced the word ‘confirmed’ with ‘inducted’ in Article 34.1, so as to ensure there was no confusion about which party had the power to select a Board representative.

Inexplicably, David, the de facto CEO of the local football body, did not share this information with Prescott.

Board Members Sharon Warrick (Women’s League of Football) and Joseph Taylor (TTFRA) questioned the behaviour of John-Williams and David and wondered if they were willing to invalidate all Board decisions taken in the past year, just to be rid of Look Loy.

“Is this again another attempt at distraction from the very important matters that face the TTFA at this time?” asked Taylor, who said the TTFA’s constitutional changes should have already put this matter to rest. “[…] The listing of this as the second item is quite alarming to me and others, as the matters of the financial status of the TTFA [should be paramount].

“The impromptu Thursday meeting [involving representatives from FIFA and Concacaf regarding] suggestions for ideas/plans to deal with the growing debt of the TTFA is more relevant and pressing.”

Taylor, who is principal of Mucurapo West Secondary school, reiterated a call for Board meetings to be moved to a more convenient time. Members urged John-Williams and David to have 6pm start times for mid-week meetings, so they could get to Couva in time after work.

The TTFA president and general secretary have so far ignored such requests.

“There were at least six members who called for an Emergency Board Meeting to specifically deal with the financial situation, after learning of the garnishing of the funds from the TTFA bank accounts,” said Taylor. “We got no response to the request. Where is the Finance Committee?

“[…] Mr President and General Secretary, several Board Members also requested the inclusion of other matters on the agenda. Can I respectfully get a response to these requests?

“And also for the umpteenth time, can I and others who have requested a later start time with reason get a definite response for the Board Meeting on Wednesday 24th April, 2019?”

Article 35.2 of the TTFA constitution states: “the President shall compile the agenda; each member of the Board of Directors is entitled to propose items for inclusion in the agenda.”

Wired868 asked John-Williams to explain why he had not included concerns about his possible commingling of personal funds with the TTFA’s money on the agenda. He did not respond up to time of publication.

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Sam on April 25, 2019, 01:52:12 AM
Look Loy need to find out who the construction company is that is building the hotel. W Connection company.

 :devil:

Is a good idea to build it, but de way they does go about it in T&T is always the wrong way, also some thieving or crocked stuff going on and they bold face with it to like nobody could stop them.

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on April 26, 2019, 12:20:38 AM
TTFA prevented from challenging Look Loy appointment.
By Jada Loutoo (Newsday).


SUPER League president Keith Look Loy has successfully stopped the TT Football Association (TTFA) from challenging the legitimacy of his 2017 appointment to the board of directors, and ousting him from the football body.

The TTFA’s general secretary Camara David tabled a “board appointment issue” on the agenda for a meeting which was expected to be held at 3 pm yesterday.Hours before the meeting was scheduled, Look Loy’s attorneys, Dr Emir Crowne, Matthew Gayle and Crystal Paul, filed an emergency injunction application, seeking to restrain the TTFA from going ahead with the motion to remove the Super League president from the board because of perceived defects in the appointment.

Look Loy, in his appeal for the injunction, said he was fearful that if it was not granted, he would have been unlawfully removed as a director and his drive for transparency in the TTFA stalled.

The injunction was granted by Justice Robin Mohammed, but Newsday understands the meeting was cancelled.

The judge’s order also contained a penal notice warning the TTFA if it failed to comply with the terms of the order it would be in contempt and may be liable to jail time and its assets confiscated.

The notice also warned any other person who knows of the order and does anything to help or permit the TTFA from breaching the terms of the order will also be held in contempt and may face jail time or have their assets seized.

On Saturday, by e-mail, David informed Look Loy of the board’s intended actions, saying the issue arose after legal advice was sought and an enquiry was made by a member, Mike Awai. The legal advice from Senior Counsel Elton Prescott, a former chairman of the constitution committee, said the article made it obligatory that a quorum was required for a meeting which included on the agenda the election of members to the board.

In his High Court action yesterday, Look Loy complained of the failure of the TTFA’s president David John-Williams to permit him access to the association’s bank statements.

In March, Justice Ronnie Boodoosingh ordered the TTFA to disclose documents relating to the US$2.5 million Home of Football, being constructed in Balmain, Couva.

The local governing body was given seven days to provide Look Loy with the documents, which also included bank statements and records reflecting all the TTFA’s accounts, investment, loans, and other financials from November 2015 to present.

Look Loy believes it was his insistence to get the information on the TTFA’s finances that led to the motion being tabled.

He said instead of granting him access to the bank records, on April 20, David wrote to tell him his appointment as a director was “invalid and not consistent with the Constitution of the TTFA.”

“Clearly this is with a view to frustrating and/or preventing my accessing the bank statements and other documents with a view to increasing transparency and accountability within the sport,” he said in his affidavit in support of his judicial review claim.

Look Loy said David’s letter was ironic since in August 2017, David, as former league secretary to the Super League, wrote to the TTFA’s former general secretary telling him Look Loy had been duly elected to represent the league on the TTFA board.

Look Loy said he has taken part in board meetings and fulfilled his role as a director since March 2018.

Look Loy was officially elected by the Super League board to be its representative on the TTFA’s board on February 23, 2018. He was confirmed as a director of the TTFA on December 23, 2017, for four years.

Title: Jack Warner wants his $15m
Post by: Tallman on April 27, 2019, 12:56:56 PM
Jack Warner wants his $15m
By Ryan Bachoo (T&T Guardian)


For­mer FI­FA vice pres­i­dent, Jack Warn­er, is set to sue the T&T Foot­ball As­so­ci­a­tion (TTFA) for $15.7 mil­lion af­ter claim­ing the debt was writ­ten off at a board meet­ing. Speak­ing on the Morn­ing Brew yes­ter­day as part of a pan­el dis­cus­sion on the state of foot­ball in this coun­try, Warn­er told host Hema Ramkissoon, he in­tends to en­ter le­gal pro­ceed­ings this com­ing week.

“The lit­i­ga­tion the TTFA is fac­ing now is a joke to what is com­ing up be­cause they sat down in a meet­ing and they agreed to just, out of the blue, with­draw a loan they had on their books for some 15 years for some $15 mil­lion to Jack Warn­er,” he said.

TTFA pres­i­dent, David John-Williams, would nei­ther con­firm nor de­ny yes­ter­day whether Warn­er’s claim was cor­rect. He told Guardian Me­dia Sports, “The on­ly thing I would say on that mat­ter is that Ray­mond Tim Kee wrote to Mr Jack Warn­er in 2015 say­ing that the TTFA owes him $15.7 mil­lion – a copy of that let­ter I do have – and Jack Warn­er is su­ing the TTFA based on that let­ter.” Pressed fur­ther for an an­swer whether Warn­er’s debt was tak­en off the books as he al­leges, John-Williams said he would not be drawn in­to the con­tro­ver­sy “be­cause there will be a time in the com­ing weeks where I have to put every­thing on the ta­ble”.

The TTFA head said Tim Kee’s let­ter was based on an unau­dit­ed fi­nan­cial state­ment in 2012.

It was a rev­e­la­tion that came two weeks af­ter for­mer TTFA pres­i­dent, Ray­mond Tim Kee, said dur­ing a press con­fer­ence he left a debt of $14 mil­li­on when he ex­it­ed of­fice. Tim Kee backpedalled yes­ter­day dur­ing a phone con­ver­sa­tion with Guardian Me­dia Sports when asked about the in­con­sis­tent debt fig­ures that came from dif­fer­ent sources. When asked by Guardian Me­dia Sports if the debt he spoke off dur­ing the press con­fer­ence did not in­clude what is owed to Warn­er, Tim Kee said, “Yes, there are cer­tain debts that I did not in­clude in that $14 mil­lion. That $14 mil­lion were some debts with some more or less, small peo­ple with whom I had a con­ver­sa­tion, and we had agreed that when get­ting the mon­ey we were go­ing to pay them.”

The for­mer TTFA pres­i­dent al­so said a fig­ure in the range of $150 thou­sand is owed to him and was not in­clud­ed in the debt he pre­sent­ed at the press con­fer­ence. He went fur­ther to ad­vise, “When you are in­volved in foot­ball at an ex­ec­u­tive lev­el, don’t make the mis­take and spend your own mon­ey… We have a ten­den­cy to put your hands in your pock­et to re­cov­er when sit­u­a­tions change but what I have found is that when you do that there are ques­tions peo­ple ask, and the ques­tion is whether you want to go through that with all the al­le­ga­tions.”

Tim Kee was then asked if he felt, ac­cord­ing to his state­ment, when Warn­er gave of his per­son­al fi­nances, that there was a risk of him not get­ting it back. He re­spond­ed by say­ing, “I didn’t bear any in­ten­tion not to pay the debt, that’s why I paid the amount I did. I paid 27 peo­ple from 48… so my phi­los­o­phy is to pay the debt.” How­ev­er, the for­mer TTFA pres­i­dent, who served be­tween 2012 and 2015, said he opt­ed to pay the small­er cred­i­tors be­cause they need­ed it more ur­gent­ly.

Warn­er’s de­ci­sion to take le­gal ac­tion was met with im­me­di­ate op­po­si­tion by the Morn­ing Brew pan­el of for­mer T&T foot­baller Brent San­cho, and for­mer Cale­do­nia AIA chair­man, Louis Lee Sing.

The lat­ter said, “Not be­cause some­thing that was not in the best in­ter­est of the game hap­pened un­der his stew­ard­ship should we en­cour­age it in the now. Times have changed.” San­cho, on the oth­er hand, re­marked, “Let foot­ball stop air­ing their dirty linen in pub­lic. It’s un­for­tu­nate to hear that Mr Warn­er is go­ing to con­tin­ue in this vein of crush­ing the fed­er­a­tion.”
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on April 29, 2019, 12:28:42 AM
DJW calls off Board meeting after High Court blocks attempt to move Look Loy; national youth teams left in limbo.
By Lasana Liburd (Wired868).


Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) president David John-Williams abruptly called off a Board meeting today, with less than an hour’s notice to members, after a High Court injunction blocked him from fulfilling his threat of jettisoning perceived rival, Keith Look Loy.

On Glorious Saturday, John-Williams, through his fresh-faced general secretary Camara David, made the potential removal of Look Loy his first order of business after the review of minutes on the Board’s agenda today.

However Justice Robin Mohammed today upheld a legal request by Look Loy—through his legal team of Matthew Gayle, Dr Emir Crowne and Crystal Paul—which blocked the controversial football president from ‘seeking to impugn the Applicant’s status as a director of the [TTFA]’ pending judicial review.

And, in a significant double move, Look Loy also formally initiated the process to compel John-Williams and David to provide all bank details, paid cheque stubs and other information necessary for him to conduct his job as a TTFA Board member.

John-Williams, through David, ‘adjourned’ today’s Board meeting to an unspecified date in the future, within minutes of the verdict. His decision meant the TTFA body could not formally discuss other pressing agenda issues including the appointment of a coaching staff for the Men’s National Under-23 and Women’s National Under-20 and Under-17 Teams.

The National Under-23s are competing for a spot at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games and play their opening match on 17 July. However, the TTFA is yet to appoint a coaching staff and there is no squad in training at present.

The Women Under-20 Team are drawn against Haiti, Panama and the Cayman Islands  in the Concacaf qualifying series, which serves as the first step towards the India 2020 Women’s Under-20 World Cup. However, despite their competition also starting in three months, the under-20s are without a coaching staff too.

Look Loy, who is also the Trinidad and Tobago Super League (TTSL) president, suggested that the TTFA was not in a position to continue carrying out its function as the local guardians of the game anyway, since a freeze on its bank accounts by the National Futsal Team—due to an unpaid debt—has left the body as bankrupt financially as it is morally.

TTFA office staff, according to an anonymous source, still have not received salaries for March and are uncertain about pay at the end of April too. Look Loy confirmed that he heard the same thing.

“The staff in the TTFA office is demoralised,” said Look Loy. “The leader of the sinking ship has still not even spoken to them about what is going on and when they are going to be paid. All of this is also affecting football on the field in terms of the new T-League (a merger between the Pro League and TTSL).

“It is past the point of implosion; nothing is happening in TTFA.”

Arguably, John-Williams’ decision to cancel today’s Board meeting, with local football at a virtual standstill at domestic level, suggests that his own political survival is now more important than the administering of the TTFA.

The attempt to replace Look Loy, based upon a three-month old query about the latter’s appointment by North East Stars director Michael Awai and a recent legal opinion by attorney Elton Prescott SC, seemed shaky from the start.

Awai’s complaint was already addressed internally—albeit informally—and dismissed by Football Referees Association (TTFRA) vice-president Osmond Downer, one of the framers of the current TTFA constitution.

Downer reiterated his earlier position with a series of accompanying documents this morning, via email. The former FIFA referee insisted that there was a quorum for Look Loy’s appointment, despite Awai’s claim, but further noted that a quorum was unnecessary since he was elected to his Board role by the TTSL and not the General Meeting.

And Downer said it would be illegal for John-Williams to attempt to remove Look Loy at a Board meeting anyway since his appointment could only be revoked by the TTFA’s general membership.

Neither John-Williams nor David appeared to respond to Downer’s email. David, who was controversially appointed in February, also ignored requests from at least four Board members to shift the start of Board meetings from 3pm to 5pm, so as to make it easier for working members to attend.

Prescott told Wired868 on the weekend that his legal opinion on Look Loy’s appointment only considered information provided by David and he was not provided with relevant articles of the constitution.

Look Loy suggested that David, a former TTSL employee who controversially began acting as TTFA general secretary while his predecessor Justin Latapy-George was still on the job, is blinded by ambition and ego.

“I have noticed that Camara has taken to signing off his emails with ‘general secretary/CEO’ but the TTFA doesn’t have a CEO,” said Look Loy. “That gives you an insight into his overambitious mentality; a young fellah who now come in football but is consumed by his own ambition and position; and […] is going ahead blindly.”

Just seven months away from the completion of his term as football president, the John-Williams-led administration has failed to properly activate its standing committees with only one operational—the referees committee—from a minimum of 16 standing committees meant to effect the smooth running of the local football body.

Look Loy thinks it instructive that, rather than address the defunct finance, legal or technical committees, John-Williams tabled a move to activate the emergency committee instead.

The emergency committee, which is meant to comprise of the president, vice president and four other Board members, is meant to handle important business that may arise in between Board meetings. At present, John-Williams has the support of at least seven from 13 Board members.

The current TTFA Board members are: John-Williams (president), Ewing Davis (vice-president), Raeshawn Mars (Northern FA), Richard Quan Chan (Southern FA), Anthony Moore (Tobago FA), Joseph Taylor (Trinidad and Tobago Football Referees Association), Sharon Warrick (Women’s League Football), Julia Baptiste (TT Pro League), Collin Partap (Central Football Association), Bandele Kamau (Eastern FA), Sherwyn Dyer (Eastern Counties Football Union), Selby Browne (Veteran Footballers Foundation of Trinidad and Tobago) and Look Loy (TTSL).

The constitution states that decisions by the emergency committee ‘shall have immediate legal effect’ while the Board would be notified of such decisions for ratification at its next meeting. In theory, issues like the re-appointment of National Senior Team head coach Dennis Lawrence or the TTFA’s response to the garnishing of its bank accounts could have been handled by the emergency committee.

“They could bypass the Board [through the emergency committee] and run TTFA football that way, which is what they have been de facto,” said Look Loy. “But this will allow them to operate without the Board while having constitutional authority at the same time.

“They have the votes to put whoever they want on the emergency committee.”

Although John-Williams retains his political strength, Look Loy believes he is no longer fit to effectively run local football and claimed the TTFA cannot recover with the current president at the helm.

“The David John-Williams administration is like a punch drunk boxer on the ropes—semi-conscious at best, but would not concede,” said Look Loy. “They seem determined not to go down and to hold out, because they have some political support. But as far as the public and football fans go, people just want to see their backs.”

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Deeks on April 29, 2019, 02:15:11 AM
Give them hell Keith.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Mad Scorpion a/k/a Big Bo$$ on April 29, 2019, 08:05:11 AM
They are very transparent in their bullshit attempts to block KLL and the general public from being privy to what's going on with THOF project.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on May 15, 2019, 12:28:03 AM
Judge reserve judgement in Walkes v TTFA matter.
By Derek Achong (Guardian).


For­mer T&T Foot­ball As­so­ci­a­tion (TTFA) tech­ni­cal di­rec­tor Kendal Walkes will learn the fate of his law­suit, af­ter he was fired from his post less than one year on the job, on Sep­tem­ber 27.

High Court Judge Joan Charles re­served her judge­ment in Walkes' breach of con­tract case at the end of a brief tri­al at the Hall of Jus­tice in Port-of-Spain, yes­ter­day morn­ing.

Tues­day's hear­ing be­gan with the youth coach from Penn­syl­va­nia tes­ti­fy­ing over how he got the job in 2015.

Ac­cord­ing to Walkes, he was coach­ing in the Unit­ed States Vir­gin Is­lands when a col­league from the State As­so­ci­a­tion for Youth Soc­cer in Penn­syl­va­nia rec­om­mend­ed him for the job based on his ex­pe­ri­ence and his Trinida­di­an her­itage.

Walkes claimed that he had a tele­phone in­ter­view be­fore be­ing in­vit­ed for an­oth­er while he was in Trinidad to at­tend his sib­ling's fu­ner­al in Feb­ru­ary 2015.

He claimed that he was of­fi­cial­ly of­fered the po­si­tion dur­ing the meet­ing with the as­so­ci­a­tion's for­mer pres­i­dent Ray­mond Tim Kee, gen­er­al sec­re­tary Shel­don Phillips and na­tion­al team man­ag­er William Wal­lace.

While be­ing cross-ex­am­ined by TTFA's lawyer Anand Mis­sir, Walkes claimed that he could not re­mem­ber all that was dis­cussed dur­ing the meet­ing as it oc­curred over three years ago.

"It was a dis­cus­sion on the ten­ants of the con­tract and if it would be ac­cept­able to me," Walkes said.

Charles was re­peat­ed­ly forced to stop Mis­sir dur­ing his ques­tion­ing as she point­ed out that the is­sues raised in his ques­tions to Walkes were not men­tioned in the as­so­ci­a­tion's de­fence to the law­suit.

In its de­fence, the TTFA al­leged that it broke the con­tract with Walkes af­ter Fi­fa of­fi­cials wrote to it and raised is­sues over his re­port­ed $93,000 a month com­pen­sa­tion pack­age in light of the as­so­ci­a­tion's well known fi­nan­cial con­straints. It is al­so con­tend­ing that the con­tract was not valid.

While she did not make a fi­nal pro­nounce­ment on the is­sue, Charles sug­gest­ed that Walkes' con­tract may be held bind­ing as the for­mer TTFA of­fi­cials were em­pow­ered to sign the con­tract when they did and de­spite the fi­nan­cial con­straints, which she said would have been known to them at the time.

She al­so stat­ed even if the writ­ten con­tract was ques­tion­able, there was still a valid con­tract be­tween the par­ties as Walkes per­formed his du­ties and was com­pen­sat­ed be­fore the agree­ment was even­tu­al­ly ter­mi­nat­ed in March 2016.

"The on­ly is­sue re­al­ly is what cir­cum­stances would have to ap­ply if the de­fen­dant wished to ter­mi­nate the con­tract," Charles said as she gave the par­ties dead­lines for fil­ing sub­mis­sions in the case.

In the event that Walkes is even­tu­al­ly suc­cess­ful in his claim, the al­ready cash-strapped as­so­ci­a­tion would be or­dered to pay him for the re­main­ing two years on his con­tract.

Tim Kee, Phillips and em­bat­tled TTFA pres­i­dent David John-Williams were all present for the hear­ing but sat at op­pos­ing sides of the court­room.

Walkes is be­ing rep­re­sent­ed by Ke­ston Mc Quilkin.

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on May 24, 2019, 03:09:56 PM
Freeze on TTFA bank account off.
By Walter Alibey (Guardian).


A freeze on the T&T Foot­ball As­so­ci­a­tion's bank ac­count, caused by a court gar­nishee has been lift­ed, Guardian Me­dia Sports has been told.

This means the pro­posed start of the new T-League, which will fea­ture a Tier 1 and 2 com­pe­ti­tions, will be ex­pe­dit­ed.

A high-rank­ing of­fi­cial of the foot­ball as­so­ci­a­tion con­firmed yes­ter­day that fi­nal pay­ment of over $300,000 was paid ear­li­er this week to com­plete an over­all pay­ment of over $500,000 to the T&T Fut­sal team which dragged the David John-Williams-led TTFA to court for un­paid wages, per diem, re­fresh­ment and oth­er ex­pens­es.

How­ev­er, Clay­ton Mor­ris, the fut­sal coach said he nor his at­tor­neys were in­formed about the pay­ment up to yes­ter­day.

The TTFA of­fi­cial who spoke un­der con­di­tion of anonymi­ty, was re­luc­tant to con­firm the pay­ment made, for fear that some­one else be­ing owed by the em­bat­tled foot­ball as­so­ci­a­tion, will grasp at the op­por­tu­ni­ty at an­oth­er gar­nishee or­der.

Fol­low­ing the or­der in April, the court seized $270, 871.33 and since then, the TTFA has been un­able to pay salaries to its of­fice staff and oth­er mem­bers of the T&T Un­der-17 team staff and play­ers who con­test­ed the re­cent CON­CA­CAF U-17 Cham­pi­onship, which was al­so a FI­FA World Cup Qual­i­fi­er in the Unit­ed States ear­li­er this month.

Guardian Me­dia Sports was al­so in­formed that some staff mem­bers from the un­der-15 team were al­so paid. The TTFA has been in­debt­ed to a num­ber of peo­ple, in­clud­ing its tech­ni­cal di­rec­tor An­ton Corneal.

The fut­sal play­ers who are set to ben­e­fit from the pay­ment are - Kevin Gra­ham, Adri­an Pirthys­ingh, cap­tain Jer­wyn Balt­haz­ar, Col­in Joseph, Ker­ry Joseph, Jameel Nep­tune, Ish­mael Daniel, An­tho­ny Small, Ke­vaughn Con­nell, Ke­ston Guy, Ka­reem Per­ry, Jamel Lewis, Noel Williams, Bevon Bass and Cyra­no Glen, the younger broth­er of for­mer TT strik­er Cor­nell Glen.

Con­tact­ed yes­ter­day Brent San­cho, a mem­ber of the T-League com­mis­sion ex­pressed sat­is­fac­tion with the de­vel­op­ment. He said he was hap­py to have heard this, since many of their chal­lenges hinged on the in­abil­i­ty of the FI­FA, through the FI­FA For­ward Project and the Sport Com­pa­ny of T&T to de­posit monies in­to the TTFA ac­count for the pur­pose of start­ing the league.

"The re­al­i­ty is that we couldn't have done any­thing with no mon­ey. We had a press con­fer­ence on Tues­day to give an up­date on the T- League but we couldn't have giv­en a start­ing date or a bud­get for the tour­na­ment un­til we re­ceived the mon­ey."

He not­ed, "Now I can as­sure you that a lot more in­fo will be forth­com­ing." The com­mis­sion, be­ing led by busi­ness­man Lyn­d­say Gillette, is ex­pect­ed to hold an­oth­er press con­fer­ence soon to pro­vide the in­for­ma­tion he could not pro­vide to the me­dia Tues­day.

San­cho said his com­mis­sion has al­so gone full speed ahead to ap­point key of­fi­cials for the man­age­ment of the T-League, such as a mar­ket­ing and pro­mo­tion­al, a li­cens­ing and a com­pe­ti­tions and tour­na­ment's of­fi­cial.

Ac­cord­ing to San­cho in­ter­views for these po­si­tions be­gan on Mon­day and will con­tin­ue to­day. He is pre­dict­ing top qual­i­ty com­pe­ti­tion in the two tiers, re­veal­ing that they are ex­pect­ing Ja­maican Sports Net­work Sports­max and FLOW to be on board when it starts.

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on May 29, 2019, 11:44:24 AM
Look Loy: TTFA’s attempt to blame Concacaf ‘ridiculous’
By Joel Bailey (Newsday).


OUTSPOKEN TT Football Association (TTFA) board member Keith Look Loy has slammed the local football governing body’s attempt to blame Concacaf for the Association’s struggles to field men’s and women’s teams for the 2020 Olympic qualifiers.

On Monday, in a media conference at the Ato Boldon Stadium, in Couva, TTFA board member Richard Quan Chan called on corporate T&T to help offset the US$165,000 required to send the teams to their respective qualifiers.

According to Quan Chan, “We have complained that the release of dates of Concacaf is not in keeping with good planning. One of the problems we are having is with Concaaf and one we have raised with them on a few occasions – the timing that they release dates.

“It would be more economical and a better financial decision at this time to focus on the other tournaments that are coming up than try and prepare an Olympic team in six weeks,” Quan Chan added. With Olympic Games staged quadrennially – the 2020 edition will take place in Tokyo, Japan – Look Loy pointed out yesterday, “This argument is nonsensical, ridiculous and an attempt to blame Concacaf and provide cover for the incompetence of the TTFA. Everybody knows (when) the fixtures are, (they) are the exact (FIFA) match dates.

“Everybody knows when the qualifying tournament would be played. This is just camouflage for incompetence.”

Look Loy noted the Board has virtually no say on current TTFA matters. “The Board is now redundant because of the appointment of this emergency committee. They have enough votes now to no longer need the Board to do anything.”

The emergency committee comprises president David John-Williams, vice-president Ewing Davis, Quan Chan (Southern FA), Selby Browne (Veterans Football Federation of TT), Anthony Moore (Tobago FA) and Bandele Kamau (Eastern FA).

Look Loy, president of the TT Super League, continued, “This situation with the Olympic teams is just more salt in the TTFA’s wound. The TTFA is broke and this is not the first team that has essentially been abandoned. The most recent one was the beach (soccer) team that had to find private sponsorship to go. The TTFA didn’t help them at all.

“Before that we had the Under-20s, the Under-17s, the women and so on. This is just the latest in a long line of national teams that has been abandoned. This is further evidence of the incompetence of (this) administration. “

Turning his attention on the Home of Football in Couva, Look Loy said, “The Home of Football is of no use to the national teams because the teams have little or no preparation. The chairman of the commission of the new T-League (Lindsay Gillette) was quoted in the media praising the Home of Football and talking about how water polo players would be using it. That facility was not built for water polo players, swimmers and cyclists. It was built to service the needs for T&T football.

“I don’t want to hear about water polo players when my national teams can’t use it because we’re clocking out of competitions. ”

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on June 04, 2019, 12:04:56 AM
Cudjoe: Money is not the problem.
By Walter Alibey (Guardian).


Un­der-prepa­ra­tion and not the un­avail­abil­i­ty of funds for the coun­try's Olympic men's team pre­vent­ed it from con­test­ing the Qual­i­fiers, Sham­fa Cud­joe, Min­is­ter of Sports and Youth Af­fairs said at a press con­fer­ence at the Of­fice of the Prime Min­is­ter in St Clair on Mon­day.

On­ly last week Richard Quan Chan, a mem­ber of the Board of Di­rec­tors of the T&T Foot­ball As­so­ci­a­tion said it was un­like­ly that the team would go to the qual­i­fiers due to no fund­ing. How­ev­er, Cud­joe re­vealed that in a meet­ing with the em­bat­tled foot­ball as­so­ci­a­tion last Fri­day, she was told the teams could not go be­cause they were just not pre­pared.

"We would have met with the TTFA last week Fri­day, the Min­istry of Sports, along with SporTT and in our dis­cus­sions with the TTFA pres­i­dent David John-Williams we were told that even if we had the mon­ey to go, we would not have sent them be­cause they were not ready, so that re­quest was not made to us to pro­vide fund­ing be­cause TTFA would have tak­en that de­ci­sion that the team was not ready."

She added, "They would have ex­plained that in or­der for a team to be well pre­pared for that kind of un­der­tak­ing, that train­ing and in­vest­ment should have come at least four years ago, so even if we threw all the mon­ey at them now, they don't have suf­fi­cient time, suf­fi­cient re­sources and the ca­pa­bil­i­ty to be ready."

Her com­ments come on the heels of a re­lease by the TTFA, ex­plain­ing the Un­der-23 men's foot­ball team for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games had re­gret­tably been with­drawn from this year’s CON­CA­CAF Men’s Un­der-23 Olympic Qual­i­fiers, as a de­ci­sion was tak­en to fo­cus its re­sources on oth­er com­pe­ti­tions for the rest of 2019.

The T&T team was drawn in Pool B of the 16-team com­pe­ti­tion against min­nows Bar­ba­dos, and US Vir­gin Is­lands and Cu­ba with the ini­tial round of qual­i­fy­ing in the Caribbean phase tak­ing place from Ju­ly 17-21 across four dif­fer­ent venues.

The re­lease stat­ed the fi­nan­cial dif­fi­cul­ties of the lo­cal as­so­ci­a­tion have been no se­cret to the pub­lic with a debt of over US$ 5 mil­lion (TT$34M) and most re­cent­ly, the freez­ing of the bank ac­counts.

"De­spite these tur­bu­lent times, the TTFA with the sup­port of the Gov­ern­ment of T&To has man­aged to suc­cess­ful­ly field teams in all of the com­pe­ti­tions thus far for the 2019 com­pe­ti­tions cal­en­dar. With the lim­it­ed fund­ing avail­able, and 11 na­tion­al teams to ser­vice, the T&TFA has tak­en the de­ci­sion that in mov­ing for­ward we must not in­crease the debt of the as­so­ci­a­tion and thus we must pri­or­i­tize which tour­na­ments are a 'must' to par­tic­i­pate in."

With re­gards to putting the sta­tus of lo­cal foot­ball un­der the mi­cro­scope of a FI­FA ban, the T&TFA re­lease not­ed that ac­cord­ing to FI­FA Stat­ues, mem­ber as­so­ci­a­tions are man­dat­ed to par­tic­i­pate in a max­i­mum of two com­pe­ti­tions for a pe­ri­od of four con­sec­u­tive years to keep its FI­FA mem­ber­ship sta­tus.

But Cud­joe said they will be head­ing to France to­day and will at­tempt to sort out is­sues with the FI­FA, "We have to keep in mind that TTFA has 11 na­tion­al teams un­der its re­mit and it re­ceives the same kind of sub­ven­tions from the FI­FA, like any oth­er coun­try that has five na­tion­al teams, two na­tion­al teams or one na­tion­al team. So as we pro­ceed to France to­mor­row to have dis­cus­sions with FI­FA, we are go­ing to be speak­ing about eq­ui­ty rather than equal­i­ty, as it re­lates to fund­ing in foot­ball de­vel­op­ment in the Caribbean re­gion and the less­er de­vel­oped coun­tries."

The coun­try's women's team, how­ev­er, will par­tic­i­pate at the Olympic qual­i­fiers as the T&TFA said it re­mains com­mit­ted to the de­vel­op­ment of foot­ball and thus has pledged its funds to oth­er com­pe­ti­tions for the rest of the year, in­clu­sive of their qual­i­fiers as well as the men's CON­CA­CAF Gold Cup 2019; Con­ca­caf Boys Un­der-15 Cham­pi­onships; 2019 Caribbean Foot­ball Union Un­der-14 Girls Chal­lenge Se­ries; 2019 Caribbean Foot­ball Union Un­der-14 Boys Chal­lenge Se­ries; Con­ca­caf Un­der-17 Women’s Cham­pi­onships; Con­ca­caf Un­der-20 Women’s Cham­pi­onships, and Con­ca­caf Na­tions League.


Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Deeks on June 04, 2019, 05:10:22 AM
Tell me this crap.  The women going but the men eh going.  DJW just full of ..it.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: asylumseeker on June 04, 2019, 06:56:50 AM
Tell me this crap.  The women going but the men eh going.  DJW just full of ..it.

Politically it wouldn't be a good idea to eff with de women twice in short order and especially in the actual year of the WWC and you going to France but the players, not.

It has been more than twice that the women have been treated shabbily.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: asylumseeker on June 04, 2019, 07:03:12 AM
Having heard all the articulations and formulations from officialdom on the matter of the U23s, the conclusion is that the TTFA is on shit and their delivery should be treated with the disdain of an angered Richards or smiling Lara and smacked over the boundary with the force of a lost ball.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Bourbon on June 04, 2019, 10:00:17 AM
When are elections again?

Will those who vote develop a conscience and shame by then?
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Brownsugar on June 04, 2019, 05:53:43 PM
* sigh * 

Ah tired......
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: FF on June 04, 2019, 08:30:39 PM
Selby Browne is the one I can't take. His conduct is absolutely offensive
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on June 10, 2019, 05:06:04 PM
Gillette touted as best man for TTFA president.
By Walter Alibey (Guardian).


Yes­ter­day, Brent San­cho, a mem­ber of the com­mis­sion who ad­mit­ted to Gillette's good work since he was ap­point­ed as an in­de­pen­dent mem­ber, said every­one was say­ing they were im­pressed by Gillette.

"How­ev­er, I can tell you that I do not know that there is a move­ment for Gillette to be put for­ward for the post of pres­i­dent. He has worked with my club - Cen­tral FC, as well as at the com­mis­sion and I am sat­is­fied with his work so far," San­cho said.

A TTFA ex­ec­u­tive mem­ber who wished to re­main anony­mous point­ed to ar­ti­cle 34 of the TTFA con­sti­tu­tion which refers to the elec­tion of mem­bers of the board of di­rec­tors. The ar­ti­cle states: "Can­di­dates shall have been ac­tive in foot­ball for at least three years dur­ing the five years pre­ced­ing the elec­tion. This ac­tiv­i­ty must have been per­formed in a man­age­r­i­al or a sim­i­lar po­si­tion in the ter­ri­to­ry of the Re­pub­lic of T&T.

Can­di­dates may not have pre­vi­ous­ly been found guilty of an in­dictable of­fence: Can­di­dates shall be na­tion­als of and shall have per­ma­nent res­i­dence in the Re­pub­lic of T&T: Can­di­da­tures for the of­fice of Pres­i­dent and Vice-Pres­i­dent of the Board of Di­rec­tors shall be sup­port­ed by at least one Mem­ber."

Con­tact­ed for clar­i­fi­ca­tion on the is­sue yes­ter­day, TTFA con­sti­tu­tion­al ex­pert Os­mond Down­er said the ar­ti­cle will rule out some names be­ing bandied about for the com­ing elec­tion but he didn't want to name those in­di­vid­u­als. He said un­like the pres­i­dent and vice pres­i­dent, who are cho­sen by vote dur­ing the elec­tion, all oth­er board mem­bers are elect­ed by their mem­ber as­so­ci­a­tions be­fore they are sent to be in­duct­ed in­to the new ex­ec­u­tive.

To date, for­mer TTFA pres­i­dent Ray­mond Tim Kee and Cen­tral Foot­ball As­so­ci­a­tion (CFA) sec­re­tary Clynt Tay­lor have de­clared their in­ten­tion to con­test the elec­tion. Guardian Me­dia Sports un­der­stands North­ern Foot­ball As­so­ci­a­tion (NFA) pres­i­dent An­tho­ny Har­ford is al­so ex­pect­ed to throw his hat in­to the elec­tion ring. They will all at­tempt to de­feat in­cum­bent David John-Williams.

Yes­ter­day, San­cho said his con­cern was more about the traits the next pres­i­dent has more than whom he is, not­ing that the per­son must be ca­pa­ble of gen­er­at­ing rev­enue, at­tract­ing cor­po­rate T&T, un­der­stand­ing that the TTFA debt will be in­her­it­ed and hav­ing the in­ter­est of the sport at heart.

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: asylumseeker on June 10, 2019, 05:43:53 PM
He disqualified himself through his conduct of the first press conference. Lehwe be serious.

(And Alibey' s article is a poor man's substitute for opinion polling.)
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Storeboy on June 11, 2019, 11:56:26 AM
He disqualified himself through his conduct of the first press conference. Lehwe be serious.

(And Alibey' s article is a poor man's substitute for opinion polling.)
Who is "He"?
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: asylumseeker on June 11, 2019, 12:57:13 PM
He disqualified himself through his conduct of the first press conference. Lehwe be serious.

(And Alibey' s article is a poor man's substitute for opinion polling.)
Who is "He"?

The article immediately above my post moots a possible Lindsay Gillette candidacy for TTFA president. The "he" is Gillette.

Regardless of other procedural amd substantive obstacles that could block and render a Gillette candidacy not viable, his conduct at the media conference did nothing to recommend him to the weight of that office.

He could be quite accurately everything that Sancho describes, without the need for elevation to the presidency of the TTFA.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: soccerman on June 11, 2019, 01:13:24 PM
He disqualified himself through his conduct of the first press conference. Lehwe be serious.

(And Alibey' s article is a poor man's substitute for opinion polling.)
For real. Sounded like his tactics didn't work in the press conference as he tried to dodge and beat around the bush with questions he couldn't answer. True politician!
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on June 13, 2019, 01:43:21 AM
Look Loy: T&T football ‘brain dead’.
By Narissa Fraser (Newsday).


"T&T football is flat lining, we are brain dead."

THIS was the statement made at a press conference yesterday morning by TT Football Association (TTFA) board member Keith Look Loy, at The Hotel Normandie in Port of Spain. He says it is because of a lack of transparency and accountability in the TTFA, which he attributes to its president David John-Williams who was elected in 2015.

According to Look Loy, decisions are being made without consulting all of the association's board members. The board meets once per month and the last meeting was held on May 6.

"Since May, the board of the TTFA has been constructively dismissed in favour of the so-called 'emergency committee' that has been appointed by the board itself. The only real emergency in the TTFA is the emergency that is being created by the mishandling of the association by the president and his cohorts," he said.

He said board members have never seen a contract for the matches played by the T&T senior en's team over the past year, and questioned how money is being distributed.

"No contract for any international friendly has ever come before the board of the TTFA for agreement. We don't know how much the agent is being paid, and we surely don't know how much money the TTFA is receiving," he said. "Show me the bank records, this is not the private business of the president. TTFA always in court. People always have to be taking them to court because they owed money."

He says despite the disorder and recent calls for his removal, he will not resign as he has a responsibility to the people of T&T. In March, the TTFA attempted to legally challenge the legitimacy of his 2017 appointment to the board of directors but was unsuccessful. Look Loy says he has no plans to run for any executive positions in the TTFA's elections in November.

"I am interested in football, not in football posts or positions," he said.

He described the situation as 'abuse' and 'serious injustice' for young footballers, and says that there is not enough football being played in T&T.

Look Loy said, "The only country that not playing football right now that going to the Gold Cup is Trinidad and Tobago. Everybody else is playing football, why are we not playing?" T&T will compete in the Concacaf Gold Cup which runs from June 15 to July 7. Their first match is on June 18 against Panama.

"We sitting down and we don't know when football will start, but we talking about picking national teams. Where these players coming from?" he said.

Also present were Northern Football Association (NFA) general secretary Rayshawn Mars, and T&T Women's Football League (WoLF) president Susan Joseph-Warrick.

They agreed with Look Loy and said they want good governance in T&T football.

Joseph-Warrick said, "We've seen it numerously in the press and the media that apparently it's only Mr Look Loy that is fighting the case but we are there. We just want the public to know that we are here to ensure that good things happen in football."

RELATED NEWS

Look Loy unhappy with T&TFA mismanagement.
By Nigel Simon (Guardian).


Out­spo­ken T&T Su­per League (TTSL) pres­i­dent Kei­th Look Loy says he is un­hap­py with the mal­ad­min­is­tra­tion of the T&T Foot­ball As­so­ci­a­tion.

Look Loy was speak­ing at a me­dia con­fer­ence at the Nor­mandie ho­tel in St Ann’s yes­ter­day, which he called to high­light three ma­jor is­sues fac­ing lo­cal foot­ball un­der the lead­er­ship of TTFA pres­i­dent David John-Williams.

In his ad­dress, Look Loy, who was ac­com­pa­nied by North­ern Foot­ball As­so­ci­a­tion gen­er­al sec­re­tary and for­mer na­tion­al youth goal­keep­er Rayshawn Mars and Women’s League of Foot­ball (WoLF) pres­i­dent Su­san Joseph-War­rick, said he was speak­ing on be­half of five cur­rent mem­bers of the board who were un­hap­py with the T&TFA's op­er­a­tions as it per­tains to foot­ball in the coun­try.

In ad­di­tion to him­self, Mars and Joseph-War­rick, Look Loy said the two oth­er dis­sat­is­fied boards mem­bers were Cen­tral Foot­ball As­so­ci­a­tion’s Col­in Par­tap, a lawyer and Joseph Tay­lor, pres­i­dent of the T&T Ref­er­ees As­so­ci­a­tion.

The oth­er per­sons com­pris­ing the 13-mem­ber T&TFA board are John-Williams, Sel­by Browne (Vet­er­an Foot­ballers' Foun­da­tion of T&T), South­ern Foot­ball As­so­ci­a­tion pres­i­dent Richard Quan Chan, To­ba­go Foot­ball As­so­ci­a­tion (TFA) pres­i­dent An­tho­ny Moore; in­ter­im East­ern Foot­ball As­so­ci­a­tion pres­i­dent (EFA) Ban­dele Ka­mau; T&TFA vice-pres­i­dent Ew­ing Davis; Sherqyn Dy­er (East­ern Coun­ties Foot­ball Union) and Ju­lia Bap­tiste (T&T Pro League).

Look Loy said on be­half of the five mem­bers he was reach­ing out to the gen­er­al pub­lic to con­vey their dis­sat­is­fac­tion about some im­me­di­ate mat­ters in the T&TFA and the gen­er­al mal-ad­min­is­tra­tion of the lo­cal board.

He said their ma­jor con­cerns sur­round­ed the en­tire mis­han­dling of the Un­der-23 Olympic team's with­draw­al from their qual­i­fy­ing cam­paign, change of spon­sor­ship for the na­tion­al team from Ju­ma to Capel­li Sport and the lack of vi­sion for the women’s foot­ball pro­gramme.

Joseph-War­rick al­so is­sued a press re­lease in which she ex­pressed dis­ap­point­ment at be­ing con­stant­ly dis­re­gard­ed by the T&FA in mat­ters re­lat­ed to the women’s na­tion­al pro­gramme, main­ly the se­lec­tion of a women’s team coach.

Reached for com­ment by Guardian Me­dia Sports, John-Williams once again re­it­er­at­ed his stance re­gard­ing the ru­mours be­ing cir­cu­lat­ed over the al­leged nam­ing of North Amer­i­can-based Stephan De Four as na­tion­al Un­der-17, Un­der-20 and se­nior women’s coach.

He said: "Please be ad­vised that the TTFA has not em­ployed any­one ei­ther con­trac­tu­al­ly or oth­er­wise in the role of na­tion­al head coach for our Girls Un­der-17 and Un­der-20 teams. The ac­tiv­i­ties of any­one per­pet­u­at­ing oth­er­wise are there­fore not con­duct­ed un­der the aus­pices nor in­struc­tion of the TTFA."

Asked whether the with­draw­al of the Olympic men’s team was ever dis­cussed at board lev­el, the T&TFA boss replied: "Please note that the board of di­rec­tors dis­cussed the Un­der-23 and it de­cid­ed that the board will hold its po­si­tion of hir­ing a coach be­cause fund­ing was not avail­able."

Last month, Richard Quan Chan said dur­ing a press con­fer­ence that the TTFA had no funds and no spon­sor had stepped for­ward, so the tech­ni­cal de­part­ment of the T&TFA had de­cid­ed the team would be pulled. The TTFA said the board doesn’t de­cide which com­pe­ti­tions T&T plays in or not, but rather the fi­nances of the T&TFA gov­erns that.

Guardian Me­dia Sports was in­formed that both Look Loy and Joseph-War­rick formed the quo­rum at the May 6 board meet­ing and were in­volved in the dis­cus­sions on the is­sues raised. In ad­di­tion, John-Williams ex­plained: “The meet­ing dis­cussed that we would en­gage Mr De Four via dis­cus­sions with re­gards to per­son­al terms be­fore we can hire him and the mat­ter must be tabled at the next board meet­ing which is yet to take place. The per­son­al terms were dis­cussed and were en­su­ing, how­ev­er, the meet­ing agreed that no con­tract was to be signed or agreed up­on be­fore it comes be­fore the board.”

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: maxg on June 24, 2019, 06:31:42 PM
TTFA must be held accountable
Look Loy, Fenwick peeved after US annihilation…

by Joel Bailey
Trinidad Newsday


US forward Gyasi Zardes celebrates after scoring a goal against TT during the second half of
a CONCACAF Gold Cup match on Saturday, in Cleveland. (AP PHOTO)
US forward Gyasi Zardes celebrates after scoring a goal against TT during the second half of a CONCACAF Gold Cup match on Saturday, in Cleveland. (AP PHOTO)
KEITH LOOK Loy and Terry Fenwick are calling for the TT Football Association (TTFA) to be called to account for the dismal state of the game locally.

The outspoken duo made their calls during separate telephone interviews yesterday, after TT were embarrassed 6-0 by hosts United States in their Concacaf Gold Cup Group D match in Cleveland, Ohio.

Look Loy, who is a board member of the TTFA and owner/president of FC Santa Rosa, and Fenwick, former England defender and ex-San Juan Jabloteh and Central FC coach, have also pointed fingers at TT men’s team coach Dennis Lawrence for his tactics and team selection.

In fact, Look Loy have called on the TTFA hierarchy, as well as Lawrence, to step aside in order to avoid further misery on the image of TT football.

Look Loy commented, “This is a national and international disgrace (but) this comes as no surprise. This debacle was prepared over the last two years because we re-appointed a coach who does not have the capacity. I was the only board member to oppose his re-appointment.

“When I proposed that we should appoint him till the end of the Gold Cup, that was swatted aside and the board went for a re-appointment for two years,” continued Look Loy. “So now we’re stuck with him. Given the financial situation of the TTFA, if we remove him, we’ll have to pay him off and the TTFA is in no position to do that.”

Fenwick noted, “The whole administration, particularly on the technical side, have been struggling because of the poor preparation for tournaments and games. We looked disorganised, we didn’t look structured, we didn’t look like there was a game plan. The team is playing a style of football that does not suit them. They are not comfortable with it. And the results tell that story.”

Stephen Hart was fired by TTFA president David John-Williams in December 2016 and replaced by Belgian Tom Saintfiet who, in turn, stepped down a month later, claiming a lack of support from the local governing body.

Lawrence, who was serving as a scout with the Belgium men’s team (under the guidance of Roberto Martinez), was given the mantle as TT coach in January 2017, even though he never held any role as head coach, either at the club or national level.

Look Loy said, “If (Lawrence) was a foreign coach, he would have been gone a long time ago, people would have been howling for his head. We fired a coach who took us to two quarter-finals of the Gold Cup, 2013 and 2015, to replace him with a coach who can’t win a match.

“The Guyanese (who TT will play on Wednesday) right now are feeling they can take our scalp,” he continued. “It is the loss of future opportunities because foreign coaches now are not going to be taking TTFA and our national team seriously. We are no longer held in respect and our players are no longer taken seriously.”

About Lawrence’s current position, Fenwick said, “I think he’s had a very difficult time. The team looks like they’re under pressure all of the time. (Regarding) team selection, we brought our best player (Kevin Molino) off the bench (on Saturday).

Lawrence, the former TT central defender, has a record of five victories, five drawn results and 15 losses during his time at the helm.

“In terms of the immediate situation, I cannot understand how Lawrence could pick a 23-man squad, included one forward (Shahdon Winchester) who hasn’t seen the field yet, rely on midfielders to score and your two leading goalscoring midfielders (Molino and Joevin Jones) are on the bench. We are the only team in the tournament not to have scored a goal at this point. We concede goals exactly the same way. Our biggest weakness is marking in the (penalty) box.

“We have become accustomed to hear him talk about how it’s a work-in-progress. He took no responsibility for that loss and simply put it down to the players losing concentration. This is a team that he has had for two years. If in

two years, you cannot get players accustomed to your tactics, then you don’t deserve to be in the job. I put all of this clearly at the feet of John-Williams and his cohorts.”

According to Fenwick, “I think John-Williams and his board should all be held to account. If you looked at his manifesto, everything was going to be transparent. Nothing has been transparent. He’s tried to micro-manage everything himself. National teams at every age group are either not in training or not competing. (They) have lost eight court cases against former employees. The whole administration has been shocking.”

Where do we go from here, as far as TT’s football is concerned?

Look Loy responded, “In a world populated with people of honour, Dennis Lawrence would resign (but) I don’t expect him to resign. The political leadership of the TTFA should resign (but) I don’t expect them to resign. I have called for an emergency board meeting to discuss this situation. If there is an emergency in the TTFA today, this is it.”

Fenwick replied, “We’ve got no development programme. NLCB committed (millions) for youth development and grassroots football through the TTFA. Where is the development? Coaches that are not good enough, and it doesn’t take a genius to recognise that they all operated in the past with the president.”
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on June 25, 2019, 12:47:42 AM
TTFA must be held accountable.
By Joel Bailey (Newsday).


Look Loy, Fenwick peeved after US annihilation…

KEITH LOOK Loy and Terry Fenwick are calling for the TT Football Association (TTFA) to be called to account for the dismal state of the game locally.

The outspoken duo made their calls during separate telephone interviews yesterday, after T&T were embarrassed 6-0 by hosts United States in their Concacaf Gold Cup Group D match in Cleveland, Ohio.

Look Loy, who is a board member of the TTFA and owner/president of FC Santa Rosa, and Fenwick, former England defender and ex-San Juan Jabloteh and Central FC coach, have also pointed fingers at TT men’s team coach Dennis Lawrence for his tactics and team selection.

In fact, Look Loy have called on the TTFA hierarchy, as well as Lawrence, to step aside in order to avoid further misery on the image of T&T football.

Look Loy commented, “This is a national and international disgrace (but) this comes as no surprise. This debacle was prepared over the last two years because we re-appointed a coach who does not have the capacity. I was the only board member to oppose his re-appointment.

“When I proposed that we should appoint him till the end of the Gold Cup, that was swatted aside and the board went for a re-appointment for two years,” continued Look Loy. “So now we’re stuck with him. Given the financial situation of the TTFA, if we remove him, we’ll have to pay him off and the TTFA is in no position to do that.”

Fenwick noted, “The whole administration, particularly on the technical side, have been struggling because of the poor preparation for tournaments and games. We looked disorganised, we didn’t look structured, we didn’t look like there was a game plan. The team is playing a style of football that does not suit them. They are not comfortable with it. And the results tell that story.”

Stephen Hart was fired by TTFA president David John-Williams in December 2016 and replaced by Belgian Tom Saintfiet who, in turn, stepped down a month later, claiming a lack of support from the local governing body.

Lawrence, who was serving as a scout with the Belgium men’s team (under the guidance of Roberto Martinez), was given the mantle as T&T coach in January 2017, even though he never held any role as head coach, either at the club or national level.

Look Loy said, “If (Lawrence) was a foreign coach, he would have been gone a long time ago, people would have been howling for his head. We fired a coach who took us to two quarter-finals of the Gold Cup, 2013 and 2015, to replace him with a coach who can’t win a match.

“The Guyanese (who T&T will play on Wednesday) right now are feeling they can take our scalp,” he continued. “It is the loss of future opportunities because foreign coaches now are not going to be taking TTFA and our national team seriously. We are no longer held in respect and our players are no longer taken seriously.”

About Lawrence’s current position, Fenwick said, “I think he’s had a very difficult time. The team looks like they’re under pressure all of the time. (Regarding) team selection, we brought our best player (Kevin Molino) off the bench (on Saturday).

Lawrence, the former T&T central defender, has a record of five victories, five drawn results and 15 losses during his time at the helm.

“In terms of the immediate situation, I cannot understand how Lawrence could pick a 23-man squad, included one forward (Shahdon Winchester) who hasn’t seen the field yet, rely on midfielders to score and your two leading goalscoring midfielders (Molino and Joevin Jones) are on the bench. We are the only team in the tournament not to have scored a goal at this point. We concede goals exactly the same way. Our biggest weakness is marking in the (penalty) box.

“We have become accustomed to hear him talk about how it’s a work-in-progress. He took no responsibility for that loss and simply put it down to the players losing concentration. This is a team that he has had for two years. If in

two years, you cannot get players accustomed to your tactics, then you don’t deserve to be in the job. I put all of this clearly at the feet of John-Williams and his cohorts.”

According to Fenwick, “I think John-Williams and his board should all be held to account. If you looked at his manifesto, everything was going to be transparent. Nothing has been transparent. He’s tried to micro-manage everything himself. National teams at every age group are either not in training or not competing. (They) have lost eight court cases against former employees. The whole administration has been shocking.”

Where do we go from here, as far as T&T’s football is concerned?

Look Loy responded, “In a world populated with people of honour, Dennis Lawrence would resign (but) I don’t expect him to resign. The political leadership of the TTFA should resign (but) I don’t expect them to resign. I have called for an emergency board meeting to discuss this situation. If there is an emergency in the TTFA today, this is it.”

Fenwick replied, “We’ve got no development programme. NLCB committed (millions) for youth development and grassroots football through the TTFA. Where is the development? Coaches that are not good enough, and it doesn’t take a genius to recognise that they all operated in the past with the president.”

RELATED NEWS

T&T goalie, coach disappointed by humiliating loss.
By Joel Bailey (Newsday).


T&T GOALKEEPER Marvin Phillip and coach Dennis Lawrence both expressed disappointment after the team’s 6-0 humiliation by the United States in their Concacaf Gold Cup Group D fixture on Saturday evening.

According to Phillip, “It’s absolutely embarrassing for us. We knew what was at stake, but we just didn’t show up.”

T&T were beaten by Panama 2-0 in their opening game last Tuesday, and needed to avoid defeat against the reigning champs US to stay alive in the competition.

The 34-year-old goalie noted, “We had a reasonable first half but there was a period in the second half, about 25 minutes, when we just lost structure (and) shape. When you meet teams like the US, they would take advantage of those situations.”

T&T will end their Gold Cup campaign on Wednesday against Guyana and Phillip said, “We need to do a rain-check on ourselves and try to play for some pride.”

Lawrence suffered his 15th defeat as T&T coach since taking over from Belgian Tom Saintfiet in January 2017.

During the post-match media conference, he said, “We have to change (our) mentality. We have to learn to stand up and fight.”

He added, “We lost concentration, we started to go gung-ho to see if we can get back in the game. That’s not the way we do things. You have to stay organised.”

Experienced midfielder Kevin Molino and Joevin Jones started the game on the bench, and Lawrence explained, “Molino just came off a (knee) injury. I have to protect the players and ensure that I don’t push them at the wrong time.”

Referring to the forthcoming Guyana match, Lawrence pointed out, “There will definitely be changes. We need to put this behind our backs as quickly as possible.”

A pair of ex-national players were both scathing in their views, on Facebook, of Saturday’s result.

Former T&T women team’s skipper Maylee Attin-Johnson wrote, “They love to say ‘I want to give back to my country’. Their supporters love to say ‘he/she patriotic’. I would say, these people love to use patriotism conveniently. Let’s see how patriotic the coach is. I hope he does the honourable thing and resign.”

Attin-Johnson added, “To the players, you must take blame as well. There is so much a coach can do. Fitness is something that you as a player can control and as a professional coming to a national team a coach shouldn’t have to focus on getting you fit. Effort is something a coach cannot teach you, that’s a personal choice.

“I do not care if you have beef with a coach, a player or a federation. Once you decide to don the red, black and white, and walk out on that field, nothing else should matter but playing with maximum effort and pride.”

Lawrence’s former T&T teammate, goalkeeper Kelvin Jack wrote, “I can talk about the schoolboy errors made by the players and their shocking naivety. I can talk about tactics or lack of tactical awareness. I can talk about our lack of technical ability. I do have a slight bit of sympathy for Lawrence but ultimately he must shoulder responsibility for on-field matters; only to a point though.. his record is abysmal however he lacks many tools.

“David John-Williams is the president of the TTFA (TT Football Association) and it is truly astonishing how his ineptitude and depressing lack of vision has not caused TT football fans to launch a mass protest demanding his resignation.”

Lawrence, the former T&T central defender, has a record of five victories, five drawn results and 15 losses during his time at the helm.

Look Loy said, “In terms of the immediate situation, I cannot understand how Lawrence could pick a 23-man squad, included one forward (Shahdon Winchester) who hasn’t seen the field yet, rely on midfielders to score and your two leading goalscoring midfielders (Molino and Joevin Jones) are on the bench. We are the only team in the tournament not to have scored a goal at this point.

We concede goals exactly the same way. Our biggest weakness is marking in the (penalty) box.

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on June 27, 2019, 11:49:02 PM
Look Loy goes back to court.
By Derek Achong (Guardian).


T&T Foot­ball As­so­ci­a­tion (TTFA) Di­rec­tor Kei­th Look Loy has filed yet an­oth­er law­suit seek­ing dis­clo­sure of in­for­ma­tion re­lat­ed to the con­struc­tion of its US$2.5 mil­lion "Home for Foot­ball".

In the ju­di­cial re­view claim filed in April, Look Loy is claim­ing that the doc­u­ments dis­closed by the TTFA pur­suant to the court or­der from March 20, raised more ques­tions over sus­pect­ed fi­nan­cial im­pro­pri­ety in the project.

"From the doc­u­ments I did re­ceive, I no­ticed a num­ber of dis­crep­an­cies in Gen­er­al Ledger. This in­cludes pay­ments which I know ought to have been made from, my per­son­al knowl­edge of the run­ning of the or­gan­i­sa­tion, not ap­pear­ing in Gen­er­al Ledger," Look Loy said in his af­fi­davit filed in the case.

Look Loy al­so al­leged that the foren­sic ac­coun­tants whom he re­tained to analyse the as­so­ci­a­tion's records al­so point­ed out is­sues.

"I al­so note from the doc­u­ments I have re­ceived that the cu­mu­la­tive val­ue of the con­tracts which have been dis­closed to me ap­pears to be ap­prox­i­mate­ly $3 mil­lion. The val­ue of the stat­ed FI­FA in­vest­ment is ap­prox­i­mate­ly $19.25 mil­lion; mean­ing that there is an ap­par­ent un­ex­plained dis­crep­an­cy of ap­prox­i­mate­ly $16 mil­lion," Look Loy added, in his re­quest for the as­so­ci­a­tion's bank state­ments.

When Look Loy's case came up for hear­ing be­fore Jus­tice Devin­dra Ram­per­sad at the Hall of Jus­tice in Port-of-Spain, on Wednes­day morn­ing, the TTFA was giv­en di­rec­tions on the fil­ing of its ev­i­dence in the case. The case was then trans­ferred to Jus­tice Ron­nie Boodoos­ingh, who presided over the first case.

As a sec­ondary is­sue in the case, Look Loy is de­fend­ing his ap­point­ment to the TTFA in De­cem­ber 2017.

Ac­cord­ing to Look Loy the is­sue of whether there was a quo­rum of the TTFA ex­ec­u­tive mem­bers present when he was ap­point­ed a di­rec­tor, based on his po­si­tion as pres­i­dent of the T&T Su­per League, was on­ly raised af­ter by TTFA gen­er­al sec­re­tary Ca­ma­ra David af­ter he scored the le­gal vic­to­ry over the dis­clo­sure of the doc­u­ments.

"Clear­ly this is with a view to frus­trat­ing and/or pre­vent­ing my as­sess­ment of the bank state­ments and oth­er doc­u­ments of the TTFA with a view to in­creas­ing trans­paren­cy and ac­count­abil­i­ty with­in the sport," Look Loy claimed as he point­ed to doc­u­ments, in which em­bat­tled TTFA Pres­i­dent David John-Williams and oth­er col­leagues had pre­vi­ous­ly ac­knowl­edged his po­si­tion.

Look Loy sought and re­ceived an in­junc­tion block­ing the as­so­ci­a­tion from chal­leng­ing his ap­point­ment pend­ing the de­ter­mi­na­tion of his law­suit.

Look Loy is be­ing rep­re­sent­ed Dr Emir Crowne, Matthew Gayle and Crys­tal Paul, while Anand Mis­sir is rep­re­sent­ing the TTFA.

About the Case

Look Loy's le­gal chal­lenges are re­lat­ed to the "Home for Foot­ball" project in Cou­va which is ex­pect­ed to in­clude a 72-room ho­tel, train­ing pitch­es, an en­ter­tain­ment cen­tre and ad­min­is­tra­tive of­fices for the as­so­ci­a­tion.

The sod was turned in Sep­tem­ber 2017, with con­struc­tion start­ing in Feb­ru­ary, last year. The project was spon­sored by Fi­fa and is be­ing con­struct­ed on a lit­tle over sev­en hectares of land do­nat­ed by the Gov­ern­ment.

The project was al­ready at an ad­vanced stage when Fi­fa rep­re­sen­ta­tive Veron Mosen­go-Om­ba and Sports Min­is­ter Sham­fa Cud­joe con­duct­ed a tour in Au­gust, last year.

The project is still in­com­plete but the fa­cil­i­ty is sched­uled to be opened, lat­er this year.

De­liv­er­ing judge­ment in Look Loy's first case, on March 20, Jus­tice Ron­nie Boodoos­ingh ruled that TFA pres­i­dent David John-Williams and for­mer gen­er­al sec­re­tary Justin Lat­apy-George act­ed ir­ra­tional­ly and un­rea­son­ably when they re­peat­ed­ly de­clined to Look Loy's re­quests.

RELATED NEWS

Look Loy’s legal battle against TTFA intensifies.
By Jada Loutoo (Newsday).


SUPER League president Keith Look Loy's legal battle against the TT Football Association (TTFA), aimed at getting banking information from the local governing body and stopping it from impugning his status as a director, has intensified.

His latest claim came up for hearing at the Hall of Justice in Port of Spain on Wednesday before Justice Devindra Rampersad, who directed the TTFA to file its response by July 17, and transferred the matter to Justice Ronnie Boodoosingh, who in March ordered the association to hand over documents on the construction of its US$2.5 million Home for Football.

In his latest claim, Look Loy wants declarations that he and all directors of the TTFA are entitled to view, on demand, all and any documents in control or possession of the association, including bank records, investments and loans and other financials and that the refusal by the president and general secretary to allow them access was a breach of their duties.

Included in his claim, which is being argued by Dr Emir Crowne, Matthew Gayle and Crystal Paul, is an order to compel the TTFA to allow him to inspect and take copies of the financial information for November 2015 to present; returned paid cheque stubs for the same period; and all or any documents which are in the control of the association which are necessary for the discharge of his duties as a director.

In his affidavit in support of his claim, Look Loy said after Boodoosingh ordered the TTFA to hand over the documents relating to the Home of Football, he got some, while others were “still missing.” He said he reserved his right to file contempt and enforcement proceedings against the TTFA for failing to provide him with all the information the court ordered.

He said from the information he did receive, he noticed a number of discrepancies in the general ledger, including payments he knew ought to have been made not being included.

Look Loy said in order to verify the authenticity of the general ledger, he was advised by forensic accountants, he must get copies of all bank statements and paid cheque stubs.

“I also note from the documents I have received that the cumulative value of the contracts which have been disclosed to me appears to be approximately $3 million. The value of the stated FIFA investment is approximately $19.25 million; meaning there is an apparent unexplained discrepancy of approximately $16 million,” he said.

On April 3, he asked for bank statements but received no response from the TTFA, its president David-John Williams, its general secretary Camara David or its attorneys.

E-mails were sent and Look Loy said he even visited the TTFA’s office to get the information. On April 16, he was told he was not permitted access to the bank records because he was not a named signatory to the accounts.

Instead of giving him access to the banking information, Look Loy said David challenged his appointment as a director. He said he received a letter, on April 20 from David, telling him his appointment was “invalid and not consistent to the Constitution of the TTFA.”

Look Loy believes it was his insistence to get the information on the TTFA’s finances that led to the motion being tabled.

He immediately sought an emergency interim injunction and was successful in stopping the TTFA from challenging the legitimacy of his 2017 appointment to the board and ousting him from the football body. A meeting which was to be held on April 24 was cancelled after Justice Robin Mohammed granted the injunction.

The judge’s order also contained a penal notice warning the TTFA if it failed to comply with the terms of the order it would be in contempt and might be liable to jail time and its assets confiscated. The notice also warned any other person who knows of the order and does anything to help or permit the TTFA from breaching the terms of the order will also be held in contempt and may face jail time or have their assets seized

After Mohammed granted the injunction, Look Loy’s challenge was docketed to Rampersad, who transferred the case back to Boodoosingh.

“Clearly this is with a view to frustrating and/or preventing my accessing the bank statements and other documents with a view to increasing transparency and accountability within the sport,” he said in his affidavit in support of his judicial review claim.

Look Loy said David’s letter was ironic since in August 2017, David, as former league secretary to the Super League, wrote to the TTFA’s former general secretary telling him Look Loy had been duly elected to represent the league on the TTFA board.

Look Loy said he has taken part in board meetings and fulfilled his role as a director since March 2018.

He was elected by the Super League board to be its representative on the TTFA’s board on February 23, 2018. He was confirmed as a director of the TTFA on December 23, 2017, for four years.

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Mad Scorpion a/k/a Big Bo$$ on June 28, 2019, 09:41:37 AM
Go fuh dem coach!!!
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: soccerman on June 29, 2019, 10:48:38 AM
Decisions are being made under the disguise of the "emergency committee", look how they abusing this loophole smh
https://wired868.com/2019/06/29/downer-john-williams-is-unconstitutionally-subverting-the-ttfas-board-of-directors/
Title: Look Loy calls for new T&T coach, players
Post by: Tallman on June 30, 2019, 10:37:32 AM
Look Loy calls for new T&T coach, players
By Joel Bailey (T&T Newsday)


FORMER MALICK Secondary team coach and FIFA Development Officer Keith Look Loy is calling for changes within the T&T men’s football team, on and off the field.

Look Loy made this plea during an interview on Thursday, following T&T’s disappointing showing at the Concacaf Gold Cup in the United States.

In Group D, T&T finished with one point, after a 1-1 draw with Guyana on Wednesday. They were beaten 2-0 by Panama on June 18 and 6-0 by hosts US four days later.

“I think the squad was poorly selected, the starting teams were poorly selected and (T&T coach Dennis) Lawrence is contradicting himself,” said Look Loy, who is the owner/president of FC Santa Rosa. “It’s evident that he’s guessing as he goes along.

“It’s clear that we not only need a new coach but some new players,” Look Loy added. “We need some younger players who are ambitious to try and achieve something, to make a name for themselves. Some of them are in the squad already.

“This is what the Olympic qualifying tournament (this month) would have done. It would have given those younger boys a chance to show why they could have been included in the Nations League in September. That chance is gone. But we need a new coach and we need some new players.”

Commenting on the Guyana encounter, Look Loy said, “The result saved us the total embarrassment of not getting a point (but) it didn’t save us the embarrassment of finishing last in the group.”

Look Loy, an outspoken critic of the TTFA top brass, led by David John-Williams, noted, “The Gold Cup experience under the (David) John-Williams administration was poor. The last time around in 2017, we didn’t qualify and, this time around in 2019, we had this disaster, finishing last in a group behind a country ranked 177th in the world. That’s a national disgrace.”

The TTFA board member continued, “The bigger issue of the suitability of Lawrence. We have now played 23 matches under his hands and we’ve won four. I see the president of the TTFA talking about how he’s satisfied. I find this contemptuous of public opinion. You’re reading the social media. The public is in revolt against this. The public is demanding that both he and Lawrence should leave.

“People are saying that (John-Williams) wasn’t satisfied when (former coach Stephen) Hart lost two games but now you’re satisfied. It is so ludicrous.

“The TTFA would be hard-pressed to dismiss (Lawrence) because they cannot pay him off. I want to call on Lawrence to do the honourable thing to admit that the task is bigger than his abilities and to make way for somebody else to be appointed. If (he) was in a club, in any part of the world, he would have been long gone.”

Before the Gold Cup began, the TTFA announced a deal with kit sponsor Capelli.

According to Look Loy, “(On Wednesday), during the broadcast, the (Fox Sports) commentators are talking about the introduction of Capelli as the new kit sponsor of the TTFA and calling it ‘shirt gate’. The name of TT football and the TTFA is being dragged through the mud by this administration. We’re being disgraced all around.”
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on July 02, 2019, 01:45:29 AM
Eve: T&T football is going backwards and DJW should resign; national youth players now working in construction!
By Lasana Liburd (Wired868).


Men’s National Under-23 Team head coach-in-waiting, Angus Eve, is urging Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) president David John-Williams and his Board to accept that they are not up to the job of running local football and resign with immediate effect.

Eve’s plea came within 24 hours of a press conference, chaired by TTFA Board member and supposed technical committee chairman Richard Quan Chan, which revealed that the body is set to scrap its Men’s and Women’s Olympic Teams due to financial issues.

Quan Chan is also part of John-Williams’ Emergency Committee which has become the de facto driver of the local game outside of the Board. The full committee includes: John-Williams, Ewing Davis (vice-president), Selby Browne (VFFOTT), Quan Chan (Southern FA), Anthony Moore (Tobago FA) and Bandele Kamau (Eastern FA).

Eve is Trinidad and Tobago’s all-time most capped senior team player and wore red, black and white at the Portugal 1991 World Youth Cup, which was the first time that the twin island republic qualified for a FIFA tournament.

A serial winner at Secondary Schools Football League (SSFL) level as Naparima College head coach, he lamented that the country’s talented young players no longer have the opportunities of their predecessors.

“People are saying our football is going backward and they are 100 percent correct,” said Eve. “In our days, you went from Under-14 to Under-16 to Under-17 to Under-20 to Under-23 to Senior level. At the end of that process, what you have is a well-rounded player with the requisite experience to play at senior international level or professionally abroad. But now our teams don’t go out and are not prepared for football and the young men don’t stand a chance.

“Look at the gap that exists between the National Under-15 Team and the Senior Team, which are the only teams that are in training. A gap like that is unheard of. I believe if the current TTFA board and president cannot run football, they should put their hands up and resign and give someone else a chance to come in and fix the ills that are going on.”

Eve, who also coaches Club Sando in the Pro League and is a former National Under-23 coach, revealed that he was asked by ‘several members of the TTFA’ to give his coaching services pro bono to the national youth team.

Did the construction workers at the TTFA’s Home of Football building work for free? He turned down the request outright and said he would do so again if asked.

“I have worked very hard to build my reputation as a coach and I believe the TTFA is a multi-million dollar organisation that gets funding every year from FIFA,” Eve told Wired868. “If you are building a hotel that means you have money. Not so? Our coaches are getting jobs outside of Trinidad, which means there are people who value [us].

“I believe no local coach should work for free because they worked very hard to get to this point—and I am very adamant about that. Because if the TTFA got a windfall of money right now, they would go and hire Pep Guardiola or one of those big-name foreign guys; they wouldn’t hire us.”

Yesterday, Quan Chan blamed Concacaf for the possible dismantling of the two national teams for supposedly sending late fixtures to the TTFA. In fact, the Olympic Games has been held at four year intervals without fail since 1948—71 years ago—with the qualifiers occurring in the year before the tournament.

Eve said he was interviewed for the position in 2018 and then asked to resubmit his CV earlier this year. And, despite the TTFA’s unexplained delays, he began to put things in place as soon as he was unofficially declared a frontrunner for the post.

“When they called me two months ago and it was purported in the press that I was the frontrunner,” said Eve, “I immediately contacted players like [Justin] Sadoo and [Jarred] Dass along with coaches like Reynold Carrington, Anthony Streete, etc, who have players we may want to include or can add to the programme. I didn’t want to start behind the eight-ball.

“I even talked to coach Dennis [Lawrence] about players abroad who made themselves available to represent Trinidad and Tobago and could have played for the Under-23s. I had already started due diligence and the boys are very interested.”

Eve said the reality for local footballers at present is bleak at domestic and international level. It is more than six months since there has been any competitive senior club football in the country and he is worried at the prospect of the Pro League and Super League organisations being absorbed into the TTFA.

“Most of the boys [who can play for the National Under-23 Team] are now working in construction or at a Mitsubishi plant in south and so on, because there is no football in the country,” he said. “We have not even had a [TTFA] FA Cup competition in years, so I can’t see how the TTFA can run any league. They called a meeting [for the new local football competition] but can’t even say when the league is starting or what it is called. It is embarrassing.”

Eve dismissed John-Williams’ repeat cries of poverty and pointed out that countries with less were doing more than the TTFA. He suggested it was a matter of priority and again returned to the president’s controversial Home of Football project, which is now a High Court matter due to a galling lack of financial transparency.

At present, FIFA gives over TT$10 million annually to the TTFA. Eve suggested the John-Williams-led body was not making best use of its financial resources.

“FIFA gives money every year for the development of football, not the development of a hotel,” said Eve. “Other nations like Haiti use their money to invest in players and coaches. You cannot tell me we have no money and at the same time build a hotel. Who is going to stay in the hotel if there is no football going on? Cyclists? Swimmers?

“[…] This is not me knocking the idea of the Home of Football. I’m talking about the wisdom of doing it now when there is no money to spend on developing football. Players like [Kevin] Molino, [Sheldon] Bateau, Mekeil Williams, Daneil Cyrus, Shahdon Winchester, Jomal Williams, Adrian Foncette; all of them were our Under-23 players [who I coached] and graduated to the Senior Team.

“Now all we have is teams like the Under-17 Team that are hastily organised and have coaches who are putting themselves up to be ridiculed by working for free. The TTFA president and his board should resign with immediate effect and give someone else the chance to do the job.”

John-Williams and TTFA general secretary Camara David refused to comment on the management of the football body’s finances and the long-term impact of the dismantling of national youth teams.

Title: For love of the beautiful game
Post by: Tallman on August 08, 2019, 08:31:56 PM
For love of the beautiful game
By Gerard Home (T&T Newsday)


I HAVE watched, listened and read with disgust the attack on the president of the TTFA, David John-Williams.

To the United TTFA [coalition], I write these few words in order that all and sundry will have an insight into what is now taking place in the association.

All of you are well aware that for many years [post premier league] the foundation and state of local football have deteriorated.

I can remember that to be called up to the senior national team one had to prove himself in all the leagues, ie, primary, secondary schools, community club, associations (SFL, SFA, POSFL, NAFL and the like), then the zones (South, North, East, Central, etc).

I am not sure why and who was responsible for the change in the footballing structure. All I know is it started around the days of the premier league. I stand to be corrected here.

After that time our national team may have been performing intermittently credibly, something you/we have accepted and seemed not to care for excellence over the years.

Participating in competitions was just for appearances. However, the two prior-mentioned aspects remained. These were quite noticeable in all departments of the association, eg pro, super, college, zonal leagues and refereeing.

I believe this may have started when the association was run mainly by one individual, who answered to no-one and no-one dared challenge and/or question, especially about the association’s finances.

This governance was not a problem for any of you then since you benefitted one way or the other under that leadership. It appeared to me the development of football was not the priority of the association at that time, but one’s personal achievement and financial accomplishment.

You all were there and did nothing to stop the haemorrhaging of football in the land. Why? Simply because of the clout of the person in charge.

I strongly believe for the game to be properly developed here we need to advance, we have to start over, demolish the old house, construct new foundation and rebuild (no patch work).

I must also say that since I played football in the 70s, the TTFA was always in the red financially and no one was capable of finding a solution to this financial burden of the administration.

I sincerely believe DJW’s approach of focusing on the youths (foundation) while simultaneously addressing the financial dilemma of the TTFA is a step in the right direction.

The introduction of the Home of Football is pivotal in this initiative, since our national players can have a proper training facility while utilising a well managed hotel for teams – local and foreign – and other sporting bodies that use the neighbouring facilities (cycling velodrome, aquatic centre) for income generation. A novel idea and foresight which all of you lacked.

I also note that at no time have I heard that DJW is using the association’s finances to enrich himself or colleagues, unlike what has been alleged by personnel from past football administrations.

While I may not approve the alleged dictatorial approach at present, I could see that at times the democratic process hinders the speedy delivery of goods and services that will benefit the majority. This is what I believe is happening.

It seems that the only achievement the last administration made was to incur more debt for the present one.

DJW’s methods of operation and personality might not be welcoming to some. However, it seems to me it is about the love for the game which will benefit us all in the future. So to the main detractor (you know who you are) and others, please stop criticising, complaining and impeding the train that is going somewhere.

As was mentioned in the beginning, it has been about 40 odd years we have been falling. Let us give peace a chance, see what a few years in this new dawning will bring us. I know it is hard to accept change. We cannot keep doing things the same way – as we have done for years – and expect a different result.

To the football coaches and gurus of the day concerning the under-15 invitational tournament last month, don’t blame the coach and administration for the boys’ mediocre performance, for if you were given the opportunity to coach the team the result may not be much different.

I have seen teams that many of you coached and the standard of play was very similar. Stuart Charles-Fevrier has been coaching W Connection for many a years and it was always a highly ranked team. You would not have done much better. We all have failed and it is time for change.

In closing, I am hoping and praying that the detractors – personnel at the United TTFA press conference – who cannot embrace change and progress do not avail themselves for any position should elections be called since it is strongly felt that you all lack innovative ideas, foresight and have failed the football fraternity.

Like the politics of the day, the association needs young, innovative, positive and future-thinking personnel (like DJW) to continue the football odyssey in TT.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: asylumseeker on August 08, 2019, 09:33:54 PM
Quote
... the democratic process hinders the speedy delivery of goods and services that will benefit the majority. This is what I believe is happening.

LOL. SMH at this messianic bullshit.

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: lefty on August 09, 2019, 04:08:09 AM
Quote
... the democratic process hinders the speedy delivery of goods and services that will benefit the majority. This is what I believe is happening.

LOL. SMH at this messianic bullshit.


ent!!! My first reaction was "who is this asshole spewing this assholery
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: FF on August 09, 2019, 06:31:55 AM
Who is this guy???

The propoganda campaign in full effect.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: FF on August 09, 2019, 06:33:38 AM
I thought I read plenty garbage in my life

It have people who will go for this shit??
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: asylumseeker on August 09, 2019, 07:09:21 AM
I thought I read plenty garbage in my life

It have people who will go for this shit??

There are people who think Donald Trump is an enlightened reformist and they submit Letters to the Editor that are not unlike the one above ... except, of course, those letters are not written by Trump.

There are also other Letters to the Editor that are submitted to visit mischief and muddy the waters - much like the one above (hence you get otherwise sensible people investing time to debate whether Trump is actually a racist or whether DJW is malevolent or a well-intended dictator).

These self-serving entries into the  public record are not submitted to fly the flag of truth but to appeal to 'beliefs' and in this case, it suggests that the DIC (dictator-in-chief) is concerned about how challengers to the TTFA presidency may impact his future. There's really no other reason to be interested in sensitizing public opinion. There are always people who doh vote PNM or UNC reflexively.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Deeks on August 09, 2019, 07:34:26 AM
Is this Gerard Homer? He played for the national 75-76. Maybe that is a misprint.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: asylumseeker on August 09, 2019, 08:03:52 AM
Is this Gerard Homer? He played for the national 75-76. Maybe that is a misprint.

Likely a misprint. Ent he from South?
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Deeks on August 09, 2019, 10:11:08 AM
Is this Gerard Homer? He played for the national 75-76. Maybe that is a misprint.

Likely a misprint. Ent he from South?

If this is Homer, yes, he is from San Fernando. He played for Naps with the late Robbie Francis.  He was on the 74 youth team with me and I think was the vice captain. He was a skillful and stylish mid fielder. Played against him in college league and old NSL division 2. He played for Telco south team. He got a scholarship to Indiana U, Evansville. I have not talked to him in years. Think he worked for TSTT.  Not sure if he is retired. Very nice guy.  I don’t know how to assess his take on the TTFA. He is home, I am not.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Tallman on August 09, 2019, 12:09:14 PM
Is this Gerard Homer? He played for the national 75-76. Maybe that is a misprint.

Likely a misprint. Ent he from South?

Yes it is a misprint. It is supposed to be Gerard Homer.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: asylumseeker on August 14, 2019, 09:43:51 AM
Even the Vincentian coach reach in de argument to send a "Letter to the Editor". How crazy is that?
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: asylumseeker on August 14, 2019, 10:00:14 AM
And according to the TTFA, Jabloteh is representing Trinidad and Tobago at the "U-23 Champions League in Costa Rica".

Not having ah U-23 squad prompts all sorts of errors.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on August 29, 2019, 12:30:35 AM
Pathway forward for T&T football.
By Joel Bailey (Newsday).


TTFA scraps T-League Commission, appoints 5-member body…

THE T-League commission, led by Lindsay Gillette and including Jamaal Shabazz, Brent Sancho (both Pro League), Keith Look Loy, George Joseph (both Super League) and Anthony Moore (TT Football Association), was yesterday disbanded by the TTFA board.

In a media conference, at the Media Room, Ato Boldon Stadium, Couva yesterday, TTFA president David John-Williams announced that a five-member committee has been formed “to investigate the structures and a pathway forward for T&T football, with immediate effect.”

Moore is the only member of the T-League commission who will be part of the new committee. Other members of the committee are Selby Browne (Veterans Footballers Foundation of TT), Julia Baptiste (Pro League), Susan Warrick (Women’s League Football) and Collin Partap (Central Football Association).

Commenting on the disbandment of the T-League commission, which dealt with the proposed merger of the Pro League and Super League, John-Williams said, “This is a situation that needed the attention of the TT Football Association. The Super League (and) the Pro League (are not members) of the TTFA. All the clubs in (both) leagues are members of the TTFA. I felt it very important that we call a meeting to deal with a situation that our members are involved with.

“There has been a lot of stuff bandied in the media as to the state of T&T football. This president was the one who brought UEFA here (in January) to help the professional league. The TT Pro League remains steadfast and committed to the game of football in T&T.”

John-Williams, founder of Pro League champs W Connection, continued, “The owners have invested a tremendous amount of money in the sport, regardless of the amount of money invested by Government. The fortunes of the national team (have) waned as a result of the problems that existed in the TT Pro League.

“There was a parameter that was set out for the Commission to deal with and the Board felt that the Commission did not fulfil its full responsibility, insofar as the task that it was supposed to do. The Board voted to disband the Commission.”

John-Williams stressed, “The responsibility that the committee has, and I say it’s broad, wide and powerful, (are) three things – to consider the proposal by the Super League clubs and the Ascension League about running a second round, to consider the proposal of the TT Pro League in starting the football and having a second division which can mean a seamless transition in terms of an elite football league, and a clear pathway forward for T&T club football. It’s three-fold, and I think two of the three can be achieved within seven days.”

The TTFA boss pointed out, “That committee (will) report back to the board within seven days, with a view of getting football played on the field in the shortest possible time. That date (October 4) seems an ideal date possible to start.” John-Williams did not rule out the prospect of a unified league being formed in the not-too-distant future.

“There was a proposal from the TT Pro League insofar as starting back professional football and inviting the members of the Super League to form a second division,” he said. “This is an opportunity that, if successful, would create a pathway and easy transition in the T-League.”

According to Baptiste, “What we will do with this system is come together as quickly as possible, make whatever recommendations that we think are in the best interests of T&T football. Hopefully it can be done in the quickest way.”

If the committee agrees to continue the Ascension League, will W Connection, North East Stars and Central FC, the last three Pro League champs, be back in the fold and their players considered for national teams? John-Williams replied, “That is a position for the clubs to take, not the TTFA president or its board. It was an invitational tournament and, as far as I’m aware, these clubs chose not to take part.” Finally, John-Williams admitted, “No FIFA Forward monies has been received by the TTFA. The application has been made.”

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: asylumseeker on August 29, 2019, 04:31:56 AM
There's a hole in the bucket, dear Gianni, dear Gianni,
There's a hole in the bucket, dear Gianni, a hole.

So fix it dear David, dear David, dear David,
So fix it dear David, dear David, fix it.

With what should I fix it, dear Gianni, dear Gianni,
With what should I fix it, dear Gianni, with what?

With straw, dear David, dear David, dear David,
With straw, dear David, dear David, with straw.

But the straw is too long, dear Gianni, dear Gianni,
The straw is too long, dear Gianni, too long.

So cut it dear David, dear David, dear David,
So cut it dear David, dear David, cut it!

With what should I cut it, dear Gianni, dear Gianni,
With what should I cut it, dear Gianni, with what?

With an axe, dear David, dear David, dear David,
With an axe, dear David, an axe.

But the axe is too dull, dear Gianni, dear Gianni,
The axe is too dull, dear Gianni, too dull.

So, sharpen it, dear David, dear David, dear David
So sharpen it dear David, dear David, sharpen it!

With what should I sharpen it, dear Gianni, dear Gianni,
With what should I sharpen, dear Gianni, with what?

Use the stone, dear David, dear David, dear David,
Use the stone, dear David, dear David, the stone.

But the stone is too dry, dear Gianni, dear Gianni,
The stone is too dry, dear Gianni, too dry.

So wet it, dear David, dear David, dear David,
So wet it dear David, dear David, wet it.

With what should I wet it, dear Gianni, dear Gianni,
With what should I wet it, dear Gianni, with what?

With water, dear David, dear David, dear David,
With water, dear David, dear David, water.

With what should I carry it, dear Vic, dear Vic,
With what should I carry it dear Vic, with what?

Use the bucket dear David, dear David, dear David,
Use the bucket, dear David, dear David, the bucket!

There's a hole in the bucket, dear Vic, dear Vic,
There's a hole in the bucket, dear Vic, a hole.

So fix it dear David, dear David, dear David,
So fix it dear David, dear David, fix it.

With what should I fix it, dear Vic dear Vic,
With what should I fix it, dear Vic with what?

...
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Tallman on August 29, 2019, 01:55:33 PM
WATCH: TTFA President David John-Williams promises a plan to fix local football in seven days, but his track record is not encouraging.

https://www.youtube.com/v/nBjHARaSNIU
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: asylumseeker on August 29, 2019, 09:16:51 PM
Has the Emergency Committee lost currency? ::) There was a time somewhere between last week and last month when these 7 days would easily have been construed as an emergency.

(Also, while I find the question regarding the absence of a technical person associated with this 7-day illusory exercise at sober decision-making to be one of merit, I have no sympathy for the coaches or the players on this limited ground ... both groups at this stage of the war dance should have thriving associations that influence policy. Yuh not organized so no seat at the table. Live with the outcomes.)
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: sjahrain on August 30, 2019, 02:57:34 AM
When the leaders have no vision ,the people perish... :banginghead: :banginghead: :banginghead:
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Cocorite on August 31, 2019, 11:58:09 AM
 ;DGood stuff Seeker.  ;D
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on September 13, 2019, 12:33:27 AM
TTFA receives $3.6m from Sport Ministry.
By Jelani Beckles (Newsday).


MINISTER of Sport and Youth Affairs Shamfa Cudjoe, along with officials of the Ministry of Sport and Youth Affairs and the Sport Company of T&T, met with representatives of the TT Football Association (TTFA) yesterday, to present a cheque valued at TT $3.6 million, for funding of the eight clubs scheduled to participate in the 2019 TT Pro League.

According to release from the ministry, last year, Cabinet made a decision to provide funding to football clubs participating in the TT Pro League for a period of three years. These clubs are Central FC, Caledonia AIA FC, W Connection FC, Point Fortin FC, Club Sando FC, Terminix Rangers, North East Stars FC and San Juan Jabloteh FC.

During the meeting, Cudjoe said football is very powerful tool for youth development in communities and provides many avenues for personal and professional growth. She urged the football fraternity to focus on creating opportunities for our nation’s youth and reminded the TTFA to ensure that clubs are compliant and players are paid outstanding monies due from previous Pro League seasons. She stated that all stakeholders must work diligently to restore confidence in the sport and trust in the football fraternity.

Prior to receiving the cheque, David John-Williams, president of the TT Football Association, expressed sincere appreciation by thanking the Minister and the Government, by extension, for supporting and investing in football.

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: asylumseeker on September 13, 2019, 02:17:14 AM
TTFA receives $3.6m from Sport Ministry.
By Jelani Beckles (Newsday).


MINISTER of Sport and Youth Affairs Shamfa Cudjoe, along with officials of the Ministry of Sport and Youth Affairs and the Sport Company of T&T, met with representatives of the TT Football Association (TTFA) yesterday, [/b]to present a cheque valued at TT $3.6 million, for funding of the eight clubs scheduled to participate in the 2019 TT Pro League.

According to release from the ministry, last year, Cabinet made a decision to provide funding to football clubs participating in the TT Pro League for a period of three years. These clubs are Central FC, Caledonia AIA FC, W Connection FC, Point Fortin FC, Club Sando FC, Terminix Rangers, North East Stars FC and San Juan Jabloteh FC.

During the meeting, Cudjoe said football is very powerful tool for youth development in communities and provides many avenues for personal and professional growth. She urged the football fraternity to focus on creating opportunities for our nation’s youth and reminded the TTFA to ensure that clubs are compliant and players are paid outstanding monies due from previous Pro League seasons. She stated that all stakeholders must work diligently to restore confidence in the sport and trust in the football fraternity.

Prior to receiving the cheque, David John-Williams, president of the TT Football Association, expressed sincere appreciation by thanking the Minister and the Government, by extension, for supporting and investing in football.

Steups! The MoS was obviously intent on gaining political mileage despite this 'pile-up on the Beetham of a situation' and the imminence of other cars smacking into the wreckage. When it happens, I will stand up loudly and tell yuh I told you so. Why? Not out of poor form or malice, but because a consequence of political mileage is political licks. That tradition should be respected.

ALSO, if the $$$ is going to the Pro League, should not the Pro League officials be the ones at the centre of this show and tell? Political mileage of mutual convenience. Hello, Julia Baptiste? Was it not just days ago that there was a proclamation that the Pro League rejected bringing certain mechanisms under the TTFA and was it not just days ago that the TTFA president made the bombastic statement that the Pro League is not a member of the TTFA etc?There are so many hats being worn in that room, maybe you all won't mind if ah throw one in there too? What? You all have enough hats? It would be like musical chairs? Thought so.

Brings me to this: the committee with the seven day mandate? Is that a standing committee or a committee with continued legs?

Unfortunately Gov't has taken a glacial view of progress in an environment in which the football climate is suffering its own global warming despite denials in the face of empirical evidence to the contrary.

Particularly poor return on investment because you're down to six clubs in the top flight, two of which are state entities. And this circus will nonetheless engage in self-congratulory backslapping, despite the missed opportunity to reorder football more sensibly than through a welfare payment that is propped by belated concerns about improper working conditions and wages, but no retroactive corrective artillery other than a wish and prayer.

If there had been a functioning players association that body would have been placed to negotiate an economic settlement that protected the players while the subvention agreement was being worked out. What we have here is reward for the clubs and fewer clubs in a position to sustain employment in a nominally professional environment and maybe some retrenched workers.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Tallman on September 16, 2019, 02:45:53 PM
National Football Committee to host Symposium on September 21st “Restructuring Football in Trinidad and Tobago”
TTFA Media


The National Football Committee of the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association, chaired by Mr. Selby Browne, will hold an all-day Symposium on Saturday 21st September at the President ‘s Box of the Queens Park Cricket Club, for restructuring football in Trinidad and Tobago.

The Symposium will start at 9.00am and the Committee will meet with all football stakeholders, the TTFA member Zone Associations, Coaching Academies, Community Minor Leagues, footballers, coaches, referees, administrators, members of technical staff, football fans and supporters.

There would be a panel of Moderators, that includes Mr Deryck Murray, Mr. Elton Prescott, and Mr. Keith Renaud.

Mr. L. Anthony Watkins will be the Facilitator.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: asylumseeker on September 16, 2019, 04:31:42 PM
Unless I am mistaken, today is September 16 ... Yuh mean to say not even September 28 wouldn't have been more suitable for ppl to plan on attending?
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Tallman on September 16, 2019, 05:02:45 PM
Unless I am mistaken, today is September 16 ... Yuh mean to say not even September 28 wouldn't have been more suitable for ppl to plan on attending?

Dat would give people too much time.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: FF on September 16, 2019, 08:03:17 PM
This is like the paving the road in the lead up to constituency elections
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on September 17, 2019, 12:30:23 AM
National Football Committee to host Symposium on September 21st “Restructuring Football in Trinidad and Tobago”
TTFA Media.


The National Football Committee of the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association, chaired by Mr. Selby Browne, will hold an all-day Symposium on Saturday 21st September at the President ‘s Box of the Queens Park Cricket Club, for restructuring football in Trinidad and Tobago.

The Symposium will start at 9.00am and the Committee will meet with all football stakeholders, the TTFA member Zone Associations, Coaching Academies, Community Minor Leagues, footballers, coaches, referees, administrators, members of technical staff, football fans and supporters.

There would be a panel of Moderators, that includes Mr Deryck Murray, Mr. Elton Prescott, and Mr. Keith Renaud.

Mr. L. Anthony Watkins will be the Facilitator

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: asylumseeker on September 17, 2019, 06:28:39 AM
This is like the paving the road in the lead up to constituency elections

So de Oval is de Hilton?
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: asylumseeker on September 17, 2019, 06:49:44 AM
Any chance Football Trinidad & Tobago could stream these proceedings to include in real time those literally not in the room? That would be progressive and inclusive.

If that is done, it should also provide for a platform for real-time time submissions to occur from those viewing and listening to the stream.

The upside is you don't have to provide snacks or lunch.

P.S.

We don't want to be told that those not in the room can make submissions before or after because those submissions would lack the context fomented in the moment of the actual proceedings.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Tallman on September 17, 2019, 07:04:18 AM
The National Football Committee of the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association, chaired by Mr. Selby Browne, will hold an all-day Symposium on Saturday 21st September at the President ‘s Box of the Queens Park Cricket Club, for restructuring football in Trinidad and Tobago.

Is like déjŕ vu (https://www.socawarriors.net/forum/index.php?topic=55714)
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: soccerman on September 17, 2019, 12:28:02 PM
The National Football Committee of the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association, chaired by Mr. Selby Browne, will hold an all-day Symposium on Saturday 21st September at the President ‘s Box of the Queens Park Cricket Club, for restructuring football in Trinidad and Tobago.

Is like déjŕ vu (https://www.socawarriors.net/forum/index.php?topic=55714)
We came full circle
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: asylumseeker on September 17, 2019, 07:57:39 PM

LOL. SMH at this messianic bullshit.


And now, more messianic :bs:

“The Trinidad and Tobago Football Association is 111 years old in 2019,” said John-Williams. “It was founded on July 23, 1908—the day I was born, July 23rd. Maybe the stars were lined up that I had to be president of the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association…”

Buffoon.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on September 23, 2019, 12:19:01 AM
TTFA starts restructuring talks with public.
T&T Guardian Reports.


Sev­er­al for­mer na­tion­al play­ers and ad­min­is­tra­tors turned out for the first of four sym­po­siums host­ed by the T&T Foot­ball As­so­ci­a­tion’s Na­tion­al Foot­ball Com­mit­tee at the Queen’s Park Oval, Port-of-Spain, on Sat­ur­day.

The com­mit­tee, head­ed by TTFA board mem­ber Sel­by Browne, is tasked with gath­er­ing rec­om­men­da­tions from all stake­hold­ers and the pub­lic for the re­struc­tur­ing foot­ball in Trinidad and To­ba­go.

The top­ics for the six-hour sym­po­sium in­clud­ed: Man­age­ment struc­ture for youth foot­ball; Path­way struc­ture for na­tion­al foot­ball and Ad­min­is­tra­tion.

Browne in his open­ing re­marks em­pha­sised the ur­gent need for change in the way the busi­ness of Trinidad and To­ba­go foot­ball was con­duct­ed.

“We have brought this pan­el to­geth­er to see about the var­i­ous is­sues, gov­er­nance and struc­ture for Trinidad and To­ba­go foot­ball,” he told those gath­ered.

“I wel­come and com­mend all for un­der­stand­ing the im­por­tance for hav­ing this ini­tia­tive start­ed now. We have been giv­en a man­date from the en­tire board of di­rec­tors of the TTFA to have this com­mit­tee with the re­spon­si­bil­i­ty to re­view and re­struc­ture our foot­ball.”

He added: “I take this man­date very se­ri­ous­ly. Our am­bi­tion is to move Trinidad and To­ba­go foot­ball to the num­ber one spot in CON­CA­CAF, a spot we held in the 1974 World Cup Qual­i­fiers.

“We can­not ex­pect to be do­ing the same things and ex­pect dif­fer­ent re­sults. What we have now is a pop­u­la­tion that is hurt­ing for that pas­sion and love for foot­ball and how the busi­ness of foot­ball has been con­duct­ed.”

Browne said the com­mit­tee de­sired to be the change agent for lo­cal foot­ball, not­ing the path­way to this was the re­struc­tur­ing of foot­ball in T&T.

He said the rec­om­men­da­tions made dur­ing the sym­po­sium will be com­piled in­to a re­port for fur­ther re­view and im­ple­men­ta­tion.

The com­mit­tee will host three fur­ther sym­po­siums in the south­ern and east­ern coun­ties dis­trict as well as To­ba­go at dates to be an­nounced.

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Sando prince on September 24, 2019, 12:10:52 PM

I am 100% for the removal and ousting of DJW but the new President and his team must also have a long term plan on T&T football recovery in the aftermath of hurricane DJW. Its one thing to remove him but even more important that we replace with something better.

Attracting private business investment is very important because the President has to be a good negotiator, he cannot just depend on the Sports ministry for all funding. Youth development is very important, talent recruitment at home and abroad is very important, a new coach one that understand the uphill battle and one that is a proven success, of course we want the TTFA to understand the coach will need their full support in every area so he can have the tools to implement his football system. We need a TTFA that understand professionalism, meaning players and coaches have to be paid and paid on time, travel documents, coordinating match dates, match ticket availability and sales, passport for players are ready..all these things should be managed easily.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Tallman on October 01, 2019, 07:38:47 AM
Dates set for second and third symposiums “Restructuring Football in Trinidad and Tobago”
TTFA Media


The TTFA National Football Committee will hold its second and third Symposiums to receive recommendations for the restructuring of football on Trinidad and Tobago on the following dates at the following locations:

Saturday 5th October 2019
Time: 10am to 4pm.
San Fernando Symposium
Naparima College

Saturday 12th October 2019
Time 10am to 4pm
Tobago Symposium
Works Conference Room,
Old Farm Road,
Shaw Park

The TTFA extends an invitation to all Member Zone Associations, Clubs, Community Minor Leagues, Coaching Academies, footballers, coaches, referees, administrators, members of technical staff, football fans and supporters, the media and football stakeholders, to make meaningful contributions and recommendations for the development of Football in Trinidad and Tobago.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Tallman on October 12, 2019, 07:56:58 AM
Football Executive Programme for the Caribbean successfully held first graduation in Trinidad and Tobago
FIFA.com


To mark the completion of the first edition of the Football Executive Programme for the Caribbean initiated in November 2018, FIFA and the International Centre for Sport Studies (CIES), with the support of the University of the West Indies (UWI), held an official graduation ceremony at the UWI in St-Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago. The graduate programme, a new professional development course designed to further enhance football administration across the Caribbean region successfully delivered its first cycle introduced nine months ago.

Incorporating eight modules, the programme mainly focuses on providing senior Caribbean football executives with the necessary knowledge across several key aspects of football administration including strategy, project management, communication, marketing, event management and development.

Aligned with FIFA’s commitment to support and develop football leaders and administrators within Member Associations (MAs), the Football Executive Programme offers a competitive, pluridisciplinar and comprehensive training programme for general secretaries and senior football executives working for the MAs in the CONCACAF region. The academic scheme also includes several intensive practical sessions that enables the stakeholders to benefit from and interact with internationally renowned presenters and experienced professionals, which they will apply within the day-to-day activities of their associations.

During the first part of the day, the graduates presented their projects and answered the queries of the jury and the other participants. The interactive discussions allowed the students to challenge their projects and find solutions to the eventual risks or obstacles involved. To provide more visibility and interactivity to the event, the presentations were live streamed.

A graduation and closing ceremony took place in the evening in the presence of Véron Mosengo-Omba, FIFA Chief Member Associations Officer who congratulated the graduates and expressed his satisfaction: “this successful programme, which was a pilot project, will become a permanent feature and will be disseminated all over the world. The next courses will be held in Dakar, for the French speaking MAs in the region, and later in Port-Elisabeth, for the English speaking ones. We are also delighted to confirm that similar programmes will be soon available for middle management roles. Such courses represent FIFA’s strong commitment to support our MAs through capacity building and professional empowerment.”

The ceremony was attended by Dr. Matteo Tassi, CIES Executive Training Programmes representative, who also shared his gratitude and congratulated the participants and partners involved: “together we have shared our common willingness to advance together, improve football through education and to support its professionalization worldwide. This success also confirms the long-lasting partnership between FIFA, CIES and UWI and our intention to pursue our fruitful collaboration.”

CFU President and CONCACAF Vice President, Randolph Harris, concluded the ceremony by praising the attending graduates and commending FIFA and CIES for their continuous support: “such academic courses create opportunities and help building a common vision among our Caribbean football community. Our region needs professional and educated sports administrators to lead the development agenda and to promote our Caribbean football on the world scene.”

Initiated by FIFA President, Gianni Infantino, following his election in 2016, FIFA Forward is FIFA’s flagship development programme and provides tailor-made assistance, training and development opportunities to players, coaches and administrators around the world.

For more information on FIFA Forward and other FIFA football development programmes, please visit https://www.fifa.com/development/index.html

What we heard from the graduates:

“Quite often we tend to forget that what occurs on the field starts in the offices of the member associations. For FIFA and CIES to recognize that initiative and to support the member associations through such capacity courses represents a tremendous opportunity for our Caribbean member associations. Thanks to this programme, we acquired new valuable skills and challenged the way we implement our daily activities”, Mr Oliver Smith, General Secretary, Turks and Caicos Football Association (TCIFA)

“Thanks to the fruitful collaboration among the participants, we will be able to implement the projects developed throughout this programme in our respective MAs. With the help of all the experts who prepared and delivered the different modules, we identified key aspects that need to be taken into consideration to successfully achieve our mandates. We are grateful and look forward to pursuing this collaboration with FIFA, CIES and the UWI in the Caribbean”, Mr Camara David, General Secretary, Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA)

“In my opinion the most important aspect of this programme is that it is adapted to each candidate’s profile and professional needs, background and age. This will also help our MA to develop similar programmes for our regional academies and clubs”, Lakeisha Pearson, Competition Clerk, Guyana Football Federation (GFF).
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Deeks on October 12, 2019, 12:00:34 PM
How the hell that helping our immediate football problem
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Tiresais on October 13, 2019, 06:42:06 AM
Reading that article, it seems set up for Chairmen/presidents of football clubs, to then see only FA members in the quotes?
Title: Discussions and decisions on first day in office
Post by: Tallman on November 25, 2019, 07:49:50 PM
Discussions and decisions on first day in office
TTFA Media


The new William Wallace led Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) administration went straight to work today, spending the day at the TTFA head office in Couva in eight hours of meetings intended to help ascertain the actual state of TTFA’s administration and finances.

Wallace and his Vice Presidents  Clynt Taylor, Susan Joseph-Warrick and Joseph Sam Phillip, met the TTFA office staff, General Secretary Camara David and Finance Manager Tyril Patrick.

The Discussions focused on:

1. Projected income and expenditure to December 31st 2019
2. Current debt
3. Audit of personnel employed by TTFA, including technical staff and contracts
4. Ongoing legal matters
5. Elite football – a new league and TTFA League of Champions
6. CONCACAF NextPlay programme
7. Standing Committees

The following decisions were taken:

1. To stop transactions on all TTFA bank accounts, including online transactions
2. To initiate an audit of the Association’s finances
3. To issue a public invitation to all TTFA creditors to present their claim
4. To close the Home of Football until the necessary State authority approvals and property insurance, which have not been secured to date, are arranged
5. To introduce new security measures for protection of TTFA property
6. To create an Advisory Committee
7. To assign specific roles to the newly elected Vice Presidents – Clynt Taylor (Membership Affairs), Susan Joseph-Warrick (Women’s Football), Joseph Sam Phillip (Security)

The new TTFA administration will keep the public advised of its work.
Title: New TTFA officers continue work apace
Post by: Tallman on November 27, 2019, 04:20:11 PM
New TTFA officers continue work apace
TTFA Media


Newly elected Trinidad and Tobago FA President William Wallace and his team of officers, Vice Presidents Clynt Taylor, Susan Joseph-Warrick and Joseph Sam Phillip, maintained a high tempo approach to their first days in office with another eight hour meeting today at the FA’s head office in Couva.

The team met with Senior Men’s National Team Manager Richard Piper, and Head Coach Dennis Lawrence. They also met with head of the TTFA Elite Programme Gary St. Rose.

Piper was asked to submit a 2019 Manager’s Report while Lawrence must also submit a technical report, with particular reference to the 2019 Gold Cup and Nations League tournaments. St. Rose was directed to submit a number of documents, including a 2019 report on the Elite Programme and a budget for 2020.

The following matters were also discussed and decisions taken:

1. The resignation of General Secretary Camara David was accepted, effective 30 November. President Wallace will recommend his replacement to the TTFA Board of Directors for approval.

2. Legal cases, thirteen in number, and including the dispute over the Soca Warrior brand with Selwyn Melville and the Sheldon Phillips matter. Actions were agreed to address these matters. The officers will meet next week with the Association’s legal counsel in this regard.

3. The established debt discovered to date is approximately TTD 50 million, including TTD 1.7 million for the unfinished Home of Football. This is expected to increase with outstanding claims being discovered each day.

4. TTFA will host a quarterly Media Round Table to facilitate transparency and cordial relations with the media.

5. Meetings to discuss development matters with TTFA members begin on November 29 with South FA and the Trinidad and Tobago Referees Association on November 30.

6. A letter of congratulation will be sent to Trinidad and Tobago Senior National Team player Aubrey David for winning the CONCACAF League with Deportivo Saprissa of Costa Rica.

7. An Association email domain has been created to ensure all TTFA correspondence remains the property of and accessible to the Association.

8. A letter must be sent to all TTFA members to submit the name of their representative to the TTFA Board of Directors by 6 December.

9. Preliminary discussions commenced regarding the program for the National Under 20 Women’s Team participation in the CONCACAF World Cup qualifiers scheduled for February 2020.

10. The assessment of the TTFA League of Champions was completed.

TTFA’s officers meet again on Friday November 29.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: trini_stallion on November 27, 2019, 05:06:33 PM
I hope Lawrence and co gets fired Friday.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: asylumseeker on November 27, 2019, 05:08:51 PM
New TTFA officers continue work apace
TTFA Media


Newly elected Trinidad and Tobago FA President William Wallace and his team of officers, Vice Presidents Clynt Taylor, Susan Joseph-Warrick and Joseph Sam Phillip, maintained a high tempo approach to their first days in office with another eight hour meeting today at the FA’s head office in Couva.

The team met with Senior Men’s National Team Manager Richard Piper, and Head Coach Dennis Lawrence. They also met with head of the TTFA Elite Programme Gary St. Rose.

Piper was asked to submit a 2019 Manager’s Report while Lawrence must also submit a technical report, with particular reference to the 2019 Gold Cup and Nations League tournaments. St. Rose was directed to submit a number of documents, including a 2019 report on the Elite Programme and a budget for 2020.

The following matters were also discussed and decisions taken:

1. The resignation of General Secretary Camara David was accepted, effective 30 November. President Wallace will recommend his replacement to the TTFA Board of Directors for approval.

2. Legal cases, thirteen in number, and including the dispute over the Soca Warrior brand with Selwyn Melville and the Sheldon Phillips matter. Actions were agreed to address these matters. The officers will meet next week with the Association’s legal counsel in this regard.

3. The established debt discovered to date is approximately TTD 50 million, including TTD 1.7 million for the unfinished Home of Football. This is expected to increase with outstanding claims being discovered each day.

4. TTFA will host a quarterly Media Round Table to facilitate transparency and cordial relations with the media.

5. Meetings to discuss development matters with TTFA members begin on November 29 with South FA and the Trinidad and Tobago Referees Association on November 30.

6. A letter of congratulation will be sent to Trinidad and Tobago Senior National Team player Aubrey David for winning the CONCACAF League with Deportivo Saprissa of Costa Rica.

7. An Association email domain has been created to ensure all TTFA correspondence remains the property of and accessible to the Association.

8. A letter must be sent to all TTFA members to submit the name of their representative to the TTFA Board of Directors by 6 December.

9. Preliminary discussions commenced regarding the program for the National Under 20 Women’s Team participation in the CONCACAF World Cup qualifiers scheduled for February 2020.

10. The assessment of the TTFA League of Champions was completed.

TTFA’s officers meet again on Friday November 29.

:applause: :applause: :applause:

In defence of TTFA president Williams
T&T Newsday


THE EDITOR: Many uncomplimentary things have been said of the TTFA and articles written by the same journalists in different newspapers. I sometimes wonder if we live in the same country.

Reference here is strictly to David John Williams (DJW), esteemed president of the vitriolic TTFA. All DJW has done in his four years as head is to provide the leadership so absent in our country by delivering – and not old talk and lacouray.

After inheriting an asset of $147,000 and millions of dollars in debt and unpaid bills after 100 years of the TTFA, he now has delivered assets to the TTFA of close to $120 million.

He has in the Couva Sports City brought on stream the only revenue-generating sports facility in the country. Go see the sports and entertainment centre, the hotel, the TTFA Home of Football.

In 100 years of football we never had a home. We were kicked out of premises a couple years ago with not even an orphanage to go to.

Due to his unrelenting voluntary efforts which entailed many sleepless nights and an abundance of abuse from certain individuals, he was finally able to get a financial audit done for FIFA, which previous administrations failed to produce for reasons best known to them.

Out of this piece of work came the resurrection of the good name of the T&T Football Association, which had been dragged through the mud in previous international scandals.

This audit cleared the way for FIFA to trust DJW with the flagship project of FIFA of designing and building the Home of Football. This project did not go to Jamaica or Mexico or the Bahamas.

When one considers that the Chinese did not do this but locals and in one year, we have to wonder why the verbal venom is directed towards DJW just for doing such a great job. This project is a dream come true for local football, for the future of this country.

One has to wonder if the petty North vs South nonsense is at play here as the journalists who persist in their pious design in the persecution campaign which they wage against him all come from the North and, as I understand, are friends of some of the previous administrators who once again seek to put the TTFA back in a dark hole. DJW is from Santa Flora and went to Naps.

We are all too happy to sing the praises of outsiders yet when people we know, we have taught, we meet in church, we play mas and party with, visit at Christmas and Divali and Eid etc, our own family, we go out of our way to destroy their work and trivialise their achievements. We insult them and get their friends in the media to wage a campaign against them.

DJW has done it. Whatever his methods, he has delivered a world class facility within budget and on time – and despite court injunctions and orchestrated frustrations and innuendoes about irregularities, all of which have been proven to be lies.

So the next time you see a negative article about David John Williams, think and ask your self why.

VAL RAMSINGH via e-mail

I guess each week from now until November we are going to be treated to submissions of this kind. They all have the same characteristic pattern and tone and curiously echo the TTFA president's cadence in interviews and conversations.

Whatever his methods, huh?

Incidentally, Homes of Football were not invented by David John-Williams. They exist all across the world in various forms. I've had the fortune of having been to several and all have had their share of detracting voices, politicization and financial transparency concerns. We are not on novel ground.

Ideally, FIFA wants each member association to have its own home and field of dreams. There isn't a bidding war among federations to secure one. ("This project did not go to Jamaica or Mexico or the Bahamas.) And Mexico, for one, is not lacking in this area. It has an impressive facility in Toluca tucked away from public view. The writer is disingenuously attempting to give the impression that T&T received some special bounty. We did not. We are late in the dance because we forfeited the excellent centre we had.

Here's a question an inquiring mind should ask: how state of the art is the Home of Football?

If DJW knew that the responsibility of being TTFA president was beyond his competence perhaps he should have petitioned to focus on contributing to infrastructural projects. In some ways he would have been a better general-secretary than he has been president.

Speaking of irregularities, here's another question for an inquiring mind: when DJW conducts TTFA business via his personal email account how indicative of accountability and best practice is that? How would anyone else in the organization obtain an appreciation of those aspects of official business? How is a successor to treat with those gaps in information?

And on the North vs South divide, have you missed the stones DJW threw into this arena? Surely you jest.


When there's a will, there's a way!  :applause:
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: asylumseeker on November 27, 2019, 05:25:47 PM
New TTFA officers continue work apace
TTFA Media


Newly elected Trinidad and Tobago FA President William Wallace and his team of officers, Vice Presidents Clynt Taylor, Susan Joseph-Warrick and Joseph Sam Phillip, maintained a high tempo approach to their first days in office with another eight hour meeting today at the FA’s head office in Couva.

The team met with Senior Men’s National Team Manager Richard Piper, and Head Coach Dennis Lawrence. They also met with head of the TTFA Elite Programme Gary St. Rose.

Piper was asked to submit a 2019 Manager’s Report while Lawrence must also submit a technical report, with particular reference to the 2019 Gold Cup and Nations League tournaments. St. Rose was directed to submit a number of documents, including a 2019 report on the Elite Programme and a budget for 2020. ✔

The following matters were also discussed and decisions taken:

1. The resignation of General Secretary Camara David was accepted, effective 30 November. President Wallace will recommend his replacement to the TTFA Board of Directors for approval. ✔

2. Legal cases, thirteen in number, and including the dispute over the Soca Warrior brand with Selwyn Melville and the Sheldon Phillips matter. Actions were agreed to address these matters. The officers will meet next week with the Association’s legal counsel in this regard.

3. The established debt discovered to date is approximately TTD 50 million, including TTD 1.7 million for the unfinished Home of Football. This is expected to increase with outstanding claims being discovered each day.

4. TTFA will host a quarterly Media Round Table to facilitate transparency and cordial relations with the media. ✔

5. Meetings to discuss development matters with TTFA members begin on November 29 with South FA and the Trinidad and Tobago Referees Association on November 30.

6. A letter of congratulation will be sent to Trinidad and Tobago Senior National Team player Aubrey David for winning the CONCACAF League with Deportivo Saprissa of Costa Rica. ✔

7. An Association email domain has been created to ensure all TTFA correspondence remains the property of and accessible to the Association. ✔

8. A letter must be sent to all TTFA members to submit the name of their representative to the TTFA Board of Directors by 6 December.

9. Preliminary discussions commenced regarding the program for the National Under 20 Women’s Team participation in the CONCACAF World Cup qualifiers scheduled for February 2020. ✔

10. The assessment of the TTFA League of Champions was completed.

TTFA’s officers meet again on Friday November 29.

See how easy it is to communicate with one's public? Boom! It is the same principle as obtains in the daily briefing in a political environment. X and Y are in progress; we know C but we don't know D; A and B are completed and we propose to do L,M,N, O, P.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: gawd on pitch on November 27, 2019, 06:23:19 PM
New TTFA officers continue work apace
TTFA Media


Newly elected Trinidad and Tobago FA President William Wallace and his team of officers, Vice Presidents Clynt Taylor, Susan Joseph-Warrick and Joseph Sam Phillip, maintained a high tempo approach to their first days in office with another eight hour meeting today at the FA’s head office in Couva.

The team met with Senior Men’s National Team Manager Richard Piper, and Head Coach Dennis Lawrence. They also met with head of the TTFA Elite Programme Gary St. Rose.

Piper was asked to submit a 2019 Manager’s Report while Lawrence must also submit a technical report, with particular reference to the 2019 Gold Cup and Nations League tournaments. St. Rose was directed to submit a number of documents, including a 2019 report on the Elite Programme and a budget for 2020. ✔

The following matters were also discussed and decisions taken:

1. The resignation of General Secretary Camara David was accepted, effective 30 November. President Wallace will recommend his replacement to the TTFA Board of Directors for approval. ✔

2. Legal cases, thirteen in number, and including the dispute over the Soca Warrior brand with Selwyn Melville and the Sheldon Phillips matter. Actions were agreed to address these matters. The officers will meet next week with the Association’s legal counsel in this regard.

3. The established debt discovered to date is approximately TTD 50 million, including TTD 1.7 million for the unfinished Home of Football. This is expected to increase with outstanding claims being discovered each day.

4. TTFA will host a quarterly Media Round Table to facilitate transparency and cordial relations with the media. ✔

5. Meetings to discuss development matters with TTFA members begin on November 29 with South FA and the Trinidad and Tobago Referees Association on November 30.

6. A letter of congratulation will be sent to Trinidad and Tobago Senior National Team player Aubrey David for winning the CONCACAF League with Deportivo Saprissa of Costa Rica. ✔

7. An Association email domain has been created to ensure all TTFA correspondence remains the property of and accessible to the Association. ✔

8. A letter must be sent to all TTFA members to submit the name of their representative to the TTFA Board of Directors by 6 December.

9. Preliminary discussions commenced regarding the program for the National Under 20 Women’s Team participation in the CONCACAF World Cup qualifiers scheduled for February 2020. ✔

10. The assessment of the TTFA League of Champions was completed.

TTFA’s officers meet again on Friday November 29.

See how easy it is to communicate with one's public? Boom! It is the same principle as obtains in the daily briefing in a political environment. X and Y are in progress; we know C but we don't know D; A and B are completed and we propose to do L,M,N, O, P.

The previous administration could not grasp that as a concept.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: soccerman on November 27, 2019, 06:25:09 PM
I must give the TTFA credit for their transparency here, something we haven't had the luxury of seeing in a while. All we used to get was "in the fullness of time", time past and gone and we still waiting. It will be good if they eventually reach out (after they're settled) to work with the supporters on this site. We can have a fanbase similar to the American Outlaws where we can purchase tickets for games through them in certain sections etc.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: ZANDOLIE on November 27, 2019, 06:50:54 PM
There is cause for optimism...cautious optimism....going forward. The congratulatory note to Aubrey David was a nice touch.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Tiresais on November 28, 2019, 06:38:05 AM
Quote
7. An Association email domain has been created to ensure all TTFA correspondence remains the property of and accessible to the Association.

How effin basic do you need to be to not have your own email address? How incompetent were previous administrations to not have this? The mind-boggling thing is that most website hosts give you this option for free or a reduced fee. I shouldn't be surprised I supposed, the W Connection website has been down more than it has been up. It's also quite telling that he thought it pertinent to conduct TTFA business through his own personal email.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: pull stones on November 28, 2019, 06:59:22 AM
Quote
7. An Association email domain has been created to ensure all TTFA correspondence remains the property of and accessible to the Association.

How effin basic do you need to be to not have your own email address? How incompetent were previous administrations to not have this? The mind-boggling thing is that most website hosts give you this option for free or a reduced fee. I shouldn't be surprised I supposed, the W Connection website has been down more than it has been up. It's also quite telling that he thought it pertinent to conduct TTFA business through his own personal email.
they didn’t call the bloke the dictator for nothing.
Title: Sport Minister supports TTFA audit
Post by: Tallman on November 28, 2019, 07:56:16 AM
Sport Minister supports TTFA audit
By Narissa Fraser (T&T Newsday)


MINISTER of Sport and Youth Affairs Shamfa Cudjoe said she is in “full support” of the call by the T&T Football Association (TTFA) to initiate a financial audit as a new administration takes office.

Secondary Schools Football president William Wallace dethroned David John-Williams as TTFA president at the association’s elections on Sunday. Clynt Taylor, Susan Joseph-Warrick and Sam Phillip were voted first, second and third vice-presidents, respectively.

After approximately eight hours of meetings with his vice-presidents on Monday, Wallace said one of the major decisions made was to shut down the recently-opened Home of Football in Balmain, Couva, until further notice. The million-dollar, 72-room facility was officially opened on November 18.

Speaking with Newsday, Wallace said it has pending approvals and no property insurance.

“We found out some of the approvals are not in place. For example, fire approvals. You can’t have people in a building without fire approval.”

According to the official website of the Ministry of Rural Development, applications for over ten lots of land must receive approval from the chief designs engineer of the Ministry of Works and Transport, the Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA), the T&T Electricity Commission (TTEC) and the chief fire officer.

A request must then be made for inspection of the building to obtain a certificate of completion. The site says requests can be made at the building inspector’s office at the relevant municipal corporation. Once inspected and approved, the certificate can be collected after two weeks.

But a senior official from the fire service who wished to remain anonymous told Newsday the previous administration began the process but did not complete it. The official said no requests were made for inspection.

While this is the main issue with the facility the new administration has found thus far, Wallace said, “That was enough for us to say people can’t occupy the building. Information is still coming in on the Home and other things.”

When contacted, Cudjoe said she was unaware the building still had pending approvals and no insurance. She attended the opening ceremony on November 18, along with the Prime Minister, FIFA president Gianni Infantino and Concacaf president Victor Montagliani.

“I was not aware of that. That is something for the administration to treat with.

“That is something you’d have to ask the executive or management of TTFA.”

In addition to the facility’s shut-down, decisions made during Wallace’s Monday meeting included the creation of an advisory committee and assigning roles to the vice-presidents. Taylor will focus on membership affairs, Joseph-Warrick will tackle women’s football and Phillip will handle security.

Other decisions included: Stopping transactions on all TTFA bank accounts (including online transactions), issuing a public invitation to TTFA creditors to present their claim, introducing new security measures for the protection of TTFA property and initiating a financial audit.

Asked about the audit, Cudjoe said, “Anybody taking stock of a new entity will obviously want to look at the financial health of the entity. We do so as government, and I guess it’s the best interest of any new person taking on a new administration. “I give the president full support like I give to all presidents of NGBs (National governing bodies) and I wish them all the very best in their endeavours.”

Newsday tried contacting John-Williams for a comment, however,he asked that his privacy be respected.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: asylumseeker on November 28, 2019, 08:14:28 AM
One builds a multi-million dollar facility and gives scant regard to insuring that highly valuated property before it is opened to patrons? Ah won't even bother to characterize that level of ignorance. But, there is another defect here and it rests with the certifying authority and governmental responsibility ...

In a serious environment the proper authority would have shown up and locked it down and in some very serious places they would have done that on the very day that Infantino, Montagliani, Rowley and Cudjoe were stepping foot on the property.

Imagine that bacchanal! Dear Liza, yuh woulda been real busy had that happened. But there are certainly other holes in the bucket. Stay tuned.
Title: TTFA secretary resigns
Post by: Tallman on November 28, 2019, 08:30:00 AM
TTFA secretary resigns
By Keith Clement & Gyasi Merrique (T&T Guardian)


Trinidad and To­ba­go Foot­ball As­so­ci­a­tion pres­i­dent William Wal­lace has ac­cept­ed the res­ig­na­tion of gen­er­al sec­re­tary Ca­ma­ra David. David has re­signed ef­fec­tive No­vem­ber 30.

How­ev­er, Os­mond Down­er, one of the ar­chi­tects of the T&T Foot­ball As­so­ci­a­tion’s (TTFA) con­sti­tu­tion, says there is cur­rent­ly no TTFA board and on­ly this body can make tru­ly bind­ing de­ci­sions. This is be­cause the mem­bers did not un­der­take the process to ap­point a full board dur­ing Sun­day’s AGM.

Down­er made the com­ment yes­ter­day as he sought to clar­i­fy what de­ci­sion-mak­ing pow­ers the new­ly-elect­ed of­fi­cers of the TTFA un­der William Wal­lace now pos­sess.

Down­er, a for­mer FI­FA and TTFA ref­er­ee in­struc­tor, was re­spond­ing to claims by Wal­lace that the TTFA met on Mon­day and his ex­ec­u­tive had tak­en sev­er­al de­ci­sions, among which were to im­me­di­ate­ly stop trans­ac­tions on all TTFA bank ac­counts, in­clud­ing on­line trans­ac­tions; ini­ti­ate an au­dit of the as­so­ci­a­tion’s fi­nances and close the Home of Foot­ball un­til the nec­es­sary State au­thor­i­ty ap­provals and prop­er­ty in­sur­ance have been se­cured.

Asked by Guardian Me­dia Sports yes­ter­day if the new­ly-elect­ed of­fi­cers could make such de­ci­sions on be­half of the TTFA, Down­er said, “Ac­cord­ing to the con­sti­tu­tion, on­ly the board can make de­ci­sions be­tween meet­ings. The board com­pris­es the of­fi­cers and rep­re­sen­ta­tives from mem­bers as­so­ci­a­tions. The con­sti­tu­tion has noth­ing called an ex­ec­u­tive that can make de­ci­sions be­tween board meet­ings.

“The of­fi­cers are part of the board that makes the de­ci­sion. The of­fi­cers can­not make con­sti­tu­tion­al­ly le­gal de­ci­sions un­less they are part of the board.”

Down­er said at Sun­day’s an­nu­al gen­er­al meet­ing (AGM), on­ly two oth­er board mem­bers apart from the four elect­ed of­fi­cers were of­fered and in­duct­ed, which means there are on­ly six board mem­bers for this new term of of­fice. As a re­sult of this, he said a board meet­ing can­not be con­vened un­til the board gets a quo­rum of at least nine mem­bers. Un­til the oth­er mem­ber zones and as­so­ci­a­tions ap­point their rep­re­sen­ta­tives un­der ar­ti­cle 34 (9), Sec­tion (2) of the con­sti­tu­tion and sub­mit their rep­re­sen­ta­tives to the TTFA gen­er­al sec­re­tary, Down­er said the board can­not con­vene.

So far, the new TTFA board com­pris­es new­ly-elect­ed pres­i­dent Wal­lace, vice pres­i­dents Clynt Tay­lor, Su­san Joseph-War­rick and Joseph Sam Phillip, to­geth­er with the South­ern Foot­ball As­so­ci­a­tion’s Richard Quan Chan and Joseph Tay­lor of the T&T Foot­ball Ref­er­ees As­so­ci­a­tion.

Board mem­bers from the Cen­tral Foot­ball As­so­ci­a­tion, East­ern Foot­ball As­so­ci­a­tion, North­ern Foot­ball As­so­ci­a­tion, To­ba­go Foot­ball As­so­ci­a­tion, East­ern Coun­ties Foot­ball As­so­ci­a­tion, TT Pro League, T&T Su­per League, Vet­er­an Foot­ballers Foun­da­tion of T&T (VF­FOTT) and the Women’s League of Foot­ball are yet to be pro­posed and in­duct­ed, Guardian Me­dia was told.

It has been re­port­ed that the TTFA has called a board meet­ing for next Tues­day but Down­er said such a meet­ing can on­ly hap­pen if there is a quo­rum of new­ly-ap­point­ed rep­re­sen­ta­tives, since the life of the last board, which was ap­point­ed in 2015, ex­pired dur­ing the AGM on Sun­day (No­vem­ber 24).

Down­er ex­plained, “The board has a life of four years. At Sun­day’s meet­ing, the meet­ing was to elect the pres­i­dent and three vice pres­i­dents and the mem­bers were sup­posed to sub­mit their board mem­ber can­di­dates to be in­duct­ed at that meet­ing and that did not hap­pen, al­though the mem­ber­ship was giv­en 40 days no­tice to do so. So now, each mem­ber has to con­vene a gen­er­al meet­ing to elect their board can­di­dates and sub­mit the names to the TTFA so that the board can be con­vened.”

Mean­while, a re­lease from the TTFA yes­ter­day said Wal­lace and his team of vice pres­i­dents, Tay­lor, Joseph-War­rick and Phillip met with se­nior men’s man­ag­er Richard Piper, head coach Den­nis Lawrence and head of the TTFA Elite Pro­gramme Gary St Rose at the FA’s head of­fice in Bal­main, Cou­va.

Piper was asked to sub­mit a 2019 man­ag­er’s re­port while Lawrence was asked to sub­mit a tech­ni­cal re­port, with par­tic­u­lar ref­er­ence to the 2019 Gold Cup and Na­tions League tour­na­ments. St Rose was di­rect­ed to sub­mit sev­er­al doc­u­ments, in­clud­ing a 2019 re­port on the Elite Pro­gramme and a bud­get for 2020.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: gawd on pitch on November 28, 2019, 09:04:19 AM
Sport Minister supports TTFA audit
By Narissa Fraser (T&T Newsday)


MINISTER of Sport and Youth Affairs Shamfa Cudjoe said she is in “full support” of the call by the T&T Football Association (TTFA) to initiate a financial audit as a new administration takes office.

Secondary Schools Football president William Wallace dethroned David John-Williams as TTFA president at the association’s elections on Sunday. Clynt Taylor, Susan Joseph-Warrick and Sam Phillip were voted first, second and third vice-presidents, respectively.

After approximately eight hours of meetings with his vice-presidents on Monday, Wallace said one of the major decisions made was to shut down the recently-opened Home of Football in Balmain, Couva, until further notice. The million-dollar, 72-room facility was officially opened on November 18.

Speaking with Newsday, Wallace said it has pending approvals and no property insurance.

“We found out some of the approvals are not in place. For example, fire approvals. You can’t have people in a building without fire approval.”

According to the official website of the Ministry of Rural Development, applications for over ten lots of land must receive approval from the chief designs engineer of the Ministry of Works and Transport, the Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA), the T&T Electricity Commission (TTEC) and the chief fire officer.

A request must then be made for inspection of the building to obtain a certificate of completion. The site says requests can be made at the building inspector’s office at the relevant municipal corporation. Once inspected and approved, the certificate can be collected after two weeks.

But a senior official from the fire service who wished to remain anonymous told Newsday the previous administration began the process but did not complete it. The official said no requests were made for inspection.

While this is the main issue with the facility the new administration has found thus far, Wallace said, “That was enough for us to say people can’t occupy the building. Information is still coming in on the Home and other things.”

When contacted, Cudjoe said she was unaware the building still had pending approvals and no insurance. She attended the opening ceremony on November 18, along with the Prime Minister, FIFA president Gianni Infantino and Concacaf president Victor Montagliani.

“I was not aware of that. That is something for the administration to treat with.

“That is something you’d have to ask the executive or management of TTFA.”

In addition to the facility’s shut-down, decisions made during Wallace’s Monday meeting included the creation of an advisory committee and assigning roles to the vice-presidents. Taylor will focus on membership affairs, Joseph-Warrick will tackle women’s football and Phillip will handle security.

Other decisions included: Stopping transactions on all TTFA bank accounts (including online transactions), issuing a public invitation to TTFA creditors to present their claim, introducing new security measures for the protection of TTFA property and initiating a financial audit.

Asked about the audit, Cudjoe said, “Anybody taking stock of a new entity will obviously want to look at the financial health of the entity. We do so as government, and I guess it’s the best interest of any new person taking on a new administration. “I give the president full support like I give to all presidents of NGBs (National governing bodies) and I wish them all the very best in their endeavours.”

Newsday tried contacting John-Williams for a comment, however,he asked that his privacy be respected.

Get use to hearing this response.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: asylumseeker on November 28, 2019, 09:43:25 AM
TTFA secretary resigns
By Keith Clement & Gyasi Merrique (T&T Guardian)


Trinidad and To­ba­go Foot­ball As­so­ci­a­tion pres­i­dent William Wal­lace has ac­cept­ed the res­ig­na­tion of gen­er­al sec­re­tary Ca­ma­ra David. David has re­signed ef­fec­tive No­vem­ber 30.

How­ev­er, Os­mond Down­er, one of the ar­chi­tects of the T&T Foot­ball As­so­ci­a­tion’s (TTFA) con­sti­tu­tion, says there is cur­rent­ly no TTFA board and on­ly this body can make tru­ly bind­ing de­ci­sions. This is be­cause the mem­bers did not un­der­take the process to ap­point a full board dur­ing Sun­day’s AGM.
...

Clement and Merrique, the way in which you bind both of these comments together creates the impression that the Board needs to weigh in on acceptance of Camara David's resignation and that is not definitively nor expressly the case.

Under the Constitution only the   President may propose   the appointment or dismissal of the General   Secretary, but there is no express requirement that resignation be treated through Board consensus.

Per the Constitution the GS should be "appointed on the basis of an agreement governed by private law". Presumably that was done either explicitly or implicitly. Nonetheless, the GS' stated intention to step away from the role is sufficient to render that decision operative. Board ratification is needed in the appointment or in the dismissal of the GS, but board ratification is not needed in his resignation (i.e. voluntary termination).

(The federation's Internal Operations Regulations may also shed light on this.)

If it is Mr. Downer's contention that the Board is the proper authority to accept the resignation of the GS, I do not know that to be the case.

Perhaps Downer made no such contention and it is merely the manner in which the newspaper article was developed that prompted the question.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Deeks on November 28, 2019, 10:39:44 AM
Mercy ...... mercy ...... mercy!!!!
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: asylumseeker on November 28, 2019, 04:28:52 PM
TTFA writes to FIFA
TTFA


The Trinidad and Tobago Football Association has written to FIFA Secretary General Fatma Samoura on the matter addressed. The letter was submitted on Thursday November 28th, 2019. Please see below.

Dear Madame General Secretary and Friend

Greetings from the newly elected officers of the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association, it is with the greatest concern as the newly elected President of the TTFA, I write to communicate to FIFA our rejection of claims being made within Trinidad and Tobago and as well in the International press that the new TTFA administration has come into office with the support of former FIFA vice president Austin Jack Warner.

This narrative was spread by parties unknown prior to the TTFA elections of Sunday 24, November 2019, and has grown in intensity since that date. This rumor has gained traction in major part due to the unsolicited support and comments of the former FIFA vice president in the Trinidad and Tobago media

On behalf of the officers of the TTFA and myself I assure you, the president and members of FIFA, that there has been, is not, and never will be a connection between the former FIFA vice president going forward from Sunday 24, November 2019.

Best Regards,

Signed

William Wallace
President
Trinidad and Tobago Football Associaton
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: gawd on pitch on November 28, 2019, 05:25:36 PM
@Asylum . You see why me and Pullstones were apprehensive about celebrating Wallace's victory over DJW. We had a feeling that he (DJW) might have a trump card hidden between he scales. Although he appeared to have accepted his defeat like a man, it's clear that he didnt. DJW is already getting his ducks in a row so he can argue that the election results are illegal.. Although he does not have much of a ground to stand on and argue that, I expect to hear more from him as he is only getting started. I hope FIFA and Concacaf has enough sense to see through this bull.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: asylumseeker on November 28, 2019, 06:28:51 PM
I don't know that the letter was necessary per se, but there it is as a categorical statement.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Tiresais on November 29, 2019, 04:03:53 AM
DJW works in construction and still couldn't finish the Home of Football to code. The man is an incompetent - I doubt WW has much to fear from his trumped up rubbish.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Deeks on November 29, 2019, 06:45:12 AM
I think is a good first step.Make it clear that JW is not the elephant in the room.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: 100% Barataria on November 29, 2019, 09:10:33 AM
I think is a good first step.Make it clear that JW is not the elephant in the room.

Agreed
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Controversial on November 29, 2019, 11:21:19 AM
@Asylum . You see why me and Pullstones were apprehensive about celebrating Wallace's victory over DJW. We had a feeling that he (DJW) might have a trump card hidden between he scales. Although he appeared to have accepted his defeat like a man, it's clear that he didnt. DJW is already getting his ducks in a row so he can argue that the election results are illegal.. Although he does not have much of a ground to stand on and argue that, I expect to hear more from him as he is only getting started. I hope FIFA and Concacaf has enough sense to see through this bull.

You have to ask yourself, why is fifa mad? People may not like jack but you have to listen carefully to what he says, he said if fifa is spiteful they will have repercussions, wallace isn’t going anywhere...

The dictator is a sell out,  they would prefer TT football stay down and out of sight, not being a threat to any of the elite teams..

Riddled with debt and a sell out at its helm... people say the dictator is incompetent, he wasn’t, it was straight sabotage
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Controversial on November 29, 2019, 11:23:17 AM
I think is a good first step.Make it clear that JW is not the elephant in the room.

Agreed

There is no elephant in the room, they are trying to create one bc they are mad because TT football can now progress without sabotage

Hence fifa being upset their boy the dictator is out
Title: TTFA distances itself from Warner
Post by: Tallman on November 29, 2019, 02:12:10 PM
TTFA distances itself from Warner
By Narissa Fraser (T&T Newsday)


THE T&T Football Association (TTFA) is making it clear it has no association with former FIFA vice-president Austin Jack Warner.

In a press release issued on Thursday afternoon, it said TTFA president William Wallace wrote a letter to FIFA secretary general Fatma Samoura, distancing the association from Warner.

Since the association’s elections on November 24, there have been many reports by local and international media that Warner lobbied for Wallace behind the scenes and persuaded people to vote for him to dethrone former president David John-Williams.

The letter said, “Greetings from the newly-elected officers of the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association. It is with the greatest concern as the newly-elected president of the TTFA, I write to communicate to FIFA our rejection of claims being made within TT and as well in the international press that the new TTFA administration has come into office with the support of former FIFA vice president Austin Jack Warner.

“This narrative was spread by parties unknown prior to the TTFA elections of Sunday 24, November 2019, and has grown in intensity since that date. This rumour has gained traction in major part due to the unsolicited support and comments of the former FIFA vice president in the TT media

“On behalf of the officers of the TTFA and myself I assure you, the president and members of FIFA, that there has been, is not, and never will be a connection between the former FIFA vice president going forward from Sunday 24, November 2019.”
Title: TTFA to host ‘round table’ talks with media
Post by: Tallman on November 29, 2019, 02:14:17 PM
TTFA to host ‘round table’ talks with media
By Narissa Fraser (T&T Newsday)


IN efforts to improve its transparency, the TT Football Association (TTFA) will host quarterly “Round Table” talks with members of the media.

The decision was made, on Wednesday evening, after an eight-hour meeting with TTFA president William Wallace and members of his administration.

The newly-elected team consists of Wallace, first vice-president Clynt Taylor, second vice-president Susan Joseph-Warrick and third vice-president Sam Phillip. The team also had an eight-hour meeting on Monday with the biggest decision being made then being the shutdown of the Home of Football in Balmain, Couva, where the association’s elections were held on November 24.

Under previous administrations, especially that of ex-TTFA boss David John-Williams, the association received several complaints about a lack of transparency and accountability. And improving this has always been one of the tasks promised to be fulfilled by Wallace and his team if successful in the elections.

At a press conference on November 22, Wallace said the TTFA’s approximately $50 million debt has tainted the association’s relationship with corporate stakeholders in TT.

He believes John-Williams was responsible for this.

“Unless we are like the ostrich and stick our heads in the sand, it is also difficult for us to ignore that the football association has found itself in this place solely because of bad decisions made by the manager of our football, the president DJW.”

With reference to a recent judgement that ordered John-Williams to pay Venture Credit Union $23 million, which was unrelated to football and the TTFA, Wallace said, “An immediate impact is the obvious fact that corporate TT will further distance itself from the FA. It is one thing to have a debt that cannot be honoured, however, the decent thing to do is to sit and talk to your creditor.”

Asked how he plans to mend this relationship, he said, “One of the first things is good governance and transparency. That has to happen. We have not had that over the past four years.

“One of the things that we indicated is that, having gone out of TT and getting support from international sponsors, we are hoping that would be the start to rebuilding that confidence by corporate TT.”

Other discussions at the team’s Wednesday meeting included: The resignation of TTFA general secretary Camara David (effective November 30), 13 ongoing legal cases, the creation of an e-mail domain, among other things.

Also present at Wednesday’s meeting was senior men’s national team manager Richard Piper, head coach Dennis Lawrence, and head of the TTFA Elite Programme Gary St Rose.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: asylumseeker on December 02, 2019, 06:14:11 PM
Camara David

He play LookLoy

He play de Super League

He play Justin Latapy George

He playin DJW

DAT is a playa

If anybody should ride out at dawn, it's Camara David. Both as a matter of principle and for preserving the future integrity of TTFA operations. No Trojan horses.

Perhaps not with his full pay. Deductions should be applied for screwing up due diligence.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: asylumseeker on December 02, 2019, 06:24:33 PM
One builds a multi-million dollar facility and gives scant regard to insuring that highly valuated property before it is opened to patrons? Ah won't even bother to characterize that level of ignorance. But, there is another defect here and it rests with the certifying authority and governmental responsibility ...

In a serious environment the proper authority would have shown up and locked it down and in some very serious places they would have done that on the very day that Infantino, Montagliani, Rowley and Cudjoe were stepping foot on the property.

Imagine that bacchanal! Dear Liza, yuh woulda been real busy had that happened. But there are certainly other holes in the bucket. Stay tuned.

And the first one has come to light ... another club licensing screw-up brought to you by the letters D, J, W, C and D and the number '0'.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on December 05, 2019, 07:35:43 AM
'Wally' & TTFA's road to recovery.
By Colin Murray (Guardian).


Some­times, de­pend­ing on cir­cum­stances, it can prove re­ward­ing to take a trip down mem­o­ry lane. A friend sent me a What­sApp video with one of my favourite songs - Rock Your Ba­by by George Mc­Crea who seemed to be per­form­ing the mon­ster hit in a park much to the en­joy­ment of an aged crowd. At 75, his voice was as good and as strong as it was when he first sang the hit some 45 years ago.

My open­ing re­marks have to do with William Wal­lace and his Unit­ed TTFA. You see, my dear read­ers, “Wal­ly” as he is fond­ly called, has been down this road be­fore. Wal­ly and I first crossed paths in 2003 when Al­loy Lequay had demit­ted the of­fice of the T&T Crick­et Board and crick­et was head­ing down a slip­pery slope. A group of us came to­geth­er to try and ar­rest the down­ward spi­ral of crick­et and formed a group called the Friends of Crick­et. It was nev­er go­ing to be an easy task try­ing to wres­tle pow­er from those who were in con­trol of the des­tiny of T&T's crick­et. Peo­ple back then were fed up and quick­ly want­ed to see the back of Al­loy's per­son­nel.

How­ev­er, he had his plan for crick­et as no one dared to op­pose him or his ideas year af­ter year. Some may say that Al­loy was to crick­et what Jack Warn­er was to foot­ball, or was it the oth­er way around? Please, don't mis­un­der­stand me. Both men have made tremen­dous con­tri­bu­tions to their re­spec­tive sports and have left a lega­cy that will be hard to fol­low. But, there are times when you must let go of the reins and al­low oth­er peo­ple to ride the horse-no one wants to be ac­cused of act­ing like a dic­ta­tor, or so it should be.

With the for­ma­tion of the Friends of Crick­et, those in pow­er start­ed to feel un­com­fort­able. We had a plan; we had spon­sors; we spoke about trans­paren­cy, ac­count­abil­i­ty and re­spon­si­bil­i­ty and we pushed hard for struc­tur­al re­or­gan­i­sa­tion to de­vel­op zones, youths, um­pires, clubs, coach­es etc. More and more peo­ple bought in­to the idea, ex­cept those in pow­er so we knew (1) we were in for a fight and (2) we had to win over some of the vot­ers who were very much in the cor­ner of the ad­min­is­tra­tion.

Thank­ful­ly, some of those vot­ers switched al­le­giance and vot­ed for the Friends of Crick­et and that was how we con­trolled the best pe­ri­od of re­sults in the his­to­ry of T&T's crick­et.

I find it quite amus­ing to­day when I see chal­lenges to the pow­ers that con­trol crick­et be­cause the on­ly way to un­seat the in­cum­bents, is by form­ing a group that has votes and are part of the set­up. The Friends of Crick­et, for all the good work they did, were re­moved from of­fice by an­oth­er group called the Move­ment for Change where per­sons on the ex­ec­u­tive re­mark­ably vot­ed against those in pow­er.

So when I wit­nessed Wal­ly be­ing part of this group called Unit­ed TTFA, I knew he was up for it and more im­por­tant­ly, he is a war­rior ca­pa­ble of fight­ing the tough­est of bat­tles. With the lessons he learnt back then, it was easy for him to be part of this Unit­ed TTFA. But the chal­lenge was to en­sure he had the right peo­ple at his side. There was on­ly one man to lead this group. Wal­ly has an im­pec­ca­ble record; his in­tegri­ty is sec­ond to none and I have nev­er heard any­one, any­where ac­cuse him of any un­der­hand deal­ings. He loves sports and gives his life to the de­vel­op­ment of young­sters as ev­i­denced by the fact that he was the Pres­i­dent of the Sec­ondary Schools Crick­et League and is still the Pres­i­dent of the Sec­ondary Schools Foot­ball League - the most sup­port­ed and well-or­gan­ised league in T&T. He is a very hum­ble, yet strong hu­man be­ing and don't be fooled by the se­ri­ous na­ture of his de­meanour; he en­joys a good laugh and good com­pa­ny.

Just as it was many years ago with crick­et, the task here is, by all re­ports, even worse. How can peo­ple in po­si­tions of pow­er sit around and watch the beau­ti­ful game in our coun­try go to ru­ins? Al­low me to make it abun­dant­ly clear. I have noth­ing and will nev­er have any­thing per­son­al against any of our lead­ers in the var­i­ous na­tion­al sport­ing or­gan­i­sa­tions. I have been crit­i­cal of the lead­er­ship of crick­et, bad­minton, foot­ball, ath­let­ics and vol­ley­ball, to name a few, be­cause all I have asked for is ac­count­abil­i­ty and a prop­er gov­er­nance struc­ture and this should be de­mand­ed by every mem­ber of any board work­ing for the good of this coun­try.

Poor Wal­ly. He will spend sleep­less nights over the next few months as there is so much to do. He first has to look at the cur­rent debt of the TTFA. If he can find it and meet with all those owed by the TTFA and de­cide how these debts will be paid off, not by to­mor­row, but in some cas­es years. What about ex­pens­es un­til the end of the year? Let us hope there will be some rev­enue com­ing to the as­so­ci­a­tion. Then, of course, there is a mul­ti­tude of on­go­ing le­gal mat­ters. What a com­plete dis­as­ter to in­her­it. The list is much longer as I could go on and on.

One thing is for sure - Wal­ly is his own man but re­alis­es he can't do it alone. He will not be blind­ed by those who think they can pull the wool over his eyes as he is a sound judge of char­ac­ter. He's been there and done that.

The road ahead for our beau­ti­ful game is go­ing to be dan­ger­ous­ly rocky but I am ask­ing the pub­lic, in­clud­ing the cor­po­rate sec­tor, to come for­ward and give Wal­ly and his Unit­ed TTFA their full co­op­er­a­tion in bring­ing some sta­bil­i­ty and re­spectabil­i­ty back to T&T's foot­ball. It can be done but it can­not be a one-man show and if we put all our re­sources to­geth­er, the sky will be the lim­it. Be­lieve me when I say that I have full con­fi­dence in Wal­ly and his team bring­ing T&T's foot­ball back on course. Good luck, Wal­ly!

Ed­i­tor's note: The views ex­pressed in this col­umn are sole­ly those of the writer and do not re­flect the views of any or­gan­i­sa­tion of which he is a stake­hold­er.

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: asylumseeker on December 09, 2019, 03:31:16 PM
TTFA secretary resigns
By Keith Clement & Gyasi Merrique (T&T Guardian)


Trinidad and To­ba­go Foot­ball As­so­ci­a­tion pres­i­dent William Wal­lace has ac­cept­ed the res­ig­na­tion of gen­er­al sec­re­tary Ca­ma­ra David. David has re­signed ef­fec­tive No­vem­ber 30.

How­ev­er, Os­mond Down­er, one of the ar­chi­tects of the T&T Foot­ball As­so­ci­a­tion’s (TTFA) con­sti­tu­tion, says there is cur­rent­ly no TTFA board and on­ly this body can make tru­ly bind­ing de­ci­sions. This is be­cause the mem­bers did not un­der­take the process to ap­point a full board dur­ing Sun­day’s AGM.
...

Clement and Merrique, the way in which you bind both of these comments together creates the impression that the Board needs to weigh in on acceptance of Camara David's resignation and that is not definitively nor expressly the case.

Under the Constitution only the   President may propose   the appointment or dismissal of the General   Secretary, but there is no express requirement that resignation be treated through Board consensus.

Per the Constitution the GS should be "appointed on the basis of an agreement governed by private law". Presumably that was done either explicitly or implicitly. Nonetheless, the GS' stated intention to step away from the role is sufficient to render that decision operative. Board ratification is needed in the appointment or in the dismissal of the GS, but board ratification is not needed in his resignation (i.e. voluntary termination).

(The federation's Internal Operations Regulations may also shed light on this.)

If it is Mr. Downer's contention that the Board is the proper authority to accept the resignation of the GS, I do not know that to be the case.

Perhaps Downer made no such contention and it is merely the manner in which the newspaper article was developed that prompted the question.


I see that Downer's position has been stated (https://wired868.com/2019/12/09/ttfa-board-to-be-named-on-wednesday-downer-wallace-acted-constitutionally/) and that it does not diverge from what I asserted above. That being the case, it was down to Clement and Merrique.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: asylumseeker on December 13, 2019, 10:57:50 AM
The Board is more or less set.

William Wallace (President)
Clynt Taylor (first VP),
Susan Joseph-Warrick (2nd VP)
Sam Phillip (3rd VP)

Sherwyn Dyer (Eastern Counties)
Keon Edwards (Eastern FA)
Phillip Fraser (SSFL)
Keith Look Loy  (TTSL)
Rayshawn Mars (Northern FA)
Jamilya Mohammed (WoLF)
Richard Quan Chan (Southern FA)
Brent Sancho (TT Pro League)
Joseph Taylor (TTFRA)
Dwayne Thomas (Central FA)

Not exactly wildly optimistic stuff but lehwe see.

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: 100% Barataria on December 14, 2019, 11:17:26 AM
Say more about the last line Asylum?
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: asylumseeker on December 14, 2019, 05:52:04 PM
Say more about the last line Asylum?

When the dust settled in Sudan after the arrest of Omar al-Bashir, the issue of how to govern still needed to be resolved ... but it could only be resolved via the implementation of a transitional government that features holdovers from the previous regime and elements of the Janjaweed ... rather than a ruling council that erased all traces of past offenders. In that sort of dynamic arriving at consensus and trust is a delicate undertaking, yet governance has to proceed as a new equilibrium has to be found.

What does a pariah state on the world stage have to do with the fortunes of the TTFA? Both require a measure of truth-telling and reconciliation to make the future viable but there can't be a papering over of the fissures.

In the case of the TTFA, a totally new broom would have been welcome, but that is clearly not practical as holdovers from the zones were inevitable and expectations against discord should be tempered (see Shabazz's take on opposition politics in football).

I won't recite or categorize specific names publicly but there are known knowns as to goodwill, some known unknowns as to goodwill and unknown unknowns as to sustaining optimism.

Also, there remains the question of how an agitated Selby Browne will treat with being on the Board when he is returned thereto ... He is already in an agitated state as it is.

I say "when" rather than "if" because he was previously vetted when he was evaluated as a candidate and unless that evaluation is deemed to be materially deficient ... he  may view himself as the Leader of the Opposition armed with another batch of questions. As much picong as there is in T&T, it might be real hard to find harmony with someone who has branded his peers "knowledgeable jokers" and had Infantino on speed dial.

But I don't want to ascribe disproportionate importance to Selby's protestations. I think the real tricky part is in the internal balance of power. In which consideration, Sancho's presence on the Board may actually be the blessing rather than the curse.

As far as the truth-telling ... we have already seen some people pissed that it was announced that the League of Champions had no $ for funding. According to these folk, don't speak about the past if you're going to state a distasteful truth ... just govern. They - like the offenders in the Sudan - do not want to hear [their] atrocities discussed. Just govern. But yuh cyah really move forward without exploring the past.

By the way, I think the new TTFA should finally answer some of those 40+ questions that Selby asked. A lot of them WE should know.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: 100% Barataria on December 15, 2019, 08:13:22 AM
Respek Sylum, let's see :thumbsup:
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Bourbon on December 15, 2019, 10:08:08 AM
Decisions taken at TTFA Board Meeting.
TTFA Media.


The Trinidad and Tobago Football Association Board met in a marathon session of nine hours yesterday, Saturday 14 December 2019, at its offices at Ato Boldon Stadium under the Chairmanship of newly elected President William Wallace.

Along with the four newly elected Officers, the meeting was attended by eight (8.) of twelve (12) TTFA member delegates:

. Central FA
. Eastern FA
. Northern FA
. Southern FA
. TT Pro League
. TT Referees Association
. TT Super League
. WOLF

Eastern Counties Football Union, Tobago FA, VFOTT are still to elect their delegates.

The following are the decisions taken:

1. The proposal submitted by former General Secretary Camara David for a mutual termination of his services was accepted. Ramesh Ramdhan was appointed as his replacement, with immediate effect.

2. The services of Dennis Lawrence as Senior Men’s National Team head coach were terminated with immediate effect following a majority decision by the board. Immediately following the decision of the board, President Wallace contacted Mr Lawrence via telephone to inform him of the decision and wished him well in his personal and professional life while also thanking him for his services to the Senior Men’s Team. The TTFA  President and Lawrence’s representative(s) will meet to discuss the terms of separation. Lawrence’s replacement will be announced shortly.

3. The Emergency Committee was appointed for a four year term, 2019 to 2023. Chairpersons and/or members were appointed to six (6) other Committees, including Club Licensing, Competitions, Finance, Legal, Player Status, Sports Medicine.

4. The Technical Committee was appointed under the Chairmanship of Keith Look Loy. This committee will supervise a new technical and management structure for TTFA national teams and technical programmes. (See attached). A North American scouting programme under the supervision of the Technical Committee was also approved.

5. The Technical Committee will review the structure, personnel and finances of the Elite Youth Programme and make recommendations to the Board in January 2010.

6. Discussions on the Technical Staffs for the Women’s Under 20 and Under 17  Teams continued and decisions will be disclosed in due course ahead of the  CONCACAF Women’s Championships in February and March 2020 respectively.

7. TTFA will not sanction the League of Champions created by the previous administration as it includes a majority of clubs that are suspended by the TTFA’s General Meeting and/or their league.

8. The T-League Commission will be revisited as part of the general move towards the formation of a new TTFA elite league in 2010.

9. The services of an engineer will be secured to provide a comprehensive report on the Home of Football, which remain closed to the public while several approvals, including Fire Service and the Certificate of Completion remain outstanding.

10. The Sheldon Phillips legal matter will be immediately withdrawn from the Industrial Court and an out of court settlement agreed with Phillips.

11. Shaka Hislop was appointed TTFA Ambassador. Additional Ambassadors will be appointed in approaching months.

RELATED NEWS

“Tallest” fired as head coach.
By Joel Bailey (Newsday).


DENNIS “TALLEST” Lawrence has been fired as head coach of T&T's senior men’s national football team with immediate effect.

According to a media release from the TT Football Association (TTFA) on Sunday, “The services of Lawrence as national team coach were terminated with immediate effect following a majority decision by the board.”

The TTFA had a nine-hour board meeting on Saturday at the Ato Boldon Stadium, Couva with its elected officers (president William Wallace, vice-presidents Clynt Taylor, Susan Warrick and Joseph Sam Phillip) and eight of 12 member delegates from Central FA, Eastern FA, Northern FA, Southern FA, TT Pro League, TT Referees Association, TT Super League and Women’s League Football (WoLF).

The media release noted, “Immediately following the decision of the board, Wallace contacted Lawrence via telephone to inform him of the decision and wished him well in his personal and professional life, while also thanking him for his services to the men’s team.

“The TTFA president and Lawrence’s representative(s) will meet to discuss the terms of separation,” the release continued.

“Lawrence’s replacement will be announced shortly.”

The 45-year-old Lawrence has endured a heavily-criticised stint as coach, since he was appointed in January 2017.

He only guided the team to six victories since replacing Belgian Tom Saintfiet.

And former TTFA president David John-Williams, in a Newsday interview last month, said, “Unfortunately, we live in a society of instant gratification and (are) results-oriented. And we live in a society where we see in the English Premiership, where a man loses five games and they buss he throat.

“Because in the morning, you know what? I could go and pick up a coach in the morning. And that same coach who get he throat buss could go to a next team and get nine wins on a trot. But we don’t live in a country where we could pick up a men’s national team coach like that.

“We don’t have the money to fire Dennis Lawrence in the morning.”

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: asylumseeker on December 15, 2019, 10:33:22 AM
1. Please re-read the releases before publication, TTFA. There have been errors in 2 of the last 3 and less than 5 have been released. Make that happen.

2. Ramdhan? I can see that. Congrats to Ramdhan! One of your colleagues (Marco Antonio Rodriguez) became a coach, you can serve football as a GS.

3. A "majority decision" to remove DL? In other words it wasn't unanimous? Who could possibly be blinkered despite the evidence?
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: trini_stallion on December 15, 2019, 10:53:30 AM
Welcomed news.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: lefty on December 15, 2019, 12:03:40 PM
1. Please re-read the releases before publication, TTFA. There have been errors in 2 of the last 3 and less than 5 have been released. Make that happen.

2. Ramdhan? I can see that. Congrats to Ramdhan! One of your colleagues (Marco Antonio Rodriguez) became a coach, you can serve football as a GS.

3. A "majority decision" to remove DL? In other words it wasn't unanimous? Who could possibly be blinkered despite the evidence?


frienism and famleeism, is ah trini ting, how are you at facing down yuh real pardnahs and dem, even if yuh know it right ???, how much yuh want to bet dat minority eh base dey decision on nutten tangible or sound in DL favor......."dais my fren" is serious currency in dese parts
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: 100% Barataria on December 15, 2019, 03:47:27 PM
1. Please re-read the releases before publication, TTFA. There have been errors in 2 of the last 3 and less than 5 have been released. Make that happen.

2. Ramdhan? I can see that. Congrats to Ramdhan! One of your colleagues (Marco Antonio Rodriguez) became a coach, you can serve football as a GS.

3. A "majority decision" to remove DL? In other words it wasn't unanimous? Who could possibly be blinkered despite the evidence?


1 abstention out of 12, I'll live with that
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: asylumseeker on December 15, 2019, 03:57:53 PM
1. Please re-read the releases before publication, TTFA. There have been errors in 2 of the last 3 and less than 5 have been released. Make that happen.

2. Ramdhan? I can see that. Congrats to Ramdhan! One of your colleagues (Marco Antonio Rodriguez) became a coach, you can serve football as a GS.

3. A "majority decision" to remove DL? In other words it wasn't unanimous? Who could possibly be blinkered despite the evidence?


1 abstention out of 12, I'll live with that

Agreed.

Now that it's known that there was an abstention, it eh hard to determine who would have been a candidate for abstaining.

It's "better" that 'majority' did not signify a different composition of the vote (one with some directors voting against the dismissal).
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Controversial on December 15, 2019, 04:07:09 PM
1. Please re-read the releases before publication, TTFA. There have been errors in 2 of the last 3 and less than 5 have been released. Make that happen.

2. Ramdhan? I can see that. Congrats to Ramdhan! One of your colleagues (Marco Antonio Rodriguez) became a coach, you can serve football as a GS.

3. A "majority decision" to remove DL? In other words it wasn't unanimous? Who could possibly be blinkered despite the evidence?


frienism and famleeism, is ah trini ting, how are you at facing down yuh real pardnahs and dem, even if yuh know it right ???, how much yuh want to bet dat minority eh base dey decision on nutten tangible or sound in DL favor......."dais my fren" is serious currency in dese parts

Can’t escape that in trini brother, sadly...

But good news nonetheless, ramdhan in there is also good news..

Best news is DL gone
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: asylumseeker on December 15, 2019, 04:20:10 PM
1. Please re-read the releases before publication, TTFA. There have been errors in 2 of the last 3 and less than 5 have been released. Make that happen.

2. Ramdhan? I can see that. Congrats to Ramdhan! One of your colleagues (Marco Antonio Rodriguez) became a coach, you can serve football as a GS.

3. A "majority decision" to remove DL? In other words it wasn't unanimous? Who could possibly be blinkered despite the evidence?


frienism and famleeism, is ah trini ting, how are you at facing down yuh real pardnahs and dem, even if yuh know it right ???, how much yuh want to bet dat minority eh base dey decision on nutten tangible or sound in DL favor......."dais my fren" is serious currency in dese parts

Abstaining is a crafty tool and it's a particularly useful protective tool given that there should be documented minutes of the meeting.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Controversial on December 15, 2019, 05:28:04 PM
1. Please re-read the releases before publication, TTFA. There have been errors in 2 of the last 3 and less than 5 have been released. Make that happen.

2. Ramdhan? I can see that. Congrats to Ramdhan! One of your colleagues (Marco Antonio Rodriguez) became a coach, you can serve football as a GS.

3. A "majority decision" to remove DL? In other words it wasn't unanimous? Who could possibly be blinkered despite the evidence?


frienism and famleeism, is ah trini ting, how are you at facing down yuh real pardnahs and dem, even if yuh know it right ???, how much yuh want to bet dat minority eh base dey decision on nutten tangible or sound in DL favor......."dais my fren" is serious currency in dese parts

Abstaining is a crafty tool and it's a particularly useful protective tool given that there should be documented minutes of the meeting.

But it also exposes that person internally and maybe externally depending on the leakage of info

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: lefty on December 15, 2019, 06:31:38 PM
1. Please re-read the releases before publication, TTFA. There have been errors in 2 of the last 3 and less than 5 have been released. Make that happen.

2. Ramdhan? I can see that. Congrats to Ramdhan! One of your colleagues (Marco Antonio Rodriguez) became a coach, you can serve football as a GS.

3. A "majority decision" to remove DL? In other words it wasn't unanimous? Who could possibly be blinkered despite the evidence?


frienism and famleeism, is ah trini ting, how are you at facing down yuh real pardnahs and dem, even if yuh know it right ???, how much yuh want to bet dat minority eh base dey decision on nutten tangible or sound in DL favor......."dais my fren" is serious currency in dese parts

Abstaining is a crafty tool and it's a particularly useful protective tool given that there should be documented minutes of the meeting.

exactly
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Cowen on December 16, 2019, 04:43:49 AM
1. Please re-read the releases before publication, TTFA. There have been errors in 2 of the last 3 and less than 5 have been released. Make that happen.

2. Ramdhan? I can see that. Congrats to Ramdhan! One of your colleagues (Marco Antonio Rodriguez) became a coach, you can serve football as a GS.

3. A "majority decision" to remove DL? In other words it wasn't unanimous? Who could possibly be blinkered despite the evidence?


frienism and famleeism, is ah trini ting, how are you at facing down yuh real pardnahs and dem, even if yuh know it right ???, how much yuh want to bet dat minority eh base dey decision on nutten tangible or sound in DL favor......."dais my fren" is serious currency in dese parts

Abstaining is a crafty tool and it's a particularly useful protective tool given that there should be documented minutes of the meeting.

From what i read from lasana the abstention was due to #12 being absent. Supposedly abroad

 :beermug:
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: asylumseeker on December 16, 2019, 04:59:07 AM
1. Please re-read the releases before publication, TTFA. There have been errors in 2 of the last 3 and less than 5 have been released. Make that happen.

2. Ramdhan? I can see that. Congrats to Ramdhan! One of your colleagues (Marco Antonio Rodriguez) became a coach, you can serve football as a GS.

3. A "majority decision" to remove DL? In other words it wasn't unanimous? Who could possibly be blinkered despite the evidence?


frienism and famleeism, is ah trini ting, how are you at facing down yuh real pardnahs and dem, even if yuh know it right ???, how much yuh want to bet dat minority eh base dey decision on nutten tangible or sound in DL favor......."dais my fren" is serious currency in dese parts

Abstaining is a crafty tool and it's a particularly useful protective tool given that there should be documented minutes of the meeting.

From what i read from lasana the abstention was due to #12 being absent. Supposedly abroad

 :beermug:

There were 12 directors present. That person wasn't included in the count.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: asylumseeker on December 20, 2019, 04:25:10 PM
King Selected as Men's Team Assistant Coach
TTFA Communications


The Trinidad and Tobago Football Association is today pleased to announce Derek King as the National Senior Men’s team Assistant Coach. He will serve under new head coach Terry Fenwick on a two-year span.

King had been serving as assistant coach to Stephen Hart at Canadian Premier League club Halifax Wanderers but has been released by the club in order to take up his duties  with the TTFA.

King has been chosen by Fenwick  and the TTFA board will  ratify his selection at its next meeting in early January following the normal protocol of a coach selecting his staff.

King is a former national senior team defender and served as Assistant Coach of the senior team at the 2013 and 2015 Concacaf Gold Cups as well as up to the early stages of the Concacaf final round of World Cup qualifying for the 2018 Finals. He is also a former National Under 20 Men’s team head coach, guiding the team to the Caribbean title in 2014 and through to the Concacaf final championship.

“I am humbled and honoured to have been selected  by the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association to serve as assistant coach of the senior men’s team and also grateful to head coach Terry Fenwick for this opportunity to work under him,” King told TTFA Media.

“I’ve known Terry for a number of years and I believe we will have the right combination fit as it relates to preparing our men’s team to take on the tasks that are ahead of us. I am truly looking forward to serving the country and the national team once again as we aim to get the country back on track.  I think our first task  is to  ensure we  qualify for the Gold Cup, “King added.

“I also  really want to thank Halifax Wanderers, Stephen Hart, president Derek Martin, VP Matt Fegan and the wonderful people of Halifax for embracing me during my time at the club as I felt at home there. And now I’m further grateful to them for  giving me their blessings to return to the Trinidad and Tobago team,” King said.
Title: TTFA to launch Talent Identification Programme
Post by: Tallman on December 23, 2019, 07:01:50 PM
TTFA to launch Talent Identification Programme
TTFA Media


The newly appointed Technical Committee of the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association is in the process of establishing the TTFA Talent Identification Programme (TTIP)

The Objectives of this Programme are as follows:

1. To ensure maximum opportunity for players of all ages and both genders throughout the country to be seen in their own environment.
2. To provide national coaches at every level with the best available talent for coaching.
3. To provide age group talent for the Development Centre to be established in each Regional Association.

The Technical Committee has requested that each Regional Association and Women’s League Football (WOLF) identify and nominate a panel of talent scouts that will be responsible for the screening and identification of talented youth players within the area of its jurisdiction. The nomination process is expected to be completed by January 20th after which a training seminar will be organised.

Chairman of TTFA’s Technical Committee Keith Look Loy elaborated on the Talent Identification Programme, saying it is critical towards long term progress of T&T’s football. A similar programme (Talent Identification and Player Pool Programme, TIPP) has been established by TTFA in North America.

“The local Talent Identification Programme will provide every young player who wishes to be seen the opportunity to be seen in every nook and cranny of Trinidad and Tobago.

“It will be the first step in our young players pathway to elite, national and international football. Additionally, there are an estimated 325k Trinbagonians living in North America. When we drill down into the second and third generations our population is trebled. And so too our player pool.

The Mission of TIPP is “To identify players with the potential to play for our youth national teams and to unite the best Trinbagonian youth players in North America with the TTFA.”

Talent Identification Managers will assess the top players from different clubs and markets in different combinations, cross referencing top talents across North America. ID Camps will be conducted with a particular focus to ensure the staff sees the widest variety of talent in different contexts agreed upon by the TTFA and staff.

“The creation of an integrated TTFA Talent Identification System at home and overseas is one step, but a critical one, in the long term progress of our football,” Look Loy told TTFA Media.

Plans are afoot to expand the TTFA scouting network to the United Kingdom.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Tallman on December 24, 2019, 05:33:02 PM
TTFA invites applicants for positions of Technical Director, Men’s U-17, U-15 Head Coach
TTFA Media


The Trinidad and Tobago Football Association is inviting individuals to apply for the positions of Technical Director of the FA, Men’s National Under 17 Head Coach  and Men’s Under 15 Head Coach as well as Goalkeeper coach.

Applicants can visit the FA’s official website at www.TTfootball.org and access the job descriptions on the TTFA Vacancies Tab at the top of the homepage. All applicants are encouraged to send their applications via email to technical@ttfafootball.org by January 3rd, 2020.

The roles and responsibilities of the Technical Director of the TTFA are as follows –

The Technical Director is responsible for providing both technical and administrative support via technical programming, including coach development and education, player evaluations, development and try-outs, team training, academies and camps. This may include:
1. To lead and manage the TTFA Technical Department
2. To Prepare the budget for said Department
3. To supervise the performance of all Technical Staff within said Department
4. To manage the daily operations of the TTFA Academy
5. To manage the TTFA development programmes
6. To report directly to the TTFA Technical Committee
7. To perform other non-coaching technical tasks as directed by the TTFA Technical Committee.

The U-17 and U-15 Coach’s responsibilities include leading training sessions, providing motivation and advice during gameplay, developing game plans, attending tryouts, as well as scheduling team meetings. Should be able to identify the individual abilities of each player and provide one-to-one coaching wherever required.
1. To be a member of the Association’s Technical Department
2. To lead and manage a Men’s National Team, including its player personnel and technical staff
3. To select the player personnel of said National Team
4. To develop and implement the training programme of said national Team and to submit said programme to the Association’s Technical Director and Technical Committee
5. To report on the implementation of said programme to the Association’s Technical Director, and Technical Committee, including the performance of player personnel and technical staff
6. To assist in the training of programmes of other National Teams, and to perform other technical assignments, as directed by the Association’s Technical Committee

Goalkeeper Coach
1. To assist the Head Coach of the relevant national team in the development and implementation of a training programme for the team’s goalkeepers;
2. To assist the Association’s Technical Director, as necessary, in the development and implementation of a training programme for goalkeeper coaches;
3. To assist the Association’s Technical Director in the development and implementation of a scouting programme for goalkeeping talent and to recommend such talent to the Technical Director;
4. To perform such other technical duties as may be assigned by the Association’s Technical Director and Technical Committee.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Tiresais on December 28, 2019, 07:08:05 AM
They didn't keep on Ross Russell Sr. as GK coach then?
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: asylumseeker on January 03, 2020, 05:57:31 AM
They didn't keep on Ross Russell Sr. as GK coach then?

His position appears to be among those that the federation has been receiving applications (https://wired868.com/2020/01/03/eve-vranes-jack-cooper-among-ttfa-applicants-over-500-coaches-to-know-fate-by-10-january/) to fill. "Appears" because it's unclear who has applied for what role.

Ideally there should be a cadre of goalkeeping coaches in the national team structure (talent ID, formation and development, consolidation) from the youngest category to senior team.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Tallman on January 16, 2020, 08:44:39 AM
TTFA announces series of technical appointments
TTFA Media


Following a meeting of the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association Board of Directors at the FA’s headquarters in Couva on Wednesday evening, the TTFA is pleased to announce a series of appointments that were confirmed for its various national teams and technical department.

Other appointments for the Men’s Senior Team under head coach Terry Fenwick and Assistant coach Derek King are as follows –

Kelvin Jack – Assistant Coach/Goalkeeper Coach
Oswin Birchwood – Trainer/Physio
Michael Williams – Equipment Manager
Captain Basil Thompson – Team Manager

Men’s Under 20 Team

Derek King – Head Coach
Angus Eve – Assistant Coach
Stern John – Assistant Coach
Ross Russell – Goalkeeper Coach
Trey Hart – Trainer
Aaron Pollard – Team Manager

Men’s Under 17 Team

Wesley Webb – Team Manager
(Other positions to be filled)

Boys Under 15 Team

Keith Jeffrey – Head Coach
Clayton Morris – Assistant Coach
Wayne Sheppard – Assistant Coach
Jefferson George – Goalkeeper Coach
Dexter Demas – Team Manager

Women’s Under 17

Nadia James – Manager
Richard Hood – Head Coach (previously announced)

Women’s Under 15

Jason Spence – Head Coach
Dernelle Mascall – Assistant Coach
Joel Warrick – Assistant Coach
Trevor Nottingham – Goalkeeper Coach
Simone Edwards – Team Manager

National Teams Director – Richard Piper
Women’s Football Director – Jinelle James
Club Licensing and Compliance Director – Norris Ferguson
Head of Goalkeeping – Kelvin Jack
Technical Director – Dion La Foucade

TTFA President William Wallace expressed satisfaction with the process that preceded the various appointments.

“It was a very long process. It was a very democratic process. The Technical Committee would have brought forward their recommendations to the board and the board is now deciding whether we go with those recommendations or not,” Wallace told TTFA Media during a break in the meeting on Wednesday night.

“Generally everyone sitting in that room is more or less involved in that process. Their concern of course is for us to do better on the field of play so at the end of the day when we leave that room I hope we will have the best persons on board to be able to take us forward in terms of our football.”

“There have been appointments formalised so far. It’s a matter of re-organising, For instance earlier today I met with one of the assistant coaches of the men’s senior team. He understood clearly that as a new coach coming in that this coach will want to bring persons in who he is comfortable working with. We sat and had a very good conversation. Of course he has a contract and we have to be able to work that out going forward.

“In some other instances there are also some contractual arrangements with persons at the lower levels. Those too will have to be dealt with going forward. But in many of the cases were able to retain some of those persons and based on the plans we have going forward in terms of our technical approach where we want to have the zones involved we are hoping we can absorb some of those persons there,” Wallace continued.

Keith Look Loy, chairman of the TTFA’s Technical Committee echoed similar sentiments and expanded on the developments.

“We are in the middle of getting it done. We have approved an entire technical staff for the men’s senior team and some of our men and women youth teams. We have approved a Director for each of the national teams department, we have approved a director for the women’s teams department which is Jinelle James, Richard Piper for the men’s national teams department and Norris Ferguson as club licensing director as well as Dion La Foucade as the Technical Director.

“Well we have always said on coming into office that we are not on a witch-hunt… that it is not a natural cause of action that some who served under the David John Williams administration would not find a place under the umbrella of the new administration. So we have kept Stern John as one of the assistant coaches of the Men’s Under 20 team along with Angus Eve to head coach Derek King, and Wesley Webb as the manager of the Men’s Under 17 team. As I said, we are looking at each person on an individual basis trying to properly judge their merits and what they can contribute to the programs and we are making decisions on that basis,” Look Loy stated.

Short-Term Contracts
“The decision of the board which is a wise one and it is a proposal of the technical committee is that we give short-term contracts. What I mean by that is we give people a contract for the period of preparations to the end of their tournaments. For example, the under 15 boys and girls team play in August… the contract for the staff is until the end of August. The Women under 20 and 17 teams play in February and March respectively and the contracts are to the end of those tournaments. Then at the end we sit with the staffs, we sit as a committee, we sit as a board and we assess and make decisions. Do we go forward with this staff or with this coach or do we replace anyone at all ? That’s the way we will proceed. If we do look to renew people then we will usefully discuss renewing them for a full cycle which in terms of youth football is two years.

Project 2026

“Project 2026 was unanimously approved. The idea here is to give a level of international experience to the young men who were in the last Under 20 team. They are now going to be 21 and the current under 20 team, they are now 19.. so an age band of 19 to 21-year olds and heading into 2026 to form from that core group a new national team. The year 2026 is going to be the first 48-team FIFA World Cup in Canada, USA and Mexico, Concacaf is going to have six places and we think it judicious to begin preparing a hard core now. We want to groom them. They have weigh stations along the way. We have the CAC Games of 2021 the 2022 Pan American Games, we have the Olympic Games to come beyond 2024.

“When we blood them like this yes in 2026 we may have the outstanding 18-year-old, we may have the outstanding 32-year-old but the core of that 2026 World Cup team is going to be those boys who are now 19 to 21-years old. We are going to form a team under that age band. We are going to put them under the supervision under Terry Fenwick and his senior men’s national team staff and we are going to go forward with that.

Kelvin Jack appointed head of goalkeeping
“Kelvin Jack is going to be returning these shore and he is going to be performing a three-fold role. He is going to be an assistant coach in the men’s senior team, he holds a UEFA B license. He is going to be the goalkeeper coach, he holds a UEFA A goalkeeping license. And he is also going to be head of goalkeeping. We are going to introduce a goalkeeping programme that deals with goalkeeping, goalkeeper coaching and goalkeeper coach instruction from grassroots level right up to the tip of the triangle which is the senior men’s team,” Look Loy explained.

International Friendlies to be finalised for March window
“We have had several offers from Asian, Europe and from South and Central America. We are looking at the quality of the opponents and quite frankly we are also looking at the match fees that we can get because the TTFA needs to make money and the senior men’s national team is the flagship and it could generate finance for the TTFA. It can pay for the player fees and so on. We do not want to duplicate the experience of players past administrations where they played, match fees were paid and the players were not paid. We want to be careful with that and ensure that the first persons to be paid from match fees are players and staff.

“We are close to finalising a couple matches. These are going to be respectable opponents. We have to do well against them and then in the third window then look for higher level opponents that will bring a bigger match fee. The second window of course is dedicated to the CONCACAF 2021 Gold Cup playoffs,” Look Loy said.

WATCH: TTFA President William Wallace on latest technical appointments

https://www.youtube.com/v/D_mVOwxH8eA

WATCH: Chairman of the TTFA Technical Committee Keith Look Loy on latest technical appointments

https://www.youtube.com/v/ZSy6ATtlx84
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: asylumseeker on January 16, 2020, 11:52:58 AM
Will Sherwood be in the mix?  :thinking:
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Sam on January 16, 2020, 04:57:28 PM
WOW !!!!!!

Big big staff....

And what about the Senior Women team?

Sherwood is play a role too.

But ah like what ah seeing here.

Waldrum - women head coach
Maylee - assistant
Sandra Baron - goalkeeper coach

Sheldon Phillips - General Sectary

Look Loy and Wallace doing very good so far.

Where they getting de money, ah hope with all this staff we have money left ova to play games and train teams.

 :rotfl:

Title: Taylor is new Chairman of TTFA’s Referees Committee
Post by: Tallman on January 19, 2020, 08:35:03 AM
Taylor is new Chairman of TTFA’s Referees Committee
TTFA Media


Joseph Taylor is the new Chairman of the Referees Committee of the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association. Taylor will now step down as President of the Trinidad and Tobago Football Referees Association (TTFRA).

The appointed committee will meet to consider the application from thirty-four applicants who applied for the post of TTFA’s Head of  Referees Department (HORD) next week
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on January 19, 2020, 10:42:17 AM
Eve, Jack, Jeffrey and La Foucade are in, but no room for Cooper as TTFA appoints coaches.
By Lasana Liburd (Wired868).


The Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) made over two dozen technical appointments in a marathon meeting last night with Dion La Foucade, Angus Eve and Kelvin Jack among the new inclusions into the national pool.

However, technical committee chairman Keith Look Loy did not have things all his way, as board members successfully reversed the committee’s choice for the position of Boys National Under-15 head coach.

The committee recommended Presentation College (San Fernando) and QPCC head coach Shawn Cooper to lead the staff for that age group. Instead, the board opted for San Juan Jabloteh technical director Keith Jeffrey.

TTFA president William Wallace described the meeting, which lasted over six hours, as ‘very democratic’.

The board members present last night were: Wallace (president), Clynt Taylor, Sam Phillip (vice-presidents), Rayshawn Mars (Northern FA), Richard Quan Chan (Southern FA), Joseph Taylor (Trinidad and Tobago Football Referees Association), Jamilya Mohammed (Women’s League Football), Brent Sancho (TT Pro League), Dwayne Thomas (Central Football Association), Look Loy (TTSL), Keon Edwards (Eastern FA), Phillip Fraser (SSFL) and Desmond Alfred (Tobago).

TTFA vice-president Susan Joseph-Warrick was absent, while the Eastern Counties Football Union and Veteran Footballers Foundation of Trinidad and Tobago are yet to make proper representation to the board.

Alfred became the TTFA’s 14th board member after the Tobago Football Association (TFA) held its elections earlier this month. Former National Senior Team defender Makan Hislop, who represents Bethel United in the Trinidad and Tobago Super League (TTSL) competition, is the new TFA president.

Men’s National Senior Team head coach Terry Fenwick was finally provided with his staff, which now includes assistant coaches Derek King and Kelvin Jack along with manager Captain Basil Thompson, equipment manager Michael Williams and trainer Oswin Birchwood. Jack will double as goalkeeper coach.

King was also confirmed as National Under-20 head coach with Angus Eve and Stern John as his assistants and Ross Russell as goalkeeper coach, Trey Hart as trainer and Aaron Pollard as manager.

Jeffrey heads the National Under-15 programme assisted by Clayton ‘JB’ Morris and Wayne Sheppard with Jefferson George as goalkeeper coach and Dexter Demas as team manager.

Look Loy presented the technical committee’s wish-list for the various coaching positions yesterday evening, only to immediately face pushback from his board colleagues, who demanded a shortlist for all positions so they could ‘be better informed’ before making any appointments.

So the Board members perused the applications for the technical director position, which had La Foucade and Serb Zoran Vranes at the top of the pile. La Foucade, who was the nominee from the technical committee, was appointed unanimously.

Wallace, who chaired the meeting, urged members to appreciate the work done by the committee in making its choice and pointed out that it would be too time-consuming to dissect over 500 CVs. The point was accepted by the board.

But, when it came to the National Under-15 Team staff, one member, TTFRA president Taylor, had a suggestion: why not Jeffrey?

Cooper, the only Trinidad and Tobago coach to defeat Costa Rica in a competitive affair, took the National Under-17 Team to the Concacaf quarterfinal round in 2011 and 2013 and led Presentation College (San Fernando) to the National Intercol title just last month.

But the board felt Jeffrey—whose Jabloteh team often dominate the Youth Pro League (YPL) competition—deserved a shot, and he won a split vote for the job.

On the last occasion that the board overruled the technical committee, Dennis Lawrence was appointed head coach; and Look Loy’s predecessor, Dexter Skeene, promptly resigned along with half of the committee. But Look Loy said there would be no such fall-out.

“That is the prerogative of the board,” said Look Loy. “The technical committee is an advisory committee and only makes recommendations … So the board exercised its right under the constitution and we move ahead with that.”

The aftershocks of the National Under-15 adjustment meant that a final decision could not be taken on the Under-17 staff last night. The technical committee proposed  Eve as head coach with Cooper and Clyde Leon as his assistants. However, Jeffrey’s appointment meant that to fit into the new format of linkages between teams, he was automatically selected as one of Eve’s two assistants.

The board, by way of compromise, suggested that Cooper remain as Eve’s second assistant ahead of Leon. Eve was said to be happy with the retention of Leon for the sake of continuity. However, the Naparima College head coach does not have an issue with working alongside his Presentation rival.

Look Loy is expected to finalise the Under-17 positions shortly.

John, Russell, Williams and Pollard were all retained from the previous administration, although John—Trinidad and Tobago’s record goalscorer—went from Under-17 head coach to Under-20 assistant.

“We have always said on coming into office that we are not on a witch hunt,” Look Loy told the TTFA Media. “[…] So we have kept Stern John as one of the assistant coaches of the Men’s Under-20 team […] and Wesley Webb as the manager of the Men’s Under-17 Team.

“As I said, we are looking at each person on an individual basis, trying to properly judge their merits and what they can contribute to the programs. And we are making decisions on that basis.”

There was no room though for former Men’s National Senior Team assistant coach and Under-15 head coach Stuart Charles-Fevrier, who must now be paid off for his contract. Wallace hinted that Fenwick did not feel Charles-Fevrier would be compatible with his staff.

“Earlier today, I met with one of the assistant coaches of the Men’s Senior Team,” said Wallace. “He understood clearly that as a new coach coming in, that this coach will want to bring persons in who he is comfortable working with. We sat and had a very good conversation.

“Of course he has a contract and we have to be able to work that out going forward. In some other instances, there are also some contractual arrangements with persons at the lower levels. Those, too, will have to be dealt with going forward.”

On the women’s side, Jason Spence was appointed Women’s National Under-15 Team head coach with Dernelle Mascall and Joel Warrick as his assistants, Simone Edwards as team manager and Trevor Nottingham as goalkeeper coach. Warrick is the husband of TTFA vice-president and Women’s League of Football (WoLF) president Susan Joseph-Warrick.

Nadia James was appointed Women’s National Under-17 Team manager and joins a staff already appointed and headed by Police FC coach Richard Hood.

The Women’s National Senior Team coaching staff is expected to be named in mid-year.

Look Loy said last night’s appointments were the first step in reviving the TTFA’s fortunes.

“These appointments reflect long and serious consideration by the technical committee and the board of the TTFA,” he said, “to send all of our national teams on the path of not only improvement but qualification for the championships we have to play for.

“Beyond that, we are looking seriously at the personnel we have appointed, with a long term perspective towards the revival of our football fortunes.”

Look Loy reiterated that the youth coaching jobs were all short term and the various positions would be reassessed at the end of their respective tournaments this year.

“If we do look to renew people, then we will usefully discuss renewing them for a full cycle, which in terms of youth football is two years,” said Look Loy.

Other appointments made last night were: Richard Piper (national teams director), Jinelle James (women’s football director), Norris Ferguson (club licensing and compliance director) and Jack (head of goalkeeping). Piper, James and Ferguson are all members of the TTFA’s technical committee along with Michael Grayson.

Look Loy made special mention of La Foucade and Jack as technical director and head of goalkeeping respectively.

“There are two positions in particular that hold inordinate importance, and those are the technical director and head of goalkeeping,” he said. “The technical director position has never been properly implemented in Trinidad and Tobago. Now we have the opportunity to reboot and make it an effective position.

“It is not that we didn’t have people who knew what to do but that the technical committee was never properly organised and there was no consistent application of technical policy and no technical department. Development requires consistent action […] but the support and circumstances to create that never occurred.

“And head of goalkeeping is a new position. We have never had that and we desperately need a programme to develop the next crop of top goalkeepers. It has been hit and miss in that area and we now we want to make it an assembly line.

“The decisions last night, I believe, reflect a watershed moment.”

The TTFA Board also unanimously agreed to Look Loy’s proposed ‘Project 2026’, which will see a cadre of under-21 players groomed to become the core of Men’s National Senior Team for the 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign.

“The year 2026 is going to the first 48-team Fifa World Cup in Canada, USA and Mexico,” said Look Loy. “Concacaf is going to have six places and we think it judicious to begin preparing a hard core now… In 2026, we may have the outstanding 18-year-old, we may have the outstanding 32-year-old but the the core of that team is going to be those boys who are now 19 to 21 years old.

“We are going to form a team under that age band. We are going to put them under the supervision of Terry Fenwick and the Men’s National Senior Team staff and we are going to go forward with that.”

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: royal on January 19, 2020, 03:33:16 PM
I must say although its early days I'm impress with the continual updates from this new board keeping the public informed and updated, therefore generating interest .   
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Tallman on January 23, 2020, 11:55:13 AM
WATCH: Chairman of the TTFA Technical Committee, Keith Look Loy, discusses Project 2026

https://www.youtube.com/v/Yx4IDBiWc9Q
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: ffisback on January 23, 2020, 02:02:12 PM
WATCH: Chairman of the TTFA Technical Committee, Keith Look Loy, discusses Project 2026

https://www.youtube.com/v/Yx4IDBiWc9Q
Emotional people make knee jerk decisions so people don't get carried away with this emotional idiot .
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on January 23, 2020, 06:13:10 PM
Hagley: TTFA, Pro League, TTSL meeting illegal.
By Walter Alibey (Guardian).


Guaya Unit­ed FC fi­nan­cial di­rec­tor Randy Ha­gley is lead­ing the charge of some T&T Su­per League clubs to have Wednes­day's meet­ing with the T&T Foot­ball As­so­ci­a­tion, the T&T Su­per League Board of Di­rec­tors, and the T&T Pro League clubs, to be deemed null and void.

He said the TTSL Board was not a prop­er rep­re­sen­ta­tion of all the clubs in the Su­per League.

Ha­gley told Guardian Me­dia Sports on Wednes­day that the meet­ing at the Ato Boldon Sta­di­um in Bal­main, Cou­va, was set to chart the way for­ward for the new Tier 1 and 2 leagues in the coun­try, but clubs which are of­fi­cial mem­bers of the foot­ball as­so­ci­a­tion were left out of the de­ci­sion-mak­ing process, for an or­ga­ni­za­tion that is not.

The T&T Su­per League is an in­de­pen­dent or­ga­ni­za­tion formed to man­age the af­fairs of the TTSL.

The TTSL Board is made up of some six mem­bers- Kei­th Look Loy, the FC San­ta Rosa and TTSL pres­i­dent, Jame­son Rigues (Guaya Unit­ed/First VP), Ed­di­son Dean (Club San­do/Sec­ond VP), Col­in Mur­ray (Queen's Park), Ter­ry Joseph (Bethel Unit­ed) and An­der­son Veronique (Pris­ons) who has re­placed Clay­ton Mor­ris (UTT).

The Board is charged with the re­spon­si­bil­i­ty of rep­re­sent­ing 22 Su­per League teams. How­ev­er, the teams that participated in the 2019 League were FC San­ta Rosa, Queen's Park, Matu­ra Re­Unit­ed, RSSR, Erin FC, Guaya Unit­ed, Pris­ons FC, Cunu­pia FC, Bethel Unit­ed, Diego Mar­tin/Pe­tit Val­ley Unit­ed and the Uni­ver­si­ty of T&T, among many oth­ers.

Ha­gley said al­so that some of the clubs were al­so il­le­git­i­mate­ly sus­pend­ed for their in­abil­i­ty to be in­volved in Su­per League ac­tiv­i­ties for two con­sec­u­tive years.

Some of these clubs in­clude De­fence Force, Harlem Strik­ers, Mara­bel­la Fam­i­ly Cri­sis Cen­tre (MFCC), 1976 Phoenix Unit­ed, Per­se­ver­ance Unit­ed and Siparia Spurs among oth­ers.

Ha­gley be­lieves the ac­tion to sus­pend oth­er clubs, is al­so an il­le­gal one, as the clubs are all share­hold­ers of the League (TTSL).

"The Su­per League Board can­not rep­re­sent the clubs at a TTFA meet­ing. The TTSL is an in­de­pen­dent or­ga­ni­za­tion while the clubs are all mem­bers of the TTFA. Now tell me, so why aren't the T&T Pro League teams been rep­re­sent­ed by its Board at yes­ter­day's meet­ing? Can you tell me why?"

Ac­cord­ing to Ha­gley "This can­not be right, re­gard­less of how you look at it and the clubs are all against it."

Yes­ter­day's meet­ing was ex­pect­ed to pave a way for the re-in­tro­duc­tion of the ini­tial­ly-rec­om­mend­ed T-League which was be­ing formed to be com­pet­i­tive with the top foot­ball leagues in var­i­ous parts of Eu­rope, such as Eng­land, Spain, Ger­many and France etc.

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: asylumseeker on January 23, 2020, 08:47:29 PM
WATCH: Chairman of the TTFA Technical Committee, Keith Look Loy, discusses Project 2026

https://www.youtube.com/v/Yx4IDBiWc9Q
Emotional people make knee jerk decisions so people don't get carried away with this emotional idiot .

You eh like NOBODY.  :rotfl:
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on January 25, 2020, 12:35:00 PM
Big egos in Sport.
By Shaun Fuentes (Guardian).


Muham­mad Ali once said, “I don’t think it’s brag­ging to say I’m some­thing spe­cial.”

For many ath­letes and even of­fi­cials, par­tic­u­lar­ly foot­ball coach­es, an ex­pla­na­tion of the con­cept of self-con­fi­dence is hard­ly nec­es­sary as they know in­tu­itive­ly what it is. In­deed, self-con­fi­dence is so pal­pa­ble in some in­di­vid­u­als you can al­most reach out and touch it. Their con­fi­dence is re­flect­ed in every­thing they say and do, in what they wear, how they speak and how they look.

Self-con­fi­dence is com­mon­ly de­fined as the sure­ness of feel­ing that you are equal to the task at hand. We all know some­one whose self-be­lief has this un­shake­able qual­i­ty, whose ego re­sists even the biggest set­backs. With some peo­ple, the hard­er the blow, the quick­er they bounce back. At the same time, al­though con­fi­dence or be­ing over­con­fi­dence is a de­sir­able char­ac­ter­is­tic, ar­ro­gance or sure­ness of feel­ing not well-found­ed in one’s abil­i­ty - is un­de­sir­able.

At the TTFA’s Meet­ing of all tech­ni­cal staff mem­bers on Fri­day, the tech­ni­cal com­mit­tee chair­man Kei­th Look Loy said that the room was filled with big egos as he em­pha­sised the need for those egos to be put aside, ad­mit­ting he pos­sessed such al­so, but not put to­tal­ly to rest as the heads come to­geth­er for the bet­ter­ment of lo­cal foot­ball. It’s an is­sue that has plagued the sport, and not just foot­ball, for long pe­ri­ods. Every­body wants to do what some­one else is do­ing and think­ing they could do it bet­ter, fail­ing to sup­port, ready to fight down, al­ways know what the so­lu­tion is. Sounds fa­mil­iar right? Or in the case of big egos, un­will­ing to be chal­lenged be­cause they’ve achieved much, some cas­es not even, and there­fore be­lieve that no one can of­fer ad­vice in any mean­ing­ful way. Hope­ful­ly and from all ac­counts so far, these egos will be pushed a lit­tle to the side but the con­fi­dence in abil­i­ty by all will have a rip­pling ef­fect on the per­for­mance.

It is clear that you need a high life of con­fi­dence and self-be­lief to per­form. They used to say Ato Boldon had too much of it. But if you were in his po­si­tion run­ning the 100 me­tres fi­nal at the 1996 Olympics, then you’d un­der­stand why. For Bri­an Lara to walk out be­fore 45,000 Aus­tralians or 60,000 In­di­an fans and be able to per­form, he had to main­tain that swag­ger. For Ken­wyne Jones to stand tall with John Ter­ry at Stam­ford Bridge, sure­ly he couldn’t just be the nice guy from T&T.

But how do we know the great­est ath­letes pos­sess this trait? We've seen ego man­i­fest it­self in Dwight Yorke’s up­turned col­lar, while Jones would of­ten do flips when he scored, Stern John would beat his chest and ges­ture to the fans when he net­ted dur­ing the 2006 World Cup qual­i­fiers.

Con­fi­dence coach Mar­tin Per­ry - whose clients in­clude Ar­se­nal mid­field­er Aaron Ram­sey and golfer Col­in Mont­gomerie - cites the dif­fer­ence be­tween Barcelona for­ward Li­onel Mes­si and Re­al Madrid's Cris­tiano Ronal­do.

"Ronal­do is very out­ward­ly con­fi­dent, where­as Mes­si comes across as qui­et and hum­ble, but both have egos. We know that be­cause of the in­di­vid­ual man­ner in which they play," he says. "They don't see risks; they have a bul­let­proof cer­tain­ty they'll pro­duce and when an ath­lete has that supreme lev­el of con­fi­dence, mag­ic can hap­pen,” he told the BBC.

When tal­ent and ego are in per­fect sym­me­try, a play­er can make the leap from good to great. Mike Forde, for­mer di­rec­tor of op­er­a­tions at Chelsea, us­es a for­mu­la - (ego + coach­a­bil­i­ty) x learn­ing cul­ture - with high-per­form­ing teams and in­di­vid­u­als to help them max­imise their tal­ent. The equa­tion shows that ego is the foun­da­tion of great­ness but on­ly if it is still open to be­ing coached and crit­i­cised and there's a struc­ture in place to help them grow," said Forde who worked with Juan Ma­ta and Eden Haz­ard at Chelsea.

Per­for­mance ac­com­plish­ments are the strongest con­trib­u­tor to sport-con­fi­dence. When you per­form any skill suc­cess­ful­ly, you will gen­er­ate con­fi­dence and be will­ing to at­tempt some­thing slight­ly more dif­fi­cult. Per­son­al suc­cess breeds con­fi­dence, while re­peat­ed per­son­al fail­ure di­min­ish­es it. Be­ing in­volved with the suc­cess of oth­ers can al­so sig­nif­i­cant­ly bol­ster your con­fi­dence, es­pe­cial­ly if you be­lieve that the per­former you are in­volved with (eg a team-mate) close­ly match­es your qual­i­ties or abil­i­ties. In ef­fect, it evokes the re­ac­tion: ‘if they can do it, I can do it’. So then, "Let's do it."


Ed­i­tor's Note

Shaun Fuentes is the head of TTFA Me­dia. He is a for­mer FI­FA Me­dia Of­fi­cer at the 2010 FI­FA World Cup in South Africa and cur­rent­ly a CON­CA­CAF Com­pe­ti­tions Me­dia Of­fi­cer. The views ex­pressed are sole­ly his and not a rep­re­sen­ta­tion of any in­di­vid­ual or or­gan­i­sa­tion.

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on January 25, 2020, 03:32:14 PM
National Teams Technical Staff members discuss structures and approach.
TTFA Media.


Various members of the Technical Staffs of the Trinidad and Tobago Nationals teams and the TTFA’s technical department assembled for a meeting at the Ato Boldon Stadium on Friday during which in-depth discussions on a wide range of topics.

The topics included the new TTFA structure; Project 2026; Tournament dates; Code of Conduct, Media guidelines; Period report; Insurance/Incident report; What football do we want? Who are We?

The items discussed under “Who are We” included –

What are the characteristics of the Trinidad and Tobago player?
What are his/her strengths/weaknesses?
How do we Play?
Do we want to play a standard formation?
Who and what is Trinidad and Tobago and what is our identity?

TTFA Technical committee chairman Keith Look Loy led the meeting which was attended by senior men’s team head coach Terry Fenwick, Assistant coach Derek King, who is also the Under 20 Men’s head coach, assistants Stern John and Angus Eve (Men’s U-17 head coach), Goalkeeper coaches Ross Russell and Clayton Ince, Boys Under 15 head coach Keith Jeffrey, Women’s Team U-20 and U-17 head coach Richard Hood, Senior Men’s Team manager Basil Thompson, Women’s team managers Nadia James and Maylee Attin-Johnson, National Team Director Richard Piper, Women’s Football director Jinelle James, equipment manager Michael Williams, Club licensing and compliance director Norris Ferguson and Technical Director Dion La Foucade along with a host of other technical staff members.

“Today is a historic day. Never in the history of the TTFF/TTFA has there been a meeting like this where the entire brain trust of the Football association, all of the technical staffs, not just the coaches , but everyone from physio, trainer, goalkeeper coach to head coach all assembled in one room to talk about the national teams programme and where we want it to go, how do we revive our football fortunes and how do we fly our flag again on the international level and how do we get back to World Cups again.

“We started with some administrative housekeeping talking about different policies that we are introducing such as code of conduct, incident report and insurance and media policies but the heart of the discussion was about what kind of football do we want to play, who is Trinidad and Tobago and what is the Trinidad and Tobago player. We had a very useful discussion about that in front of a full house,” Look Loy told TTFA Media.

“We isolated a number of principles in attack, in defence and general principles that we want to see employed by all our teams. Formation is not the issue. But there are general principles we want to see in our football for example play from the back, maximum efficiency and quick rotation of the ball in our half, two touch, get it to the sides of the pitch, midfield support, forwards who go in behind the defence or dropping off into a pocket, get it down the sides of the pitch, play the ball in, when we lose it go get it back quickly… how we want to organise our play and so on.

“We are on the same page with that. We expect that all of the teams will begin preparing to play like this with the Senior men’s team being the headship team,” Look Loy stated.

A document will be prepared and used in the TTFA Academy and coaching courses and filtered down into the regional programmes for scouts to now identify players to be taught to implement the preferred type of football.

“It’s a huge exercise to put all the teams and coaches on the same page, respecting the individuality of each coach and each player of course so  that when we go out to play be it the under 15s right up to the senior team on both sides of the gender divide, people know this is a Trinidad and Tobago team,” Look Loy said.

“I prefaced everything by making the point that our football is in a crisis. We have fallen away dramatically from where we used to be. We now have to identify who we are, what we want to do, how we intend to solve this issue and get back to where we want to be which as I said is on the top level of Concacaf and on the World Cup stage.

Collective Effort! Egos Aside!

“I made the point that this requires collective effort. Nobody reaches this level of football without having an ego, be it a player, a coach, a manager, even an equipment manager who wants to think that I am good enough to be the best equipment manager. You need to put the egos aside. There is going to be need for sacrifice of ego. The star of the day has to be the national teams programme and the national teams. When the team does well the entire programme does well, the coaches and the staff will get their credit,”Look Loy added.

“These teams do not belong to us. We come and we go. The coaches come and go, the committee comes and goes. Look Loy comes and goes. There will be another technical committee chairman at some point in time. We are the custodians of this programme and these teams and we have to service the needs of the national teams programme and the people of Trinidad and Tobago who want us to do well and who we have to give reason to smile and laugh again when they talk about our football. I made the point in the gathering that we well remember the day we beat Bahrain to go to Germany 2006. The adrenaline rush. We want to experience that again. We must make it an expectation and we must make it a disappointment if we don’t qualify. The pride of being a Trinbagonian, putting on Red,White and Black to represent Trinidad and Tobago must be restored.

TTFA Technical Director La Foucade spoke of his support for the approach thus far.

“With the meeting we had today I was very encouraged to see all the coaches coming together, guys who would not necessarily work with each other, coming together now and saying you know what, this is for the betterment of the game. Let’s put things behind us. We have a long way to go still but the signs were definitely good,” La Foucade said.

“It is important to get people to trust, to get coaches to trust and to get coaches to realise when Trinidad and Tobago qualifies for a World Cup at any level we all feel happy. But in order to build that trust you must first have communication and coaches must have meaningful communication. What we like about each other and what we think our game should be. It is very important that we have a common goal. The philosophy must first come and then the methodology on how we are going to teach that philosophy,” La Foucade stated.

Men’s U-17 head coach Eve said he was satisfied seeing the manner in which business has been conducted in the start up phase.

“The initiatives of the new President and the technical committee, a new technical director and hiring of a new set of people will bring a different blood into the FA and hopefully it turns into performances. What I can say is that they have started on the right foot. They have to give us the tools to work with. They have started in the right way, the composition of the staffs, the way they went about in selecting the staffs was a more transparent process and going forward I hope they continue to build on what they have started,” Eve said.

Videos.

Technical Committee Chairman sums up National Teams' Staff Members Meeting (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QjSMoeGXuFw&feature=emb_title)

Eve talks about U-17 Head Coach appointment (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFtfK7ZHci0&feature=emb_title)

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on January 28, 2020, 04:58:46 PM
How should T&T teams play? TTFA talks tactics, Tobago players and oversized technical committee.
By Lasana Liburd (Wired868).


Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) president William Wallace has promised to regularise the FA’s technical committee, after its ranks swelled to an unprecedented and unconstitutional size at the last board meeting.

A six member technical committee comprising of chairman and board member Keith Look Loy, Michael Grayson, Jinelle Ferguson, Norris Ferguson, Ken Elie and Richard Piper was instituted soon after Wallace’s election last November.

However, the board added two additional committee members at its last meeting, AYSO president Dale Toney and Cunupia FC president Narvin Charles, which took the headcount to eight. And Look Loy suggested today that technical director Dion La Foucade should also serve on the committee.

The TTFA constitution caps standing committees at seven members. Article 43.3 states: Each standing committee shall consist of a chairman, a deputy chairman and maximum five other members.

Wallace said he will move swiftly to address the error, which was pointed out by Wired868. Thankfully, the additional numbers came after the appointment of over 30 staff members to various national football teams.

“The decisions made by the committee were made before those members were put on the committee, so at least there is no problem there,” said Wallace. “Initially when the committee was set up there was a question as to why the Pro League did not have a representative on the board as they are playing club football at the highest level. The board agreed to expand but I guess we expanded one too much.”

It is uncertain which technical committee members will be asked to step aside. Or if the board would approach its general membership for a constitutional change, so as to permit additional persons.

Look Loy, who also serves as Trinidad and Tobago Super League (TTSL) president, handpicked close to 90 per cent of the technical committee—outside of Charles, who was nominated by Pro League chairman and board representative Brent Sancho. He explained his process and defended the fact that only three members of the committee, excluding La Foucade, have coached at national or local top flight level.

“It is not your normal committee which is chocked full of coaches,” said Look Loy. “The population [of the technical committee] responds to the structure of the committee that the board wanted, which is one that oversees the four pillars of the technical committee: the technical department, the national teams department, women’s football, and club licensing and compliance.

“[…] The central concept of the new technical committee is it has supervisory authority over a wide range of TTFA activities and not just technical matters, as was the case in the past. That needs to be reflected in the expertise of the members of the committee.”

Three technical committee members have already been assigned to various departments within the TTFA’s technical arm. At the last board meeting, members endorsed Piper as national teams director, James as women’s football director and Ferguson as club licensing and compliance director.

If Look Loy was beaming at the scope of his new committee, he was just as enthusiastic about the new national teams coaching set-up. Today, coaches and support staff for all teams met the committee to discuss the way forward for the Soca Warriors.

It was the first step in a new format that insists on collaboration between the various national teams and saw the likes of Terry Fenwick (National Senior Team head coach), Derek King (National Under-20 Team head coach), Angus Eve (National Under-17 Team head coach), Clayton Morris (National Under-15 Team assistant coach) and Stern John (National Under-20 Team assistant coach) asked to trade ideas. England-based national senior team goalkeeper coach and head of the TTFA’s goalkeeper department, Kelvin Jack, was believed to be the only absentee.

“It went excellently well,” said Look Loy. “We had a full turnout of staff with more than 50 people in the room, which was everybody from head coach to equipment manager and everyone in between.

“[…] I opened the meeting by making the point that today is a historic day because never has there been such a meeting with the objective of creating a common vision for all teams about how we have to play.

“We have to sacrifice egos to make Trinidad and Tobago football feared again. The teams don’t belong to the coaches, they belong to the TTFA and we have to work together. They accepted that and are eager to work.”

Among the issues discussed was a code of conduct for players and staff, incident reporting (all players will be insured for training and matches) and monthly reports from the various coaching staff. And, more intriguingly, the country’s top coaches spoke about the characteristics of a future Trinidad and Tobago team and footballer.

Look Loy offered a bit of the dialogue to Warriors fans.

“We talked about playing with width, efficient ball movement, and exploiting wide places in the field when we are in attack,” he told Wired868. “[…] When we get into the final third, we are not looking to pass square and go back; we are looking to take risks and be aggressive. We are going to goal!

“[…] In defence, we spoke about defending the wide areas and funnelling the opposing attackers into the centre of the pitch where we have bodies to break down the play… Whatever formation a coach decides, we want to see certain principles employed in the way we play the game, regardless of if they use 4-4-2 or 4-3-3.

“[…] Fenwick, Eve and Clayton Ince (National Under-20 Team goalkeeper coach) contributed to the discussion and [Wayne] Sheppard (National Under-15 Team assistant coach) made a couple of important points.”

The upshot of the TTFA’s new approach, Look Loy suggested, was a consistent philosophy for players to follow throughout their international careers.

“We are going to be making a documentation out of the meeting that we will circulate and put in academies and give to regional scouts,” said Look Loy. “We have to train players in the way we have to play from today. The 13-year-old today is an under-17 player in four years’ time.”

Look Loy gave other examples of the benefit of the range of ideas within the TTFA’s current technical arm. James, a former Women’s National Senior Team player and manager, alerted the technical committee chairman as to why he could not offer girls the identical development plan created for the boys.

“We say we want to do screenings for youths in each region but we can’t do this for girls as the player pool is not big enough,” said Look Loy. “What Jinelle explained is that girls don’t have the freedom to expose themselves to football outside of a formal structure like boys (who are often allowed to play on the streets and in open spaces).

“So the approach to women’s football is entirely different. What we may need instead is three or four hubs at grassroots level to teach them how to play.”

Look Loy said the technical committee also brainstormed about ideas to better involve Tobago talent within the national set-up.

Tobagonian Dwight Yorke captained the twin island republic at the 2006 World Cup and remains the country’s most successful export, yet players from the ‘sister isle’ do not get a fair shot at national selection and often drop out at youth level.

“They can’t just take a maxi to get to training like the players in Trinidad and a lot of the Tobago players are forced to pull out, especially during exam times,” said Look Loy. “What we are pushing to get for the National Under-17 girls training squad is a regional programme that allows selected players to train in Tobago during the week and then we bring them over on the weekend.

“In the rest of the country, the regional centres will not have the national team players because they would end up occupying places that other players can take. But in Tobago we have to do it and have them training there so they will not be left alone.

“It will probably never be equal but we have to make it as equitable as possible.”

Eventually, Look Loy hopes the TTFA can mirror nations like the United States and Cuba with residential training centres, which can house national youth players. However, the local football body lacks the finances to do so in the near future.

“This is where I want to push the TTFA but we have to creep before we walk,” he said.

The TTFA’s Home of Football, which is uninsured at present, is little help. Look Loy wants to activate all national teams by 1 February but said there is a shortage of venues for training, with work ongoing at the Ato Boldon, Larry Gomes and Hasely Crawford stadia.

At present, the Women’s National Under-17 and Under-20 Teams are shuttling between the St Mary’s College ground on Serpentine Road, St Clair and the Ato Boldon Stadium training field in Couva.

“We are trying to manoeuvre to find grounds for national training and the training field at the Home of Football is useless,” said Look Loy. “The surface is poor and uneven and it is not good enough for training a high level team.”

There is still no date set for the first Men’s National Senior Team session and no confirmed practice games either. The Warriors play either Guyana or Barbados in a decisive 2021 Concacaf Gold Cup Play Off in June and Fenwick has only the March Fifa international window to prepare his outfit.

The TTFA is yet to secure him any games, though.

“We are getting offers and then those offers are disappearing because the teams find better opponents,” said Look Loy. “Our free-fall in the Fifa rankings is affecting our ability to secure opponents. We have been invited to play in a tournament in Europe in late May. (Fenwick will not have his full squad for that proposed tournament as it falls outside the Fifa window.)

“March is presenting a ticklish situation but we are still trying to get decent opponents.”

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on February 03, 2020, 05:53:28 PM
TTFA’s General Guide to Selection and Coaching of National Teams.
TTFA Media.


This document is a general guide to the selection and coaching of TTFA National Teams. It is to be applied throughout TTFA’s National Teams Programme and Regional Training Centre Programme. The intention is to ensure elite player development and national teams selection proceed on the basis of a uniform philosophy and practice.

It is a living document that would be reviewed periodically. This document is the property of the TTFA. It was prepared by the TTFA’s Technical Committee in conjunction with, USSF A and World Football Academy Expert, Johann Contasté.

Click Here to See Document (http://ttfootball.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/TTFA.Style_.of_.Play_.JContaste.20201.pdf)



Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: asylumseeker on February 04, 2020, 01:52:22 PM
This takes transparency at the TTFA to a whole new level. I'm appreciative.


Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: soccerman on February 04, 2020, 03:33:23 PM
This takes transparency at the TTFA to a whole new level. I'm appreciative.

It does. The cliff notes version would've been better for public consumption, we giveaway our blueprint to everybody...
Title: Is the TTFA financially insolvent?
Post by: Tallman on February 13, 2020, 02:13:56 PM
Is the TTFA financially insolvent?
By Keith Clement (T&T Guardian)


Since com­ing in­to of­fice with over­whelm­ing pub­lic sup­port the ‘Unit­ed TTFA’ (T&T Foot­ball As­so­ci­a­tion), led by William Wal­lace, has set about to sat­is­fy the tech­ni­cal re­quire­ments that are ex­pect­ed to move T&T foot­ball in­stant­ly and even­tu­al­ly in­to the fu­ture but at what price or con­se­quences?

The ‘Unit­ed TTFA’ has to date, ap­point­ed a 35-mem­ber tech­ni­cal staff (for se­nior men’s and women’s; ju­nior teams; beach soc­cer; tech­ni­cal di­rec­tor; and ful­fil the tech­ni­cal re­quire­ments in every de­part­ment of each team), to­geth­er with new ad­min­is­tra­tive per­son­nel at a cost which the lead­er­ship of the sport is yet to pro­vide John Pub­lic with as it re­lates to an es­ti­mat­ed month­ly or an­nu­al cost of this mas­sive un­der­tak­ing for the first time in the 112-year his­to­ry of T&T foot­ball.

Five days in­to his tenure, Wal­lace told John Pub­lic that the or­gan­i­sa­tion has TT$50 mil­lion worth of prob­lems (mean­ing a debt of TT$50 mil­lion). Co­in­ci­den­tal­ly, at the end of 2018, the TTFA as­sets stood at TT$64,292 mil­lion.

There were promis­es made to John Pub­lic by the ‘Unit­ed TTFA’ dur­ing its cam­paign trail lead­ing up to the No­vem­ber 24, 2019, an­nu­al gen­er­al meet­ing (AGM) in which Wal­lace in­di­cat­ed that over $30 mil­lion in spon­sor­ship was said to be on the hori­zon from sev­er­al com­pa­nies in the likes of Amer­i­can sport­ing goods gi­ant, NIKE.

To date, noth­ing has ma­te­ri­alised to demon­strate that there’s cash flow to cov­er the new coach­ing con­tacts hand­ed out, far less those that are ex­ist­ing and the re­cent ter­mi­na­tion of for­mer na­tion­al coach Den­nis Lawrence. He was fired back on De­cem­ber 15.

Even more trou­bling about the ‘Unit­ed TTFA” fi­nan­cial po­si­tion, is the fact that of the US$1,000,000 (TT$6.76M) giv­en an­nu­al­ly by FI­FA to all its mem­bers in two tranch­es of US$500,000, the ‘New TTFA’ is like­ly to start with a deficit of US$100,000 which the FI­FA will like­ly deduct in the same fash­ion it did as in 2019, to cov­er a 2010 TTFA debt to FI­FA val­ued at US$240,000.

For the “Unit­ed TTFA” to be guar­an­teed the oth­er US$500,000 it must first spend on de­vel­op­ment pro­grammes and youth teams and then prove to the FI­FA how the mon­ey was spent in or­der to re­claim it.

Here’s the present fi­nan­cial po­si­tion of the ‘Unit­ed TTFA’.

Fol­low­ing the for­tunes of the TTFA over the past sev­er­al years but more im­por­tan­ly, the last five, dur­ing which time John Pub­lic has wit­nessed the chang­ing of two pres­i­dents or in fact, two ad­min­is­tra­tions. This ar­ti­cle was prompt­ed fol­low­ing an email sent to the tech­ni­cal staff of var­i­ous na­tion­al teams by the ‘Unit­ed TTFA’ gen­er­al sec­re­tary and for­mer FI­FA ref­er­ee Ramesh Ramd­han.

The email read:

“I feel ob­lig­at­ed to share our fi­nan­cial chal­lenges with you. There are those who feel that this should have been done soon­er, how­ev­er, I have been tire­less­ly work­ing with FI­FA and our al­lies abroad hope­ful for an ear­ly res­o­lu­tion to this is­sue. De­spite all the ef­forts over the last month, we are still not where I would like it to be.

“As ear­ly as 3 am I was send­ing off one of many let­ters to FI­FA in re­sponse to their queries about ex­or­bi­tant costs of our tech­ni­cal staff. I trust that I will be able to sat­is­fy them. In the mean­time, I ask for your pa­tience and your un­der­stand­ing with re­gard to the non-pay­ment of your salaries for the last month and for some, the last two months.

“I am hope­ful that the sit­u­a­tion will be re­solved soon as I ask you to keep the faith and con­tin­ue to work with us. To­geth­er we as­pire, to­geth­er we achieve.”

Thanks for your un­der­stand­ing

GS


TTFA ac­cu­rals


Here is a quick sum­ma­ry of the debt of the TTFA and the in­come streams that are avail­able to the as­so­ci­a­tion at present.

In the 2018 au­dit­ed fi­nan­cial state­ments of the as­so­ci­a­tion which were ap­proved by its mem­bers showed a to­tal debt of TT$32,770,079 (US$4,891,000) which com­prised of ac­counts payable of TT$22,414,430 (US$3,345,400) and ac­cru­als and in­ter­est of TT$10,355,649 (US$1,546,000).

For the read­ers who do not know what ac­cru­als mean in a fi­nan­cial state­ment, it is a pro­vi­sion for pos­si­ble le­gal and oth­er claims against the as­so­ci­a­tion, if the as­so­ci­a­tion is un­suc­cess­ful in de­fend­ing or re­fut­ing the claims. In late 2019, for­mer head coach Stephen Hart (US$750,000) and for­mer tech­ni­cal di­rec­tor Kendell Walkes (US$800,000) won judge­ments against the FA to­talling about US$1,550,000.

These amounts would have been al­most to­tal­ly cov­ered by the pro­vi­sion made in ac­cru­als thus the debt would not have in­creased.

For­mer tech­ni­cal di­rec­tor An­ton Corneal al­so got a judge­ment against the TTFA for some US$507,000, how­ev­er, his fig­ure was al­ready in­clud­ed in the ac­counts payable of the TTFA. What will be of in­ter­est in the fu­ture is the out­come of for­mer vice pres­i­dent of FI­FA and pres­i­dent of Con­ca­caf Jack Warn­er’s claim against the TTFA for US$3.3 mil­lion which there have been no pro­vi­sions made in the TTFA ac­counts.

TTFA debt—yoke around the neck of the TTFA

For­mer pres­i­dent David John-Williams dur­ing his tenure com­plained about the large debt of the as­so­ci­a­tion which his ad­min­is­tra­tion in­her­it­ed and he said that this was like a “yoke around the neck of the TTFA”. He said on sev­er­al oc­ca­sions that the TTFA in its cur­rent state can­not af­ford to sup­port all 11 na­tion­al teams. The last ad­min­is­tra­tion had coach­es dou­bling up with teams to cut cost.

Case in point, Stu­art Charles Fevri­er and Stern John, who served as as­sis­tant coach­es with the se­nior team and were head coach­es of T&T youth teams. The for­mer ad­min­is­tra­tion was “be­ing re­al”.

The re­cent sack­ing of Lawrence and Fevri­er by the Unit­ed TTFA ad­min­is­tra­tion comes at a price. Both had at least 18 months left on their con­tracts and at an es­ti­mate of US$12,000 per month (the com­bined salary for both of them) then that’s at least US$216,000 to be paid to set­tle their con­tracts plus what­ev­er in­ter­est is ac­crued, as well as costs if ap­plic­a­ble to be paid.

Are all these ap­point­ments need­ed?

With re­gards to Unit­ed TTFA swift move to fill tech­ni­cal po­si­tions on all na­tion­al teams, John Pub­lic may agree that that is the way to go in a per­fect world but does the present fi­nan­cial po­si­tion of the Unit­ed TTFA fi­nances al­low for such ‘re­al­ness’?

Let us now ex­am­ine the pos­si­ble es­ti­mat­ed cost of these ap­point­ments. Ter­ry Fen­wick US$18,000 per month, his as­sis­tant Derek King US$5,000 per month be­cause he is al­so the head coach of the Un­der- 20 men’s team and let us add an­oth­er US$10,000 per month for the rest of the four mem­bers of the men’s se­nior team tech­ni­cal staff which is es­ti­mat­ed at a to­tal of US$396,000 per year.

Women’s U-20 and U-17 is es­ti­mat­ed at US$10,000 per month and the pro­ject­ed es­ti­mates are for on­ly five months (up to the end of the tour­na­ments) that is an­oth­er US$50,000 for the year. The Boy’s U-20 is es­ti­mat­ed at an­oth­er US$7,000 per month for the rest of the staff out­side of and this is for six months, that’s an­oth­er US$42,000 for the year.

The boy’s U-15 and U-17 is es­ti­mat­ed at US$20,000 per month for the com­plete staff and fut­sal teams and that is for six months that is adding an­oth­er US$120,000 per year.

In ad­di­tion to the above, there’s the di­rec­tor of the se­nior men’s team US$6,000 per month, the Com­pli­ance and Club Li­cenc­ing Man­ag­er and the women’s na­tion­al team di­rec­tor. This adds an­oth­er US$72,000.

As­sum­ing all are full-time ap­point­ments, the Unit­ed TTFA will have to find US$680,000 per year.

Fund­ing un­der the FI­FA For­ward 2.0 pro­gramme

The TTFA is en­ti­tled to US$1,000,000 un­der FI­FA For­ward 2.0 pro­gramme (2019 to 2022).

The TTFA wil get US$500,000 for op­er­a­tions cost per year which is nor­mal­ly re­ceived in Jan­u­ary of the new year. This is to cov­er costs like pay­ment to the gen­er­al sec­re­tary, fi­nance man­ag­er, tech­ni­cal di­rec­tor, head of ref­er­ees de­part­ment TMS man­ag­er, all oth­er of­fice and op­er­a­tional staff, phone, in­ter­net, func­tions, meet­ings, cours­es and all oth­er cost as­so­ci­at­ed with op­er­a­tions for the year. Then they are en­ti­tled to an­oth­er US$500,000 in the sec­ond part of the year but to re­ceive this amount the TTFA must achieve 10 KPIs (key per­for­mance in­di­ca­tors) each worth US$50,000.

Ba­si­cal­ly, the TTFA needs to spend to gain this sum. They are al­so en­ti­tled to US$200,000 per year to cov­er costs of over­seas trav­el and ho­tel ac­com­mo­da­tion for all na­tion­al teams. (Note in the 2018 Fi­nan­cial State­ments over­seas trav­el and ho­tel ac­com­mo­da­tion amount­ed to US$482,000 with trav­el alone be­ing US$250,000).

Ad­di­tion­al­ly, there is al­so a loan on the TTFA books of over US$600,000 for Con­ca­caf as re­port­ed in the 2018 Fi­nan­cial State­ments which was used by the for­mer ad­min­is­tra­tion to as­sist in the 2018 World Cup Qual­i­fy­ing cam­paign. This loan has ma­tured and needs to be re­paid.

Ques­tions to the TTFA are as fol­lows.

Where is the mon­ey com­ing from, to first ser­vice the deficit cre­at­ed by all these new ap­point­ments?

Where is the mon­ey com­ing from to pay sacked Lawrence and oth­ers?

Where is the mon­ey com­ing from to ser­vice the large debt of the TTFA?

The for­mer ad­min­is­tra­tion has boast­ed about In­come Gen­er­a­tion Project and the Home of Foot­ball both of which the Unit­ed TTFA closed dur­ing its first week in of­fice claim­ing that it did not meet sev­er­al reg­u­la­to­ry stan­dards.

So with all these ap­point­ments which car­ry a heavy pay­roll and with no spon­sors an­nounced to date, does this mean that the ‘Unit­ed TTFA’ ap­pears to be im­pru­dent with its ‘re­al’ fi­nan­cial po­si­tion.

What is the TTFA ac­tion plan to earn rev­enue as soon as pos­si­ble.

Ed­i­tor’ note: ‘In­sol­vent’ means — un­able to pay debts owed.
Title: guardian article by Keith Clement- interesting read
Post by: raj on February 13, 2020, 10:38:06 PM
Since com­ing in­to of­fice with over­whelm­ing pub­lic sup­port the ‘Unit­ed TTFA’ (T&T Foot­ball As­so­ci­a­tion), led by William Wal­lace, has set about to sat­is­fy the tech­ni­cal re­quire­ments that are ex­pect­ed to move T&T foot­ball in­stant­ly and even­tu­al­ly in­to the fu­ture but at what price or con­se­quences?

The ‘Unit­ed TTFA’ has to date, ap­point­ed a 35-mem­ber tech­ni­cal staff (for se­nior men’s and women’s; ju­nior teams; beach soc­cer; tech­ni­cal di­rec­tor; and ful­fil the tech­ni­cal re­quire­ments in every de­part­ment of each team), to­geth­er with new ad­min­is­tra­tive per­son­nel at a cost which the lead­er­ship of the sport is yet to pro­vide John Pub­lic with as it re­lates to an es­ti­mat­ed month­ly or an­nu­al cost of this mas­sive un­der­tak­ing for the first time in the 112-year his­to­ry of T&T foot­ball.

Five days in­to his tenure, Wal­lace told John Pub­lic that the or­gan­i­sa­tion has TT$50 mil­lion worth of prob­lems (mean­ing a debt of TT$50 mil­lion). Co­in­ci­den­tal­ly, at the end of 2018, the TTFA as­sets stood at TT$64,292 mil­lion.

There were promis­es made to John Pub­lic by the ‘Unit­ed TTFA’ dur­ing its cam­paign trail lead­ing up to the No­vem­ber 24, 2019, an­nu­al gen­er­al meet­ing (AGM) in which Wal­lace in­di­cat­ed that over $30 mil­lion in spon­sor­ship was said to be on the hori­zon from sev­er­al com­pa­nies in the likes of Amer­i­can sport­ing goods gi­ant, NIKE.

To date, noth­ing has ma­te­ri­alised to demon­strate that there’s cash flow to cov­er the new coach­ing con­tacts hand­ed out, far less those that are ex­ist­ing and the re­cent ter­mi­na­tion of for­mer na­tion­al coach Den­nis Lawrence. He was fired back on De­cem­ber 15.

Even more trou­bling about the ‘Unit­ed TTFA” fi­nan­cial po­si­tion, is the fact that of the US$1,000,000 (TT$6.76M) giv­en an­nu­al­ly by FI­FA to all its mem­bers in two tranch­es of US$500,000, the ‘New TTFA’ is like­ly to start with a deficit of US$100,000 which the FI­FA will like­ly deduct in the same fash­ion it did as in 2019, to cov­er a 2010 TTFA debt to FI­FA val­ued at US$240,000.

For the “Unit­ed TTFA” to be guar­an­teed the oth­er US$500,000 it must first spend on de­vel­op­ment pro­grammes and youth teams and then prove to the FI­FA how the mon­ey was spent in or­der to re­claim it.

Here’s the present fi­nan­cial po­si­tion of the ‘Unit­ed TTFA’.

Fol­low­ing the for­tunes of the TTFA over the past sev­er­al years but more im­por­tan­ly, the last five, dur­ing which time John Pub­lic has wit­nessed the chang­ing of two pres­i­dents or in fact, two ad­min­is­tra­tions. This ar­ti­cle was prompt­ed fol­low­ing an email sent to the tech­ni­cal staff of var­i­ous na­tion­al teams by the ‘Unit­ed TTFA’ gen­er­al sec­re­tary and for­mer FI­FA ref­er­ee Ramesh Ramd­han.

The email read:

“I feel ob­lig­at­ed to share our fi­nan­cial chal­lenges with you. There are those who feel that this should have been done soon­er, how­ev­er, I have been tire­less­ly work­ing with FI­FA and our al­lies abroad hope­ful for an ear­ly res­o­lu­tion to this is­sue. De­spite all the ef­forts over the last month, we are still not where I would like it to be.

“As ear­ly as 3 am I was send­ing off one of many let­ters to FI­FA in re­sponse to their queries about ex­or­bi­tant costs of our tech­ni­cal staff. I trust that I will be able to sat­is­fy them. In the mean­time, I ask for your pa­tience and your un­der­stand­ing with re­gard to the non-pay­ment of your salaries for the last month and for some, the last two months.

“I am hope­ful that the sit­u­a­tion will be re­solved soon as I ask you to keep the faith and con­tin­ue to work with us. To­geth­er we as­pire, to­geth­er we achieve.”

Thanks for your un­der­stand­ing

GS

TTFA ac­cu­rals

Here is a quick sum­ma­ry of the debt of the TTFA and the in­come streams that are avail­able to the as­so­ci­a­tion at present.

In the 2018 au­dit­ed fi­nan­cial state­ments of the as­so­ci­a­tion which were ap­proved by its mem­bers showed a to­tal debt of TT$32,770,079 (US$4,891,000) which com­prised of ac­counts payable of TT$22,414,430 (US$3,345,400) and ac­cru­als and in­ter­est of TT$10,355,649 (US$1,546,000).

For the read­ers who do not know what ac­cru­als mean in a fi­nan­cial state­ment, it is a pro­vi­sion for pos­si­ble le­gal and oth­er claims against the as­so­ci­a­tion, if the as­so­ci­a­tion is un­suc­cess­ful in de­fend­ing or re­fut­ing the claims. In late 2019, for­mer head coach Stephen Hart (US$750,000) and for­mer tech­ni­cal di­rec­tor Kendell Walkes (US$800,000) won judge­ments against the FA to­talling about US$1,550,000.

These amounts would have been al­most to­tal­ly cov­ered by the pro­vi­sion made in ac­cru­als thus the debt would not have in­creased.

For­mer tech­ni­cal di­rec­tor An­ton Corneal al­so got a judge­ment against the TTFA for some US$507,000, how­ev­er, his fig­ure was al­ready in­clud­ed in the ac­counts payable of the TTFA. What will be of in­ter­est in the fu­ture is the out­come of for­mer vice pres­i­dent of FI­FA and pres­i­dent of Con­ca­caf Jack Warn­er’s claim against the TTFA for US$3.3 mil­lion which there have been no pro­vi­sions made in the TTFA ac­counts.

TTFA debt—yoke around the neck of the TTFA

For­mer pres­i­dent David John-Williams dur­ing his tenure com­plained about the large debt of the as­so­ci­a­tion which his ad­min­is­tra­tion in­her­it­ed and he said that this was like a “yoke around the neck of the TTFA”. He said on sev­er­al oc­ca­sions that the TTFA in its cur­rent state can­not af­ford to sup­port all 11 na­tion­al teams. The last ad­min­is­tra­tion had coach­es dou­bling up with teams to cut cost.

Case in point, Stu­art Charles Fevri­er and Stern John, who served as as­sis­tant coach­es with the se­nior team and were head coach­es of T&T youth teams. The for­mer ad­min­is­tra­tion was “be­ing re­al”.

The re­cent sack­ing of Lawrence and Fevri­er by the Unit­ed TTFA ad­min­is­tra­tion comes at a price. Both had at least 18 months left on their con­tracts and at an es­ti­mate of US$12,000 per month (the com­bined salary for both of them) then that’s at least US$216,000 to be paid to set­tle their con­tracts plus what­ev­er in­ter­est is ac­crued, as well as costs if ap­plic­a­ble to be paid.

Are all these
ap­point­ments need­ed?

With re­gards to Unit­ed TTFA swift move to fill tech­ni­cal po­si­tions on all na­tion­al teams, John Pub­lic may agree that that is the way to go in a per­fect world but does the present fi­nan­cial po­si­tion of the Unit­ed TTFA fi­nances al­low for such ‘re­al­ness’?

Let us now ex­am­ine the pos­si­ble es­ti­mat­ed cost of these ap­point­ments. Ter­ry Fen­wick US$18,000 per month, his as­sis­tant Derek King US$5,000 per month be­cause he is al­so the head coach of the Un­der- 20 men’s team and let us add an­oth­er US$10,000 per month for the rest of the four mem­bers of the men’s se­nior team tech­ni­cal staff which is es­ti­mat­ed at a to­tal of US$396,000 per year.

Women’s U-20 and U-17 is es­ti­mat­ed at US$10,000 per month and the pro­ject­ed es­ti­mates are for on­ly five months (up to the end of the tour­na­ments) that is an­oth­er US$50,000 for the year. The Boy’s U-20 is es­ti­mat­ed at an­oth­er US$7,000 per month for the rest of the staff out­side of and this is for six months, that’s an­oth­er US$42,000 for the year.

The boy’s U-15 and U-17 is es­ti­mat­ed at US$20,000 per month for the com­plete staff and fut­sal teams and that is for six months that is adding an­oth­er US$120,000 per year.

In ad­di­tion to the above, there’s the di­rec­tor of the se­nior men’s team US$6,000 per month, the Com­pli­ance and Club Li­cenc­ing Man­ag­er and the women’s na­tion­al team di­rec­tor. This adds an­oth­er US$72,000.

As­sum­ing all are full-time ap­point­ments, the Unit­ed TTFA will have to find US$680,000 per year.

Fund­ing un­der the FI­FA For­ward 2.0 pro­gramme

The TTFA is en­ti­tled to US$1,000,000 un­der FI­FA For­ward 2.0 pro­gramme (2019 to 2022).

The TTFA wil get US$500,000 for op­er­a­tions cost per year which is nor­mal­ly re­ceived in Jan­u­ary of the new year. This is to cov­er costs like pay­ment to the gen­er­al sec­re­tary, fi­nance man­ag­er, tech­ni­cal di­rec­tor, head of ref­er­ees de­part­ment TMS man­ag­er, all oth­er of­fice and op­er­a­tional staff, phone, in­ter­net, func­tions, meet­ings, cours­es and all oth­er cost as­so­ci­at­ed with op­er­a­tions for the year. Then they are en­ti­tled to an­oth­er US$500,000 in the sec­ond part of the year but to re­ceive this amount the TTFA must achieve 10 KPIs (key per­for­mance in­di­ca­tors) each worth US$50,000.

Ba­si­cal­ly, the TTFA needs to spend to gain this sum. They are al­so en­ti­tled to US$200,000 per year to cov­er costs of over­seas trav­el and ho­tel ac­com­mo­da­tion for all na­tion­al teams. (Note in the 2018 Fi­nan­cial State­ments over­seas trav­el and ho­tel ac­com­mo­da­tion amount­ed to US$482,000 with trav­el alone be­ing US$250,000)

Ad­di­tion­al­ly, there is al­so a loan on the TTFA books of over US$600,000 for Con­ca­caf as re­port­ed in the 2018 Fi­nan­cial State­ments which was used by the for­mer ad­min­is­tra­tion to as­sist in the 2018 World Cup Qual­i­fy­ing cam­paign. This loan has ma­tured and needs to be re­paid.

Ques­tions to the TTFA are as fol­lows.

Where is the mon­ey com­ing from, to first ser­vice the deficit cre­at­ed by all these new ap­point­ments?

Where is the mon­ey com­ing from to pay sacked Lawrence and oth­ers?

Where is the mon­ey com­ing from to ser­vice the large debt of the TTFA?

The for­mer ad­min­is­tra­tion has boast­ed about In­come Gen­er­a­tion Project and the Home of Foot­ball both of which the Unit­ed TTFA closed dur­ing its first week in of­fice claim­ing that it did not meet sev­er­al reg­u­la­to­ry stan­dards.

So with all these ap­point­ments which car­ry a heavy pay­roll and with no spon­sors an­nounced to date, does this mean that the ‘Unit­ed TTFA’ ap­pears to be im­pru­dent with its ‘re­al’ fi­nan­cial po­si­tion.

What is the TTFA ac­tion plan to earn rev­enue as soon as pos­si­ble.

Ed­i­tor’ note: ‘In­sol­vent’ means — un­able to pay debts owed.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Tiresais on February 14, 2020, 04:20:10 AM
Scary level of debt. They'll need to arrange some profitable friendlies to break even...

Also why I was worried about sacking DL and crew, lot of money owed, and a lot of money paid out.
Title: TTFA accounts frozen again
Post by: Tallman on February 19, 2020, 12:04:07 PM
TTFA accounts frozen again
By Walter Alibey (T&T Guardian)


An­oth­er gar­nishee or­der has been tak­en out against the T&T Foot­ball As­so­ci­a­tion (TTFA), this time al­leged­ly by for­mer tech­ni­cal di­rec­tor Kendall Walkes last week due main­ly to ow­ing un­paid wages.

The or­der, for a sec­ond time, freezes the ac­counts of the em­bat­tled foot­ball as­so­ci­a­tion and could pre­vent pres­i­dent William Wal­lace from ho­n­our­ing many fi­nan­cial com­mit­ments, in­clud­ing pay­ing staff mem­bers, coach­es and oth­er em­ploy­ees.

Word of the gar­nishee or­der be­gan cir­cu­lat­ing on Tues­day via ra­dio talk show host An­dre Bap­tiste, who al­so re­vealed that FI­FA and CON­CA­CAF were well on their way with a nor­mal­i­sa­tion com­mit­tee to run the af­fairs of the sport in T&T.

TTFA Tech­ni­cal Com­mit­tee chair­man Kei­th Look Loy yes­ter­day con­firmed that the or­der had been tak­en out against the as­so­ci­a­tion, but said while it puts them in a sim­i­lar po­si­tion to the for­mer David John-Williams-led body, when a sim­i­lar or­der was tak­en out by the T&T Fut­sal team last year, the gen­e­sis of the prob­lem was dif­fer­ent.

In fact, Look Loy claimed they are pay­ing for the ac­tions of the John-Williams-led ad­min­is­tra­tion.

“Where does the is­sue of pay­ment to the tech­ni­cal di­rec­tor in­volved arise from? It arose from a case gen­er­at­ed by David John-Williams,” Look Loy told Guardian Me­dia.

“The cur­rent fi­nan­cial strug­gles of the TTFA are gen­er­at­ed from the fi­nan­cial mis­man­age­ment of the as­so­ci­a­tion of the John-Williams ad­min­is­tra­tion. These are debts that we in­her­it­ed. These are not debts that have been cre­at­ed by the new ad­min­is­tra­tion that has been in of­fice for three months.”

Look Loy, who was in­stru­men­tal in ini­ti­at­ing the change in the man­age­ment of the sport, added: “It is re­mark­able that peo­ple who sat and did noth­ing to try and get their mon­ey from David John-Williams and his ad­min­is­tra­tion for four years, with jus­ti­fi­ca­tion be­cause they were owed their mon­ey, not by the per­son but by the as­so­ci­a­tion, they are now threat­en­ing le­gal ac­tion and so forth.”

Walkes, who was hired un­der the Ray­mond Tim Kee ad­min­is­tra­tion back in 2012, was fired when John-Williams as­sumed of­fice in 2015, prompt­ing him to take le­gal ac­tion. The court ruled in his favour last year, a de­ci­sion that was set to land him $5.5 mil­lion ex­cept that the TTFA could not pay.

The or­der, which could see the TTFA taff go­ing un­paid for this month (Feb­ru­ary), as had hap­pened back in March last year, aims to re­cov­er a lien of just un­der $600,000 for the T&T fut­sal team for un­paid wages, per diem and oth­er mis­cel­la­neous ex­pens­es dur­ing a World Cup qual­i­fi­er.

Look Loy, a for­mer na­tion­al play­er and coach, told Guardian Me­dia that there are a lot of facts about fi­nan­cial mis­man­age­ment which have been pre­vent­ing the as­so­ci­a­tion from mov­ing for­ward. This in­for­ma­tion will be re­vealed af­ter the Car­ni­val pe­ri­od, he added.

He not­ed that the TTFA is be­ing de­nied mil­lions of dol­lars by the FI­FA be­cause of the fi­nan­cial is­sues be­ing faced now, al­though they (FI­FA) al­lowed the John-Williams ad­min­is­tra­tion to mis­man­aged the funds.

“I, as a board mem­ber, sev­er­al times, at least three, spoke to FI­FA of­fi­cials in front of oth­er board mem­bers and once at an of­fi­cial board meet­ing, to high­light the mis­man­age­ment that was tak­ing place at the Home of Foot­ball and the at­ti­tude by the FI­FA of­fi­cial was that it was in­ter­nal TTFA busi­ness and it had noth­ing to do with FI­FA, as every­thing was good on our (FI­FA) side,” Look Loy ex­plained.

He promised that FI­FA could face ac­tion if a nor­mal­i­sa­tion com­mit­tee is sent here, as the FI­FA had watched the pre­vi­ous TTFA put the sport in­to the mess it is in now. Look Loy al­so took of­fence with Bap­tiste, whom he said had noth­ing to say about the fi­nan­cial mis­man­age­ment of the John-Williams’ ad­min­is­tra­tion.

RELATED NEWS

TTFA accounts frozen over $$ owed to ex-technical director
BY NARISSA FRASER (Newsday).


FOR the second time, the TT Football Association’s (TTFA) bank accounts have been frozen after former technical director Kendal Walkes secured a garnishee order against the association on Friday. This type of order legally allows part of a person’s or company’s income to be used to pay off debts.

Walkes was fired in 2015 under the leadership of former TTFA president David John-Williams, and sued the association for breach of contract.

And in a ruling delivered at the Hall of Justice, Port of Spain, on September 27, 2019, Justice Joan Charles ordered the TTFA to pay him US$783,000, saying a valid contract existed between the two parties.

The TTFA’s accounts were first frozen in March, 2019 as ordered by The High Court. This occurred after the association failed to honour a court order in December, 2018 in which they were made to pay the national futsal team approximately $500,000 with interest, as well as legal fees. The ruling followed a two-year lawsuit stemming from unpaid match fees, salaries and expenses.

Speaking with Newsday, on Wednesday morning, TTFA president William Wallace said he was surprised at Walkes’ decision and that no official communication was made to inform the association about it.

“When we took a look at the accounts online, we realised something was wrong. It was not communicated to us.

“We tried to call the bank to find out what was the problem and the bank referred us to their lawyer. They were not giving us information, they asked our lawyers to contact their lawyers.”

But he added that he is not upset with Walkes since he is simply trying to get what is rightfully his.

“I was surprised, of course, yes I was. But I have nothing against him.

“If someone has to take action to get what they were awarded by the court and they think this is the action that is necessary, I can’t be against him for that.”

Last November nearing the TTFA’s elections, Wallace and his slate United TTFA said if they won, they would do financial reconstruction. In a Newsday article published on November 20, 2019 with the headline ‘Ferguson, Wallace on TTFA court ruling: If we win, we will pay,’ Wallace was quoted as saying, “We will definitely have to sit with Kendall and Stephen (Hart) and work out a payment plan. Of course, we accept that we owe the money, we accept that we have to pay it, and we have to sit with both parties and work out a payment plan.”

Wallace told Newsday an e-mail was sent to Walkes explaining the association’s (financial) position but he received no feedback.

But he said Walkes’ lawyer, Melissa Roberts-John, told him no e-mail was received by her client even though it was through that address the two had been communicating before. “I did indicate that we have a plan that would kick in later in the year that we would use to address all the people that we owe.”

He said the association is now “reaping the results” of the previous administration.

He described the TTFA’s current debt as “staggering,” since Walkes’ is not the only former employee who sought judgement against it.

In November 2019, the association was ordered to pay former youth football team coach, men’s team assistant and technical director Anton Corneal $3,488,375. Also in November, it was ordered to pay former senior men’s coach Stephen Hart $5 million for wrongful dismissal and unpaid salaries and bonuses. Wallace said similar e-mails were sent to all of them and that feedback from the others had been positive and accommodative.

TTFA’s technical committee chairman Keith Look Loy also said the association was shocked at the decision as “amicable communication” occurred between both parties. “I know for a fact that the president had engaged in discussion with him. “These are debt that we inherited. This particular one has been outstanding four years and you just come now and want us to pay you off in three months.”

He believes the association is being “doubly victimised.”

“We are the victims of the mismanagement of David John-Williams and now were the victims of actions of people based on that mismanagement.”

Asked how he plans to address the issues with Walkes’ moving forward, Wallace said he has spoken to Roberts-John and is awaiting feedback. “I sent out an e-mail this morning to his lawyer and asked if there’s any position yet, so at least we can have a position where we can come to the table and get some part of the funding to him, and that we can get the order listed and then we plan the way forward from there.”

FIFA has also paused its funding to the association because of these ongoing financial issues. Wallace said the association was told a commission of FIFA and Concacaf representatives would meet with the FA to discuss finances.

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on February 19, 2020, 04:44:11 PM
TTFA - Damned if you do, damned if you don't.
By Colin Murray (Guardian).


There is much to dis­cuss in the world of crick­et. West In­dies are away from home to take on Sri Lan­ka in an­oth­er ODI se­ries from to­mor­row. Hav­ing beat­en Afghanistan and nar­row­ly los­ing to In­dia, this se­ries will test the re­solve of Kieron Pol­lard's men. They must do it with­out Evin Lewis and Shim­ron Het­my­er but I am sure oth­er bats­men will rel­ish the op­por­tu­ni­ty and step up; so for me, that is not of con­cern. I ex­pect the Windies to win a close se­ries.

Bowl­ing off last night in Aus­tralia is the ICC Women's T20 World Cup with 10 coun­tries com­pet­ing. We play our first game tonight against Thai­land which should be a win­ning start. How­ev­er, the host coun­try is the de­fend­ing cham­pi­on and a strong favourite to win the tour­na­ment for the fifth time.

Lo­cal­ly, what a sham­bol­ic dis­play by the Red Force against the Bar­ba­dos Pride. 77 all-out? Some­thing has to be wrong. I like the look of young Ba­jan fast bowler Keon Hard­ing, but 77? Pa­thet­ic. I see the se­lec­tors have act­ed swift­ly with 5 changes. I sup­pose a bit of dis­as­ter re­lief is al­ways wel­comed.

But what caught my eye last Sun­day morn­ing was a let­ter to Guardian News­pa­per's Ed­i­tor by Michael Awai - Foot­ball Ad­min­is­tra­tor. Hon­est­ly, with the dai­ly and seem­ing­ly per­pet­u­al doom and gloom on crime one reads, it brought me hu­mour. Mr Awai, are you se­ri­ous? The first thing you need­ed to es­tab­lish in your let­ter is that you were, and judg­ing from your let­ter, still are a sup­port­er of for­mer TTFA Pres­i­dent David John-Williams and his slate which in­clud­ed Sel­by Browne. This would have giv­en the read­ers a clear un­der­stand­ing with con­text to your opin­ions.

In­deed, one thing you are cor­rect - it is al­most 90 days since the new TTFA ad­min­is­tra­tion un­der William Wal­lace took charge; and yes at a meet­ing they laid out their cam­paign and men­tioned they would be go­ing to spon­sors which in­clud­ed Nike. Oth­er than Nike, you haven't men­tioned any oth­er spon­sors or cam­paign promis­es that have “dis­ap­pear(ed) in­to thin air”. Al­low me to ex­plain some­thing, Mr Awai. Com­pa­nies fi­nalise bud­gets by Oc­to­ber for the up­com­ing year so un­less Wal­lace and his team had ac­tu­al­ly gone to com­pa­nies be­fore the elec­tion, and fi­nalised deals with them with the loom­ing un­cer­tain­ty of suc­cess, they would still have had to start the process from scratch af­ter the elec­tion.

Christ­mas was al­so on the hori­zon but first Wal­lace may have want­ed to have a look at TTFA's books, bud­gets, etc. This process takes time es­pe­cial­ly with the mess I ex­pect they would have found.

Have you heard about the 'Home of Foot­ball' and what this new TTFA has dis­cov­ered? You say, “it made no sense to shut it down” and the re­main­ing prob­lems that ex­ist­ed could have been sort­ed out but you don't know the sever­i­ty of the prob­lems, so how could you com­ment?

I al­so note your sug­ges­tion to utilise the fa­cil­i­ty for pre and post car­ni­val fetes but you must sure­ly be re­fer­ring to 2021 be­cause 95% of fete pro­mot­ers have al­ready booked their venues for the 2020 car­ni­val sea­son long be­fore De­cem­ber 2019.

I al­so note that you have ad­vised Wal­lace to talk to John-Williams on as­sist­ing with sourc­ing friend­lies. I am sure as Pres­i­dent, Wal­lace, with the as­sis­tance of Coach Ter­ry Fen­wick, can in­tro­duce them­selves to the world and get some friend­lies. Per­haps he can go back to An­guil­la? It would be a great start for Fen­wick and the team.

In ad­di­tion to John-Williams, you al­so want Wal­lace to sit with Sel­by Browne and de­vel­op a mar­ket­ing plan to ben­e­fit the TV and the me­dia. Mr. Awai, wasn't Browne a part of the past regime? Where was their mar­ket­ing plan? How much mon­ey was brought in from tele­vi­sion and ra­dio? Like John-Williams, Browne was re­ject­ed by the clubs; wouldn't they feel as if this new ad­min­is­tra­tion has let them down by re­vert­ing to the old ad­min­is­tra­tion?

I un­der­stand they are meet­ing with the T&T Pro and Su­per League clubs so that we can have a cadre of lo­cal play­ers that would be good enough as fu­ture na­tion­al play­ers. I ex­pect this TTFA will be find­ing in­no­v­a­tive ways to bring our foot­ball back to an ac­cept­able lev­el. They have al­ready ap­point­ed coach­es to most of our na­tion­al teams. How are they fund­ing it? I ex­pect in due course we will get this in­for­ma­tion as there has been a well-pub­li­cised plea in the pub­lic do­main for trans­paren­cy with­in the TTFA, so I hope this new ad­min­is­tra­tion will hear this cry.

Peo­ple are not hurt­ing now as a re­sult of the state of foot­ball. They have been hurt­ing for the last four years. How­ev­er, I love your idea to ask every T&T na­tion­al home and abroad for $100 to­wards a fund to as­sist the TTFA. If you launch the fund, I will join you and do­nate my $100 and we can be the cus­to­di­ans of the fund and ask Bish­op Claude Berkley and Arch­bish­op Charles Gor­don to be part of the ad­min­is­tra­tion. Good idea?

It is a pity that ex-tech­ni­cal di­rec­tor Kendall Walkes has tak­en out a gar­nishee or­der on the TTFA. They ap­peared to be try­ing to agree with him (and many oth­ers) and seemed to be deal­ing in good faith but need­ed more time. Per­haps Walkes couldn't wait any longer. TTFA is quick­ly learn­ing that some­times in life you pay for the sins of oth­ers.

All T&T asks and de­serves from William Wal­lace and the TTFA is com­mu­ni­ca­tion, in­tegri­ty, hon­esty and trans­paren­cy.

To the foot­ball-lov­ing pub­lic, al­most 90 days have gone for the new TTFA. How do you feel?

Ed­i­tor's note

The views ex­pressed in this ar­ti­cle are sole­ly those of the writer and do not re­flect the views of any or­gan­i­sa­tion of which he is a stake­hold­er.

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Bianconeri on February 20, 2020, 10:33:15 AM
TTFA accounts frozen again
By Walter Alibey (T&T Guardian)


An­oth­er gar­nishee or­der has been tak­en out against the T&T Foot­ball As­so­ci­a­tion (TTFA), this time al­leged­ly by for­mer tech­ni­cal di­rec­tor Kendall Walkes last week due main­ly to ow­ing un­paid wages.

The or­der, for a sec­ond time, freezes the ac­counts of the em­bat­tled foot­ball as­so­ci­a­tion and could pre­vent pres­i­dent William Wal­lace from ho­n­our­ing many fi­nan­cial com­mit­ments, in­clud­ing pay­ing staff mem­bers, coach­es and oth­er em­ploy­ees.

Word of the gar­nishee or­der be­gan cir­cu­lat­ing on Tues­day via ra­dio talk show host An­dre Bap­tiste, who al­so re­vealed that FI­FA and CON­CA­CAF were well on their way with a nor­mal­i­sa­tion com­mit­tee to run the af­fairs of the sport in T&T.

TTFA Tech­ni­cal Com­mit­tee chair­man Kei­th Look Loy yes­ter­day con­firmed that the or­der had been tak­en out against the as­so­ci­a­tion, but said while it puts them in a sim­i­lar po­si­tion to the for­mer David John-Williams-led body, when a sim­i­lar or­der was tak­en out by the T&T Fut­sal team last year, the gen­e­sis of the prob­lem was dif­fer­ent.

In fact, Look Loy claimed they are pay­ing for the ac­tions of the John-Williams-led ad­min­is­tra­tion.

“Where does the is­sue of pay­ment to the tech­ni­cal di­rec­tor in­volved arise from? It arose from a case gen­er­at­ed by David John-Williams,” Look Loy told Guardian Me­dia.

“The cur­rent fi­nan­cial strug­gles of the TTFA are gen­er­at­ed from the fi­nan­cial mis­man­age­ment of the as­so­ci­a­tion of the John-Williams ad­min­is­tra­tion. These are debts that we in­her­it­ed. These are not debts that have been cre­at­ed by the new ad­min­is­tra­tion that has been in of­fice for three months.”

Look Loy, who was in­stru­men­tal in ini­ti­at­ing the change in the man­age­ment of the sport, added: “It is re­mark­able that peo­ple who sat and did noth­ing to try and get their mon­ey from David John-Williams and his ad­min­is­tra­tion for four years, with jus­ti­fi­ca­tion be­cause they were owed their mon­ey, not by the per­son but by the as­so­ci­a­tion, they are now threat­en­ing le­gal ac­tion and so forth.”

Walkes, who was hired un­der the Ray­mond Tim Kee ad­min­is­tra­tion back in 2012, was fired when John-Williams as­sumed of­fice in 2015, prompt­ing him to take le­gal ac­tion. The court ruled in his favour last year, a de­ci­sion that was set to land him $5.5 mil­lion ex­cept that the TTFA could not pay.

The or­der, which could see the TTFA taff go­ing un­paid for this month (Feb­ru­ary), as had hap­pened back in March last year, aims to re­cov­er a lien of just un­der $600,000 for the T&T fut­sal team for un­paid wages, per diem and oth­er mis­cel­la­neous ex­pens­es dur­ing a World Cup qual­i­fi­er.

Look Loy, a for­mer na­tion­al play­er and coach, told Guardian Me­dia that there are a lot of facts about fi­nan­cial mis­man­age­ment which have been pre­vent­ing the as­so­ci­a­tion from mov­ing for­ward. This in­for­ma­tion will be re­vealed af­ter the Car­ni­val pe­ri­od, he added.

He not­ed that the TTFA is be­ing de­nied mil­lions of dol­lars by the FI­FA be­cause of the fi­nan­cial is­sues be­ing faced now, al­though they (FI­FA) al­lowed the John-Williams ad­min­is­tra­tion to mis­man­aged the funds.

“I, as a board mem­ber, sev­er­al times, at least three, spoke to FI­FA of­fi­cials in front of oth­er board mem­bers and once at an of­fi­cial board meet­ing, to high­light the mis­man­age­ment that was tak­ing place at the Home of Foot­ball and the at­ti­tude by the FI­FA of­fi­cial was that it was in­ter­nal TTFA busi­ness and it had noth­ing to do with FI­FA, as every­thing was good on our (FI­FA) side,” Look Loy ex­plained.

He promised that FI­FA could face ac­tion if a nor­mal­i­sa­tion com­mit­tee is sent here, as the FI­FA had watched the pre­vi­ous TTFA put the sport in­to the mess it is in now. Look Loy al­so took of­fence with Bap­tiste, whom he said had noth­ing to say about the fi­nan­cial mis­man­age­ment of the John-Williams’ ad­min­is­tra­tion.

RELATED NEWS

TTFA accounts frozen over $$ owed to ex-technical director
BY NARISSA FRASER (Newsday).


FOR the second time, the TT Football Association’s (TTFA) bank accounts have been frozen after former technical director Kendal Walkes secured a garnishee order against the association on Friday. This type of order legally allows part of a person’s or company’s income to be used to pay off debts.

Walkes was fired in 2015 under the leadership of former TTFA president David John-Williams, and sued the association for breach of contract.

And in a ruling delivered at the Hall of Justice, Port of Spain, on September 27, 2019, Justice Joan Charles ordered the TTFA to pay him US$783,000, saying a valid contract existed between the two parties.

The TTFA’s accounts were first frozen in March, 2019 as ordered by The High Court. This occurred after the association failed to honour a court order in December, 2018 in which they were made to pay the national futsal team approximately $500,000 with interest, as well as legal fees. The ruling followed a two-year lawsuit stemming from unpaid match fees, salaries and expenses.

Speaking with Newsday, on Wednesday morning, TTFA president William Wallace said he was surprised at Walkes’ decision and that no official communication was made to inform the association about it.

“When we took a look at the accounts online, we realised something was wrong. It was not communicated to us.

“We tried to call the bank to find out what was the problem and the bank referred us to their lawyer. They were not giving us information, they asked our lawyers to contact their lawyers.”

But he added that he is not upset with Walkes since he is simply trying to get what is rightfully his.

“I was surprised, of course, yes I was. But I have nothing against him.

“If someone has to take action to get what they were awarded by the court and they think this is the action that is necessary, I can’t be against him for that.”

Last November nearing the TTFA’s elections, Wallace and his slate United TTFA said if they won, they would do financial reconstruction. In a Newsday article published on November 20, 2019 with the headline ‘Ferguson, Wallace on TTFA court ruling: If we win, we will pay,’ Wallace was quoted as saying, “We will definitely have to sit with Kendall and Stephen (Hart) and work out a payment plan. Of course, we accept that we owe the money, we accept that we have to pay it, and we have to sit with both parties and work out a payment plan.”

Wallace told Newsday an e-mail was sent to Walkes explaining the association’s (financial) position but he received no feedback.

But he said Walkes’ lawyer, Melissa Roberts-John, told him no e-mail was received by her client even though it was through that address the two had been communicating before. “I did indicate that we have a plan that would kick in later in the year that we would use to address all the people that we owe.”

He said the association is now “reaping the results” of the previous administration.

He described the TTFA’s current debt as “staggering,” since Walkes’ is not the only former employee who sought judgement against it.

In November 2019, the association was ordered to pay former youth football team coach, men’s team assistant and technical director Anton Corneal $3,488,375. Also in November, it was ordered to pay former senior men’s coach Stephen Hart $5 million for wrongful dismissal and unpaid salaries and bonuses. Wallace said similar e-mails were sent to all of them and that feedback from the others had been positive and accommodative.

TTFA’s technical committee chairman Keith Look Loy also said the association was shocked at the decision as “amicable communication” occurred between both parties. “I know for a fact that the president had engaged in discussion with him. “These are debt that we inherited. This particular one has been outstanding four years and you just come now and want us to pay you off in three months.”

He believes the association is being “doubly victimised.”

“We are the victims of the mismanagement of David John-Williams and now were the victims of actions of people based on that mismanagement.”

Asked how he plans to address the issues with Walkes’ moving forward, Wallace said he has spoken to Roberts-John and is awaiting feedback. “I sent out an e-mail this morning to his lawyer and asked if there’s any position yet, so at least we can have a position where we can come to the table and get some part of the funding to him, and that we can get the order listed and then we plan the way forward from there.”

FIFA has also paused its funding to the association because of these ongoing financial issues. Wallace said the association was told a commission of FIFA and Concacaf representatives would meet with the FA to discuss finances.




PLEASSEEEE tell me that contract with Walkes being able to negotiate on his own isnt true?
renewing himself to 2022??
cause i saw he's owed til that year

wtf?!?!??
how that even allowed?
n i guess he exploited the gaping loophole they gave him....?
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Deeks on February 20, 2020, 11:28:59 AM
Dude, Kendall just wants his money owed to him. He does not want any extension.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on February 21, 2020, 09:53:49 AM
Normalisation body could help TTFA revamp—Corneal.
By Walter Alibey (Guardian).


Nor­mal­i­sa­tion or no nor­mal­iza­tion com­mit­tee? These were the ques­tions be­ing asked by foot­ball ad­min­is­tra­tors, fans, coach­es and sup­port­ers as news spread that FI­FA and CON­CA­CAF planned to send such a body here to sta­bilise the Trinidad and To­ba­go Foot­ball As­so­ci­a­tion (TTFA) amid a bleak fi­nan­cial sit­u­a­tion that has brought the sport to a vir­tu­al stand­still.

Last Fri­day, for­mer T&T tech­ni­cal di­rec­tor Kendall Walkes took out a gar­nishee or­der on the T&TFA’s ac­counts in a dis­pute over wrong­ful dis­missal, there­by pre­vent­ing any foot­ball-re­lat­ed trans­ac­tions from tak­ing place.

Last year, the em­bat­tled as­so­ci­a­tion, then led by David John-Williams, was al­so hit by a gar­nishee or­der by the T&T Fut­sal team, which was at­tempt­ing to re­cov­er just un­der $600,000.

Yes­ter­day, An­ton Corneal, an­oth­er for­mer tech­ni­cal di­rec­tor who, like Walkes, had to take the TTFA to court for un­paid wages and oth­er ex­pens­es, said he did not want to tell the TTFA how to run its af­fairs. But in giv­ing de­tails on the in­tro­duc­tion of a nor­mal­i­sa­tion com­mit­tee in­to a coun­try, Corneal said it could help sta­bilise T&T foot­ball.

“A nor­mal­iza­tion com­mit­tee is go­ing to bring some sta­bil­i­ty. It’s go­ing to try to look at things in the most ob­jec­tive way, us­ing peo­ple who don’t re­al­ly have a great his­to­ry of the pro­grammes. So it’s some­one just look­ing on to see how you can get that as­so­ci­a­tion back in line,” Corneal told Guardian Me­dia.

“In say­ing that, it takes some time. A nor­mal­i­sa­tion com­mit­tee would not come in for three months or five months. It’s gonna take a year, some­times two years, so if that’s the di­rec­tion, I don’t know what the ef­fects are go­ing to be but it should be our very last re­sort.”

Corneal, son of for­mer na­tion­al stand­out and coach Alvin Corneal, said he could not say if such a com­mit­tee was need­ed at this time, as he did not the de­tails on how much the was in debt, a sense of where mon­ey was spent and how it was spent and what bud­get it came from.

“I don’t have the facts but in say­ing that they will need guid­ance and prob­a­bly go­ing to the moth­er body, which would be the FI­FA, they would need some sort of guid­ance at least now, be­cause it is true that ac­counts are frozen, which makes it ex­treme­ly dif­fi­cult for any as­so­ci­a­tion,” the younger Corneal said.

How­ev­er, he dis­missed thoughts that a nor­mal­i­sa­tion com­mit­tee will be em­bar­rass­ing for the coun­try, say­ing it has been done in oth­er ter­ri­to­ries be­fore, in­clud­ing Guyana four years ago.

“It has hap­pened in oth­er places be­fore and again, what­ev­er is best. This is just an­oth­er mea­sure to help get some of the pro­grammes back on stream. It’s an­oth­er mea­sure, where a dif­fer­ent body that is go­ing to pri­ori­tise dif­fer­ent­ly, just to make sure that when an as­so­ci­a­tion is run­ning in a coun­try again, every­body is back on the same lev­el, be­cause right now, some peo­ple are owed some are not owed and I am sure that they do not have the fi­nan­cial ac­cess to just wipe out all the bills and mon­ey that are owed to all the peo­ple and or­gan­i­sa­tions that they owe,” Corneal said.

On Wednes­day, TTFA tech­ni­cal com­mit­tee chair­man Kei­th Look Loy blamed FI­FA for the fi­nan­cial sit­u­a­tion the TTFA has found it­self in, say­ing the world body al­lowed the mis­man­age­ment of the John-Williams-led ad­min­is­tra­tion to go on for the past four years, yet they (FI­FA) had been with­hold­ing mil­lions of dol­lars of funds for the cur­rent TTFA ex­ec­u­tive in Zurich.

RELATED NEWS

TTFA accounts frozen while Fifa stalls on paying subvention, Wallace insists better days coming.
By Lasana Liburd (Wired868).


Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) president William Wallace has insisted that the current administration can competently manage the local game, even as he admitted that the TTFA’s accounts were frozen by a creditor while Fifa is hesitant to pay its annual subvention to the local football body.

Last Thursday, former TTFA technical director Kendall Walkes had the TTFA’s accounts frozen, based on their failure to satisfy its debt to him.

Walkes won a default judgment for over TT$5 million last September based on his illegal dismissal by then president David John-Williams. The burden now rests with John-Williams’ successor, Wallace, to meet that debt.

Melissa Roberts-John, who is Walkes’ attorney, confirmed their move against the TTFA.

“Yes, there is a garnishee account and [the TTFA’s] account has been frozen,” she said. “It was served on 13 February and we don’t go to court until 10 March when they will get a chance to have their say to the court.”

Wallace and general secretary Ramesh Ramdhan expressed dismay that the action was taken when they felt they were in negotiation with Walkes. However, they accept that it is the legal right of the United States-based coach.

The TTFA president claimed that he emailed Walkes on 3 February and asked for more time to service the debt.

“I wrote to Kendall [Walkes] on the third of February indicating that we accepted the judgment of the court [against the TTFA] and we are not in any position to treat with the matter at this point in time,” said Wallace. “But we have a debt reduction project that we want to start later in the year and we want him to give us consideration and hold his hand.”

However, Roberts-John said her client denied receiving that email, which was subsequently forwarded to her by the TTFA on 14 February.

“In a matter where you have attorneys on record, you should send all correspondence to the attorney and not the client directly,” said Roberts-John. “So it was not proper protocol to send that to Walkes. And my client said he could not find it in his in-box, trash or junk folder.

“The letter I received was dated the 3rd of February 2020 and they alleged it was sent to him, via email, on the third or fourth of this month. However, neither myself nor [Walkes’ advocate attorney Keston] McQuilkin had any knowledge of this prior to us filing for the garnishee order on the 4th of February.

“We got the order by the court on about the 11th and it was served on the 13th.”

Roberts-John said Wallace’s email asked Walkes not to pursue his judgment until the end of the year. She suggested that her client was unimpressed by the request.

“I won’t repeat what Mr Walkes told me [about the TTFA’s offer],” said Roberts-John, with a chuckle.

Wallace and TTFA general secretary Ramesh Ramdhan said they have been working on getting Walkes to lift the garnishee order since then. It means finding an interim figure that the former technical director would accept, even as they try to source the money to meet whatever demand he makes.

“We are asking for an advance from our foreign sponsors to get some early money,” said Ramdhan. “I have been working on this since Friday.”

Wallace admitted that neither he nor his general secretary have informed the TTFA Board. Instead, the football fraternity heard the news, partially, in an I95.5FM report.

“This situation was such a surprising one and we have been trying to work out how to resolve it,” said Wallace. “We are trying from our end to find a resolution before we make an issue of it but we will have to inform the board [and] Ramesh [Ramdhan] is trying to get an advance from overseas sponsors—we are getting some traction there.”

If Wallace hoped to resolve the matter quietly before it went public, his efforts to do so were doomed from the start. Before the TTFA even discovered which creditor garnisheed their accounts, Fifa had already contacted them about it.

“The freezing of our accounts took place on Thursday afternoon and, by Friday morning, Fifa knew—and we didn’t inform them,” said Wallace. “Fifa asked us to tell them by midday today what action we are taking to resolve the matter… We have already sent out that email.”

The TTFA is due an annual remittance of US$1.5 million (TT$10 million) from Fifa to handle its affairs. However, the governing football body, headed by president Gianni Infantino, has stalled on making the payment. Instead, Fifa allegedly expressed concern at the TTFA’s inherited debt, estimated at TT$50 million, and are insisting on a firm plan of action by the new administration, which has been in office for less than three months.

“They want to know how we will treat with the debt,” said Ramdhan. “They also want us to write to them saying we won’t use Fifa Forward money to satisfy debts, which we did. So far, they have withheld our funds.”

Wallace confirmed the impasse.

“They indicated they are sending a mission of Concacaf and Fifa personnel to discuss our general finances and our debt,” said Wallace. “They intend to send their people in before they send the Fifa Forward money. But they have not given us a date for that mission…”

In the meantime, creditors are getting impatient and current administrative and technical staff are due salaries.

“Yesterday, I went to court on a Jack Warner matter for another $15 million and there was no defence submitted by the last administration,” said Ramdhan. “We barely got through with submitting a defence in time. Under John-Williams, there were three occasions when his lawyer (Annad Misir) said he would submit a defence but never did—[Stephen] Hart, Walkes and Warner.

“[…] We asked [former general secretary] Sheldon [Phillips] not to go through the court process and those talks are ongoing. The Walkes and Phillips contracts are two of the worst contracts we have ever seen.

“They were heavily weighed against the TTFA and leave all the options open to the employee. But the fact is there is a contract and the man is owed, so we have to treat with it.”

Walkes and Phillips were both hired by late former TTFA president Raymond Tim Kee. In the case of the former technical director, Walkes, according to Wallace, had a clause which allowed him to unilaterally renew his own contract. So, Walkes told the High Court that he would enforce that right and, as a result, the football body must pay his salary from 2015 to 2022.

Ramdhan hopes that the TTFA can reach a compromise with Walkes soon.

“Our lawyer said the only way to lift the garnishee is to talk to Walkes’ lawyers and try to get some goodwill,” he said. “Freezing the accounts won’t do anyone any good, especially when we have showed our willingness to talk.”

Roberts-John suggested the TTFA brought the matter on itself.

“Why wait for us to get a garnishee order before you present us with an offer?” she asked.

Incidentally, Roberts-John also represents the 2016 National Futsal Team which has a judgment for over TT$500,000 from the local football body. And the key mover behind that suit, former team manager Ronald Brereton, has already publicly clashed with TTFA technical committee chairman Keith Look Loy over the current direction of the Futsal programme.

Ramdhan believes Wallace used his personal relationship with former Soca Warriors head coach Stephen Hart to buy the football body time to pay him off. But there still remains judgments due to another technical director, Anton Corneal, former head coach Russell Latapy and outstanding bills from contractors, hotels, travel agencies and so on.

Former National Senior Team head coach Dennis Lawrence and his assistant Stuart Charles-Fevrier—both dismissed by the current administration—are also owed settlements.

Still, Wallace, who was elected president last November after a 26-20 win over John-Williams, believes he can lead the TTFA into a brighter future, once given time.

“From where I sit and with the plans we have and the money that Fifa will send to the FA, we are in a very good position to manage football in Trinidad and Tobago,” said Wallace. “It is just a matter of getting over these hurdles. [The garnishee order] came at a very inappropriate time but I guess the claimant has the right to do what he feels he has to do to recover monies owed to him.

“It is ironic that this whole court matter was taken [by John-Williams] against the advice of Fifa, who asked him to renegotiate Walkes contract and not simply ignore it.

“[…] Based on our projections, we can run football comfortably in Trinidad and Tobago. We just have to get over these hurdles that are not of our own making.”

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Bianconeri on February 21, 2020, 11:13:25 AM
Dude, Kendall just wants his money owed to him. He does not want any extension.

"Walkes and Phillips were both hired by late former TTFA president Raymond Tim Kee. In the case of the former technical director, Walkes, according to Wallace, had a clause which allowed him to unilaterally renew his own contract. So, Walkes told the High Court that he would enforce that right and, as a result, the football body must pay his salary from 2015 to 2022."


TTFA accounts frozen while Fifa stalls on paying subvention, Wallace insists better days coming.
By Lasana Liburd (Wired868).


Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) president William Wallace has insisted that the current administration can competently manage the local game, even as he admitted that the TTFA’s accounts were frozen by a creditor while Fifa is hesitant to pay its annual subvention to the local football body.

Last Thursday, former TTFA technical director Kendall Walkes had the TTFA’s accounts frozen, based on their failure to satisfy its debt to him.

Walkes won a default judgment for over TT$5 million last September based on his illegal dismissal by then president David John-Williams. The burden now rests with John-Williams’ successor, Wallace, to meet that debt.

Melissa Roberts-John, who is Walkes’ attorney, confirmed their move against the TTFA.

“Yes, there is a garnishee account and [the TTFA’s] account has been frozen,” she said. “It was served on 13 February and we don’t go to court until 10 March when they will get a chance to have their say to the court.”

Wallace and general secretary Ramesh Ramdhan expressed dismay that the action was taken when they felt they were in negotiation with Walkes. However, they accept that it is the legal right of the United States-based coach.

The TTFA president claimed that he emailed Walkes on 3 February and asked for more time to service the debt.

“I wrote to Kendall [Walkes] on the third of February indicating that we accepted the judgment of the court [against the TTFA] and we are not in any position to treat with the matter at this point in time,” said Wallace. “But we have a debt reduction project that we want to start later in the year and we want him to give us consideration and hold his hand.”

However, Roberts-John said her client denied receiving that email, which was subsequently forwarded to her by the TTFA on 14 February.

“In a matter where you have attorneys on record, you should send all correspondence to the attorney and not the client directly,” said Roberts-John. “So it was not proper protocol to send that to Walkes. And my client said he could not find it in his in-box, trash or junk folder.

“The letter I received was dated the 3rd of February 2020 and they alleged it was sent to him, via email, on the third or fourth of this month. However, neither myself nor [Walkes’ advocate attorney Keston] McQuilkin had any knowledge of this prior to us filing for the garnishee order on the 4th of February.

“We got the order by the court on about the 11th and it was served on the 13th.”

Roberts-John said Wallace’s email asked Walkes not to pursue his judgment until the end of the year. She suggested that her client was unimpressed by the request.

“I won’t repeat what Mr Walkes told me [about the TTFA’s offer],” said Roberts-John, with a chuckle.

Wallace and TTFA general secretary Ramesh Ramdhan said they have been working on getting Walkes to lift the garnishee order since then. It means finding an interim figure that the former technical director would accept, even as they try to source the money to meet whatever demand he makes.

“We are asking for an advance from our foreign sponsors to get some early money,” said Ramdhan. “I have been working on this since Friday.”

Wallace admitted that neither he nor his general secretary have informed the TTFA Board. Instead, the football fraternity heard the news, partially, in an I95.5FM report.

“This situation was such a surprising one and we have been trying to work out how to resolve it,” said Wallace. “We are trying from our end to find a resolution before we make an issue of it but we will have to inform the board [and] Ramesh [Ramdhan] is trying to get an advance from overseas sponsors—we are getting some traction there.”

If Wallace hoped to resolve the matter quietly before it went public, his efforts to do so were doomed from the start. Before the TTFA even discovered which creditor garnisheed their accounts, Fifa had already contacted them about it.

“The freezing of our accounts took place on Thursday afternoon and, by Friday morning, Fifa knew—and we didn’t inform them,” said Wallace. “Fifa asked us to tell them by midday today what action we are taking to resolve the matter… We have already sent out that email.”

The TTFA is due an annual remittance of US$1.5 million (TT$10 million) from Fifa to handle its affairs. However, the governing football body, headed by president Gianni Infantino, has stalled on making the payment. Instead, Fifa allegedly expressed concern at the TTFA’s inherited debt, estimated at TT$50 million, and are insisting on a firm plan of action by the new administration, which has been in office for less than three months.

“They want to know how we will treat with the debt,” said Ramdhan. “They also want us to write to them saying we won’t use Fifa Forward money to satisfy debts, which we did. So far, they have withheld our funds.”

Wallace confirmed the impasse.

“They indicated they are sending a mission of Concacaf and Fifa personnel to discuss our general finances and our debt,” said Wallace. “They intend to send their people in before they send the Fifa Forward money. But they have not given us a date for that mission…”

In the meantime, creditors are getting impatient and current administrative and technical staff are due salaries.

“Yesterday, I went to court on a Jack Warner matter for another $15 million and there was no defence submitted by the last administration,” said Ramdhan. “We barely got through with submitting a defence in time. Under John-Williams, there were three occasions when his lawyer (Annad Misir) said he would submit a defence but never did—[Stephen] Hart, Walkes and Warner.

“[…] We asked [former general secretary] Sheldon [Phillips] not to go through the court process and those talks are ongoing. The Walkes and Phillips contracts are two of the worst contracts we have ever seen.

“They were heavily weighed against the TTFA and leave all the options open to the employee. But the fact is there is a contract and the man is owed, so we have to treat with it.”

Walkes and Phillips were both hired by late former TTFA president Raymond Tim Kee. In the case of the former technical director, Walkes, according to Wallace, had a clause which allowed him to unilaterally renew his own contract. So, Walkes told the High Court that he would enforce that right and, as a result, the football body must pay his salary from 2015 to 2022.

Ramdhan hopes that the TTFA can reach a compromise with Walkes soon.

“Our lawyer said the only way to lift the garnishee is to talk to Walkes’ lawyers and try to get some goodwill,” he said. “Freezing the accounts won’t do anyone any good, especially when we have showed our willingness to talk.”

Roberts-John suggested the TTFA brought the matter on itself.

“Why wait for us to get a garnishee order before you present us with an offer?” she asked.

Incidentally, Roberts-John also represents the 2016 National Futsal Team which has a judgment for over TT$500,000 from the local football body. And the key mover behind that suit, former team manager Ronald Brereton, has already publicly clashed with TTFA technical committee chairman Keith Look Loy over the current direction of the Futsal programme.

Ramdhan believes Wallace used his personal relationship with former Soca Warriors head coach Stephen Hart to buy the football body time to pay him off. But there still remains judgments due to another technical director, Anton Corneal, former head coach Russell Latapy and outstanding bills from contractors, hotels, travel agencies and so on.

Former National Senior Team head coach Dennis Lawrence and his assistant Stuart Charles-Fevrier—both dismissed by the current administration—are also owed settlements.

Still, Wallace, who was elected president last November after a 26-20 win over John-Williams, believes he can lead the TTFA into a brighter future, once given time.

“From where I sit and with the plans we have and the money that Fifa will send to the FA, we are in a very good position to manage football in Trinidad and Tobago,” said Wallace. “It is just a matter of getting over these hurdles. [The garnishee order] came at a very inappropriate time but I guess the claimant has the right to do what he feels he has to do to recover monies owed to him.

“It is ironic that this whole court matter was taken [by John-Williams] against the advice of Fifa, who asked him to renegotiate Walkes contract and not simply ignore it.

“[…] Based on our projections, we can run football comfortably in Trinidad and Tobago. We just have to get over these hurdles that are not of our own making.”

https://www.socawarriors.net/federation-news/22466-normalisation-body-could-help-ttfa-revamp-corneal.html

Title: Normalisation body could help TTFA revamp—Corneal
Post by: Tallman on February 21, 2020, 02:07:36 PM
Normalisation body could help TTFA revamp—Corneal
By Walter Alibey (T&T Guardian)


Nor­mal­i­sa­tion or no nor­mal­iza­tion com­mit­tee? These were the ques­tions be­ing asked by foot­ball ad­min­is­tra­tors, fans, coach­es and sup­port­ers as news spread that FI­FA and CON­CA­CAF planned to send such a body here to sta­bilise the Trinidad and To­ba­go Foot­ball As­so­ci­a­tion (TTFA) amid a bleak fi­nan­cial sit­u­a­tion that has brought the sport to a vir­tu­al stand­still.

Last Fri­day, for­mer T&T tech­ni­cal di­rec­tor Kendall Walkes took out a gar­nishee or­der on the T&TFA’s ac­counts in a dis­pute over wrong­ful dis­missal, there­by pre­vent­ing any foot­ball-re­lat­ed trans­ac­tions from tak­ing place.

Last year, the em­bat­tled as­so­ci­a­tion, then led by David John-Williams, was al­so hit by a gar­nishee or­der by the T&T Fut­sal team, which was at­tempt­ing to re­cov­er just un­der $600,000.

Yes­ter­day, An­ton Corneal, an­oth­er for­mer tech­ni­cal di­rec­tor who, like Walkes, had to take the TTFA to court for un­paid wages and oth­er ex­pens­es, said he did not want to tell the TTFA how to run its af­fairs. But in giv­ing de­tails on the in­tro­duc­tion of a nor­mal­i­sa­tion com­mit­tee in­to a coun­try, Corneal said it could help sta­bilise T&T foot­ball.

“A nor­mal­iza­tion com­mit­tee is go­ing to bring some sta­bil­i­ty. It’s go­ing to try to look at things in the most ob­jec­tive way, us­ing peo­ple who don’t re­al­ly have a great his­to­ry of the pro­grammes. So it’s some­one just look­ing on to see how you can get that as­so­ci­a­tion back in line,” Corneal told Guardian Me­dia.

“In say­ing that, it takes some time. A nor­mal­i­sa­tion com­mit­tee would not come in for three months or five months. It’s gonna take a year, some­times two years, so if that’s the di­rec­tion, I don’t know what the ef­fects are go­ing to be but it should be our very last re­sort.”

Corneal, son of for­mer na­tion­al stand­out and coach Alvin Corneal, said he could not say if such a com­mit­tee was need­ed at this time, as he did not the de­tails on how much the was in debt, a sense of where mon­ey was spent and how it was spent and what bud­get it came from.

“I don’t have the facts but in say­ing that they will need guid­ance and prob­a­bly go­ing to the moth­er body, which would be the FI­FA, they would need some sort of guid­ance at least now, be­cause it is true that ac­counts are frozen, which makes it ex­treme­ly dif­fi­cult for any as­so­ci­a­tion,” the younger Corneal said.

How­ev­er, he dis­missed thoughts that a nor­mal­i­sa­tion com­mit­tee will be em­bar­rass­ing for the coun­try, say­ing it has been done in oth­er ter­ri­to­ries be­fore, in­clud­ing Guyana four years ago.

“It has hap­pened in oth­er places be­fore and again, what­ev­er is best. This is just an­oth­er mea­sure to help get some of the pro­grammes back on stream. It’s an­oth­er mea­sure, where a dif­fer­ent body that is go­ing to pri­ori­tise dif­fer­ent­ly, just to make sure that when an as­so­ci­a­tion is run­ning in a coun­try again, every­body is back on the same lev­el, be­cause right now, some peo­ple are owed some are not owed and I am sure that they do not have the fi­nan­cial ac­cess to just wipe out all the bills and mon­ey that are owed to all the peo­ple and or­gan­i­sa­tions that they owe,” Corneal said.

On Wednes­day, TTFA tech­ni­cal com­mit­tee chair­man Kei­th Look Loy blamed FI­FA for the fi­nan­cial sit­u­a­tion the TTFA has found it­self in, say­ing the world body al­lowed the mis­man­age­ment of the John-Williams-led ad­min­is­tra­tion to go on for the past four years, yet they (FI­FA) had been with­hold­ing mil­lions of dol­lars of funds for the cur­rent TTFA ex­ec­u­tive in Zurich.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on February 21, 2020, 03:02:07 PM
TTFA sets up Education sub Committee to develop key areas in football.
TTFA Media.


The first meeting of the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association’s Education Sub Committee of the Technical Committee  took place on Thursday.

The members of this sub-committee  who were involved in the meeting included FIFA instructor Anton Corneal, TTFA Technical Director Dion La Foucade, Dr Marissa Nimrod who is the Chair of the TTFA Medical Committee and Vice President of the Trinidad and Tobago Medical Association; Sherlan Cabralis, UWI Sports Management Lecturer and Director UWI/FIFA/CIES Sports Management Programm; and David Benjamin, Director of Civilian Conservation Corps/and Military led Academic Training Programme ( MILAT ). The meeting was chaired by Technical Committee chairman Keith Look Loy.

The purpose of the meeting was to discuss a curriculum, courses and schedules for TTFA’s training and development academy which will deliver courses in four main areas – coaching, physical preparation, medicine and sports science, administration and management.

These courses will fall under FIFA, CONCACAF, TTFA or other external agencies and the sub-committee will develop a panel of instructors for each area.

Additionally, the TTFA will pursue MOUs with external agencies to enable delivery of the local courses.

TTFA President William Wallace, commenting on this latest initiative, stated, “This is another one of the committees set up with an aim towards holistic development of the various areas within the organisation that are responsible for running our football.

“In fact, it is about more than just football. It deals with Identifying guiding principles and “best practices”. Though there is no single “best model”,  there are proven methods and best practices that increase the chances of success.”

Look Loy echoed similar sentiments saying “This is an historic initiative. Never before have we seen anything like this in local football. The intention is to ensure that we expand the range of courses we offer, streamline their delivery and make their availability predictable to potential participants throughout the country. This will ensure we improve the quality of the local game, from grassroots to elite.”

Corneal who is now a FIFA lecturer on Administration as well as Technical development, endorsed the initiative, telling TTFA Media. “The TTFA has targeted the right stakeholders to form this committee. They would now plan design and implement various courses for Administrators, Management personnel, Medical staff, Physical Trainers and Coaches. Hopefully most of these programs would be implemented this year.”

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on March 03, 2020, 12:14:02 PM
Walkes opens negotiations: TTFA asked for TT$2.5 million to lift garnishee order.
By Lasana Liburd (Wired868).


Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) president William Wallace and former technical director Kendall Walkes have opened discussions regarding a garnishee order that led to a freeze on the local body’s bank accounts. But that is where the good news starts and ends.

The TTFA’s bank accounts have been frozen since 13 February, due to an apparent breakdown in talks between the organisation and its former employee, who was hired under then president Raymond Tim Kee and unceremoniously dismissed by Wallace’s predecessor, David John-Williams.

And, on Carnival Friday, Walkes informed the TTFA of the figure he wants to be paid before he lifts the garnishee order. Wired868 was reliably informed that the former national player asked for TT$2.5 million, which represents almost half of the US$783,000 (TT$5.4 million) settlement that he was awarded by the High Court for breach of contract.

“We are trying to get a temporary something for Kendall [Walkes] to unfreeze the accounts,” Wallace told Wired868, “but the offer put on the table by his attorney is not within our grasp. So we will continue to work on that over the next week.”

Walkes’ attorney, Melissa Roberts-John, confirmed that her client gave a figure to the TTFA last week and are awaiting an official response. She blamed the current impasse on poor communication from the football body, which they are now trying to address.

“We are willing to reach an amicable decision in light of the garnishee order and we are amenable to discussion,” said Roberts-John. “It is a lack of communication that took us here but we are open to a negotiation. Since sending this correspondence, I haven’t heard anything back from them but this is the start of the negotiation.

“At least we are having direct discussion with [the TTFA officials] now.”

While the two parties try to reach an understanding, the hardship will be felt primarily by the TTFA’s office staff and coaches.

“I cannot say whether they will be paid at the end of the month at present,” said Wallace. “We would like to pay our salaries on time because we are striving not to run up any additional bills. So definitely that is an issue. We are looking for a contingency measure so it doesn’t go far beyond the end of the month and hopefully we will at least deal with the office staff.”

The local football body has enough drinking water and equipment to ensure that the national teams can continue training, regardless of the impasse. And, fortunately, the accommodation, flights and meals for the Women’s National Under-20 Team were taken care of before the garnishee order was executed.

However, the TTFA now finds itself unable to provide stipends to the coaches on duty at the Concacaf Under-20 Championship in the Dominican Republic. The Women Soca Warriors qualified for the Round of 16 on Tuesday afternoon and will try to win Group F tomorrow when they face Haiti.

“Ideally we would like to provide a stipend for our coaches and players,” said Wallace. “But they have all the basic things they need to continue, just like our teams training here.”

The TTFA is due an annual Fifa subvention of US$1.5 million (TT$10 million) but, thus far, the governing body has stalled on paying. At present, a mixed delegation from Concacaf and Fifa is in the country to examine the local body’s financial healthy, which is allegedly the first step towards releasing the aforementioned funds.

Former TTFA board member Selby Browne, who unsuccessfully contested the post of first vice-president at last November’s election, has urged Fifa to send in a normalisation committee, which would have the effect of voiding the last election and preparing the member association for fresh leadership.

In such cases, Fifa usually invokes article 14.1(a) and 8.2, which states:

‘Member associations have the following obligations: to comply fully with the Statutes, regulations, directives and decisions of Fifa bodies at any time as well as the decisions of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) passed on appeal on the basis of article 57 paragraph 1 of the FIFA Statutes’;

And, ‘Executive bodies of member associations may under exceptional circumstances
be removed from office by the Council in consultation with the relevant confederation and replaced by a normalisation committee for a specific period of time’.

Outside of unproven claims that disgraced ex-Fifa vice-president Jack Warner was involved in Wallace’s campaign—article 14.1(i) obliges FA to ‘manage their affairs independently and ensure that their own affairs are not influenced by any third parties’—it is difficult to see any legal ground for Fifa to instil a normalisation committee in Trinidad and Tobago, particularly when president Gianni Infantino was a regular visitor to Trinidad during John-Williams’ tenure even as the TTFA’s debt soared.

Wallace, who announced a TT$25 million kit deal with English sport apparel company Avec Sport today, vowed that he could erase the TTFA’s estimated TT$50 million debt within three years.

“[…] Even with the constraints, this FA is going to rise and do well,” said Wallace. “We are going to take ourselves out of the hole we are in. We didn’t come in here without a plan; and that plan is going to unfold as we go forward.

“We came in with a debt of 50 million [TT dollars]. Within three years that debt will be no longer a TTFA debt; I promise Trinidad and Tobago that.”

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on March 03, 2020, 03:48:25 PM
Caribbean Chemicals becomes new TTFA partner.
TTFA Media.


The Trinidad & Tobago Football Association is delighted to announce Caribbean Chemicals & Agencies Ltd as its latest Official Partner with an agreement that will support in the development and improvement of playing pitches at senior, junior and school level.

The four-year agreement, worth a total of TT$1.5m, takes effect immediately and follows last week’s announcement of Avec UK as the TTFA’s technical kit and training wear Partner.

Caribbean Chemicals has made an investment in the TTFA that includes product for the improvement of playing facilities. Additionally, Chairman Joe Pires has offered his personal support and general counsel on domestic commercial matters as and when required.

Pires told TTFA Media: “Becoming the first domestic Partner of the new TTFA administration is a significant moment both for Caribbean Chemicals and for me personally. It was important to us that we were the first to show our support for a new era in T&T football as it reflects the confidence we have in this administration and in people like new Senior Men’s Coach Terry Fenwick to make the improvements that football fans across the whole of Trinidad and Tobago are desperate to see.

“I’m proud that Caribbean Chemicals has become an Official Partner and on a personal level, am looking forward providing some executive assistance which I hope can help accelerate overall development.”

Caribbean Chemicals will work with the TTFA to establish international standard pitches across the country by providing technical support through our internationally trained agronomists (technical representatives) for all pitches utilized by the TTFA.

The company will be using the most advanced techniques and products from world renowned companies like BASF, Miller Chemical, Bayer, Omex, Agafert and AgriGro which are already used on some of the top playing fields around the world. The product lines include bio-stimulants and non-toxic additives that will ensure the safety of players, and the highest standards of control.

TTFA President William Wallace said: “The confirmation of Caribbean Chemicals as a new Partner is a significant show of solidarity from a major locally based organisation. I believe this illustration of local support is a hugely meaningful moment in our overall programme and I look forward to a long and successful association.”

Video - Caribbean Chemicals becomes latest TTFA Partner (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIYtGhzaYNA&feature=emb_title)

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Deeks on March 03, 2020, 08:52:53 PM
Nice!
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Trini _2026 on March 04, 2020, 01:49:46 PM
we in bad shape from money owing to the home of football ...poor project managment on home of football....

https://www.youtube.com/v/LLVXERY4_kA
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on March 04, 2020, 04:31:58 PM
Wallace outlines the good, the bad and the ugly about the TTFA.
By Inshan Mohammed.


President William Wallace, in his first 100 days in office, has been making a positive impact since taking over the cash-strapped Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) last November and, is determined to take Trinidad and Tobago football up to where is should be oneday.

Today, at the Queens Park Oval in-front of the media and staff members. Wallace spoke to the general public through its own media director Shaun Fuentes and gave a full breakdown of the problems that is hurting the association and how poorly things have been running in the past.

However, all was not bad news as there was some good stuff the president revealed concerning T&T football despite, facing a $50million debt. He said that they've acquired a few more sponsorship deals that will be disclosed in due course. The president said that some of the sponsorship money will be geared towards bringing back the FA-Cup and the restructuring of the Super and Pro Leagues respectively.

Wallace, who seemed to be in good spirits outlined that there were a lot of rackets surrounding the TTFA including an illegal National Insurance System (NIS) loan which was taken out anonymously. Wallace also touched on the poorly constructed Home of Football hotel project that is yet to be in operation because of bad project management.

Click Here (https://youtu.be/LLVXERY4_kA?t=721) to listen his full press conference.

RELATED NEWS

TTFA Presidents speaks on 100 days in office.
TTFA Media.


As reported widely by the media and in a Guardian report which stated, “Over $4 mil­lion in pay­ments for na­tion­al in­sur­ance (NIS), health sur­charge and PAYE (Pay As You Earn) re­mains un­ac­count­ed for, by the T&T Foot­ball As­so­ci­a­tion (TTFA) under the previous administration

“On Wednes­day, new pres­i­dent William Wal­lace, in giv­ing an up­date on what his ad­min­is­tra­tion met when they as­sumed of­fice what they have done so far af­ter 100 days, said they have al­ready re­port­ed their find­ings to the rel­e­vant au­thor­i­ties and are seek­ing ways to bring the pay­ments of em­ploy­ees up to date.

On Wednes­day, new pres­i­dent William Wal­lace, in giv­ing an up­date on what his ad­min­is­tra­tion met when they as­sumed of­fice what they have done so far af­ter 100 days, said they have al­ready re­port­ed their find­ings to the rel­e­vant au­thor­i­ties and are seek­ing ways to bring the pay­ments of em­ploy­ees up to date.

The un­paid $4 mil­lion, Wal­lace said is for two years as the last pay­ment on NIS, PAYE and health sur­charge was made in No­vem­ber 2017.

This was on­ly one of many sit­u­a­tions the Wal­lace-led ad­min­is­tra­tion said it en­coun­tered on No­vem­ber 24, last year. Ac­cord­ing to Wal­lace, he was not cast­ing any as­per­sions on any­one but is stat­ing the facts, said: “In a press con­fer­ence in De­cem­ber 2016 the then pres­i­dent of the TTFA, David John-Williams, in­di­cat­ed that there was a debt of $16 mil­lion. That debt is now at $50 mil­lion and count­ing. When we got in there in No­vem­ber, there was no mon­ey to pay staff. We dis­cov­ered that NIS, PAYE and health sur­charge, the last time that was paid to the rel­e­vant au­thor­i­ties, was in No­vem­ber 2017. We have since ac­cu­mu­lat­ed a debt of $4 mil­lion. Im­por­tant here, this mon­ey was re­flect­ed as be­ing tak­en out of the salaries of the em­ploy­ees.”

In a grim de­scrip­tion of why the sport had sunken to the point it has been at for the past four years, Wal­lace said: “We have trav­el agen­cies be­ing owed over $850,000 and these agen­cies are at the verge of clos­ing down at this point; A loan tak­en from CON­CA­CAF for US$600,000. That loan was tak­en in 2017 and in­ter­est on the loan, month­ly is US$2,500. The prin­ci­pal is still out­stand­ing, plus the in­ter­est to­talling US$63,000. We were al­so faced with 29 bounced cheques to­talling $345,000, in­ci­den­tal­ly, four of those cheques were paid to clubs in the League that was formed just be­fore the elec­tions (the League of Cham­pi­ons),” Wal­lace re­vealed.

The teams re­ceiv­ing the bounced cheques were De­fence Force, Guaya Unit­ed, Youth Stars Unit­ed and Moru­ga FC.

“In an­oth­er jaw-drop­ping rev­e­la­tion to a packed me­dia gath­er­ing, Wal­lace said the TTFA last year al­so re­ceived $990,000 for the pro­posed T-League, which was de­signed to re­struc­ture top-flight lo­cal foot­ball and put it on par with some of the top Leagues world­wide. In­stead, Wal­lace said the mon­ey was used for the League of Cham­pi­ons, and de­spite be­ing in a sur­plus po­si­tion, cheques giv­en to clubs bounced,” the Guardian stated.

Wal­lace added that match agents are be­ing owed despite claims of monies being earned for international game between 2016-2019.

“Ac­tu­al­ly, one per­son went to the FI­FA and FI­FA ruled against the FA. So we have out­stand­ing for match agents $148,000. And match fees to play­ers for those game were not paid since June, to­talling just over a mil­lion dol­lars. Coach­es and tech­ni­cal staff have not been paid since June, to­talling $1.3 mil­lion.”

Mean­while, in­ten­tions to use the Home of Foot­ball as an in­come-gen­er­at­ing mea­sure has been dashed, due to struc­tur­al flaws. Wal­lace said, in ad­di­tion to huge sums of monies be­ing owed on fa­cil­i­ty to the tune of $2 mil­lion, they have had to close the Home of Foot­ball be­cause of no fire clear­ance, no alarm, no emer­gency voice com­mu­ni­ca­tion sys­tem, no emer­gency light­ing, no portable fire ex­tin­guish­ers, no fire hose reel sys­tem, no ded­i­cat­ed wa­ter sup­ply, no fire pump, no li­a­bil­i­ty in­sur­ance, leak­ages, flood­ed steps, and poor­ly in­stalled door frames.

The Guardian also reported “Af­ter 100 days in of­fice the T&T Foot­ball As­so­ci­a­tion (TTFA), un­der the lead­er­ship of William Wal­lace, has had a lot to brag about.

In a com­par­i­son of what Wal­lace and the TTFA met when they as­sumed of­fice last year, to what they have done to date, Wal­lace at a press con­fer­ence at the Pres­i­dent’s Box of the Queen’s Park Oval on Wednes­day said a sig­nif­i­cant step has been made to clear off the debt of the foot­ball as­so­ci­a­tion.

The lo­cal foot­ball boss said they have signed a Mem­o­ran­dum of Un­der­stand­ing (MOU) to treat with the debt sit­u­a­tion, which has now reached $50 mil­lion, and they have al­so set­tled a 15-year dis­pute with for­mer ra­dio com­men­ta­tor and jour­nal­ist Sel­wyn Melville on the right­ful own­er of the ‘So­ca War­riors’ name.

“The debt of $50 mil­lion, we have signed an MOU where that is con­cerned and we should be able to take care of that debt in two to three years, and who knows, it might prob­a­bly be be­fore that. There was a mat­ter in the court for prob­a­bly 15 years, the Sel­wyn Melville mat­ter where the is­sue of the trade­mark was in the court. And re­al­ly and tru­ly, when we looked at every­thing, the FA had ab­solute­ly no ev­i­dence to claim the trade­mark. So here we have a mat­ter in the court, we are pay­ing le­gal fees and so on and we have no ev­i­dence. We have tak­en that mat­ter out of the courts, it has been set­tled, and at this point in time we are draw­ing up an arrange­ment to move for­ward with Sel­wyn Melville, who has claimed the trade­mark, for prof­it-shar­ing from the trade­mark,” Wal­lace ex­plained.

The MOU comes at an ide­al time af­ter a team from the CON­CA­CAF and FI­FA vis­it­ed re­cent­ly and ad­vised the TTFA to not both­er to use the Home of Foot­ball in Bal­main, Cou­va as a rev­enue-gen­er­at­ing av­enue. This Wal­lace said was be­cause of the many struc­tur­al flaws that ex­ist­ed, as well as the in­abil­i­ty to se­cure prop­er emer­gency sys­tems.

Wal­lace al­so said there was no kitchen at the fa­cil­i­ty and there­fore they will at­tempt to have their youth teams, use the dorms, or try to part­ner with a com­pa­ny to see how it can be uti­lized. “The build­ing is up but we have to find a way to uti­lize it. In terms of project mon­ey that we were sup­posed to have to the tune of $2 mil­lion is now down to $109, 000 at this point in time, and we have not re­ceived our FI­FA mon­ey yet which is for op­er­a­tions. The Board is dis­cussing ways we can move for­ward, once the build­ing can be used, whether it’s a prof­it-shar­ing arrange­ment, I don’t know that we have the ex­per­tise to run a ho­tel,” Wal­lace said.

The TTFA has al­so se­cured a $25 mil­lion ap­par­el deal: set up a new web­site: se­cured a broad­cast and dig­i­tal rights part­ner: sealed its first do­mes­tic spon­sor: se­cured a spon­sor for the FA: com­mis­sioned the cre­ation of a strate­gic plan: meet­ing with cred­i­tors on an on-go­ing ba­sis: paid out $1 mil­lion to cred­i­tors: paid $227, 000 to the tech­ni­cal staff: paid $135, 000 to play­ers: ac­quired the ser­vices of a Se­nior Coun­sel pro bono: se­cured a spon­sor for elite foot­ball- new League for Pro League, Su­per League and zon­al clubs in a three-Tier sys­tem: and has set up a Sports and Sci­ence Med­ical Com­mit­tee with a man­date to de­vel­op pro­grammes, among many oth­ers.

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: maxg on March 04, 2020, 11:58:10 PM
Wallace outlines the good, the bad and the ugly about the TTFA.
By Inshan Mohammed.


President William Wallace, in his first 100 days in office, has been making a positive impact since taking over the cash-strapped Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) last November and, is determined to take Trinidad and Tobago football up to where is should be oneday.

Today, at the Queens Park Oval in-front of the media and staff members. Wallace spoke to the general public through its own media director Shaun Fuentes and gave a full breakdown of the problems that is hurting the association and how poorly things have been running in the past.

However, all was not bad news as there was some good stuff the president revealed concerning T&T football despite, facing a $50million debt. He said that they've acquired a few more sponsorship deals that will be disclosed in due course. The president said that some of the sponsorship money will be geared towards bringing back the FA-Cup and the restructuring of the Super and Pro Leagues respectively.

Wallace, who seemed to be in good spirits outlined that there were a lot of rackets surrounding the TTFA including an illegal National Insurance System (NIS) loan which was taken out anonymously. Wallace also touched on the poorly constructed Home of Football hotel project that is yet to be in operation because of bad project management.

Click Here (https://youtu.be/LLVXERY4_kA?t=721) to listen his full press conference.


:( :'( :-\ :praying:
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Tiresais on March 05, 2020, 04:15:57 AM
DJW and his cabal are a bunch of crooks. Disgrace
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: maxg on March 05, 2020, 01:59:49 PM
"Wal­lace al­so said there was no kitchen at the fa­cil­i­ty and there­fore they will at­tempt to have their youth teams, use the dorms, or try to part­ner with a com­pa­ny to see how it can be uti­lized. “The build­ing is up but we have to find a way to uti­lize it. In terms of project mon­ey that we were sup­posed to have to the tune of $2 mil­lion is now down to $109, 000 at this point in time, and we have not re­ceived our FI­FA mon­ey yet which is for op­er­a­tions. The Board is dis­cussing ways we can move for­ward, once the build­ing can be used, whether it’s a prof­it-shar­ing arrange­ment, I don’t know that we have the ex­per­tise to run a ho­tel,” Wal­lace said."


Hate to say ppl were warned...Yet all kinda bodies attended the farce of Grand Opening and no one saw what Wallace and staff seeing now ? Doh talk about the lack of inventory and thiefing  of equipment. And we wonder why the society in the state it in..- We have successful ppl setting crooked examples to the youths. I pray this admin- that's a lot of ppl - would not be tempted and give in, as a few previous admins obviously did. Even if we have to band our belly, skip some events and take some licks for a few years. When we surface permanently, the whole country would be proud and develop a better self esteem. Of Course, there will always be some measure of deviants. Hopefully less around the game we love.

smh.. Can barely maintain, but we can build. Spoke to the maintenance crew at CCCan last year. 4 ppl to do cleaning the whole pool building during and after events, 2 guys and 2 girls. They had to lift and carry the garbage over 500 yards away. I counted 8 administrators in the office, awaiting questions and to provide service. Build. how the Lara build going.
ps: the maintenance staff and security personnel did and wanted to say more, but asked me to keep things on the low, as they were afraid of losing their jobs. I already gave the story about the police checkpoint .

ref: http://www.socawarriors.net/forum/index.php?topic=1508.msg975722#msg975722
each body overseer the hotel. And all associations share the expenses, cause left to football alone, we’ll we know how that goes.. el

maxg, while you making sense, I see this hotel as DJW plaything. Another center of "excellence" scenario.
Many people like expensive playthings, very few can manage them to a profit or well. Can he keep the hotel operationally successful, can he put ppl in the rooms at their expense and not ours ? As i said swimming is going to cover 1 month. Having a nice hotel to hold our National football camps is great, but how is it going to make money to cover those National camps. This is not a Ma & PA bb we talking about, it's a thing that will require year round staffing and operations. 80% of Operations and occupancy may have nothing to do with football . Staff can't be hired by month or event...the only way this will be viable for our National programs, is if the Hotel can operate at a profit, regardless of how nice it look or wonderful location to stadia.

ps: MzTing graduating in Tourism and Hotel Management, but given how ppl does get pay, i not recommending her at all. ;)                           
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: soccerman on March 05, 2020, 03:17:56 PM
Yea Maxg, I remember your post from over a year ago and like it's coming to fruition.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on March 08, 2020, 08:51:31 AM
TTFA has eyes on coronavirus.
By Jelani Beckles (Newsday).


PRESIDENT of the TT Football Association (TTFA) William Wallace said the Soca Warriors’ two matches against Canada at the end of March are scheduled to be played, but he is willing to adjust if the threat of the coronavirus becomes more serious.

During a press conference at the Queen’s Park Oval,on Wednesday, Wallace was asked how the FA plans to manage the various national teams in the face of the coronavirus, “We have been keeping abreast of that. We have been talking to the relevant persons in the various countries. For example, in the Dominican Republic we asked about it. They seem to think that the threat level there is extremely low at this point in time.”

T&T women’s Under-20 team competed in the Dominican Republic, at the Concacaf Under-20 Championships which started on February 22 and ends, on Sunday. During the team’s time in the Dominican Republic, that country recorded its first confirmed case of the coronavirus.

Wallace added, “Concacaf was also asked and they said at this point in time they had no plans to change their schedule based on the threat levels.”

New head coach Terry Fenwick’s first assignment will be against Canada in two friendlies on March 27 and 31. “We are supposed to be playing two games with Canada at the end of March. Our director of football (Dion La Foucade) called the director of football in Canada yesterday (Tuesday) and they also said that threat levels in Canada are very low at this point in time, so the games remain on the table.”

The TTFA president said he is willing to adapt if the coronavirus forces changes to the football calendar.

“If of course things change, of course we will have to go with whatever the changes are then.”

Wallace said a committee has also been set up to monitor the coronavirus. “The medical committee has also set up a coronavirus policy for the TTFA.”

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Tiresais on March 09, 2020, 03:14:00 AM
"Wal­lace al­so said there was no kitchen at the fa­cil­i­ty and there­fore they will at­tempt to have their youth teams, use the dorms, or try to part­ner with a com­pa­ny to see how it can be uti­lized. “The build­ing is up but we have to find a way to uti­lize it. In terms of project mon­ey that we were sup­posed to have to the tune of $2 mil­lion is now down to $109, 000 at this point in time, and we have not re­ceived our FI­FA mon­ey yet which is for op­er­a­tions. The Board is dis­cussing ways we can move for­ward, once the build­ing can be used, whether it’s a prof­it-shar­ing arrange­ment, I don’t know that we have the ex­per­tise to run a ho­tel,” Wal­lace said."



Perhaps the best response is to long-term lease it out to a more competent party, with a provision of reduced rent and guaranteed access for teams? A long-term lease would give the party an incentive to invest and improve on the capital, which the TTFA clearly doesn't have the budget for.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Thomo on March 09, 2020, 07:47:37 AM
This article doesn't say it but he has mentioned in an interview that profit sharing by outsourcing the facility to a third party is an option that they are reviewing.
I agree with you (and him) that that's the best option.
Title: FIFA to decide Look Loy, La Foucade dispute
Post by: Tallman on March 09, 2020, 09:47:52 AM
FIFA to decide Look Loy, La Foucade dispute
T&T Guardian


As the T&T Foot­ball As­so­ci­a­tion (TTFA) con­tin­ues to limp from one fi­nan­cial shake-up to an­oth­er, with the news that fired for­mer tech­ni­cal di­rec­tor Kendall Walkes is de­mand­ing at least TT$2.5 mil­lion to lift the gar­nishee or­der over the TTFA's bank ac­count, now comes news that re­cent­ly fired na­tion­al se­nior men's head coach Den­nis Lawrence and his man­age­ment team, led by Eng­lish-based agent Mike Berry, have re­port­ed the TTFA to FI­FA for the non-pay­ment of monies owed on his con­tract and out­stand­ing salaries.

Speak­ing with host An­dre Er­rol Bap­tiste on Is­ports on i95.5fm, Sat­ur­day night on a range of top­ics and is­sues, pres­i­dent of the TTFA William Wal­lace said, "I have sent an email to Den­nis Lawrence's agent Mike Berry prob­a­bly over the last two weeks ago but he has not re­spond­ed. We have ap­prised him of the sit­u­a­tion and that we are work­ing to­wards, get­ting Den­nis his mon­ey for him."

Wal­lace said, "I would not doubt it. Den­nis' agent is an Eng­lish­man and I as­sume that he may have tak­en the mat­ter to FI­FA. It is a con­cern, it is a debt that we have to pay. If he goes to FI­FA, then we have to pay the debt, just as Car­oli­na Morace (fired women’s coach) case went to FI­FA and they de­duct­ed it from our mon­ey ac­tu­al­ly, that they were sent to us."

Busi­ness as­so­ciate paid Feb­ru­ary salaries

FI­FA gives each coun­try a grant of US$1.2 mil­lion in two tranch­es. The first one (US$600,000) is due in Jan­u­ary but de­layed and the sec­ond one lat­er in the year. This mon­ey is to be utilised to the cov­er ad­min­is­tra­tion costs pri­mar­i­ly of the TTFA of­fice, so any de­duc­tion for monies right­ful­ly owed to Lawrence will come out of that, mean­ing that the staff will suf­fer for salaries.

Wal­lace re­vealed how TTFA's salaries were paid in Feb­ru­ary, giv­en the freez­ing of the TTFA’s bank ac­count. He said: "We did, we did get a donor, a lo­cal donor, to ad­vance us the mon­ey to pay the staff so the staff was paid."

This was con­firmed by the gen­er­al sec­re­tary of the TTFA, Ramesh Ramd­han, who ad­dressed the sit­u­a­tion al­so as a guest on the pro­gramme. He said, "The donor is a busi­ness as­so­ciate of mine who I ap­proached be­cause I could not see the staff go­ing, af­ter work­ing so hard with them all through Car­ni­val and with the FI­FA peo­ple here and all of that and all of them go­ing home to their fam­i­lies and don't have mon­ey. I took it on my own. I told the pres­i­dent. The agree­ment I have is that as soon as our sit­u­a­tion is re­solved with re­spect to our bank ac­counts and mon­ey re­ceived, they will be paid."

Asked about the up­com­ing salaries for March, Ramd­han said, "I do not plan to do that."

With re­gards to pay­ments to the tech­ni­cal staff Wal­lace said, "How­ev­er, tech­ni­cal staff and coach­es have not been paid. We have made a com­mit­ment to all the staff in the var­i­ous teams, and we told them we are wait­ing for FI­FA mon­ey and al­so our ac­counts be­ing frozen."

Asked about pay­ment for the na­tion­al se­nior coach Ter­ry Fen­wick, Wal­lace said, "The na­tion­al se­nior coach has not start­ed any­thing yet but in the com­ing week. His con­tract start­ed in Jan­u­ary and he too is ap­prised of the sit­u­a­tion but the re­cep­tion for all the coach­es has been ex­treme­ly good, they are with us, they un­der­stand the sit­u­a­tions and they're await­ing the out­comes so they can be paid."

When ques­tioned as to if Kei­th Look Loy, the chair­man of the tech­ni­cal com­mit­tee is be­ing paid, Wal­lace re­spond­ed, "No he is not be­ing paid, he is do­ing this vol­un­tary, no pay­ment is be­ing made to him.

Look Loy v La Fou­cade

How­ev­er, in re­spond­ing to ques­tion about dif­fer­ences be­tween Look Loy and a mem­ber of the tech­ni­cal staff which has the po­ten­tial of al­so reach­ing as a dis­pute Wal­lace said, "Noth­ing has come to my at­ten­tion but if it comes to me, I will deal with it."

How­ev­er, Ramd­han re­vealed an is­sue of con­cern has come to his at­ten­tion. He said, "The tech­ni­cal di­rec­tor (Dion La Fou­cade) came to me with the same con­cerns, con­sis­tent with what Mr Wal­lace just said. There was this or­gan­i­sa­tion­al chart, which has the chair­man of the tech­ni­cal com­mit­tee at the top of it so he (tech­ni­cal di­rec­tor) is look­ing at the FI­FA guide­lines gov­ern­ing the tech­ni­cal di­rec­tors of any coun­try and say­ing that he is fol­low­ing that to the 'T'. That is at vari­ance with the struc­ture that was ap­proved by the board, so there are some dif­fer­ences there and he (La Fou­cade) is in­sist­ing that he should be in the po­si­tion based on what FI­FA reg­u­la­tions states."

Ramd­han con­tin­ued: "We just heard it varies from coun­try to coun­try. There's a stale­mate, how­ev­er, FI­FA tech­ni­cal com­mit­tee is send­ing some­one along with the re­gion­al head of the tech­ni­cal de­part­ment to Trinidad and all these mat­ters should be set­tled when they ar­rive."

Fur­ther dis­cus­sions are ex­pect­ed on both health and trav­el con­cerns re­gard­ing the im­pend­ing match be­tween the men’s na­tion­al se­nior team and Cana­da in light of the Coro­n­avirus.

How­ev­er, it was re­vealed that sev­er­al new faces will be join­ing the T&T squad.

"I have had meet­ings with the na­tion­al coach and we are cur­rent­ly look­ing at around nine over­seas-based play­ers, from the Unit­ed States and Eng­land, some play­ing in the Cham­pi­onship Di­vi­sion," Ramd­han said.

La Fou­cade was ap­point­ed Tech­ni­cal Di­rec­tor of T&T foot­ball on Jan­u­ary 17.

Wal­lace quells Avec con­cerns

Wal­lace dis­put­ed the fact, that there are claims that uni­form deal spon­sors Avec sports is too small a com­pa­ny to be able to be in­volved in a deal such as the re­port­ed TT$25 mil­lion con­tract, he said, "Their par­ent con­tract – Just Sports – is a large out­fit and the TTFA has a con­tract which to­day (Sat­ur­day), I pre­sent­ed to the board and we al­so have a con­tract for cash with Caribbean Chem­i­cals of TT$1,000,000 spread over the life of the con­tract with the oth­er $500,000 in ma­te­ri­als."
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: asylumseeker on March 09, 2020, 10:42:02 AM
Oh gorm La Foucade, yuh jes reach ... relax a lil bit and grow into the role?
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: maxg on March 09, 2020, 12:05:05 PM
Oh gorm La Foucade, yuh jes reach ... relax a lil bit and grow into the role?
Jeezanages, what's with the friggin egos. if is not twenty things is another twenty..
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Cocorite on March 09, 2020, 12:21:39 PM
I feel this is more of the "journalist" stoking fire.

I'm all for transparency. Big believer in it.  But there will be in-house conflicts and the public don't have to know everything.

Stoking fire.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Thomo on March 09, 2020, 01:21:56 PM
I feel this is more of the "journalist" stoking fire.

I'm all for transparency. Big believer in it.  But there will be in-house conflicts ant the public don't have to know everything.

Stoking fire.
I agree pal. I got absolutely nothing concrete from the article about them being at loggerheads.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on March 09, 2020, 02:16:59 PM
$4 million for taxman missing, an unsafe hotel and spiralling debts: Wallace reveals TTFA’s ‘true’ health.
By Lasana Liburd (Wired868).


Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) president William Wallace has accused the administration of his predecessor, David John-Williams, of failing to account for millions of dollars received from Fifa and improperly deducted from office staff.

Wallace’s claims were part of a 50-minute long press conference at the Queen’s Park Oval in St Clair, in which he revealed issues inherited from the controversial former football president and also pointed to his perceived accomplishments after 100 days at the job.

“I am not here to cast aspersions on anyone’s character. I am not here to blame anyone for anything. I am not here to say anyone did anything. All I am saying to you, these are the facts as discovered.”

Among several startling allegations was the claim that the John-Williams-led administration withheld TT$4 million dollars due to the National Insurance Board (NIB) and Ministry of Finance for NIS, PAYE and health surcharge for employees.

“We’ve discovered that NIS and PAYE, health surcharge; the last time that was paid to the relevant authorities was November of 2017,” said Wallace. “We have since accumulated a debt of $4 million for NIS, health surcharge, PAYE. Now, importantly, this money was reflected as being taken out of the salaries of the employees.

“So $4 million taken out from the salaries of employees and that $4 million has not been paid to the relevant authorities.”

Wallace said he welcomes an investigation into the missing money and hopes to speak to the ‘relevant authorities’.

“There are laws in Trinidad and Tobago that govern that,” he said. “I hope that whoever is supposed to deal with this is guided by that. We will provide information to the relevant authorities.”

Wired868 reached out to John-Williams for comment via a phone call, text message, email and whats app. He did not respond on any of the aforementioned platforms.

John-Williams’ former general secretary, Camara David, also did not comment when asked to explain the discrepancy.

John-Williams is a businessman and contractor and the chairman of Pro League club, W Connection. David is the current general secretary of the Caribbean Football Union (CFU).

David’s predecessor, Justin Latapy-George, left the TTFA in January 2019. He admitted that he knew the football body was behind on its payments for employees but claimed to be shocked by the figure.

“Like in any organisation, these are statutory deductions that are withheld from the remuneration of employees and is to be remitted to the government,” said Latapy-George, who now works as head of sport development at Sportt. “I knew we were behind but I did not know the quantum… The FA is set up with a finance manager and, although the [office] is run by the general secretary, it is really the responsibility of [finance officer] Tyril Patrick.”

Patrick declined comment on his possible role in the alleged misuse of employee money meant for the state. The finance manager, who was hired by John-Williams, refused to attend TTFA AGMs in 2018 or 2019 to answer the membership’s questions on the football body’s financial health—despite allegedly being ordered to do so by Latapy-George—on the grounds that he was due to resign and had been excused by the then football president.

Remarkably, two years later, Patrick continues to serve as the football body’s finance manager under Wallace, even as the current president pointed to a slew of other financial discrepancies, such as 29 bounced cheques issued by the John-Williams-led TTFA including four to League of Champions clubs, Defence Force, Guaya United, Youth Stars United and Moruga FC.

“Interestingly, the FA submitted to Fifa a proposal for the T-league […] and monies were allocated for that project,” said the TTFA president. “TT$990,000 was given to the FA for that project and from that money the clubs were given TT$25,600. So TT$203,200 was spent on the League of Champions, money given to clubs. That left us with TT$786,800—we had a surplus. And yet, cheques bounced.”

However, Wallace suggested that Patrick was not an accomplice to wrongdoing but rather a victim of the TTFA’s lack of internal financial structure.

“[Patrick] said he was acting on instructions when I asked him why he issued the bounced cheques,” said Wallace. “[…] What we are doing now, based on the evaluation and audits we have done, is putting systems in place and reporting structure, etc.

“[…] He is still working with us but there are systems in place to make sure he is governed by proper policy.”

The TTFA’s new internal finance structure, which would presumably transform Patrick into a model accountant, is overseen by accountant Robert Reis and Kendall Tull at present. Both have extensive financial management and audit experience.

Wallace claimed that the work of the pair satisfied a recent delegation of Fifa and Concacaf officials and should see a thawing of relationship between the governing football bodies and the twin island republic.
Fifa, according to current TTFA general secretary Ramesh Ramdhan, had delayed paying its annual subvention due to concerns regarding the financial state of the local football body.

“Fifa were very happy with the report that was generated […] through our finance committee [of] Robert Reis and Kendall Tull,” said Wallace, who said the pair have addressed several weaknesses within the TTFA’s set-up. “We found an absence of any kind of internal structure within the FA; there were no internal financial controls.

“[…] Fifa were very happy [with the report by Reis and Tull] and said we did half of their job for them.”

Wallace reiterated that John-Williams gave the TTFA’s debt at TT$16 million in 2016. However, since then, the current president said the debt climbed to ‘TT$50 million and rising’.

The TTFA’s new debts include: TT$184,000 to match agents, TT$1.3 million to technical staff members and over TT$1 million in match fees to players. Ironically, as Wallace noted, John-Williams boasted about raising over TT$6 million from overseas matches while he appeared to have not been paying his bills.

Wallace also spoke at length about the state of the Home of Football and the design and insurance issues that continue to make it unsafe for use.

“There was absolutely no fire clearance for the hotel. For you to get fire clearance you must be able to provide the following and all of these things are missing: fire detection and alarm system, no emergency voice communication system, no emergency lighting, no portable fire extinguishers, no firehose reel system, no dedicated water supply (we are borrowing water from the SPORTT Company), no fire pump…

“Now this hotel was opened and we had four youth teams and our national senior team stay in this hotel […] and all of this was missing.”

(Wired868 will provide more details on the Home of Football in a separate report tomorrow.)

On the debit side, Wallace pointed to a TT$25 million clothing deal with UK-based company, Avec Sport, and a TT$1.5 million deal with local company, Caribbean Chemicals.

Wallace also claimed to have sponsors in place for the TTFA FA Trophy Cup and a TTFA-run three-tiered domestic competition, which fellows a similar format to the previously proposed T-League and will absorb the Pro League and TT Super League competitions. However, he said he will reveal the names of those companies at a separate press launch.

The new local league, he said, will start in mid-June and will offer prize money.

He also claimed that the TTFA has activated 10 of its 11 statutory committees—only two were active at the end of John-Williams’ term in office—and boasted about having over 20 medical professionals and doctors on the body’s medical committee.

He revealed too that the TTFA reached an out of court settlement with former journalist Selwyn Melville over the Soca Warriors trademark and hopes to soon reach an agreement with former technical director Kendall Walkes as well.

At present, the TTFA’s bank accounts are still frozen due to a garnishee order executed by Walkes for non-payment.

Wallace said that Lawrence’s contract also represents part of the local body’s 50 million debt, which he hopes to clear within the next three years. However, he did not offer an update on discussions with the former Warriors head coach.

The salaries of the TTFA’s current technical staffs was given at TT$4.3 million per year in a recent board meeting. However, Wallace said that the football body can meet most of its operating costs with just its Fifa Forward money of US$1.2 million per year with ‘a deficit of just under TT$200,000’.

Through One Concacaf funding of US$150,000 per year and private sponsorship, he hopes to raise the additional revenue.

It is uncertain whether the operating costs mentioned included overseas trips and camps for national teams; and, up to the time of publication, Wallace could not be reached for clarification.

The TTFA president insisted, though, that, despite the setbacks, local football is already in a better condition than when he took office.

“We are doing our best in the circumstances,” he said. “Things are going to get so much better—and faster than anyone thinks.”

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: asylumseeker on March 09, 2020, 02:36:49 PM
There is no one size fits all regarding the chain of command and authority vis-a-vis the Technical Director within the technical and administrative directorate of a federation.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Tallman on March 09, 2020, 03:22:59 PM
TTFA confirms exclusive retail agreement with Sports & Games
TTFA Media


The Trinidad & Tobago Football Association (TTFA) has today announced Trinidad & Tobago’s leading sports retailer Sports & Games as its Exclusive Retail Partner.

The four-year arrangement includes collaboration on a series of marketing campaigns and fan engagement programmes that will add extra value to fans who purchase official merchandise. Among the activities planned will be events including (but not limited to) ticket giveaways, match day experiences for Sports & Games customers, in-store customer events and ‘meet and greet’ opportunities with players and management.

The announcement follows the recent confirmation of Avec UK as the TTFA’s technical kit Partner and completes the important supply line to fans with the full support of the nation’s most influential sports retailer. Sports & Games will act as the sole domestic retailer of official playing kit, training wear and officially branded leisure apparel for all national and women’s teams and the national Futsal and Beach football teams.

Sports & Games will undertake a minimum annual spend on marketing and promotional campaigns and will make staged licensing payments to the TTFA from generated sales.

As Official Retail Partner, Sports & Games will be afforded online and match day branding opportunities and will have exclusive rights to install and manage in-stadia retail outlets for all TTFA national team match days.

TTFA President, William Wallace said: “Following swiftly on from our announcement of Avec as technical kit and training wear Partner and Caribbean Chemicals as our first domestic Partner, this is another illustration of the growing confidence in the future of football in Trinidad & Tobago. We are building a commercial platform that has been lacking for too long and I am delighted that such a trusted and prominent retailer in Sports & Games has committed to joining the journey.

“Whatever effort we make as an administration, we cannot succeed without the assistance of Partners who understand what we are trying to do. The growing landscape of willing and supportive organisations is testimony to the progress we’re making with our overall plan of action. I am delighted Sports & Games is on board with us.”

Sports & Games (Director) Omar Hadeed told TTFA Media today at the signing at Sports & Games outlet,Trincity Mall, “I believe there is great potential in Trinidad and Tobago football and I’m delighted that Sports & Games is now part of the process to see that potential realised. This is not just about selling merchandise, this is an opportunity to work alongside the new TTFA administration and helping them to take football back to the people of this nation.

“I’m excited that we’ll be working with the TTFA on a whole raft of activities that can promote the positives of our football and generate a new level of enthusiasm. I can assure everyone we will be playing our part to the full and I’m proud that we have the opportunity to do so.”

Avec Chairman Peter Crawford said: “As the technical kit and training wear supplier, we’re delighted that the leading Sports retailer in Trinidad and Tobago, Sports & Games, is now a part of the commercial process. This end-to-end solution is a natural fit and the whole chain, from supply, to team, to high street makes perfect sense.”

The agreement also provides an option for Sports & Games Ltd to become a non-exclusive, international retail partner.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Tallman on March 09, 2020, 04:36:42 PM
WATCH: The Trinidad & Tobago Football Association (TTFA) announces Sports & Games as its exclusive retail partner.

https://www.youtube.com/v/Glohg2l9o8Q
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on March 09, 2020, 04:37:56 PM
Ramdhan further explained that the terms of the agreement between the TTFA and its current kit supplier, Avec Sport, state the local football body would get as many as 7,500 replicas to sell per year. This is separate from the TT$25 million in uniforms due to the various national teams.

Should the local football body sell them all, the TTFA, according to Ramdhan, is due 80 per cent slice from any additional sales.

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Tallman on March 10, 2020, 03:29:42 PM
TTFA sets up Medical and Sports Science Committee
TTFA Media


The Trinidad and Tobago Football Association is pleased to announce the installation of its Medical and Sports Science Committee.

The committee will oversee the following programmes –
1. Education and Research
2. Sports Nutrition
3. Medical and Anti Doping
4. Mental Acuity
5. Injury prevention and Active recovery 6 Peak Performance training

TTFA President William Wallace commented on the latest development, saying “Knowledge and best practice in this area is a bonafide and necessary part of sport and particularly football and we are extremely pleased about the set up of this committee. Sports medicine and science has migrated into the mainstream, cutting a broad swath, crossing and encompassing many different disciplines, such as the various areas mentioned such as education and research, medical and anti-doping, injury prevention and peak performance training.

There is clearly a role for sports medicine and sports science knowledge in the comprehensive preparation and care of our players and staff members,” Wallace added.

The members of the committee which will be chaired by Dr. Marisa Nimrod can be seen here (https://thettfa.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Medical-and-Sports-Science-Committee-Press-Release1-1.docx).
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on March 10, 2020, 04:32:34 PM

How­ev­er, it was re­vealed that sev­er­al new faces will be join­ing the T&T squad.

"I have had meet­ings with the na­tion­al coach and we are cur­rent­ly look­ing at around nine over­seas-based play­ers, from the Unit­ed States and Eng­land, some play­ing in the Cham­pi­onship Di­vi­sion," Ramd­han said.


Interesting. !!!!

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Tiresais on March 11, 2020, 04:26:23 AM

How­ev­er, it was re­vealed that sev­er­al new faces will be join­ing the T&T squad.

"I have had meet­ings with the na­tion­al coach and we are cur­rent­ly look­ing at around nine over­seas-based play­ers, from the Unit­ed States and Eng­land, some play­ing in the Cham­pi­onship Di­vi­sion," Ramd­han said.


Interesting. !!!!

I imagine that's Bostock - he's on loan in the Championship.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on March 12, 2020, 11:02:44 AM
Corona-who? T&T Football March On.
By Colin Murray (Guardian).


Stay­ing with the pos­i­tive, well done to the Trinidad & To­ba­go Foot­ball As­so­ci­a­tion (TTFA). Af­ter all the bad news that greet­ed us last Wednes­day at their press con­fer­ence, and the thought that all is lost for our foot­ball, it is in­deed ad­mirable that en­ti­ties such as Avec, Sports & Games and Caribbean Chem­i­cals have opt­ed to come on board as spon­sors of the TTFA.

I say to those com­pa­nies, you have put your mon­ey where your mouth is - con­grat­u­la­tions. Over the last four years, I can on­ly re­mem­ber NL­CB and Nu Iron as foot­ball spon­sors.

Hope­ful­ly, more com­pa­nies will come for­ward to sup­port the TTFA. I have said pre­vi­ous­ly that neg­a­tive pub­lic­i­ty in any or­gan­i­sa­tion can nev­er at­tract spon­sors. What a dif­fer­ence a change of lead­er­ship can make!

Ed­i­tor's note: The views ex­pressed in this col­umn are sole­ly those of the writer and do not re­flect the views of ay or­gan­i­sa­tion of which he is a stake­hold­er.

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on March 12, 2020, 12:41:51 PM
Fenwick, Look Loy and La Foucade have heated exchange over roles in TTFA meeting.
By Lasana Liburd (Wired868).


Soca Warriors head coach Terry Fenwick, Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) technical director Dion La Foucade and technical committee chairman Keith Look Loy clashed this morning in a heated discussion at the TTFA’s headquarters in the Ato Boldon Stadium, Couva.

And, when it was over, La Foucade allegedly accepted the duties as originally proffered by the board—which stripped the post of responsibility for any national team—while Fenwick was asked to apologise to the committee for ‘behaviours exhibited’ and ‘prematurely departing before dismissal [of the meeting]’.

Technical committee member Ken Elie, a former national youth team coach, said the meeting was heated but useful.

“When big men enter in a meeting with differences and everyone leave smiling somebody bullshitting somebody,” said Elie. “But I feel we had a very progressive meeting.”

Ostensibly, the technical committee summoned Fenwick, a former England World Cup defender and Portsmouth, San Juan Jabloteh and Central FC head coach, to discuss his plans for the Warriors’ friendlies away to Canada on 27 and 31 March as well as his long term designs for the Senior Team and the Project 2026 squad.

But Fenwick had concerns of his own with regards to the management of his team. In particular, he was dissatisfied with efforts to sort out passports for foreign-born players who expressed varying degrees of interest in joining his squad.

Those players were: Toronto FC midfielder Nick De Leon (29 years old), Kilmarnock FC attacker Rory McKenzie (26), Tenerife full back Shaq Moore (23) and Newport County defender Ryan Inniss (24), who is on loan from English Premiership team, Crystal Palace, and is a former England youth international. De Leon, Moore and Inniss have at least one Trinbagonian parent, while McKenzie qualifies through a grandparent.

TTFA director of football Richard Piper, who also attends and contributes to technical committee members, contacted the identified players and allegedly asked them to get back to him with the necessary information. Fenwick wanted a more aggressive approach from the manager.

Fenwick, who declined comment, was incensed too that Piper said he was unlikely to get a passport for De Leon in time for June’s crucial play-offs against either Guyana or Barbados for a 2021 Concacaf Gold Cup berth. Should the Englishman fail to navigate the Warriors past that two-legged hurdle, his national senior team career would not extend beyond mid-2021.

De Leon, incidentally, is the son of local football legend Leroy De Leon and his younger sister, Jessica, has represented the Women Soca Warriors at youth level.

It was when Fenwick rounded on Look Loy for ‘interfering’ with his players that the meeting really ignited, though.

The Warriors head coach shared a letter from Moore’s agent which stated that the versatile Spain-based defender had not yet decided if and when he would wear the red, white and black strip.

(Moore tried out for Trinidad and Tobago at youth level but was not selected and he went on to captain USA at the 2015 FIFA Under-17 World Cup.)

Moore’s agent, Paul Maye, complained to Fenwick about the manner of the TTFA’s approach.

“As we discussed, you and only you are the point of contact to discuss Shaq’s future decision on his National Team selection,” stated Maye. “Currently there are multiple TTFA staff members reaching out to inquire about Shaq playing for the T&T National Side. This approach can and will create false rumours and information to the media at which point we can no longer control the narrative…”

Using Maye’s letter and Look Loy’s acknowledgment that he contacted the father of former national youth team full back Noah Powder for information about his passport, Fenwick told Look Loy that he was out of place. And the Warriors head coach insisted that nobody from the TTFA should try to contact ‘his players’ without going through him first.

At this point, Elie interjected to say that, as the TTFA’s employee, Fenwick was in no position to dictate how things were to be done.

“What I am hearing here is an employee telling the employer what and how he is going to do his stuff,” said Elie, as he recounted the exchange. “The employer says what he wants done and the employee suggests how he can get it done…

“As I was making that point, the place got heated; because he couldn’t understand that power and authority didn’t reside with him.”

Fenwick and Look Loy disagreed on which of them started shouting first. But everyone confirmed that the technical committee chairman started banging on his desk and his voice echoed through the office.

“When he started to shout at my committee member who said he cannot tell the TTFA what to do, and he is an employee and we tell him what to do,” said Look Loy, “well then I rose my voice louder than his and started to shout back. I wouldn’t deny that…”

Look Loy acknowledged that he spoke to the fathers of Moore and Powder. Moore’s father, Wendell Moore, was a former Trinidad and Tobago international while Powder’s dad, Sean Powder, is a senior member of the TTFA’s TIPP programme.

The technical committee chairman said he was only trying to help since Fenwick had been slow to get information to them and time was of the essence.

“[Fenwick] didn’t know what was the status of Powder’s passport application […] and what was Shaq Moore’s situation,” said Look Loy. “Since I knew the fathers, I reached out and got the information and passed it on the the coach and the director of national teams… What’s wrong with that?!

“I thought I was helping but he vex. [Committee] members said he is acting as though the team belongs to him and only he should speak to the footballers, which is not acceptable.

“[…] When new national coaches came in, I made the point that we have to put egos aside because no team belongs to one man—not under my stewardship!”

By then, Fenwick was questioning the chain of command under the technical committee and the chairman, Look Loy, was incensed.

“We are trying to shift the tectonic plates as far as the TTFA’s structure goes,” he said. “One of my beefs with [former coach] Dennis Lawrence was there was no planning, supervision or accountability. By and large, managers and coaches [of the other national teams] have been buckling down to the task. He is not going to be the exception.

“[…] We are not looking for confusion but we need to streamline operations with the TTFA and we have to be timely in our submissions. And everybody has to abide by that, including Mr Fenwick.

“As long as I am here, we will operate in an efficient manner with people accounting for their stewardship. When I gone, they can do what they want!”

Fenwick left the meeting before all parties came to an agreement, so as to be present at a sponsorship deal between Sports and Games and the TTFA, which he helped broker. Look Loy did not accept the reason for his exit.

“The meeting had strong words and he decided to leave with important things hanging in the breeze,” said Look Loy.

In the immediate aftermath of Fenwick’s departure, La Foucade allegedly agreed to submit to the technical committee, after initially threatening to approach Fifa for a resolution.

“Dion thought that he should not report to the technical committee and would follow Fifa’s guidelines on the technical director,” said Look Loy. “But these things vary from country to country and that was cleared up in the meeting today. In the end, he said his opinion is clarified now and he is just happy to work and contribute.”

Wired868 contacted La Foucade for confirmation but got no response.

Elie and another member, who spoke under condition of anonymity, said the meeting with Fenwick bore fruit as well.

The technical committee felt the National Senior Team coach had been negligent in his duties by not forward a training plan for his team. Fenwick countered that it was impossible to start training as the Pro League was scheduling matches on Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday each week with the National Under-20 Team also holding sessions in between.

However, he agreed to still present the committee with an outline for his plan.

“To me, the meeting was a progressive meeting because eventually he understood what is needed and he said he will work to get what we asked done,” said the anonymous member. “Despite the differences, I think the meeting was a progressive one. I think he understands now that it was not just one individual asking for it but the entire committee.”

Despite a supposedly satisfactory end to the meeting and Look Loy’s assertion that everyone should put egos aside, the technical committee still insist Fenwick should apologise.

“I personally felt offended […] because he said he doesn’t have to answer for the committee,” said the anonymous member. “The committee members feel he should apologise for that.”

Elie agreed.

“If you are home in your house and you do something you feel offends your brother or your daughter,” said Elie, “you can’t feel you are too big to say sorry…”

Fenwick had not responded to the technical committee’s position up until the time of publication.

At present, the technical committee comprises of: Look Loy (chairman), Narvin Charles, Dale Toney, Michael Grayson and Elie. Piper, Jinelle James and Norris Ferguson are adjunct committee members who do not hold voting rights.

Ferguson was the only member absent today.

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on March 12, 2020, 12:42:19 PM
Technical Chairman and Senior Men’s Head coach hold cordial meeting.
TTFA Media.


TTFA Technical Committee Chairman, Keith Look Loy, and Senior Men’s National Team Head coach, Terry Fenwick, met this morning. The meeting was cordial and productive.

Fenwick agreed that the supervision of national teams by, and accountability of national coaches to, the Technical Committee is a necessity.

Look Loy, on behalf of the Technical Committee assured Fenwick of the Committee’s support and guaranteed the facilitation of senior men’s team plans. In this regard, a meeting will be held Monday March 16th between both officials, senior men’s team management and National Teams Director, Richard Piper, to define operational protocols.

Further, TTFA advises the public that Technical Director, Dion La Foucade, has long accepted the oversight to be exercised by the Technical Committee over his work.

In summary, therefore, the Technical Director pursues developmental objectives, while national coaches lead our teams into competition. The Technical Committee supervises both areas of work.

The TTFA hopes this statement clarifies the division of labour in technical matters and puts to end any lack of clarity in the minds of all concerned.

William Wallace
President
TTFA


Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: maxg on March 12, 2020, 03:01:06 PM
Technical Chairman and Senior Men’s Head coach hold cordial meeting.
TTFA Media.


TTFA Technical Committee Chairman, Keith Look Loy, and Senior Men’s National Team Head coach, Terry Fenwick, met this morning. The meeting was cordial and productive.

Fenwick agreed that the supervision of national teams by, and accountability of national coaches to, the Technical Committee is a necessity.

Look Loy, on behalf of the Technical Committee assured Fenwick of the Committee’s support and guaranteed the facilitation of senior men’s team plans. In this regard, a meeting will be held Monday March 16th between both officials, senior men’s team management and National Teams Director, Richard Piper, to define operational protocols.

Further, TTFA advises the public that Technical Director, Dion La Foucade, has long accepted the oversight to be exercised by the Technical Committee over his work.

In summary, therefore, the Technical Director pursues developmental objectives, while national coaches lead our teams into competition. The Technical Committee supervises both areas of work.

The TTFA hopes this statement clarifies the division of labour in technical matters and puts to end any lack of clarity in the minds of all concerned.

William Wallace
President
TTFA



Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Tallman on March 13, 2020, 06:11:45 AM
National Teams training suspended for 14 days due to COVID-19
TTFA Media


In light of the entry of the corona virus into Trinidad and Tobago, and CONCACAF’s suspension of the Scotiabank Champions League yesterday, the Technical Committee in consultation with President William Wallace is suspending training for all national teams with immediate effect for a minimum of fourteen (14) days from March 13th to 27th.

Head coaches and managers have been asked to disseminate this information to all players and to remain in daily contact with them and other team staff in order to monitor their health status, specifically with regard to the presentation of Corona virus symptoms. Should anyone in their family and/or their team present such symptoms, they have been directed to immediately inform TTFA for immediate action.

Prior to the expiry of the suspension period the Technical Committee will issue further advice to teams on how to proceed.

The TTFA will issue another update at midday today pertaining to upcoming international events while Concacaf is also expected to make another announcement today.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: maxg on March 13, 2020, 12:50:23 PM
Good time to reflect, get your house in order, review,brainstorm, organize and plan for whatever the future brings. 
"Luck is a matter of preparation meeting opportunity."
Lucius Annaeus Seneca
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: soccerman on March 13, 2020, 02:27:25 PM
Good time to reflect, get your house in order, review,brainstorm, organize and plan for whatever the future brings. 
"Luck is a matter of preparation meeting opportunity."
Lucius Annaeus Seneca
:beermug:
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on March 16, 2020, 10:19:03 AM
Concacaf development director encouraged by club licensing efforts in T&T.
TTFA Media.


The recent Club Licensing Workshop hosted by the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association in collaboration with CONCACAF has been hailed by the confederation’s Director of Development Jason Roberts as it provides a platform to continue professionalising the game.

Roberts was in Trinidad last week along with CONCACAF head of professional football development Jonathan Martinez and Cristhian Tonelli, Professional football development supervisor at CONCACAF to meet with TTFA Director of club licensing and compliance Norris Ferguson, First Instance Body chairman Christophe Braithwaite prior to a workshop with clubs in the T&T Pro League and Super League.

“We are really excited about this club licensing workshop that we have in place here. I think a key role of ours is the continuing professionalisation of the game and providing access to this information around our new platform called Comet which allows a streamlining of the process,” Roberts told TTFA Media.

“Actually everything is online in a platform that can be accessed the member association, in this case the TTFA alongside Concacaf to ensure that all of our regulations, all our needs and specifications are met and this is something that we think can really help professionalise the game both from the club perspective and the member association. We had a good turn out today of clubs who are very much interested in learning an understanding the platform to ensure they give themselves a better opportunity to operate in a more professional way,” Roberts said.

“I’ve been very encouraged by the meeting that we had with the First Instance Body which is going to look at how exactly how we can implement the across the TTFA and make sure that they clubs are in a position to use this platform and streamline all processes both domestically and from our perspective regionally.

“I think it’s clear that we have a position to ensure that we give best practice scenarios and we work with our member associations to ensure that not only are the best practice models being highlighted and given the necessary inters but also to provide that chance to bring the stakeholders together.”

Roberts went onto say that it was indeed disappointing that clubs from T&T missed out on participating in regional club competitions for the past two years due to compliance failure.

“What we have done today bringing the clubs together alongside the TTFA along with our professional football development team has allowed all of those things to happen. I think it is a shame for any of our member associations to not be part, not be eligible for our competitions and we have seen that unfortunately here in Trinidad and Tobago. I think what is absolutely is important here is that our role is to give access to all of our member associations .

“We understand that the club game is vitally important to providing a platform to develop players regionally an from a club perspective and from a member association perspective. We have seen a lot of the players develop through the club system benefit greatly from the national platform,” he said.

Looking ahead to the slate of upcoming CONCACAF Competitions, Roberts said it was important to also place emphasis on development with positive results in mind.

“I think it is an exciting agenda of games coming up for the TTFA. Sometimes it is very difficult to just focus on results when there is so much development going on. Of course as football watchers and football lovers you look to the pitch first and foremost to see the barometer of success. But I think it is going to be about how the results come about, the style of play, putting in place something that is sustainable and able to be continued.

“I think that the additional resources being put into the club game with the Concacaf league, the Shield, the Concacaf League etc has really followed on from that One Concacaf focus that we have whether that be the Nations League increasing the opportunities for more competitions across the region.

“It’s all about the holistic growth that has been put in place by the President Victor Montagliani . I think he has a real vision to ensure that all our member associations can really improve on the pitch. I think that is only through competition and playing games that you are going to develop. We are in a absolutely fantastic time in our growth here at Concacaf to ensure that across the board we are improving not only on the pitch but in infrastructure and other ways which is part of why we are here today with this club licensing workshop,” Roberts said.

TTFA Club licensing director Ferguson presented a rundown on the workshop and the various areas that were in focus.

The overall aim of Club Licensing is to raise the level of Club Football, with four main goals developed:

1. Understand and safeguard Club football.
2. Raise the level of professionalism in Club football Administration.
3. Identify and share best practices of our Clubs and Leagues.
4. Formalize requirements for participation in domestic and regional competitions.   

The rationale for developing those goals was based on the mandate given by Concacaf for Clubs required to participate in the domestic competitions in TTFA, and regional competitions of Concacaf.

In that regard, Concacaf  identified some criteria for participation in the respective competitions:

• Administration
• Sporting
• Infrastructure
• Financial
• Legal

Administration

• General Club Information (Club name, Type of Club, Club Address, Phone number and email address. These are mandatory, but Concacaf will also appreciate receiving any more information on the Club to build the data base).
• Club Personnel (Position, Full name, phone number, email address and start date. These are mandatory and may also require applicable documentation to confirm the information stated.

Sporting

• Youth Team Categories (Youth team, Head Coach, Team Roster)
• Youth Development – Youth programme philosophy and objectives)
• Women’s Football (Active Teams and Overview of programmes)
• Insurance and Medical (First Team Players – Annual Medical Examination, First Team players – Insurance policy)

Infrastructure

Stadium – Overview (Home Stadium, Stadium address, Stadium capacity, Stadium – Proof of Ownership or Agreement)
Stadium – Field of play, Equipment and seating – length and width of field, type of playing surface, is the stadium football specific and several questions relative to the stadium. The list is extensive and unless you really need it, will not bother to go into all the categories.

Financial

• Club Budget (Upcoming season)
• Club Audited financials (previous season)
• Club Income
• Club Expenses

Legal

• Club Statutes
• Club control mechanisms and Ownership Structure
• Annual General meeting date
• Club Legal declaration
• Anti-racism protocol – Declaration of Implementation

“In the circumstances, the workshop was arranged to update those who were already exposed to the fundamentals required, and to make the new participants aware of what is the desirable outcome,” Ferguson stated.

“Therefore, it is my fervent desire that all Clubs are sensitized and willing to go the distance to make their Club operation professional, with the aim of participating in Concacaf Club competitions.”

Video - Concacaf Director of Development Jason Roberts on football development in Trinidad and Tobago (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fBpYodpev8&feature=emb_title)

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: real madness on March 17, 2020, 01:45:56 PM
https://wired868.com/2020/03/17/fifa-appoints-normalisation-committee-in-tt-wallace-and-vps-removed-after-three-months/


Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Deeks on March 17, 2020, 02:43:45 PM
https://wired868.com/2020/03/17/fifa-appoints-normalisation-committee-in-tt-wallace-and-vps-removed-after-three-months/




When elections were due, I remember saying, anyone running for TTFA prez. has to lots of money or being back by individuals with lots of money.
The debt is not William Wallace fault. The problem is the promises he made before the elections did not come to fruition.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Trini _2026 on March 17, 2020, 02:44:33 PM
https://wired868.com/2020/03/17/fifa-appoints-normalisation-committee-in-tt-wallace-and-vps-removed-after-three-months/

Fifa president Gianni Infantino and Concacaf president Victor Montagliani were both supported by John-Williams en route to office and were regular visitors to Trinidad over the past four years.

At a press conference two weeks ago, Wallace revealed that Montagliani admitted to attempting to help John-Williams win the last TTFA election by writing Nike to poke holes in a pre-election promise of Wallace.

Montagliani’s infamous Nike letter failed to sway voters who elected Wallace as president on 24 November 2019. But now Fifa and Concacaf have removed him anyway
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: soccerman on March 17, 2020, 07:18:35 PM
https://wired868.com/2020/03/17/fifa-appoints-normalisation-committee-in-tt-wallace-and-vps-removed-after-three-months/

Fifa president Gianni Infantino and Concacaf president Victor Montagliani were both supported by John-Williams en route to office and were regular visitors to Trinidad over the past four years.

At a press conference two weeks ago, Wallace revealed that Montagliani admitted to attempting to help John-Williams win the last TTFA election by writing Nike to poke holes in a pre-election promise of Wallace.

Montagliani’s infamous Nike letter failed to sway voters who elected Wallace as president on 24 November 2019. But now Fifa and Concacaf have removed him anyway

Got my question answered here...this reeks of corruption
Title: TTFA reveals $50M debt-eradication proposal
Post by: Tallman on March 21, 2020, 11:14:42 AM
TTFA reveals $50M debt-eradication proposal
By Walter Alibey (T&T Guardian)


Ramesh Ramdhan, the T&T Football Association (TTFA) general secretary, has sought to verify why the actions of the FIFA to send a Normalisation Committee to govern T&T football was done without merit or logic.

In a series of letters to-and-from the world governing body earlier this year, the former World Cup referee, on behalf of the embattled football administration, revealed on Friday that his administration had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for a multi-billion dollar state-of-the-art football, residential and sporting facility that would have transformed the Arima community.

He said it would have been his administration’s debt-eradication project. It was to be built on the under-utilised Arima Velodrome facility, situated in the heart of the eastern city.

According to Ramdhan, the facility was set to include a sporting ground for local, regional and international matches, a living quarters that would have been put out to the public for sale, and a business centre, all of which he said was communicated to the FIFA/CONCACAF three-member team that conduced a financial audit in February as part of their means to clear existing TTFA debt.

"They were told of the purpose of the facility and were even given a copy of the agreement," Ramdhan noted.

The project was to be done by international architect firm Lavender of the UK, a world renown company in architecture and the builders of the World Cup stadium in Qatar.

Ramdhan, who was one of two TTFA officials to have signed the MOU, said the project was being done in collaboration with the Arima Borough Corporation and work was scheduled to begin later this year.

"Official of the company- Lavender, were expected to be in T&T on April 14 to hold talks with Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley and other members of his government, as well as officials of the Arima Borough Corporation. The TTFA was expected to benefit handsomely from this project in terms of finance and it would have been used to clear the existing $50 million debt of the TTFA."

Apart from its location, the facility was set to allow residents with the luxury of watching international matches from the comfort of their homes on the upper fourth floor, while also enable them with the ease of conducting business by walking two stories below them, as was done in Qatar.

On Tuesday, FIFA took a decision to send a normalisation committee after it felt the football association’s financial position was near insolvency, although the TTFA tried to convinced FIFA that they were set to wipe clean the debt through the Lavender project. They (TTFA) also sought to show FIFA that it would have put the country’s football on stable footing.

Because of FIFA's decision, the TTFA has since agreed to challenge it through the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS). It has also called on its members in the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) to support them with a united voice that would reject injustice by the world governing body for football while showing the powerful contribution it has in world football.

FIFA, in a letter, written to TTFA on January 13, said: "In light of the significant amount of outstanding debt the T&T Football Association has had in the past with third-party suppliers, the FIFA administration would like to follow up on the current status of those debts. It is important to highlight that assets financed by the FIFA Forward Programme cannot be, under any circumstances, mortgaged. The FIFA Member Associations Division is fully committed and available to support your member association in every necessary aspect in order to achieve a positive outcome."

However, in an immediate response, Ramdhan said during a visit by the Development Manager it was discovered that funds intended for other areas were used on the now controversial Home of Football which resulted in the football association’s failure to meet its day-to-day expenses, particularly salaries for staff during the Christmas holidays.

It stated also that presently the outstanding balance owed in relation to the Home of Football is approximately $2 million, while the amount confirmed in debt is $38,782, 826.31. It was explained that others payable are $15,211,861.50, while to be determined was a $25 million which represents the Jack Warner which is before the courts and the Sheldon Phillip matter which was withdrawn by the TTFA following its election victory on November 24.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: maxg on March 21, 2020, 11:46:26 PM
I don't know how this man can take anybody to court for HIS money.
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2012/feb/16/ttff-jack-warner-haiti-funds

Then again Abu did it. Why not Ali Babba.

Maybe everybody in prison should sue the state for not helping dey parents raise dem proper. 

Oh well.I ain't no Judge.

add: as for that Walkes contract. I have suspicions there. He knows the going rate for Football TD's. I believe around CAD 75-85 K/year + benefits based on experience in our region . I might be wrong. Correction required.

"In her decision, Charles held that Walkes was entitled to US$65,000 for several months of the contract, from March 2015, when it was signed, to April 2016.

She also said he was owed US$250,000 for April 2016 to March 2018, when the contract would have ended and that he had the option to extend the contract for another three-year term so he was entitled to compensation for it.

His compensation package was US$10,000 a month and a US$3,000 housing allowance.."
I guessing 65k x12=USD 780 k + 250 K +312 k=1,342 k = ~5.4 TT at the time... ??? ???

Is that 125k + 120 k + 36 k = US 281 K/year. If I'm not wrong, that's robbing the blind. I feel my calcs wrong.

Story. I shame to say : I see a pardna take money from a vagrant . I had to buff and carry on and he say is joke. The man come to the car window. He tell the madman, "Gimme a lil something. Hell, i always giving you". The man bow he head and hand over the crumpled up dollars he had in his hand. And he drive off.
Well I cuss so much he stop by a church so I could cool down. REALLY !  On the way back we stop at the light. he give back the money to the man - saying 'yuh see' - and tell me let we hit some beers. I say hold on, and I give the man a blue note. He say wha yuh do that for. I tell him that was the money to pay for beers, i going home. Well,he say how i get so chupid and sensitive, how I doh understand the country. I feel he still vex with me, 10 years later. Bro, I dun forgive yuh, if yuh reading this.
Joke for lil boy is death for crapaud. but christ we not lil boys no more. Maybe I 'Wrong Again'.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: asylumseeker on March 22, 2020, 02:15:15 AM
I don't know how this man can take anybody to court for HIS money.
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2012/feb/16/ttff-jack-warner-haiti-funds

Then again Abu did it. Why not Ali Babba.

Maybe everybody in prison should sue the state for not helping dey parents raise dem proper. 

Oh well.I ain't no Judge.

add: as for that Walkes contract. I have suspicions there. He knows the going rate for Football TD's. I believe around CAD 75-85 K/year + benefits based on experience in our region . I might be wrong. Correction required.

"In her decision, Charles held that Walkes was entitled to US$65,000 for several months of the contract, from March 2015, when it was signed, to April 2016.

She also said he was owed US$250,000 for April 2016 to March 2018, when the contract would have ended and that he had the option to extend the contract for another three-year term so he was entitled to compensation for it.

His compensation package was US$10,000 a month and a US$3,000 housing allowance.."
I guessing 65k x12=USD 780 k + 250 K +312 k=1,342 k = ~5.4 TT at the time... ??? ???

Is that 125k + 120 k + 36 k = US 281 K/year. If I'm not wrong, that's robbing the blind. I feel my calcs wrong.

Story. I shame to say : I see a pardna take money from a vagrant . I had to buff and carry on and he say is joke. The man come to the car window. He tell the madman, "Gimme a lil something. Hell, i always giving you". The man bow he head and hand over the crumpled up dollars he had in his hand. And he drive off.
Well I cuss so much he stop by a church so I could cool down. REALLY !  On the way back we stop at the light. he give back the money to the man - saying 'yuh see' - and tell me let we hit some beers. I say hold on, and I give the man a blue note. He say wha yuh do that for. I tell him that was the money to pay for beers, i going home. Well,he say how i get so chupid and sensitive, how I doh understand the country. I feel he still vex with me, 10 years later. Bro, I dun forgive yuh, if yuh reading this.
Joke for lil boy is death for crapaud. but christ we not lil boys no more. Maybe I 'Wrong Again'.

5.4?
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: maxg on March 22, 2020, 12:19:18 PM
5.4?
According to another reported article.   ??? ???
http://www.guardian.co.tt/sports/judge-orders-ttfa-to-pay-walkes-tt54m-6.2.947548.23e9ca2c66
Title: Arima Mayor dispels TTFA $50M debt plan
Post by: Tallman on March 22, 2020, 06:11:36 PM
Arima Mayor dispels TTFA $50M debt plan
T&T Guardian


Another announcement of a partnership by the T&T Football Association (TTFA) with an expectation to help erase the public-touted TT$50 million debt was dismissed by the office of the Arima Borough Corporation (ABC) via a media release dated March 21.

On Saturday, the Guardian newspaper reported exclusively that the TTFA had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for a multi-billion dollar state-of-the-art football, residential and sporting facility with a UK Company that would have transformed the Arima community.

The publication followed a the decision on March 17, by the world governing body FIFA to send a Normalisation Committee to govern T&T football. TTFA general secretary Ramesh Ramdhan attempted to show the public the plans that his organisation had put in place and shared with FIFA to deal with the challenges that it faces saying FIFA’s decision was done without merit or logic.

On Friday, Ramdhan, a former World Cup referee revealed that in January there was a series of letters that were exchanged between the TTFA and FIFA, one of which the embattled football administration had signed was an MOU for a multi-billion dollar state-of-the-art football, residential and sporting facility that would have transformed the Arima community.

He said it would have been his administration’s debt-eradication project. It was to be built on the under-utilised Arima Velodrome facility, situated in the heart of the eastern city.

Nevertheless, FIFA still sent a three-member finance audit committee to examine the TTFA accounts between February 26-28, following a High court garnishee order on February 13 by a former employee Kendall Walkes.

According to Ramdhan, the facility was set to include a sporting ground for local, regional and international matches, a living quarters that would have been put out to the public for sale, and a business centre, all of which he said was communicated to the FIFA/CONCACAF three-member team that conducted a financial audit in February as part of their means to clear existing TTFA debt.

“They were told of the purpose of the facility and were even given a copy of the agreement,” Ramdhan noted.

On March 4, at a news conference to announce what the new executive has done 100 days in office, president William Wallace announced that the TTFA had a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to treat with the TT$50 million debt in two to three years time. He did not name the company or partner.

Arima Mayor response to TTFA’s MOU claim

The project was to be done by international architect firm Lavender of the UK, a world-renown company in architecture and the builders of the World Cup stadium in Qatar.

Ramdhan, who was one of two TTFA officials to have signed the MOU, said the project was being done in collaboration with the Arima Borough Corporation and work was scheduled to begin later this year.

However, when contacted the Mayor for Arima Her Worship the Mayor, Councillor Lisa Morris-Julian responded with a media release which reads:

“The Arima Borough Corporation (ABC) would like to address statements by the Mr Ramesh Ramdhan, General Secretary of the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association in the article TTFA reveals $50M debt-eradication proposal published in the Trinidad Guardian on Saturday 21st March 2020. The ABC wishes to state that the Corporation was not a signatory to a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) regarding the proposed sporting facility in Arima.

In January 2020, officials from the TTFA paid a courtesy visit to the office of Her Worship the Mayor, Councillor Lisa Morris-Julian with the stated proposal for the football, residential and sporting facility. TTFA indicated that their international developers intended to visit a site that can accommodate their plans and that the Arima Velodrome seemed suitable.

The officials of TTFA were thanked for the consideration of the project in the Arima Borough, however, further into the discussions, several points were specified to the TTFA officials:

• A project of the magnitude must be approved by the Cabinet before proceeding with any further discussions;

• There must be consultation with Stakeholders and burgesses of the Arima Borough;

• The construction would have significant disruptions for the burgesses and businesses in Arima.

Following this, the officials of the TTFA stated that they were making arrangements for a formal proposal. To this date, nothing was forthcoming to council.”

TTFA letter to Mosengo-Omba to erase the debt

On January 23, a few days after the meeting with the Arima Mayor the TTFA wrote Veron Mosengo-Omba, the Chief Member Association Officer: “The current administration has a plan to deal with the debts inherited and we intend to meet and discuss this with our creditors. It is our intention to acknowledge the debts and if necessary give letters of comfort to avoid the courts of Trinidad and Tobago. We have already signed a Memorandum of Understanding with a foreign company for a project in Trinidad that would factor in a debt of fifty million dollars incorporated in the overall cost of the project to satisfy the debt. Officials of the said company will be visiting Trinidad in a couple of weeks to discuss this public-private partnership with the Government of Trinidad and Tobago.”

Ramdhan revealed in Saturday’s article that: “Official of the company—Lavender, were expected to be in T&T on April 14 to hold talks with Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley and other members of his government, as well as officials of the Arima Borough Corporation. The TTFA was expected to benefit handsomely from this project in terms of finance and it would have been used to clear the existing $50 million debt of the TTFA.”

However, when Guardian Media Sports reached to several Board members about the project on Saturday they said that were not aware of such a plan or project by the TTFA.

Brent Sancho, the acting Chairman of T&T Pro League said he heard of a plan to address the debt but it was not discussed or approved by the Board. Richard Quan Chan, a very experienced board member also said he was not aware of the project. Two other board members who did not want to be named, one said, “I don’t know nothing about that.” and the other said “No comment.”

Before the TTFA letter on January 23, the FIFA, in a letter to the TTFA on January 13, stated: “In light of the significant amount of outstanding debt the T&T Football Association has had in the past with third-party suppliers, the FIFA administration would like to follow up on the current status of those debts. It is important to highlight that assets financed by the FIFA Forward Programme cannot be, under any circumstances, mortgaged. The FIFA Member Associations Division is fully committed and available to support your member association in every necessary aspect in order to achieve a positive outcome.”

TTFA owing Warner, Phillips TT$25M

In response, Ramdhan said, “During a visit by the Development Manager it was discovered that funds intended for other areas were used on the now controversial Home of Football which resulted in the football association’s failure to meet its day-to-day expenses, particularly salaries for staff during the Christmas. Presently the outstanding balance owed in relation to the Home of Football is approximately $2 million, while the amount confirmed in debt is $38,782, 826.31. It was explained that others payable are $15,211,861.50, while to be determined was a $25 million which represents two (2) matters which are before the courts re: Jack Warner and Sheldon Phillips. These figures can change dramatically based on the current trend.”

In November 2019, at the launch of his TTFA presidency, William Wallace announced a list of prospective sponsors that were to inject an estimated TT$30 million into the TTFA once he became successful. Among them were American sporting goods giant Nike and local the contractor the Junior Sammy Group of Companies. Both deals have fallen through.

On March 3, the TTFA also announced a partnership worth TT$1.5 million with Caribbean Chemicals Limited, however, two days after FIFA announced that it has decided to send in a normalisation committee to run T&T football the company cancelled the arrangement.

On Tuesday, FIFA decided to send a normalisation committee after it felt the football association’s financial position was near insolvency, although the TTFA tried to convinced FIFA that they were set to wipe clean the debt through the Lavender project. They (TTFA) also sought to show FIFA that it would have put the country’s football on a stable footing.

A day after FIFA’s decision, the TTFA president Wallace announced that the association will challenge FIFA’s decision at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). FIFA was given until today to respond to the TTFA.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: pull stones on March 23, 2020, 01:05:15 AM
these fellas moving way too sloppy and need to cross their T's and dot their I's, and try not to leave room open to getting their wings clipped.

they must remember trinidad is a very money hungry country and everyone has a price tag on their back, it wouldn't hurt them none to take a big money bribe even if it means hurting the country's interest, because it's quite obvious that trinidadians save a few are mainly on the take, and the right thing is now a thing of the past.

mr wallace please stop making up stories and start telling the truth. the big fat fella catch yuh in many misrepresentations, particularly the nike fiasco. please sir be a straight shooter and stop making up stories. trinidadians is very good at exposing lies. you've been warned.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on March 25, 2020, 06:00:55 AM
Police investigating missing football equipment.
By Walter Alibey (Guardian).


There are reports that two pieces of equipment, valued at approximately $120, 400 have gone missing from the controversial Home of Football in Balmain, Couva. And it is now gaining the attention of the T&T Police Service which is headed by Police Commissioner Gary Griffith, the General Secretary of T&T Football Association Ramesh Ramdhan said on Tuesday.

The equipment appeared to have gone missing just before November 24, 2019, Annual General Meeting (AGM) and Elections of the TTFA at the Home of Football.

Ramdhan revealed that he made the report on March 10 and followed it up with a conversation with Griffith, who promised that the matter will be investigated.

According to the former World Cup referee, he can think about no one else who can take the equipment than those who were there before his administration, noting that despite having a security presence at the Home of Football, thieves still made away with the equipment which was bought in the name of the T&T Football Association. “The money that was used to purchase the equipment came from the FIFA Forward Project, and it is said to be worth much more than the amount stated on an invoice in my possession,” Ramdhan explained.

Contacted on Tuesday John-Williams said he had no comment on the matter, while calls to the cell phone of the Police Commissioner -Griffith, went unanswered.

Guardian Media Sports learnt recently that John-Williams filed a report with the police on the claim of alleged fraud against a former employee of the embattled football association. It is said the employee took legal actions against his employers for wrongful dismissal a few years ago, but in his attempt to justify the amount he was being paid in court, gave a false statement (wrong amount) which John-Williams believed should have been challenged for fraud.

Ramdhan and his team which comprised president William Wallace and his vice presidents Clynt Taylor, Sam Phillip and Susan Joseph-Warrick, convincingly defeated former president David John-Williams and his team at the AGM of November 24, with Wallace getting the nod over his John-Williams 26-20 for the post of presidency.

He said since then the world governing body for the sport - FIFA, has decided to send a Normalisation Committee to manage the affairs of local football, a decision that is being challenged through the Court of Arbitration for Sports.

Ramdhan said Wallace and the TTFA believe FIFA's decision to remove the duly elected officers from office was done without merit and or logic.

Title: TTFA, Lavender seek Arima meeting with PM Rowley
Post by: Tallman on March 28, 2020, 08:25:06 PM
TTFA, Lavender seek Arima meeting with PM Rowley
By Keith Clement (T&T Guardian)


Despite several concerns raised by members of the former board of directors, a disclaimer issued by the Arima Mayor and a non-acceptance by FIFA, agents of former T&T Football Association (TTFA) president William Wallace appears to be still pursuing the acquisition of the Arima Multi-purpose Sports Facility.

The request for the utilisation of the facility was by John Mitchell, CEO of Lavender Consultants Ltd (LAVCON), on behalf of the TTFA in a letter to Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley on March 26.

The plan to utilise the facility, in a partnership with the Arima Borough Corporation and UK Consultants Ltd, was exclusively reported in the T&T Guardian on March 21 and 23. At the time, it was touted as part of the TTFA's plan to help erase its inherited TT$50 million debt.

However, less than 24 hours after Guardian published the March 21 story, Arima Mayor Lisa Morris-Julian distanced the corporation from any partnership with the TTFA and UK Consultants or agreeing to any Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for a multi-billion dollar state-of-the-art football, residential and sporting facility in Arima.

But even as FIFA has set up a Normalisation Committee to reorganise the TTFA's operations, LAVCON, in the letter to the PM on March 26, which Guardian Media Sports has seen, made a request to develop property within the borough and outlined the following:

"LAVCON has been in discussion with TTFA marketing director Peter Miller through general secretary Ramesh Ramdhan, regarding the potential of the project for some time. As a consequence, it has been agreed that the parties hereto require a general agreement in order to progress the project with TTFA. Accordingly, general secretary Mr Ramdhan has since signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on behalf of the TTFA, with LAVCON. It was also agreed that confidential information disclosed to each other in the course of the ongoing negotiations remains confidential and is not to be used by the parties for any purpose other than the permitted purpose.

Notwithstanding recent developments between FIFA and the TTFA and the inadvertent release of confidential information into the public domain, LAVCON hereto remains committed to continuing the discussions with all stakeholders with a view to making this project a reality in the beneficial interest of the citizens of Arima and the people of T&T in general.

LAVCON is proposing to undertake its pre-work on the project’s overall development capability, including the funding options that should enable it to cover the cost of each of the specific development categories. In regards to the overall development, it is understood by LAVCON that the TTFA shall look to introduce LAVCON to any prospective party that could assist the Project and whereby LAVCON will explore all the development options in readiness of formally looking to enter into an overall development contract. This would include, but not be limited to the following:

(i) A re-vamped stadium that would consist of a new stand for between 5,000 to 7,500 seats, plus a further 10,000 to 12,500 seating area with no roof cover. LAVCON would look to re-lay the actual playing field (either grass or 4G synthetic field);

(ii) Commercially, and to be included as part of the new stand, would be 2 end blocks that would be developed to include shops, offices, hotel, casino, restaurants etc;

(iii) An independent and modern medical consultant and treatment facility that would be used by paying customers that live on the island;

(iv) A housing development opportunity on the land surrounding most of the new stadium. It is understood this would be a mixed development ranging from 1/2 Bedroom Apartments through to 3/4 Bedroom Houses and requires specific attention to qualify the mixed housing requirement;

(v) As part of the overall development, LAVCON has agreed to include a fee to TTFA of TT$50 million. The fee would be paid in four equal amounts of TT$12,500M over the development period as follows:

- The first payment would be made one month after the development work had commenced. The second and third payments would be made on dates to be determined during the development period as agreed with TTFA. The last payment would be paid within one month of all the development work being completed.

- Fee payments would be made by the Special Purpose Vehicle company (SPV) that is set up by LAVCON to the specific account of TTFA, the details of which is to be provided to LAVCON by TTFA.

In Guardian Media's March 23 article on the issue, headlined — Arima Mayor dispels TTFA $50M debt plan — several former TTFA board members said they were not aware of such a plan or project by the TTFA.

Acting T&T Pro League chairman Brent Sancho said then he heard of a plan to address the debt but it was not discussed or approved by the board. Richard Quan Chan, a very experienced board member, also said he was not aware of the project. Two other board members who did not want to be named were also approached and one of them said they had no knowledge of the plan while the other refused to comment.

However, after seeing the letter to the PM, Guardian Media reached out to Sancho and asked him if Peter Miller had been appointed by the board of directors to TTFA marketing director position. His response was, "No, that name never came to the board and it was never discussed."

Asked who is the TTFA's current marketing director he said, "As far as I am aware, no one."

Guardian Media Sports has also seen two letters dated earlier this month in which Sancho wrote to Wallace seeking information on contracts for coaches, businesses contracts and a qualified opinion position on the Home of Football in Couva.

Sancho also noted to Wallace the issue of item 14 of Justice Ronnie Boodoosingh's judgement on June 6, 2019, in relation to a legal challenge by former director Keith Look Loy against the David John-Williams-led administration seeking information which he felt was hidden from him.

Boodoosingh's judgement stated: "The next matter that is for determination is whether the Claimant would be entitled to the documents in question. The answer to this, in my view, is an unequivocal yes. First, he is the director; he has to be provided with the information concerning the running of the organisation. This is patent and really needs no authority in support. Given the functions of a director under the law and under the incorporating statute a director must be entitled to be provided with all of the information concerning the affairs of the association. He has obligations as well as potential liabilities and must, therefore, know the true position so that he can properly perform his functions. Without information of the kind he seeks, he cannot properly perform his duties. In particular, I would refer to the request at this stage that he has made."

Sancho revealed that up to March 17 when FIFA had sent notice to the TTFA announcing it was sending a Normalisation Committee to govern T&T football, he had not got the information requested from Wallace.

A source close to the TTFA revealed that the Lavender/TTFA MOU for a multi-billion dollar sporting facility in the Arima community, which was communicated via letter to Veron Mosengo-Omba, Chief Member Association Officer of FIFA, on January 23 as a plan to erase the $50M TTFA debt, along with the High court garnishee order on February 13 by a former employee Kendall Walkes, were the main reasons FIFA/CONCACAF sent a three-member finance audit committee to examine the TTFA accounts and contracts in February.

Miller, who is said to be a close associate of Super League president and TTFA board member Keith Look Loy and T&T senior team men's team head coach Terry Fenwick and Ramdhan, was CEO of the defunct Football Company of T&T for the 2010 World Cup and had stints with W Connection and CL Financial San Juan Jabloteh. He hit the headlines in the UK following his resignation as a board director from Port Vale, after his promise that he could bring new investors to the club apparently failed. Former national players Anthony Rougier and Chris Birchall are former players of Port Vale.

Miller is understood to be an associate of Lavendar Consulting principal John Mitchell, who himself was found guilty in 2007 of various charges by the English FA of rule breaches concerning agents while he was a board director of Luton Town.

Meanwhile, on Friday, FIFA appointed businessman Robert Hadad as chairman of the TTFA Normalisation Committee, with lawyer Judy Daniel as deputy chairman and retired banker Nigel Romano as members with immediate effect and said two other members will be named in the coming days.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: maxg on March 28, 2020, 09:00:26 PM
I really don't get this New Project. Why not work with, finish, complete what y'all have, with whatever finance that can be raised. We go just go out and build another structure. We don't have enough structures just sitting doing nothing. Especially at this time when there is nothing, and I mean nothing.    :frustrated: ???

Is a make wuk to move funds or what.  Lawd..This is another Tarouba elephant or Arima Tigers fiasco.

We playing Sim City, click ah mouse and poof, building going up.   :bs:
This is nonsensical to be talking about now, given the current world and FIFA situation.
Title: Ramdhan seeking FIFA's help to pay TTFA staff
Post by: Tallman on April 04, 2020, 08:51:52 AM
Ramdhan seeking FIFA's help to pay TTFA staff
By Walter Alibey (T&T Guardian)


General secretary of the T&T Football Association (TTFA) Ramesh Ramdhan is championing the cause for staff members to be paid salaries for March.

Members of staff did not get paid last month because of a court order that allowed former technical director Kendall Walkes the opportunity to liquidate the accounts of the embattled football association for monies owed to him for wrongful dismissal back in 2016.

Walkes who was recruited under the Raymond Tim Kee-led TTFA for $93,000 a month, won a judgement for $5.2 million by the local court last December. Walkes' action also led to the TTFA accounts being garnishee on February 13.

However, on Thursday, Ramdhan who was asked to stay on to help the recently FIFA-appointed normalisation committee of businessmen Robert Hadad (chairman), retired banker Nigel Romano and Attorney Judy Daniel (deputy chairman) as well as two others who will be appointed soon, said he has been in constant communication with Hadad, a director of the HADCO Group of Companies, for salaries to be paid to the workers, among other things which will kick-off the work of the committee with its mandate of governing the sport locally.

Ramdhan, head of the secretariat at the football association, said after wages were paid for December and January, he had to borrow money to pay workers for February, because monies expected from the world governing body for football, FIFA, did not come in time.

“And I was prepared to borrow money again to ensure that workers can pay their bills and live like everyone else, but the offices were shut down on March 15 due to the outbreak of the coronavirus. But not because the office is closed means workers don’t deserve to be paid,” Ramdhan said.

Meanwhile, Hadad told Guardian Media Sports on Friday that his first assignment will be to pay salaries for March when monies become available by FIFA. He stayed clear of the battles taking place inside and outside the Football association, saying his committee has taken a job to bring back the confidence and trust by corporate T&T, government etc into T&T football.

“I need to hear from all stakeholders to chart a way forward. I am not into pointing fingers and playing the blame game, I just want to get the job done,” said Hadad, a director of the HADCO Group of Companies, who added that he believes with the coronavirus pandemic taking place, the payment of salaries could take a few months as he is unsure of whether work will begin for him and his committee members.

The bill for monthly wages at TTFA is $100,000 which excludes the salary for the general secretary, who in addition to his willingness to go out and search for the same amount to pay staff, will also have to find money to repay the lender.

The hard-working general secretary has been making sacrifices of his own, having not received a single cent in wages since assuming the role of general secretary on December 16.

“I realised that there was hardly any money in the TTFA’s account so I chose to have the monies owed to me, used to pay staff,” Ramdhan told Guardian Media Sports when contacted.

Meanwhile, there has been a slow trickle of funds coming into the TTFA’s ‘go fund me’ initiative from the general public to the former TTFA executive of William Wallace (former president), and he also ousted vice presidents Clynt Taylor, Susan Joseph-Warrick and Sam Phillip, to challenge FIFA for the implementation of the normalisation committee, through the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Less than a week since the launch of the initiative, there is an amount of $1,905 to date.

Wallace said the outbreak of COVID-19 has been a major setback as individuals are trying to hold on to every penny they have because of the unpredictable nature of the virus. He noted that because of the coronavirus, people have also lost their jobs and are unable to donate.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on April 07, 2020, 08:39:01 AM
Najjar gives TTFA challenge little chance of success.
T&T Guardian Reports.


Former T&T head coach, Dr Hannibal Najjar, has held out little hope for the T&T Football Association's (TTFA) appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), against FIFA’s sudden take-over of the organisation.

“I don’t think they have a chance in hell or heaven to be represented because I don’t think we’ve gotten ourselves strong enough,” Dr Najjar told CNC3 TV.

“They don’t have enough experience in them and enough contacts to see who they would be able to call to get some kind of assistance on what they could do.

“To come in and move them out in the first place … means they were the wrong choice. You never thought they would’ve won.”

In a sudden move last month, football’s governing body announced it was replacing the William Wallace-led TTFA executive with a normalisation committee, just four months after being elected.

This followed an assessment of the TTFA finances carried out by FIFA which revealed “extremely low overall financial management methods, combined with a massive debt”.

With the TTFA “facing a very real risk of insolvency and illiquidity”, FIFA said it would take charge of the daily operations of the organisation for the next two years so that “corrective measures [could] be applied urgently”.

However, Wallace pushed back against the decision, announcing the TTFA had retained legal counsel and would “oppose FIFA’s injustice” at the CAS in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Dr Najjar, who led T&T in a handful of matches before quitting in 2003, said he had been left “traumatised” by FIFA’s actions.

“It’s a mess, not only the last few weeks, but it (TTFA) has been running as a messy affair for the last few years,” said Dr Najjar.

“But over the last few weeks given what I’ve seen, heard, understood, didn’t understand but estimated from my own judgement … like the current regime that has been ousted, I’m somewhat traumatized by the quick action and I think maybe hasty assessment of whatever it is that made them (FIFA) feel that they could come in and normalise things.”

Last month, Caribbean Football Union boss, Randy Harris, said the TTFA challenge at the level of CAS would be “very difficult to win”. - CMC

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Deeks on April 07, 2020, 06:13:54 PM
“It’s a mess, not only the last few weeks, but it (TTFA) has been running as a messy affair for the last few years,” said Dr Najjar.

last few years is an understatement!!!!
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on April 22, 2020, 08:54:29 AM
Wallace, FCB lawyers fight over TTFA accounts.
T&T Guardian Reports.


It will appear there's a legal wrangle between the lawyers for the former president of the T&T Football Association (TTFA) William Wallace and the attorneys who are representing First Citizens Bank in a battle for the TTFA bank account.

After missing the stipulated 8 am deadline on Monday 20th April 2020 to respond to a legal letter from Wallace's attorneys Matthew GW Gayle and Dr Emir Crowne, FCB responded with a letter on April 21 which in part stated: "Our client is in process of providing us with full instructions to respond to your letter, and we should be in a position to do so in 28 days from the date of this letter."

The letter from Kendell Alexander, an associate of Johnson Camacho and Singh Attorneys at Law, of T&T law firm further stated: "Furthermore, our client notes that your client caused the said assertions/implications to be published in the national print and electronic media. Those assertions/implications could have the effect of discrediting and/or lowering our client’s professional image and reputation as a competent, confidential and prudent financial institution in the estimation of right-thinking members of society. As a result, we are instructed to demand that your client properly verifies information pertaining to our client before causing same to be placed in the public domain. Should your client cause any false allegations to be published our client will have no other recourse but to seek injunctive and such other relief in the High Court of Trinidad & Tobago for any reputational damage it may suffer."

Wallace and his three vice presidents - Mr Clynt Taylor, Ms Susan Joseph-Warrick and Mr Joseph Sam Phillip, who are challenging FIFA's decision to remove them from office after they were elected on November 24, 2019, at the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS), had sent a legal letter dated 17th April 2020, to the First Citizen's Bank, Park Street Branch manager advising the bank that a person or persons may have attempted and/or be in the process of attempting to change the names signatories on the accounts held by the TTFA.

The letter also stated: "This letter is sent in compliance with the relevant pre-action protocols as prescribed by the Honourable Chief Justice pursuant to Part 4 of the Civil Proceedings Rules 1998. No further notice or warning shall be issued."

However, FCB's responded: "Please be advised that our client instructs us that it categorically denies any assertion/implication that it has engaged in any of the acts alleged/referenced in your letter. Be advised that our client has strict policies and procedures in place which must be adhered to and require that all the requisite due diligence must be completed before the Bank can act on any request to transfer or change signatories on any account."

On March 20, the lawyers had sent a similar letter to Tyril Patrick, the current TTFA Finance manager who FIFA had appointed as caretaker until the normalisation committee was appointed giving him three days to respond. He did write FIFA on March 21 rescinding the offer. He remains the TTFA finance manager.

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: asylumseeker on April 22, 2020, 09:54:08 AM
Quote
"He remains the TTFA Finance Officer."

BOOM!
Title: Coaches worry about TTFA job cuts
Post by: Tallman on May 11, 2020, 07:04:37 PM
Coaches worry about TTFA job cuts
By Walter Alibey (T&T Guardian)


There are rumours of potential cuts to come within the technical staff of the T&T Football Association (TTFA) which is creating unease among coaches and other officials.

Guardian Media Sports was reliably informed by a source, who is close to the developments and spoke on the condition of anonymity, revealing that some coaches have even recommended a cut in their salaries as an alternative, to firing them.

The rumours have been circulating following a Zoom meeting between the chairman of the FIFA-appointed Normalisation Committee, Robert Hadad and the TTFA technical staff on April 29.

In January, a FIFA/Concacaf team was unimpressed by the football association’s appointments of 35 coaches and other technical officials at an annual salary which was stated by the then chairman of the Technical Committee Keith Look Loy as TT$4,263,000 for this year and at a time when the sporting organisation is saddled with a $50 million debt and no approved plan to pay it back, as well as put local football back on a stable footing.

Because of this debt, FIFA on March 17, enforced article 8.2 of its Statutes and appointed a Normalisation committee on March 27 to run the affairs of T&T football, thereby removing the duly elected administration of president William Wallace and vice presidents Clynt Taylor, Sam Phillips and Susan Joseph-Warrick after they were elected on November 24, 2019.

Wallace and his team have since taken steps to challenge FIFA’s decision by taking it to the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) in Lausanne, Switzerland. However, on Friday, Wallace's attorney Dr Emir Crowne accused CAS of being bias in favour to FIFA because CAS has set the cost of the arbitration as 40,000 Swiss Frances (TT$276,000), although it is expected to take place via video conferencing. FIFA does not have to pay any money.

One coach said that coaches and staff under the previous president David John-Williams have not been paid since June, while another top official of the TTFA believes there is no need to cut staff since they are all doubling up by holding two positions for the salary of one person.

For each team there is a staff of five persons, a coach, his two assistants, a trainer and a manager, all being paid a salary range from $10,000 to $7,000 each, per month.

Derek King, who is the coach of the Under-20 national team, is also one of the assistant coaches for senior national head coach Terry Fenwick. The same could be said for Angus Eve, who is the coach of the U-17 boys' team, as well as assistant coach to King at the U-20s.

Meanwhile, Keith Jeffreys, coach of the country’s U-15 team, is also a helping coach for Eve at the U-17 level.

Richard Hood is the coach of the country’s U-17 and U-20 women's teams. A member of the technical committee that selected the coaches, said staffs for the senior women’s team and the U-23 Olympic team were not selected because they were not scheduled to go into any action soon. However, he explained that the reasons for the way coaches and staff were selected, was to allow the staff sufficient time to prepare their respective team for their tournament.

He noted also that the contracts for coaches were done on a short-term basis, saying there was no one making an exorbitant salary.  

Hadad, who met with the coaches collectively and promised to meet with each coach on a one-on-one basis, told Guardian Media Sports yesterday: "That’s not true. No decision on technical staff has been made."

Hadad and his committee, which comprises attorney Judy Daniel and retired banker Nigel Romano, also promised that the committee's first assignment will be to pay salaries to staff members who have not been paid for March and April. In February, Ramesh Ramdhan had to borrow monies to pay the staff.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: asylumseeker on May 12, 2020, 01:36:19 PM
So people are vexed that teams were being staffed appropriately?
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Deeks on May 12, 2020, 01:44:22 PM
So people are vexed that teams were being staffed appropriately?

So the coaches who are doubling up(coaching one age group and assistant for another age group) would be required to take a pay cut also?
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Bianconeri on June 08, 2020, 03:10:07 PM
@Tallman ----- maybe you can confirm the talk going around that Trim, Romain and Baird(GK coach) working with a group of players along with Fenwick?

This is national training?
is this the staff?

Kelvin Jack isnt the GK coach again, or Ross Russell to fill in from the U20 staff?
Or this just a case of the current staff from the Wallace admin not really working til NC organises their biz and salaries?
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Tallman on June 08, 2020, 06:22:17 PM
@Tallman ----- maybe you can confirm the talk going around that Trim, Romain and Baird(GK coach) working with a group of players along with Fenwick?

This is national training?
is this the staff?

Kelvin Jack isnt the GK coach again, or Ross Russell to fill in from the U20 staff?
Or this just a case of the current staff from the Wallace admin not really working til NC organises their biz and salaries?


Yes, the senior team started training today. Kelvin Jack is not in the country, that is why he was not involved. Which Trim yuh talking bout?
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Tallman on June 08, 2020, 07:26:58 PM
@Tallman ----- maybe you can confirm the talk going around that Trim, Romain and Baird(GK coach) working with a group of players along with Fenwick?

This is national training?
is this the staff?

Kelvin Jack isnt the GK coach again, or Ross Russell to fill in from the U20 staff?
Or this just a case of the current staff from the Wallace admin not really working til NC organises their biz and salaries?


Yes, the senior team started training today. Kelvin Jack is not in the country, that is why he was not involved. Which Trim yuh talking bout?
Yes, Keon Trim and James Baird were there.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Tallman on June 12, 2020, 08:12:37 PM
WATCH: Andre Baptiste interviews Jamaal Shabazz and Osmond Downer

https://www.youtube.com/v/ba617QbFOZE
Title: New team, same games
Post by: Tallman on June 13, 2020, 08:56:02 AM
New team, same games
By Jelani Beckles (T&T Newsday)


AFFILIATES of the T&T Football Association (TTFA) are describing the former TTFA executive under president William Wallace as “same old, same old,” following the news that the contract of national senior men’s coach Terry Fenwick was not approved by the TTFA board.

Kieron Edwards, president of the Eastern Football Association, said when Wallace replaced David John-Williams as the new TTFA president in November 2019, people anticipated a new beginning.

Edwards said, “They talk a good game, but it is the same old, same old.”

Fenwick was hired in December 2019 to replace Dennis Lawrence as head coach after the board voted 8-1 with the understanding that he would be paid US $17,500 per month with other bonuses. In the incentive package, Fenwick would start earning US $20,000 a month if the team qualified for the 2021 Concacaf Gold Cup. However, then TTFA president Wallace, general secretary Ramesh Ramdhan and Fenwick signed an agreement that meant the national coach would receive a starting salary of US $20,000 per month and it would increase to US $25,000 if the team qualified for the Gold Cup. This was not approved by the TTFA board.

The additional US $2,500 per month came through sponsorship (not revealed) as Fenwick was not satisfied with his contract. The US $2,500 extra was included on the main contract instead of a separate contract.

Wallace and his executive led the TTFA from November 2019 to March 2020, but were removed by Fifa and a normalisation committee was appointed. The main job of the normalisation committee is to get rid of the huge debt facing the local football body.

Edwards is not satisfied with the level of communication by the former TTFA president. “Wallace needs to come to the membership and let them know what is happening because you make a statement saying, ‘We can’t tell you who is the person paying the rest of the money (Fenwick’s additional salary).’ That can’t work, not at a serious time like this. You want to keep something secret again. Secret for what?”

Edwards, however, did not say this latest situation justifies the reason why Fifa took over. “I would not go so far as to say it justifies (Fifa’s decision) because I don’t know the grounds officially why Fifa made the decision, but this shows that something needed to be done in football.”

Richard Quan Chan, president of Southern Football Association (SFA), who was also asked if the lack of transparency shown by Wallace justifies Fifa’s decision, said, “I would not want to say yes or no on that because Fifa would have made that decision based on some kind of information reaching them. They would not wake up one morning and say ‘We are going to do this.’ There must have been some kind of information reaching them and based on the information reaching them they made that decision.”

Quan Chan said the Wallace-led team is operating in the same manner that John-Williams was attacked for. “There are some things that happened, things that they criticised John-Williams for seem to be repeated in the three months (Wallace led for).”

The SFA president said the Fenwick salary confusion may affect their court battle against Fifa. “It could, It could...you criticise the last board for dictatorial behaviour and then the board agreed to something and the contract that you caused the coach to sign is different from what was agreed to.”

Wallace and the former executive are currently fighting Fifa in court on their decision to appoint a normalisation committee.

Rayshawn Mars, Northern Football Association secretary, said, “The normalisation committee (taking over) has nothing to do with Fenwick’s appointment. You will find that they want to use that as an excuse now because they see some kind of unusual (activity).”

Mars said the opportunity for Wallace and the former executive to share information with zones “never really presented itself.”

There have been rumours circulating that contracts of personnel of other national teams were extended, without the approval of the board. However, the Fenwick salary fiasco seems to be a one-off situation as technical committee chairman of the TTFA Keith Look Loy said only senior men’s team staff were given contracts exceeding one year.

Look Loy said under the Wallace-led executive the staff of national youth teams and women’s football were given short term contracts. He said, “That (extended contracts) was not done by the Wallace administration. They were given contracts for the duration from whenever they were appointed to the end of their (respective) tournaments. They were all given short term contracts.”

Concerning the contract of TTFA general secretary Ramesh Ramdhan being extended, Look Loy said that is not the case as he received a one-year contract.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: royal on June 13, 2020, 11:29:06 AM
the wheels on the bus go round and round, round and round, round and round …..
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on June 16, 2020, 10:59:12 AM
United TTFA loses confidence in Wallace... seeks meeting Saturday.
T&T Guardian Reports.


Members of the United T&T Football Association group are seeking to hold a virtual general meeting of the T&T Football Association this weekend to discuss what it calls the overstepping of authority and unacceptable behaviour by ousted TTFA president William Wallace.

In a release Tuesday, the group, which includes former TTFA first vice-president Clynt Taylor, second vice-president Susan Joseph-Warrick, third vice-president Joseph Sam Phillip, Anthony Harford and Keith Look Loy, said the situation arose after regional sports broadcaster Sportsmax revealed information concerning three crucial contracts which Williams allegedly signed off on without the apparent final approval of the TTFA board.

The contracts were listed as those for sports brand company Avec, national senior men’s coach Terry Fenwick and TTFA secretary Ramesh Ramdhan.

The group said according to the information disclosed, all three contracts were allegedly modified before being signed by Wallace and the parties involved without following the process of informing and getting final approval from the board. In fact, the group claims most of the information, in particular some of the details of Fenwick’s contract only came to light via the Sportsmax broadcasts.

The group said this behaviour was totally unacceptable and it was this type of activity by the previous regime which led the TTFA members to vote out David John-Williams and replace him with Wallace before FIFA stepped in to appoint a Normalisation Committee to revamp local football.

The group said it was still in favour of going ahead with the lawsuit against FIFA’s decision to bring in the Normalisation Committee but no longer held confidence in Williams.

As such, the group said it was calling a meeting on Saturday (June 20) to discuss the issue and how they would go forward.

FULL STATEMENT:

In recent days regional broadcaster Sportsmax raised the issue of Terry Fenwick's contract as TTFA's senior men's national team coach - specifically, the content, duration and TTFA Board approval of said contract.

We have stated for the public record that we were not aware of the content of, nor did the TTFA Board approve, said contract, which varied significantly from what it had in fact approved. Last night, Monday 15 June, Sportsmax raised the issue of Ramesh Ramdhan's contract as TTFA General Secretary - specifically the fact that it was two years in duration, while the TTFA Board had approved a one year appointment.

We were unaware of this and immediately contacted Ramesh Ramdhan via Whatsapp text to enquire about the veracity of Sportsmax's claim. Ramdhan confirmed that he does, indeed, hold a two year agreement signed by President William Wallace. We are confronted by the fact of TTFA President Wallace's signature of three contracts which the TTFA Board did not approve: 1) Avec uniforms, for which the Board criticized him but accepted his apology and assurance that such action would not be repeated. The contract was presented to the Board after the fact; 2) Terry Fenwick's; 3) Ramesh Ramdhan's.

This pattern of behaviour is unacceptable. It is unilateral. It exceeds the constitutional limits to the President's authority. It is deceptive and deeply disappointing. And it replicates the performance of former President David John-Williams. As members of United TTFA, we brought John-Williams' reign to an end in the last TTFA election on the promise of democracy, transparency and accountability.

We stand by the principles of national sovereignty and the right of TTFA's membership to elect and remove officers, which is the premise of United TTFA's High Court action. But we also believe Wallace no longer holds the moral high ground. We are determined to continue the case because we reject FIFA's belief that it could remove a democratically elected administration.

That said, we have determined to immediately call a virtual General Meeting of TTFA's membership (via zoom), on Saturday 20 June at 2.00PM. The purpose of this meeting will be to allow the members the opportunity to speak on all of the above, as well as the overall tenure of the Wallace administration.

Clynt Taylor, 1st Vice President Susan Joseph-Warrick, 2nd Vice President Joseph Sam Phillip, 3rd Vice President; Anthony Harford and Keith Look Loy.

WATCH:

William Wallace responds to questions on Terry Fenwick's TTFA contract irregularities (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBetZkVKqNw&feature=emb_title)

Zone Investigates: TTFA being run by FIFA's normalization committee (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rS2huzV8FhY&feature=emb_title)

Sports Talk William Wallace (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71EsvmD2LEU&feature=emb_title)

Zone Investigates: Ramesh Ramdan's contract with TTFA (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V5D4lhc6Hpc&feature=emb_title)

Zone Investigates: TTFA being run by FIFA's normalization committee (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rS2huzV8FhY&feature=emb_title)

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: ABTrini on June 16, 2020, 06:15:32 PM
Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall ............
And all falll down
Egg break
Crick crack story done
Goose egg done cook
Shortest dynasty of mismanagement
  Ho ho ho green giant

Yuhthink FIFA easy - cards stack - yuh cyar win
Hold yuh corner - tailbetween yuh leg and save what little money yuh have
D saga done
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on June 17, 2020, 06:07:20 AM
United TTFA fractured.
By Jonathan Ramnanansingh (Newsday).


The approval of three contracts by former TT Football Association (TTFA) president William Wallace has been deemed an act of betrayal by fellow United TTFA member Keith Look Loy.

These actions have been also frowned upon by TTFA’s membership and may be addressed via a virtual conference meeting on Saturday, a request made by United TTFA.

In a statement issued by United TTFA members, on Tuesday, they condemned Wallace’s behavior regarding contract discrepancies surrounding a uniform deal with English apparel supplier Avec Sport, national coach Terry Fenwick’s salary and most recently (Monday), an extension on Ramesh Ramdhan’s contract as TTFA general secretary to two years, despite the board approving a one-year appointment.

These members are Look Loy, Clynt Taylor, Susan Joseph-Warrick, Joseph Sam Phillip and Anthony Harford.

“This pattern of behaviour is unacceptable. It is unilateral. It exceeds the constitutional limits to the president's authority. It is deceptive and deeply disappointing. And it replicates the performance of former president David John-Williams,” the statement read.

During Wallace and United TTFA’s campaign leading up to the December 2019 TTFA general election, the promise of democracy, transparency and accountability was their frontline. The victory against then president David John-Williams was also hailed as a breath of fresh air for local football.

Ironically, Wallace and his executive led the TTFA from November 2019 to March 2020, but were removed by Fifa and a normalisation committee was appointed. The main job of the normalisation committee, headed by businessman Robert Hadad, is to get rid of the huge debt facing the local football body.

However, with the recent unearthing of these contractual disparities by Wallace, United TTFA members have openly rejected such actions from their fellow member.

“We stand by the principles of national sovereignty and the right of TTFA's membership to elect and remove officers, which is the premise of United TTFA's High Court action (against Fifa). But we also believe Wallace no longer holds the moral high ground,” the statement continued.

In February, United TTFA announced a four-year kit deal with Avec Sport, valuing it at TT$25 million, as a key element in TTFA’s debt (TT$50 million) reduction plan. Wallace then negotiated and signed the contract with Avec before obtaining approval or input from TTFA’s board of directors.

It was also revealed the TTFA board agreed, in December 2019, to hire Fenwick with the understanding he would be paid US$17,500 per month with other bonuses. Wallace, Ramdhan and Fenwick later signed an agreement the coach would receive a starting salary of US$20,000 per month with the possible increase to US$25,000 if the team qualified for the Gold Cup.

This, however, was not what the board had previously agreed on.

In the latest instance of Wallace’s contractual inconsistencies, United TTFA, on Monday, learnt of Ramdhan’s two-year contract courtesy regional sports broadcaster Sportsmax. After the quintet got wind of this development, they reached out to former World Cup referee who confirmed this information. This third contractual disparity seemed to push Wallace’s United TTFA members overboard.

Speaking to Look Loy on Tuesday, he convicted Wallace’s actions.

“We think he (Wallace) has lost a lot of moral high ground. We have been caught, not with our hands in the cookie jar, but by surprise. That is why we’ve called the meeting, it’s not that we’re parting ways. We came in on a certain platform – democracy, transparency and accountability – and his actions do not reflect that at all. It is with deep dismay and betrayal that we are seeing what is happening,” said the chairman of TTFA’s technical committee.

Attempts were made on Tuesday to extract a comment from Wallace and Ramdhan on these issues but calls to their respective phones went unanswered.

United TTFA is not a member of the local governing body. Although they have requested a meeting of the national fraternity’s member bodies (TT Pro League, Super League, Referees Association, zones etc.) for Saturday, there is no guarantee these arms would participate.

Look Loy remains hopeful the interested parties would join in on Saturday’s meeting, one which Wallace will also be a part of, to “allow the members the opportunity to speak on all of the above, as well as the overall tenure of the Wallace administration”.

In another turn of events on Tuesday evening, Selby Browne, president of the Veteran Footballers Foundation of TT (VFFOTT) cautioned fellow TTFA members on the validity of Saturday’s possible online meeting.

As a non-TTFA member, he declared United TTFA had no authority to call a general meeting of the TTFA. Browne affirmed the constitution provides for a minimum of 50 percent of the membership to call in writing, for a general meeting. He also questioned why United TTFA would choose such a time to convene a meeting, having been ousted from office by Fifa since mid-March.

“During the period November 24 2019 to March 16 2020, TTFA officers failed to call one single general meeting of the TTFA membership. It is amazing that they have the tenacity or persistence, to call for a general meeting when they have been removed from office by Fifa and a normalization committee appointed time conduct the daily matters of administration of the TTFA.

“Worse any such meeting by the membership of the TTFA would have the effect to quite simply place those members in good standing in the TTFA in a position of compromise with Fifa. I therefore beseech the membership of the TTFA not to fall prey to any such outrageous utter rubbish that can lead to becoming besieged and compromised with the actions of the United TTFA,” Browne added.

Although Look Loy continues to criticize his United TTFA member on his recent actions, he believes staying mum makes him a facilitator. In the same way United TTFA levelled criticism to the John-Williams administration, Look Loy affirms he and other members are exercising their democratic right while maintaining the slogan of transparency and accountability they all campaigned for.

“If we can liaise with members on Saturday, we can come to some conclusion. If the members want to leave him alone, wrap him on the knuckles, throw him out and rake him over the coals or kick him out, the membership will decide. This is the democratic process,” Look Loy concluded.

Title: TTFA to receive FIFA grants
Post by: Tallman on June 27, 2020, 07:27:03 AM
TTFA to receive FIFA grants
By Joel Bailey (T&T Newsday)


THE TT Football Association (TTFA) is set to receive a ‘universal solidarity grant’ of US$1 million, an additional US$500,000 specifically for women’s football, plus a US$2 million grant, from FIFA.

These sums will be part of a US$1.5 billion relief plan to help deal with the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the sport globally.

In a report on Reuters on Thursday, “FIFA’s plan means world soccer’s governing body will dip into its reserves to provide national federations with a number of grants and interest-free loans to cope with budget hits.”

Staff and coaches employed by the TTFA, during the four-month long reign of William Wallace (November 2019 to March 2020) and the Robert Hadad-headed normalisation committee, are yet to be paid.

Asked how does the TTFA plan to utilise these sums and will some funds go towards outstanding staff payments, TTFA general secretary Ramesh Ramdhan said on Thursday, “Of course FIFA would specify how those funds should be spent.”

Ramdhan was unable to state when the TTFA expects to receive the funds from the global governing body for football, while efforts to contact Hadad proved futile.

RELATED NEWS

Fifa mum on TTFA, raises funding to over TT$23 million, postpones Concacaf football until 2021.
By Wired868.com.


The Fifa Council, which comprises 37 members split between its six confederations, met virtually today but did not reveal any decision with regards to its normalisation committee in Trinidad and Tobago.

On 17 March, the seven-member Bureau of the Fifa Council—which is headed by Fifa president Gianni Infantino—voted to dissolve the board of the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) and replace it with a normalisation committee of Robert Hadad, Judy Daniel and Nigel Romano.

The bureau is effectively the world governing body’s emergency committee and its decision must be ratified by the Fifa Council. However, despite being on today’s agenda, a release from the Zurich-based body this afternoon did not say if the affairs of Trinidad and Tobago were discussed at all. And there was no update from either the beleaguered TTFA elected members or the normalisation committee.

At present, Fifa and the TTFA are locked in a legal battle at the Port of Spain High Court. The local body, headed by president William Wallace, has filed an injunction to stop Fifa from interfering with its operations through the normalisation committee.

Fifa countered with an application of its own, which states that Trinidad is not the correct forum for the dispute and urged the High Court to prod the TTFA in the direction of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

The High Court has set a date of 29 July to rule on Fifa’s challenge.

The TTFA is represented legally by Matthew Gayle, Dr Emir Crowne and Crystal Paul of the New City Chambers. Fifa retained attorneys Christopher Hamel-Smith SC, Jonathan Walker and Cherie Gopie from M Hamel-Smith and Co.

Among the matters that Fifa did reveal its position on, is the international calendar for 2020. And there will be no football in Concacaf until 2021.

Fifa gave the green light to Conmebol and Uefa to play from September but there will be no international matches in Africa, Asia, Oceania or Concacaf.

It means that Men’s National Senior Team head coach Terry Fenwick, who has already started training, will have a longer wait before he can access his overseas players—or, for that matter, anyone from the Terminix La Horquetta Rangers, as club director Richard Ferguson said he will not release players until September at the earliest.

The Soca Warriors cannot play an official friendly outside of the Fifa match window although they can still arrange exhibition matches, once they find willing partners.

Fifa secretary general Fatma Samoura revealed that the organisation will also make a ‘universal solidarity grant’ of US$1 million (TT$6.8 million) available to all member associations with a further US$500,000 (TT$3.4 million) specifically allocated to women’s football. This is in addition to Fifa Forward funding of US$1.5 million (TT$10.2 million).

Each confederation will also receive a grant of US$2 million (TT$13.5 million).

Each member association can also apply for an interest-free loan of ‘up to 35% of their audited annual revenues’ with a minimum of US$500,000 (TT$3.4 million) and a maximum of US$5 million (TT$33.9 million).

“Both grants and loans can be directed by member associations to the wider football community in their respective territories,” stated Fifa, “including clubs, players, leagues, or others that have been affected.”

It means that the TTFA leadership can access a minimum of between US$3 (TT$20.3 million) to US$3.5 million (TT$23.6 million) this year and share that funding with not only its national programmes but affiliate bodies like the Pro League, Super League, Women’s League of Football (WoLF), Secondary Schools Football League (SSFL) and the zonal bodies.

On Saturday, the WoLF executive voted to postpone its competition until 2021—in large part, due to the financial impact of Covid-19.

At present, national coaches are unpaid for as long as six months while office staff are in their fifth month without pay.

Normalisation committee chairman Robert Hadad blamed the non-payment on Wallace’s struggle with Fifa and his inability to seize control of the TTFA’s accounts at First Citizens Bank. However, staff and coaches were paid directly by Concacaf before under former president David John-Williams.

Hadad asked staff to hand over bank details for close to a month now but is yet to facilitate overdue payment.

Fifa made it clear that it does not recognise Wallace as head of the TTFA and will not make funding available to him.

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on July 18, 2020, 06:21:35 AM
FIFA pays TTFA staff outstanding salaries.
By Walter Alibey (Guardian).


The office staff at the T&T Football Association has finally been paid after four months waiting.

Guardian Media Sports was reliably informed yesterday that office staff members each received lump sum payments for March, April, May and June last week, which accumulated to approximately $400,000 in total.

Guardian Media Sports was also told that the FIFA-appointed Normalisation Committee which is being led by businessman Robert Hadad and includes retired banker Nigel Romano and attorney Judy Daniel, is expected to make another payment of an estimated $600,000 to all the national team coaches.

However, the senior men's team coach Terry Fenwick, will not be among the paysheet since his contract has been a subject of public scrutiny for various reasons.

A TTFA staff member also spoke to us on condition of anonymity and confirmed the staff has been paid.

Guardian Media Sports was also told that apart from coach Fenwick, both Shaun Fuentes, the TTFA's Media Officer and Ramesh Ramdhan, the football association's general secretary, were also not paid.

The payments, it is understood, were wired directly to the accounts of the staff members via a special account from an unknown company. According to the source, the monies were made available from the FIFA payment of US$3.5 million which represents grant funding to Member Associations and an additional amount for the FIFA Relief Fund which was given to help member associations through the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic which has severely affected sports all over the world since March to present.

Guardian Media Sports attempted to reach Nigel Romano for a response but calls and messages to his phone went unanswered.

The source told Guardian Media Sports: "It is uncertain why Fuentes was not paid, but there are concerns about Ramdhan's two-year deal which have prevented him from being paid."

Since accepting the position as general secretary in December last year, the former T&T and FIFA referee, who also had a short employment stint with FIFA, the world governing body for the sport, has not been paid.

Ramdhan could not be reached for comment yesterday.

Guardian Media Sports understands that there are opposing views with regards the interpretation of article 39 of TTFA's constitution between the Board of Directors of the T&TFA and the President, on whether the terms of the contract for the general secretary, should be determined by the president, or the board members.

The board, on December 14, 2019, voted for Ramdhan's contract on a one-year deal.

However, in June through a media release the former president William Wallace, stated that his position allowed him ultimate power to decide on the contract of the general secretary.

On June 17, Wallace was called to answer questions about the contracts of Fenwick, Ramdhan, Peter Miller, the football association's marketing representative, and the Avec Sports sportswear deal which was set to cost a whopping $25 million.

It is uncertain whether salaries will be forthcoming at the end of this month.

The normalisation committee and the ousted TTFA executive which comprises vice presidents Clynt Taylor, Susan Joseph-Warrick, Joseph Sam Phillip and Wallace have been in a battle for ownership of the football association's bank accounts held at First Citizens Bank, as well as the right to use the TTFA letterhead.

First Citizens through its attorney Kendell Alexander told both the TTFA and the normalisation committee that it would hand over the accounts to any party that presents a legal document showing ownership.

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on July 22, 2020, 10:03:57 AM
La Foucade paid but TTFA coaches snubbed as Hadad’s NC accused of lacking transparency.
By Lasana Liburd (Wired868).


After three months on the job, the Fifa-appointed normalisation committee appeared to put through its first payments for Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) staff members yesterday.

But only some employees were paid, there was no word on where the money came from, when would more be wired, and why some staff members were snubbed. And football coaches have no idea of where they rank on committee chairman Robert Hadad’s list of priorities at all.

“I was shocked when I heard that the staff was paid [yesterday],” said one national coach, who spoke on condition of anonymity. “So I was calling around to see who else was paid and when are they going to come around to me or other coaches. But nobody could tell me what was going on.”

Hadad, the co-CEO of family-owned business HadCo Limited, promised to bring his ‘knowledge of business’ to the corridors of the TTFA.

“I love football but I am a businessman and I am coming to deal with the business of football,” Hadad told Wired868, when he was appointed on 27 March.

Since then, Hadad has had a solitary half hour meeting with coaches in which he refused to say whether he would honour their contracts or when they would be paid. And, even though a handful of coaches have worked since then with Men’s National Senior Team head coach Terry Fenwick, Hadad has not said when they can expect remuneration.

Wired868 understands that technical director Dion La Foucade was paid yesterday along with director of football Richard Piper—although neither man confirmed as much.

None of the academies or grassroots programmes that La Foucade was hired to manage have started as yet. However coaches who are active now or worked for between two to four months before the Covid-19 restrictions hit have not received a cent or even word on when to expect salaries.

Even in the office, the Trinidad Guardian suggested yesterday that some staff members were treated differently for no obvious reason, as general secretary Ramesh Ramdhan and media manager Shaun Fuentes remain unpaid while their colleagues had money wired to their respective accounts.

Hadad, as usual, did not respond to queries from Wired868 about his stewardship of the local football body.

And, according to several insiders, the businessman and Queen’s Park Cricket Club (QPCC) official has treated TTFA office staff and coaches with the same indifference—as he refuses to meet with them or return messages and phone calls.

Hadad, who serves on the normalisation committee alongside vice-chairman Judy Daniel and Nigel Romano, is entitled to a monthly stipend of roughly US$3,500 from Fifa for his work. However, there is a lack of transparency there too, as he has not said whether he and/or Romano and Daniel are being paid at present.

On 27 March, Hadad, Daniel and Romano were given a Fifa mandate to:

1. run the TTFA’s daily affairs;

2. establish a debt repayment plan that is implementable by the TTFA;

3. review and amend the TTFA Statutes (and other regulations where necessary) and to ensure their compliance with the FIFA Statutes and requirements before duly submitting them for approval to the TTFA Congress;

4. organise and to conduct elections of a new TTFA Executive Committee for a four-year mandate.

Sixteen weeks later, Hadad and his cohorts remain distant from the local body’s staff while they are yet to coordinate a meeting with the TTFA’s general membership—which would be the first step in the latter two line items.

Fifa’s internal regulations forbid the governing body from depositing its subvention to member associations in anything but the official bank account of the respective FA. And, at present, the normalisation committee does not control the TTFA’s account at First Citizens Bank.

However, Concacaf appears to have more leeway—or less financial safe-checks—when it comes to making payments to its member associations; and has, in the past, paid TTFA staff and coaches directly when the need arose.

It is likely that the confederation again paid staff, earlier this week—although Hadad was not transparent with employees on the matter, much less the media.

But why did Hadad not also ensure the payment of coaches?

Women’s National Under-20 and Under-17 Team head coach Richard Hood started preparing both of his outfits in December while, in late February, he became the first coach to lead his team into competitive battle under the William Wallace-led administration.

The Under-20 Women Soca Warriors finished as credible quarterfinalists.

The Men’s National Under-20, Under-17 and Under-15 Teams and the Women’s National Under-15 Team began their own programmes in early February while the Men’s Senior Team started training in June. At present, the Men’s Senior Team is the only active side.

“They haven’t communicated with us—ever,” said another coach, who also preferred to remain anonymous. “At least when the overseas-based clubs were discussing reduced salaries for their coaches and so on, they called them in and had a discussion. That has not happened here.

“We have no idea when we will be paid. For now, all we can do is sit and wait.”

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on August 26, 2020, 12:45:08 AM
National coaches return appointment letters to TTFA.
By Walter Alibey (Guardian).


Most of the 35 coaches appointed to carry out work for the various national football teams in January, from youth to senior levels on Tuesday, handed copies of their letters of appointments and contracts in a move to ask the Normalisation Committee officials 'What is happening with their outstanding wages?.”

The coaches Terry Fenwick (senior team), Derek King (u-15 and assistant to Fenwick), Angus Eve (u-17 and assistant to King), Keith Jeffreys (U-15 and assistant to Angus Eve), Clayton Morris (assistant to Jeffreys on u-15s), Richard Hood (u-17 and u-20 Women/senior Women's team) and Stern John (assistant to King), Jason Spence, Wayne Sheppard, Ross Russell, Saron Joseph, Clayton Ince and Aaron Pollard, among others, have not been paid since they took up their respective jobs more than six months ago.

Notably absent from the gathering was Technical Director Dion La Foucade, who was the only member of the coaching staff to have been paid wages for the same period.

Clayton Morris, who along with Angus Eve and Jefferson George spearheaded the initiative, said both La Foucade and Robert Hadad, chairman of the FIFA-appointed Normalisation Committee could not be reached, as calls to their cell phones for the past week or so, have gone unanswered.

Morris, captain of the country's now-famous 1989 Strike Squad which came within a point of qualifying for the FIFA World Cup in Italy 1990, said before the letter bearing the signatures of all the coaches, trainers, managers, physiotherapists, equipment managers etc, was officially handed to longstanding TTFA staff member Sharon O'Brien, the coaches were made to play a game of hide-and-seek to prevent vicious security officers from throwing them off the compound of the Ato Boldon Stadium in Balmain, Couva.

“We arrived there about 9:30 am and Eve, Wayne Sheppard and I went in by the office. I think it was when they realized what was happening that security officers were sent to keep the coaches off the compound. However, we eventually agreed to adhere to the COVID-19 restrictions of five persons being allowed inside the office and it was how we eventually handed over the letters,” Morris told Guardian Media Sports.

The coaches went equipped with a letter that said: “The technical staff of the T&T national football teams, have taken this position to collectively seek urgent information regarding our outstanding stipend/salaries/remuneration, in accordance to our individual contractual agreements with the TTFA, which should have been paid at each month-end.”

“At our inaugural meeting with you on April 29, 2020, as chairman of the Normalisation Committee of the TTFA, you said we will meet on an individual team basis, on an individual group basis, and we will be talking to all of you with respect to your individual contracts. We will sit with you all and really work out what it is we need to do to get the football to where it needs to go.”

The letter also stated: “In addition, you said 'discussions of coaches' contracts will be conducted with small individual group basis and what will be expected of each national team.”

Morris said none of the promises made by Hadad during their first meeting in April materialized and therefore yesterday's initiative was aimed at finding out what was happening with their salaries and what are the plans for football since the contracts and appointment of most of the coaches were set to expire on August 31st.

Hadad, a businessman by profession, and his committee of Nigel Romano (a former banker) and attorney Judy Daniel will have exactly a week before the coaches approach them for answers a second time. Morris assured the move has absolutely nothing to do with the ongoing court battle between the United TTFA and the sport's world governing body-FIFA, as it was just a follow-up from the April 29 meeting.

Eve who later spoke on behalf of the coaches said: “The coaches merely came here to deliver because we believe he didn't have the full copies of them (all of our contracts, all of our agreements) to the secretariat.” Eve said the fact that coaches were not allowed on the compound demonstrates the level of disrespect that they have been getting as coaches.

Meanwhile, the Coaches Association of T&T, which has been dormant for more than a decade, was revamped yesterday as more than 21 coaches signed on to an organization that can potentially prevent a recurrence of what coaches have endured for the past months under both the TTFA and the normalization committee. Yesterday, was also the first general meeting for the gathering with more discussions expected to take place soon, while more coaches are expected to join.

RELATED NEWS

‘Total disrespect!’ Coaches locked out of stadium, while trying to deliver letters to Hadad.
By Lasana Liburd (Wired868).


The Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) head office at the Ato Boldon Stadium in Couva went into lockdown mode this morning but it was not as a safety measure against Covid-19.

Normalisation committee chairman Robert Hadad’s staff was not trying to keep the novel coronavirus at bay—just the country’s national football team coaches.

At the perimeter of the stadium, security closed the gate and screened perspective entrants. Everyone barring coaches was free to drive inside.

Bewildered coaches—including Stern John, Terry Fenwick, Derek King, Richard Hood, Ross Russell and Dernelle Mascall—had only come to drop off their appointment letters for Hadad.

“[One or two] coaches got in early but when the rest of us got there, the security was given instructions not to let us in,” Trinidad and Tobago Men’s National Under-17 Team head coach Angus Eve told Wired868. “[…] It demonstrates the level of disrespect we have been getting as coaches… We have Stern John, Derek King, Terry Fenwick, Ross Russell [here]; these are all people who have contributed heavily to Trinidad and Tobago football.

“That is total disrespect that we are not even able to drop off a document.”

Eve’s 117 senior international caps is a Trinidad and Tobago record while he also coaches at every level of the local game. He steers Club Sando in the Pro League as well as serial Secondary Schools Football League (SSFL) winners Naparima College.

John is Trinidad and Tobago’s record goal scorer with 70 goals from 115 appearances—Argentina superstar Lionel Messi has 70 career international goals from 138 games.

Hadad, who was appointed by Fifa to head the local football body on 27 March, has done better than most defenders in the western hemisphere to keep both men at bay.

Ato Boldon Stadium security guards told Wired868 that they were ordered to keep the national coaches out by facility manager Jeffrey John. John said he was unable to comment, due to Sport Company protocols, so it was left to communications manager Kevin Garcia to explain why coaches were deemed persona non grata at the national venue today.

“It was an unfortunate mix-up,” said Garcia. “I understand eventually that five persons were let in via [Covid-19] protocol. From what I understand, it was a minor mix-up.”

Garcia said he did not know what the source of the ‘mix-up’ was and could not confirm if Jeffrey ordered the guards to keep national coaches out; or, if so, where his instruction came from.

The reference to the Covid-19 limit on public gatherings was, arguably, convenient since it took over an hour before the TTFA office staff sent word that it would allow five coaches in to deliver the letter. By then, they were aware that there was a media presence at the venue.

Even then, the five coaches—Clayton Morris, Wayne Sheppard, Jefferson George, Hood and Eve—were not invited to drive in but instead walked from the road outside the stadium and then back again to their vehicles.

The reason the coaches were there in the first place was Hadad’s refusal to speak or meet them since an introductory Zoom online meeting on 29 April. The HadCo Limited co-CEO said, at the time, that his next step would be to review their contracts before arranging payment.

After repeatedly failing to get on to Hadad directly or receive feedback from his assistant, Amiel Mohammed, or technical director, Dion La Foucade, the coaches decided to take their letters to the TTFA office themselves. Even that move, it turned out, came with its own perils.

“[Hadad] said he would get back to us with individual meetings to verify the contracts that we have,” said Eve. “It is about five months since then. All we came to do, very peacefully, is to deliver all of our documents and agreements to the secretariat.

“[..] Many of the coaches are contracted until August, so we felt it necessary that we come before the contracts are ended.”

Eve noted that he saw Tobago Chamber of Commerce president Diane Hadad, cousin of the normalisation committee president, discussing the grants provided to hoteliers. Coaches, he said, only want what they worked for.

“We are not asking for a grant, we are just asking for our salaries—the money that we signed for, that we worked for—that is all we are asking for,” he said. “We also have families and children and bills to pay. We are here observing all Covid protocol and we just want our voices to be heard.

“Are we going to be paid? Do we have a timeline? There has been no information at all coming back to us.”

Eve said the current situation prompted coaches to create their own coaches association, which is guaranteed a place within the formal TTFA structure—as well as a vote—once activated.

And, on the pavement outside the stadium in the blistering sunlight, Sheppard, the National Under-15 Team assistant coach, passed around a document for coaches to pledge their commitment to the new body. There were 20 technical staff members present, split into groups of five to avoid breaching Covid-19 regulations.

Eve said they are giving Hadad seven days to respond to their letter, although he stressed there was nothing ‘militant’ about that timeframe. He made a point of highlighting that the coaches steered clear of provocative rhetoric too.

“We are not trying to break down any doors,” said Eve. “We are doing it in the right manner, a respectable manner.”

Sweating on the pavement outside the taxpayers’ funded facility, it did not immediately appear that the respect was reciprocated.

National coaches barred from entering TTFA headquarters
By Jonathan Ramnanansingh (Newsday).


TWENTY-ONE national coaches converged on the outskirts of the Ato Boldon Stadium in Couva, on Tuesday, to deliver a document to the TT Football Association (TTFA) secretariat highlighting their non-payment of salaries since FIFA’s installation of the normalisation committee in mid-March.

The document was addressed to Robert Hadad, chairman of the normalisation committee, and also contained the coaches’ contracts and agreements, some of which come to an end on Monday.

National coaches Terry Fenwick, Angus Eve, Wayne Sheppard, Stern John and Ross Russell were among the bunch who peacefully gathered outside the venue from 9.30 am to pen their signatures before disbursal.

Eve, who chaired the informal meeting, revealed they have not been paid in six months and are now seeking to construct a coaches association to ensure their voices can be heard at the board level.

“On April 29, the chairman met with us via Zoom call on that day and he said to the coaches and technical staff that he would get back to us and do individual meetings to validate the contracts that we have and to verify that they are all board approved. It has been about six months since then and nothing has happened,” he stated.

In mid-July, TTFA office staff were finally paid after a four-month wait. However, since the removal of the democratically-appointed William Wallace executive in March by FIFA, who cited “financial mismanagement” and “massive debt” by the TTFA, under the new Hadad-led administration, coaches are yet to be paid.

After the T&T Government implemented lockdown restrictions in March to prevent the spread of covid19, all national team and club activity has been at a standstill. Although the coaches were unable to resume their respective training sessions due to the health crisis, to date, Hadad is yet to rectify their payment of salaries.

Eve added, “We’re very happy the staff got their salaries but we’re not asking for a grant, just our salaries. The money that we signed and worked for, it’s all we’re asking for. Especially in a time when there’s a pandemic and none of us have worked since last year. We also have family, children and bills to pay. We just want our voices to be heard.”

According to Naparima College football instructor, the majority of coaches were prevented from entering the Ato Boldon Stadium upon their arrival. Only a few, who arrived earlier, were allowed entry onto the compound.

When they approached the security booth to query their omission, the guard stated they were given instructions “by the office” to keep the gate closed. Eve dubbed this gesture, disrespectful.

“This action demonstrates the level of disrespect we have been getting as coaches. We are in charge of young people and developing young minds. Stern John, Terry Fenwick, Ross Russell. It’s a total disrespect for us to not even be able to drop off a document,” he said.

Veteran national goalkeeper Clayton Ince was one of the lucky ones to gain entry to the TTFA office at the stadium. Following Eve’s short meeting with the coaches and media, Ince was allowed to come to the gate and receive their document for delivery.

When he arrived, the security then allowed four additional coaches to enter alongside Ince. Eve, Sheppard, Richard Hood and another local tutor joined Ince to deliver their request to the TTFA secretariat.

The former T&T midfielder Eve indicated that several arrangements and contracts were due to expire at the end of August and coaches wanted to ensure their outstanding salaries would be paid.

He stated that coaches have made multiple attempts to contact TTFA officials such as technical director Dion La Foucade and Emile Mohammed for an update on their salaries. All attempts proved futile.

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on August 27, 2020, 04:20:53 PM
TTFA: We didn't block coaches from our offices.
By Narissa Fraser (Newsday).


THE TT Football Association (TTFA) normalisation committee is denying claims it blocked national coaches from entering its offices on Tuesday. It also said it can explain the reason for the delay in staff members receiving their salaries.

A total of 21 national coaches met outside the Ato Boldon Stadium in Couva (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_PUJu7a-sms), on Tuesday morning to deliver a document to the TTFA secretariat.

This letter addressed their non-payment of salaries since FIFA’s installation of the normalisation committee in mid-March.

Coach Angus Eve has told Newsday the majority of coaches were prevented from entering. He said only a few, who arrived earlier, were allowed entry.

When they approached the security booth, he said, the guard said he was given instructions “by the office” to keep the gate closed.

But in a release on Thursday, the TTFA said this is untrue.

It said, “The Sports Company of TT (SPoRTT) facilities, which include the Ato Boldon Stadium in Couva, where the TTFA’s head office is located, remain closed in keeping with the public health measures declared by the Ministry of Health to stem the spread of covid19.

“As stated in an official SPoRTT correspondence, ‘The public is also reminded that two SPoRTT locations in Tacarigua and Couva are more heavily secured as they are being used as step-down facilities by the Ministry of Health. Consequently, restricted access is even more imperative at these locations.’”

It said the association “has not deliberately” deferred payments of salaries to any staff member.

“The TTFA is willing to engage any member of staff to explain the reason for non-payment.

“It is unfortunate that we have found ourselves in this situation. It is also important to note that all parties have the country’s football at heart and would like to see our nation’s ranking rise in world football.

“However, this must be preceded by the establishment of a properly governed and functioning TTFA.”

It said the normalisation committee has been “working assiduously” to find solutions to a “wide range of matters related to the organisation and its national teams.

“Most importantly, addressing the TTFA’s perilous financial situation. The TTFA’s indebtedness, which has increased since the start of the year, continues to be of grave concern.”

It thanked FIFA and Concacaf for “continued support,” adding that there is currently a rotational work system in place for staff - including a work from home policy - owing to the covid19 pandemic.

RELATED NEWS

Hadad, SporTT deny coaches locked out of coaches Home of football.
T&T Guardian Reports.


The T&T Football Association (TTFA), which is now being administered by a FIFA-appointed Normalisation Committee, is denying media reports that the organisation locked out the TTFA coaches who were seeking a meeting at the Ato Boldon Stadium in Balmain, Couva on Monday.

After FIFA disbanded the TTFA on March 17, the normalisation committee has been running the organisation's affairs since March 27 under the guidance of its chairman, businessman Robert Hadad, deputy chairman attorney Judy Daniel and former banker Nigel Romano.

According to the TTFA press statement yesterday: "The T&T Football Association (TTFA) wishes to place on record that it did not block any of the coaches or members of the national team’s coaching staff from entering the TTFA’s offices on Tuesday, August 25, 2020."

The release continued: "The Sports Company of T&T (SporTT) facilities, which include the Ato Boldon Stadium in Couva, where the TTFA’s head office is located, remain closed in keeping with the public health measures declared by the Ministry of Health to stem the spread of COVID-19. As stated in an official SporTT correspondence, the public is also reminded that two SporTT locations in Tacarigua and Couva are more heavily secured as they are being used as step-down facilities by the Ministry of Health. Consequently, restricted access is even more imperative at these locations."

Guardian Media Sports was present when approximately 20 coaches assembled outside the main entrance of the facility but were not allowed to enter in their attempts to deliver copies of the contracts to the TTFA office.

Former national player Angus Eve, who was one of the coaches present said that all the coaches wanted to do was deliver their contracts and appointment letters personally but the security did not allow them to do so.

More than an hour after they arrived, five coaches including Eve, were allowed on the compound to deliver all the documentation to the office.

Eve said that the coaches' action came about because they have not been paid since January and wanted to ensure that the office had copies of their contracts so that their payments can be processed.

According to the TTFA release: "The TTFA also wishes to advise that it has not intentionally deferred payment of salaries to any member of staff. The TTFA is willing to engage any member of staff to explain the reason for non-payment. It is unfortunate that we have found ourselves in this situation. It is also important to note that all parties have the country’s football at heart and would like to see our nation’s ranking rise in world football. However, this must be preceded by the establishment of a properly governed and functioning TTFA."

A release from the SporTT yesterday stated: "The Sports Company of T&T Limited (SporTT) advises that the company continues to comply with all public health measures as declared by the Ministry of Health. To this end, SporTT reminds its valued stakeholders that all of its managed facilities remain closed to the general public.

"The public is reminded that two SporTT locations (Tacarigua and Couva) are more heavily secured as they are being used as step-down facilities by the Ministry of Health. Consequently, restricted access is even more imperative at these locations. SporTT will continue to abide by the rules and regulations as mandated by the Ministry of Health and by extension the Government of the Republic of T&T in order to keep all persons associated with its facilities or seeking access safe from the threat of COVID-19."

Meanwhile, the TTFA release pointed out that: "The TTFA’s normalisation committee has been working assiduously to find solutions to a wide range of matters related to the organisation and its national teams. Most importantly, addressing the TTFA’s perilous financial situation. The TTFA’s indebtedness, which has increased since the start of the year, continues to be of grave concern. The normalisation committee intends to reach the best possible outcome for all parties concerned and to have a fully functional administration supporting football activities."

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on August 31, 2020, 12:39:15 AM
Hadad claims SporTT and not TTFA locked-out coaches; coaches set record straight.
By Lasana Liburd (Guardian).


Fifa-appointed normalisation committee chairman Robert Hadad tried to pass the blame for the recent temporary lock-out of Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) coaches, with a release that was immediately rebutted by three national coaches.

On Tuesday morning, security at the Ato Boldon Stadium locked the gates and stopped coaches from entering the compound at roughly 9.30am, with a stand-off that lasted for over an hour.

Hadad claimed that the ‘disrespectful’ treatment of the country’s coaches had nothing to do with him and insisted that it was a Sports Company of Trinidad and Tobago (SporTT) decision.

“The Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) wishes to place on record that it did not block any of the coaches or members of the national teams’ coaching staff from entering the TTFA’s offices on Tuesday 25 August 2020,” stated Hadad today, via a TTFA release. “The Sports Company of Trinidad and Tobago (SporTT) facilities, which include the Ato Boldon Stadium in Couva, where the TTFA’s head office is located, remain closed in keeping with the public health measures declared by the Ministry of Health to stem the spread of Covid-19.”

Hadad further claimed that the TTFA has ‘not intentionally deferred payment of salaries to any member of staff’ and ‘is willing to engage any member of staff to explain the reason for non-payment’.

The normalisation chair’s assertion provoked raised eyebrows from coaches who have sought feedback on their owed salaries for the past four months, as well as those at the Ato Boldon Stadium on Tuesday.

There were roughly seven technical staff members in the parking lot of the stadium at around 9.30am when, according to a coach who spoke on condition of anonymity, one female member of their group went inside the TTFA’s office to use the bathroom.

“[Office administrator] Sharon O’ Brien saw her and asked ‘what allyuh doing here’,” said the coach. “And she said she told Sharon: ‘allyuh get allyuh salary already, so we are trying to get our own’. And that was when things started happen.

“Shortly after that, security guards came and started locking up under the tunnel [to prevent access to the TTFA’s office] and we saw them close the gate outside.”

The technical staff members inside the venue included: Terry Fenwick, Angus Eve, Ross Russell, Natalie Harper, Stern John, Clayton Morris and Wayne Sheppard. When they realised that a further 12 members were prevented from entering, they decided to drive outside the venue to join them. Only Morris stayed, in case none of the coaches was allowed to reenter.

The former ‘Strike Squad’ captain and Men’s National Under-15 assistant coach tried to be discreet, just in case security spotted him and decided to throw him out.

On 15 August, Morris was honoured with the Father of the Nation Medal of Honour Gold by the Dr Eric Williams TC Memorial Committee for ‘outstanding contribution in the sphere of youth development, football and public service’.

Barely two weeks later, he was reduced to playing a game of ‘cat and mouse’ with Ato Boldon Stadium security officers in a bid to help his coaching colleagues get the attention of the normalisation committee—led by persons unknown to the local game.

At the stadium gate, the guards continued to allow other persons to enter the compound, so long as they did not identify themselves as coaches. The coaches who asked security for an explanation were not told about Covid-19 protocols, but instead were advised that there was nobody at the TTFA office to collect their letters.

When Wired868 asked on whose authority the coaches were being stopped, one guard said the stadium’s facility manager gave the order.

Facility manager Jeffrey John declined to confirm or deny whether he directed security to stop coaches at the gate and advised Wired868 to get a comment from SporTT media officer, Brent Garcia.

Garcia said he was not at the venue and was only told that ‘it was an unfortunate mix-up’. He said he could not give more details. He did confirm that there was no report of a congregation inside the facility, which might have justified action by the security.

“We called the office on Monday to ensure they would be open on Tuesday and we were told they would be open,” said Men’s National Under-17 Team head coach Angus Eve. “So we had gone there with plans in place to adhere to all the Covid restrictions and, had the gate not been locked, it would not have looked as though it was a protest.

“The only reason it became a sort of gathering was when the security guards said they are no longer allowing coaches to go in, although other people were allowed to go into the compound including to visit the TTFA.”

Men’s National Under-15 Team assistant coach Wayne Sheppard said he was bewildered by Hadad’s claims that he is ‘willing to engage any member of staff to explain the reason for non-payment’.

On 29 April, Hadad told all technical staff members that he would have assistant Yale Antoine arrange meetings with each coaching squad within a week, so as to review contracts and letters of appointment and discuss remuneration.

“He said we would be told when we would meet again, so why is it that we have to call now to find out about that?” asked Sheppard. “A big part of leadership is managing expectations and communication, and if you tell me that you are going to get back in contact with me but say nothing for four months and pay other people, how can you come and say that it is up to me to contact you to find out what is going on?

“This dialogue must have a certain level of respect.”

All the same, Sheppard—along with other coaches—have reached out to Hadad, without success.

“I have asked the technical director [Dion La Foucade] as my direct boss when we will be getting paid, especially when we heard in the media that he was paid,” said Sheppard, “and he said he didn’t know, and that several times he tried to speak to Mr Hadad and was told to speak to [his assistant] Amiel Mohammed, who was not forthcoming with any information—and that was the last we heard of that.

“Even today, there was an online meeting with the Ministry of Sport and Hadad said all any coach had to do was call him. So immediately after the meeting, myself and another coach called, and neither of us got any response.

“So I hope he reads this article and maybe returns my call, because I’ve tried to get on to him.”

Eve expressed frustration too at the level of communication from the normalisation committee.

“[Hadad] made a statement yesterday that coaches and players were so important to our future and for our sakes he doesn’t want the country to be banned by Fifa,” said Eve. “But if you ask me if I feel that respect, my answer has to be a simple ‘no’. Everyone else has been paid except the coaches and the players and we would like to find out why.

“There is a sense that we went for a protest on Tuesday and we were being irresponsible in a time of Covid. I want the public to understand that is not what happened.

“[Normalisation committee member] Nigel Romano said in the press that they needed to look over our letters of appointment and we were not getting any feedback on that. So all we went to do was ensure that they had copies of our contracts.”

Hadad, in today’s press statement, claimed the normalisation committee is ‘working assiduously to find solutions to a wide range of matters related to the organisation and its national teams’.

At the moment, the coaches appear unimpressed.

“If there is a valid reason why the coaches haven’t been paid yet, then someone from the leadership group running the TTFA needs to come and say what that is,” said Sheppard. “To me, that is basic [courtesy].”

Hadad did not respond to requests for comment on the discrepancy between his account of Tuesday’s incident and that of his coaches.

Title: Coaches give FIFA's NC Sept 9 deadline to pay salaries
Post by: Tallman on September 05, 2020, 10:45:37 AM
Coaches give FIFA's NC Sept 9 deadline to pay salaries
T&T Guardian


A September 9 deadline has been given to the Robert Hadad-led FIFA appointed Normalisation Committee which was appointed to run the affairs of football in T&T after the removal of elected William Wallace and his executive earlier this for salaries owed to appointed national coaches to be paid.

This was stated by a quartet of coaches inclusive of former national captains, Clayton Morris and Angus Eve as well as Wayne "Barney" Shepphard, and Richard Hood at a media conference held at Fatima College Ground, Mucurapo Road, yesterday.

Speaking as members of what he described as the Steering Committee representing the national coaches in their matter with the T&T Football Association/Normalisation Committee former national midfielder Eve, the most capped player in T&T football history with 118 appearances said the wanted to provide an update on their struggles to be compensated or provided with their agreed salaries as national coaches of the various national teams for the period from January up to the present.

Eve said, "After dropping off our contracts at the T&TFA head office last week Tuesday to advance the process, we then had a phone call from the NC saying that they would like to meet with us on an individual basis, which they had promised to do about five months ago, so we were happy for that."

"We did meet with them on an individual basis, each one of the head coaches was able to meet with them and articulate our positions and the meetings were cordial, and very interesting because for them, they are now coming in, and not trying to make any excuses for them, but we did seek to give them a little bit of latitude simply because they didn't know what they were getting into. It still doesn't give them any reason for the lengthy delay in not communicating with us, so putting that out of the way, there is something on the table and they now have to go back and talk to the necessary people who are giving the money to them. We have sent in all of our bank accounts information so that we can be paid directly, we have suggested that, and they now have until the 9th of September to get back to us with the information on what is the remuneration package that all of are going to get."

Eve, the coach of T&T Pro League's Club Sando FC as well as Secondary Schools Football League (SSFL) team Naparima College said, "The remuneration packages were not finalised based on the fact that they had to go back to FIFA to get the monies to be released."

An optimistic Eve said, "We are convinced that we will get something. As I said before, we worked and we have not burdened the government. We could have gone to the government because we haven't been working since January and we could have burdened the government further, and we thought that it's better than other persons in the public get those grants, and all we are asking for is the money is too be paid. If we look past the normal FIFA money that is supposed to come in and we just look at the US$500,000 grant that FIFA give for Covid-19 relief it comfortably can pay all of the staff, all of their salaries."

Pressed to give a figure, Eve said that the total combined salaries owed to the coaches outside of the senior technical team is in the region of $450,000 or a little over that figure.

Eve noted that to help speed up the process of the NC meeting with the appointed coaches, it was decided that instead of having individual meetings with the 47 persons, each head coach of each technical team was appointed to meet with the NC and then relay the information to their technical team.

Asked how he felt about the status of their fight for deserved salaries, Eve said, "It's demotivating because we do it for the passion, but for some of us this is the way we take care of our families, and when you don't get pay for work being done it borders on a level of disrespect as we said before."

With football grind to a halt locally, Eve stressed, "There is no form of work for any of us as we don't have any other jobs that can supplement an income and for a lot of us this is what we do full-time.

"For instance, England-based former goalkeeper Kelvin Jack left the position that he had out there and wanted to come home and take up the position that he got, but because of the covid19 he couldn't fly home, so he is out there and he has been having to live off his savings, and there are a lot more stories very similar to that," stated Eve.

"Based on the financial information that we have and we know that FIFA grants don't go towards debt reduction, and we understand the T&TFA has a magnanimous debt, but none of it occurred because of our actions, and FIFA money is not to go to debt resolution, so we are very confident that we will be getting all our monies."

Should no agreement be reached by the deadline set out Eve said it will be due to no fault of theirs.

"The information is supposed to come back to us by September 9, in terms of how are we going to be paid and we don't foresee any delays because we already advanced the process by giving them all our banking information, and we went to them with all our arrangements. We do have comrades, guys who were unceremoniously fired from the job in the past, who are being owed, and again we will like them to get paid also."

Looking past the deadline, Eve said the coaches have not given any indication of withholding their services as the national senior team is scheduled to begin a World Cup qualifying campaign, providing no sanctions are handed down by FIFA to the local body based on communication from FIFA general secretary Fatma Samoura on August 26 and addressed to Hadad of the NC, warning that the TTFA face sanctions if it did not withdraw the matter in the T&T High Court by September 16.

Former president William Wallace and his three vice presidents - Clynt Taylor, Joseph-Warrick and Joseph Sam Phillip have challenged FIFA decision to appoint an NC in the T&T High court which is against FIFA statutes.

Eve said, "We have World Cup qualifications in October and we don't know if that might off simply because of how the place is still on lockdown due to the covid19 situation, but any opportunity all of us have to serve our country we will continue to be committed to doing so and we will continue to help the development of the young people of the country."

Eve, a former national midfielder noted that a positive side to this battle has been a desire by all coaches, not just on a national coaching level to form a Coaches Association with the registration already in process.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on September 11, 2020, 10:01:40 AM
T&T football coaches move a step closer to receiving salaries
By Joel Bailey (Newsday).


THE technical staff members of the T&T football teams have moved a step closer to getting their promised salaries from the FIFA-appointed normalisation committee, headed by Robert Hadad.

A media release issued by the technical staff members said, “The normalisation committee met with the T&T technical staff and youth team coaches on September 9 as promised. In the meeting (which was facilitated virtually), the normalisation committee outlined proposals for the settlement of outstanding payments to technical staff members.

“The proposal was generally satisfactory, however nuances in some individual contracts require further engagement.”

The media release continued, “The commitment was given by the Normalisation Committee to return to our group with a final proposal for settlement in a couple days.

“We believe there is good reason to be optimistic of this process being completed within the time frame suggested by the normalisation committee. This optimism is borne out of the productive and transparent nature of the meetings between both parties thus far.”

The various men’s and women’s technical staff members were hired in December 2019 and January 2020, when William Wallace assumed leadership of the TT Football Association (TTFA).

However, Wallace and his executive were removed by FIFA in March due to mounting debts and the normalisation committee was established.

Wallace is challenging FIFA’s move, but the global governing body has threatened to suspend T&T from all football activities if Wallace and his United TTFA do not withdraw the legal matter from the T&T courts.

National men’s Under-17 coach and Under-20 assistant coach Angus Eve commented on Thursday, “Talks have been going very cordial. The coaches’ intention here is not to distract from whatever scenario that is going on. We are not a part of (the TTFA vs FIFA) scenario. We feel, just like the staff in the office and everybody else have been paid, we deserve to be paid.

“I think the normalisation committee is also of that view,” Eve added. “So, it makes the conversation a lot easier because, when the coaches would have taken up (their posts), it’s not any exorbitant amount of money. We did it for our country because it was told to us that (the TTFA) didn’t have enough money. Basically, we operated on stipends. We did it to help develop the young people and to have the country at heart when we took up the appointments.”

Eve, the former T&T midfielder and captain, pointed out that the contracts for the T&T technical staff members (excluding the men’s team) were set to end in August, following respective Concacaf World Cup qualifiers. Excluding the Concacaf Under-20 Women qualifiers (which took place in February), the other scheduled events were postponed due to the covid19 pandemic.

Asked if the coaches hold the view that things could have worked out better, in terms of salary requests, between themselves and the normalisation committee, Eve replied, “I would say yes, it should have to reach that point.

“I don’t want to blame (the committee),” he said. “They came in at a time where they had to sort out and do fact-finding. I’m not making any excuses for them. It’s still unacceptable that we had to wait five months to hear anything, but they did walk into a barrage of fire. I think that’s why the communication between us and them were so cordial because we still understand the position that they came (into) and we emphasise with them, but we still had to thread the course that we had.”

How have the coaches been keeping occupied during the covid19 period?

“I know several of the coaches have been doing their stuff online,” Eve replied. “All over the world, we can see they’re still playing football. I went on a number of courses, one with the Olympic (Committee), the CFU and the Sports Company. I’ve been very busy. Talking with some of the guys, I know they’ve been doing their stuff also.”

RELATED NEWS

Coaches to get final response on salaries in two days
By Nigel Simon (Guardian).


The 47 national coaches who were contracted by the ousted William Wallace-led T&T Football Association (TTFA) and have been unpaid since January can expect to get the final word on when they will be compensated in a couple of days.

This was the message relayed from the T&T Technical Staff members on Thursday after they had given the Robert Hadad-led Normalisation Committee installed by FIFA, the world governing body for the sport after Wallace and his executive was removed from office earlier this year, a one-week deadline to reply to their salary request made last week.

Last Friday, a quartet of coaches inclusive of former national captains, Clayton Morris and Angus Eve as well as Wayne “Barney” Shepphard, and Richard Hood held at a media conference held at Fatima College Ground, Mucurapo Road, in which they give the Normalisation Committee a September 9 deadline for salaries owed to appointed national coaches to be paid to the contracted coaches, 47 of them in total.

Back then speaking as members of what he described as the Steering Committee representing the national coaches in their matter with the TTFA/Normalisation Committee (NC), Eve, the most capped player in T&T football history with 118 appearances said that after dropping off their contracts at the TTFA head office in Couva to advance the process of their payments, they then had a phone call from the NC saying that they would like to meet with them on an individual basis, which they had promised to do about five months ago.

"So we were happy for that,” Eve said. “We did meet with them on an individual basis, each one of the head coaches was able to meet with them and articulate our positions and the meetings were cordial, and very interesting because for them, they are now coming in, and not trying to make any excuses for them, but we did seek to give them a little bit of latitude simply because they didn’t know what they were getting into.

Expressing his frustration with the delay, Eve said then: "It still doesn’t give them any reason for the lengthy delay in not communicating with us, so putting that out of the way, there is something on the table and they now have to go back and talk to the necessary people who are giving the money to them. We have sent in all of our bank accounts information so that we can be paid directly, we have suggested that, and they now have until September 9 to get back to us with the information on what is the remuneration package that all of are going to get.”

Eve, the coach of T&T Pro League’s Club Sando FC as well as Secondary Schools Football League (SSFL) team Naparima College noted that the remuneration packages were not finalised based on the fact that they had to go back to FIFA to get the monies to be released.

An optimistic Eve stated then, “We are convinced that we will get something. As I said before, we worked and we have not burdened the government. We could have gone to the government because we haven’t been working since January and we could have burdened the government further, and we thought that it’s better than other persons in the public get those grants, and all we are asking for is the money is too be paid. If we look past the normal FIFA money that is supposed to come in and we just look at the US$500,000 grant that FIFA give for COVID-19 relief it comfortably can pay all of the staff, all of their salaries.”

Pressed to give a figure, Eve said that the total combined salaries owed to the coaches outside of the senior technical team is in the region of $450,000 or a little over that figure.

Contacted for an updated on the matter after the September 9 deadline came and went, the official press release from the T&T National Football Teams Technical Staff members stated: "The Normalisation Committee (NC) has met with the T&T national senior staff and youth team coaches on the 9th September as promised.

"In the meeting (which was facilitated virtually), the Normalisation Committee outlined proposals for the settlement of outstanding payments to technical staff members. The proposal was generally satisfactory, however, nuances in some individual contracts require further engagement.

"The commitment was given by the Normalisation Committee (NC) to return to our group with a final proposal for settlement in a couple of days.

The release ended: "We believe there is good reason to be optimistic of this process being completed within the time frame suggested by the Normalisation Committee. This optimism is borne out of the productive and transparent nature of the meetings between both parties thus far."

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on September 14, 2020, 12:46:56 AM
Coaches confident of payment despite injunction.
By Walter Alibey (Guardian).


National coaches are holding firm that monies owed to them for salaries, will be paid by the FIFA-installed Normalisation Committee (NC), as promised, despite an injunction at the T&T High Court of Justice which was filed by the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) by members of the United United TTFA Team on Friday.

Former national captain, Clayton Morris, said the group of coaches remain confident that they will be paid through the same channels that the TTFA office staff workers were paid following a meeting on Saturday night.

The team is managing the coach's affairs with the NC alongside Morris is another former captain in midfielder Angus Eve, together with Wayne "Barney" Shepphard and national women's coach Richard Hood.

Guardian Media Sports understands that the office staff was paid via a direction money-transfer from the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) to their bank accounts. The coaches have submitted all the relative information which includes their personal bank information with the Normalisation Committee.

On Friday, attorneys representing the United TTFA Team of former president Williams Wallace, his three vice presidents Joseph Sam Phillip, Clynt Taylor and Susan Joseph-Warrick and associates Keith Look Loy, the president of the T&T Super League and Anthony Harford, the president of the Northern Football Association, filed an injunction to stop tomorrow's Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) which was convened by normalisation committee chairman Robert Hadad, upon the request of the TTFA's membership on August 28.

That meeting was triggered after the August 26 letter from general secretary of FIFA Fatma Samoura, addressed to Hadad, warning that TTFA would face sanctions if it did not withdraw the matter out of the T&T High Court by September 16.

Coincidentally, it is the same date given by Hadad and his committee which comprises attorney Judy Daniel (deputy chairman) and former banker Nigel Romano (member), for payment to 47 coaches which is estimated at TT$450,000.

Hadad fended off concerns of the legitimacy of holding the meeting, after the membership, via a petition, showed they were capable of securing well over 50 per cent support from the delegates. The petition which was initiated by Eastern Football Association (EFA) president Keiron Edwards, is intended to prevent the United TTFA from continuing its court battle with football's world governing body-FIFA, as its action has put the country on the cust of sanctions from the FIFA.

Morris, a former national defender, who has the experience previously of not been compensated by the TTFA 2001-2002 and again in 2018, finds himself having to battle for outstanding wages from January to presently, said the payment of remuneration is to be paid out to all the coaches, from junior to senior levels.

Some coach will only be entitled to a maximum of seven months salaries as they were given letters of appointments for January to August, while other coaches, particularly those on the senior team, were given two-year contracts, and therefore, will be in a position to receive monies after the seven months.

Morris said Saturday night's meeting was just among the coaches and did not involve any member of the normalisation committee. He said the coaches believe the normalisation committee would fulfil the commitment given to them at a September 9 meeting to make the payments.

RELATED NEWS

Technical staff members say settlement imminent, hail ‘progressive’ talks with normalisation committee.
By Lasana Liburd (Wired868).


Representatives for the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association’s (TTFA) national technical staff members have reported progress in discussions with the Fifa-appointed normalisation committee, with a settlement believed to be imminent.

The coaches and assortment of support staff, who were all hired under the William Wallace-led administration, have not been paid since they took up duties between December 2019 and January 2020.

Initially, Wallace said he did not have the funds to cover their remuneration, due to Fifa’s refusal to send Forward Programme money for the cash-strapped body. Then, normalisation committee chairman Robert Hadad reneged on a promise on 29 April to meet with each team to review contracts and facilitate payment.

On Tuesday 25 August, the technical staff members took matters into their own hands by marching to the TTFA’s office at the Ato Boldon Stadium in Couva—in the glare of the media—to personally drop off contracts and letters of appointment and demand talks.

After initially meeting a locked gate, a release today suggested a thawing of relations following virtual meetings with not only Hadad but committee members Judy Daniel and Nigel Romano.

“The normalisation committee has met with the Trinidad and Tobago national senior staff and youth team coaches on the 9th September as promised,” stated the release. “In the meeting (which was facilitated virtually), the normalisation committee outlined proposals for the settlement of outstanding payments to technical staff members. The proposal was generally satisfactory however nuances in some individual contracts require further engagement.

“The commitment was given by the normalisation committee to return to our group with a final proposal for settlement in a couple days.”

Staff members praised the cordial response by the committee, which they have taken in good faith. Outside of the Men’s National Senior Team technical staff, the majority of their group saw their contracts end last month.

Although only the Women’s National Under-20 Team saw competitive action—they finished as quarterfinalists at the 2020 Concacaf competition—all the teams were activated and trained until Covid-19 forced a shut down in March.

Wired868 understands that the normalisation committee initially tried to renegotiate contracts during the recent meetings. This was rejected by coaches who were open to that idea in April, while they were still employed, but found it unacceptable to do so at the end of their deals.

With the novel coronavirus ensuring a freeze on competitive football within Concacaf in 2020, the normalisation committee—which was arguably ceded control of the secretariat by Wallace and his elected officers—is not expected to rehire any technical staff members this year. However, the payment of coaches would arguably represent a minor victory for Hadad and his team in their new roles.

“We believe there is good reason to be optimistic of this process being completed within the time frame suggested by the normalisation committee,” stated the technical staff members. “This optimism is borne out of the productive and transparent nature of the meetings between both parties thus far.”

The normalisation committee has also scheduled an Extraordinary General Meeting on 15 September, which is meant to give members the opportunity to distance themselves from Wallace’s legal case with Fifa, and/or compel the TTFA’s elected officers to abandon its courtroom fight.

Wallace refused to attend since he does not recognise the normalisation committee’s authority to be involved in the process, while Trinidad and Tobago Football Referees Association (TTFRA) vice-president Osmond Downer, one of the framers of the TTFA constitution, also challenged the validity of the EGM.

The coaches are not part of the larger debate in the local game, although that may change soon. The TTFA’s technical staff members also started the formation of a coaches association within recent weeks and intend to see it through.

Men’s National Under-17 Team head coach and Under-20 Team assistant coach Angus Eve, who also heads the Naparima College and Club Sando football programmes, said the group has spoken not only to the 35-odd TTFA employees, but also coaches like Cornell Glen and Travis Mulraine, who are ‘enthusiastic about it’.

“We believe this week we will have the registration documents done and Mr Downer is helping us with the constitution and gave us a timetable of next week to finish it,” Eve told Wired868. “[…] This action shows when you come together how more effective you are than as individuals. We have been able to make far more inroads as a group [with the normalisation committee] than as individuals.”

Men’s National Under-15 Team assistant coach Wayne Sheppard, who is also Arima North Secondary technical director and QPCC assistant coach, said the coaches association could be a blessing for all stakeholders of the game.

“We don’t just see this as an association to deal with monies owed; we see this as a plan to elevate the standard of coaching by improving the opportunities for coaching education and certification,” said Sheppard. “We have some ideas about how to improve that. We also want, as one of the main stakeholders whose voice has been absent, to help those who are in power in making decisions to help the game go forward.

“It is not about confrontation. We feel we have a unique oversight about things that administrators don’t have which affect our chances for success. The same would go for the players [and an active players association] as well.”

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on September 30, 2020, 12:42:06 AM
Sheppard wants good sense to prevail as technical staff still unpaid.
By Joel Bailey (Newsday).


WAYNE Sheppard, assistant coach of the T&T men’s Under-15 football team, wants good sense to prevail as technical staff members of the various men’s and women’s squads are yet to be paid by the FIFA-appointed normalisation committee.

Sheppard and fellow members of the Coaches Steering Committee (Clayton Morris, Angus Eve, Richard Hood and Jefferson George), issued a letter to the United TTFA head, former TTFA (TT Football Association) president William Wallace on Monday.

In August, the coaches met with the normalisation committee and were promised that their outstanding salaries would be dealt with. The coaches were appointed to the various national teams by the TTFA between December 2019 and February 2020.

The letter, which was released to the media, said, “In previous newspaper articles and interviews, you and other members of the United TTFA have indicated that you were not opposed to the office staff and coaches being paid by FIFA or Concacaf and would not interfere or act in any manner to negatively affect the payment of staff.”

The letter continued, “On Saturday 26th September, however, we were informed by the normalisation committee that FIFA is unwilling to make these payments because of the reinstated court action by the United TTFA.”

The United TTFA, on Friday, resumed their court matter against FIFA, regarding FIFA’s decision to suspend TT from international matches and competition, based on the United TTFA’s late response to withdraw their legal action from the local High Court.

“We, the national staff members, would appreciate hearing from you how you can assist us with regard to our remuneration in the existing circumstances,” the letter ended.

Sheppard said on Monday, “I have said from the beginning that we’re confident we would be paid. The key part was coming to some sort of agreement with the normalisation committee, which we did. Mr Wallace and the United TTFA has said that they wouldn’t stand in the way of us getting paid, and now is the time to honour those words.”

Sheppard continued, “People have been without salaries, without pay for the better part of (a) year. So that means there are households who are suffering, which is only exacerbated by the pandemic. We can’t go out and work otherwise. The sooner it ends, the better. I’m seeing light at the end of the tunnel.

“I’m hoping to get an answer from (United TTFA) that stays true to their word and allows this process to come to an end. Not just the coaches but the players are in the same boat as well. A lot of people are forgetting the players, especially the players who are here in (T&T) who can’t play any football as well. We’re hoping for them, as well as us, that the end of this struggle is near.”

Wallace, on the other hand, thinks that the normalisation committee is using this latest legal move by the United TTFA as a reason to avoid paying the TT technical staff.

“It is passing strange that the court action is now being blamed for not paying the coaches when the court action has been there for quite a long time,” said Wallace. “As far as I know, the head of the normalisation committee (Robert Hadad) met with the coaches and promised payment. It is strange that they have now gone back to saying that the matter being in court is what’s stopping the coaches from being paid. Any monies that comes from FIFA goes to the normalisation committee.”

Wallace added, “The court matter can’t stop anything from coming to the normalisation committee. Why are they blaming the court matter? If the monies (are) coming from FIFA, the monies to pay the office staff, then what is the difference? I’m not sure, I’m confused.”

According to Wallace, “This is more than an excuse. Everything is being used to put pressure on us to act in a particular way. We expect that and, given that the matter is still in the court, and given that probably the court matter is two weeks away, we expect there will be sustained pressure between now and then. But that’s okay. We are standing firm at this point in time.”

RELATED NEWS

T&T youth coach wants greater say from coaches, players.
By Joel Bailey (Newsday).


ASSISTANT coach of the T&T men’s Under-15 football team Wayne Sheppard wants a greater say from coaches and players with regards to the administration of the sport locally.

Sheppard is part of the Coaches Steering Committee along with Clayton Morris, Angus Eve, Richard Hood and Jefferson George. They are seeking payments of their unpaid salaries from the FIFA-appointed normalisation committee, headed by businessman Robert Hadad.

During an interview, on Monday, Sheppard, who was appointed to the technical staff of the men’s Under-15 squad in February, described his stint as “an enlightening experience for me.”

He said, “There are a lot of people who are not really doing a service for the country or for the game. I am one of the luckier ones where I’m not the only breadwinner in my family, but there are a lot of technical staff members who are really uncertain right now because of this thing.”

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, Concacaf has cancelled all of their youth World Cup qualifiers for this year.

“This is my first time being selected as a national coach,” he said. “I’m disappointed in the fact that we didn’t get to go to our (qualifiers) but I’m seeing the bigger picture where some good has to end up coming out of this. I hope that all stakeholders could see that the game is not bigger than the individual, and that we move forward in a positive direction. “At the same time, I’m seeing some of the people positioning themselves for power and I’m not really that hopeful. A new generation, a new breed, a new blood have to come into this game, at the administrative level, for this thing to get better.”

Sheppard, who is also the coach of Arima North Secondary School, has called for the local coaches, as well as players, to have their own respective voices, regarding the state of local football.

“What I’ve learnt is we have a number of technical staff members here who have (T&T) at their heart,” said Sheppard. “Coming out of this, a Coaches Association, we see, is one key thing to help move the thing forward. Beyond that, the players need to get themselves organised as well. For too long, we’ve had two of the key stakeholders being marginalised.”

He added, “Decisions are being made by administrators to have their input, for the main part.”

Sheppard commended the former TTFA executive, led by William Wallace, for the plans they had in store, from a technical standpoint. “But there is a lot of work that has to be done,” he pointed out.

“I see the coaches and the players having an important part to play if (T&T football) have to rise from where it is right now,” Sheppard said.

“We want to get investors back into the game. Two of the fastest ways to get investors back into the game are proper accounting and a proper product on the field.”

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: asylumseeker on September 30, 2020, 06:51:35 AM
Sheppard wants good sense to prevail as technical staff still unpaid.
By Joel Bailey (Newsday).


WAYNE Sheppard, assistant coach of the T&T men’s Under-15 football team, wants good sense to prevail as technical staff members of the various men’s and women’s squads are yet to be paid by the FIFA-appointed normalisation committee.

Sheppard and fellow members of the Coaches Steering Committee (Clayton Morris, Angus Eve, Richard Hood and Jefferson George), issued a letter to the United TTFA head, former TTFA (TT Football Association) president William Wallace on Monday.

In August, the coaches met with the normalisation committee and were promised that their outstanding salaries would be dealt with. The coaches were appointed to the various national teams by the TTFA between December 2019 and February 2020.

The letter, which was released to the media, said, “In previous newspaper articles and interviews, you and other members of the United TTFA have indicated that you were not opposed to the office staff and coaches being paid by FIFA or Concacaf and would not interfere or act in any manner to negatively affect the payment of staff.”

The letter continued, “On Saturday 26th September, however, we were informed by the normalisation committee that FIFA is unwilling to make these payments because of the reinstated court action by the United TTFA.”

The United TTFA, on Friday, resumed their court matter against FIFA, regarding FIFA’s decision to suspend TT from international matches and competition, based on the United TTFA’s late response to withdraw their legal action from the local High Court.

“We, the national staff members, would appreciate hearing from you how you can assist us with regard to our remuneration in the existing circumstances,” the letter ended.

Sheppard said on Monday, “I have said from the beginning that we’re confident we would be paid. The key part was coming to some sort of agreement with the normalisation committee, which we did. Mr Wallace and the United TTFA has said that they wouldn’t stand in the way of us getting paid, and now is the time to honour those words.”

Sheppard continued, “People have been without salaries, without pay for the better part of (a) year. So that means there are households who are suffering, which is only exacerbated by the pandemic. We can’t go out and work otherwise. The sooner it ends, the better. I’m seeing light at the end of the tunnel.

“I’m hoping to get an answer from (United TTFA) that stays true to their word and allows this process to come to an end. Not just the coaches but the players are in the same boat as well. A lot of people are forgetting the players, especially the players who are here in (T&T) who can’t play any football as well. We’re hoping for them, as well as us, that the end of this struggle is near.”

Wallace, on the other hand, thinks that the normalisation committee is using this latest legal move by the United TTFA as a reason to avoid paying the TT technical staff.

“It is passing strange that the court action is now being blamed for not paying the coaches when the court action has been there for quite a long time,” said Wallace. “As far as I know, the head of the normalisation committee (Robert Hadad) met with the coaches and promised payment. It is strange that they have now gone back to saying that the matter being in court is what’s stopping the coaches from being paid. Any monies that comes from FIFA goes to the normalisation committee.”

Wallace added, “The court matter can’t stop anything from coming to the normalisation committee. Why are they blaming the court matter? If the monies (are) coming from FIFA, the monies to pay the office staff, then what is the difference? I’m not sure, I’m confused.”

According to Wallace, “This is more than an excuse. Everything is being used to put pressure on us to act in a particular way. We expect that and, given that the matter is still in the court, and given that probably the court matter is two weeks away, we expect there will be sustained pressure between now and then. But that’s okay. We are standing firm at this point in time.”

RELATED NEWS

T&T youth coach wants greater say from coaches, players.
By Joel Bailey (Newsday).


ASSISTANT coach of the T&T men’s Under-15 football team Wayne Sheppard wants a greater say from coaches and players with regards to the administration of the sport locally.

Sheppard is part of the Coaches Steering Committee along with Clayton Morris, Angus Eve, Richard Hood and Jefferson George. They are seeking payments of their unpaid salaries from the FIFA-appointed normalisation committee, headed by businessman Robert Hadad.

During an interview, on Monday, Sheppard, who was appointed to the technical staff of the men’s Under-15 squad in February, described his stint as “an enlightening experience for me.”

He said, “There are a lot of people who are not really doing a service for the country or for the game. I am one of the luckier ones where I’m not the only breadwinner in my family, but there are a lot of technical staff members who are really uncertain right now because of this thing.”

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, Concacaf has cancelled all of their youth World Cup qualifiers for this year.

“This is my first time being selected as a national coach,” he said. “I’m disappointed in the fact that we didn’t get to go to our (qualifiers) but I’m seeing the bigger picture where some good has to end up coming out of this. I hope that all stakeholders could see that the game is not bigger than the individual, and that we move forward in a positive direction. “At the same time, I’m seeing some of the people positioning themselves for power and I’m not really that hopeful. A new generation, a new breed, a new blood have to come into this game, at the administrative level, for this thing to get better.”

Sheppard, who is also the coach of Arima North Secondary School, has called for the local coaches, as well as players, to have their o
wn respective voices, regarding the state of local football.

“What I’ve learnt is we have a number of technical staff members here who have (T&T) at their heart,” said Sheppard. “Coming out of this, a Coaches Association, we see, is one key thing to help move the thing forward. Beyond that, the players need to get themselves organised as well. For too long, we’ve had two of the key stakeholders being marginalised.”

He added, “Decisions are being made by administrators to have their input, for the main part.”

Sheppard commended the former TTFA executive, led by William Wallace, for the plans they had in store, from a technical standpoint. “But there is a lot of work that has to be done,” he pointed out.

“I see the coaches and the players having an important part to play if (T&T football) have to rise from where it is right now,” Sheppard said.

“We want to get investors back into the game. Two of the fastest ways to get investors back into the game are proper accounting and a proper product on the field.

1. The authors of the non-payment have deployed a policy of wounding the hostages.

2. Instead of taking ownership of their indiscriminate aggression that has resulted in the wounding, they claim that an entity other than them is the wounding aggressor.

3. Indiscriminate aggression is broadly characterised by not giving a %$#@. So, guess who fundamentally doesn't give a %$#@.

4. Two parties can agree that the occurrence of a stated future event(s) shall be consequential to their agreement ... however, if an event of a type not contemplated in their agreement occurs, it isn't necessarily consequential to their agreement.

Those are the beyond-the-rope waters in which you are swimming.

Matters are attenuated when neither of the agreeing parties is in a position to control the conduct of a 3rd party not involved in the original agreement, but whose conduct ostensibly is pertinent to the 'vigour' of the agreement.

A central problem here is that United TTFA is a litigant who couldn't reasonably  be expected to hamstring its options on the altar of protecting an interest that's of perceived less import (coach payment) than the broader/larger interests that are on the altar of United TTFA's original sin/sacrifice/offending conduct (subject to definition, perception, interpretation but let's call it "their removal/federation governance").

It is this balancing of interests that overcame the United TTFA member who withdrew. She wrote: 'Within recent times it has become clear to me, that we are also fighting against those that we represent; The Associations, The Clubs, The Teams, Supporters and Sadly....the Players'

FIFA in its non-payment and United TTFA in its path of principled conviction have set the stage for lingering resentments and infighting that could survive the resolution of the main question at hand. Non-payment is an elective element of that cocktail. While some may argue that the path of principled conviction is also elective, that's not a sustainable argument because it goes directly to the main issue.  On the other hand,
payment of coaches does not go to the main question directly. It's incidental to, or tangential to, the bigger circumstance. That's why the technical staff is conveniently collateral damage.

Also,  if I was an administrator who has been paid, my stance would be I can't accept payment unless all staff are paid. Or, I accept payment but won't act on those funds in solidarity with those who have not been paid. Certainly, if I'm at the helm of the technical staff and I have been paid, that latter position would be mandatory.

 
 
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: asylumseeker on October 01, 2020, 02:18:26 AM
Kudos to Lasana for picking up the trail. (https://wired868.com/2020/09/30/wallace-accuses-fifa-of-using-coaches-as-pawns-fifa-allegedly-paid-tt492k-to-nc/) Maybe a comment from the technical director is missing.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on November 11, 2020, 01:19:24 AM
More problems with TTFA debt-eradication plan.
By Walter Alibey (T&T Guardian).


Coaches salaries to be a concern

There could be more problems with the eradication of the T&T Football Association (TTFA) debt, which can potentially lead to the reduction of salaries for coaches in the future.

World football's governing body-FIFA will decide on the future of T&T football, inclusive of the eradication of an existing debt which is said to be some $70 million. The debt is considered key to the solution of the issues plaguing the sport but can also lead to a return of the initial problems.

Caribbean Football Union (CFU) president Randy Harris believes the country's football issues will be solved by the FIFA-appointed Normalisation Committee, which will have the responsibility to seek funding, in an already difficult corporate society, warning, however, that the normalisation committee which is being chaired by businessman Robert Hadad, will have to guard against going back to the problems it faced before.

Harris said: "My experience is that whenever FIFA institutes normalisation, at the end of the project the Member Association (MA) is normally in a better place so I don't see anything different to T&T. I don't think FIFA will just say okay, you owe $10 million dollars, we will give you all $10 million to pay all the debt. It will be a process and obviously, the normalisation committee acts in the same way that a normal exemptive committee will operate within the country."

T&T is currently awaiting a response from the FIFA on whether it will lift a suspension that was handed to the William Wallace-led TTFA for a violation of the FIFA Statutes on September 24. This followed the appointment of the normalisation committee on March 17, on the basis that the Wallace-led TTFA had put the sport in a position of insolvency and illiquidity.

The normalisation committee which was later filled by chairman Hadad, former banker Nigel Romano and Attorney Judy Daniel, was given a mandate to: "Run the TTFA's daily affairs; Establish a debt repayment plan that is implementable by the TTFA; Review and amend the TTFA Statutes (and other regulations where necessary) and to ensure their compliance with the FIFA Statutes and requirements before duly submitting them for approval to the TTFA Congress; and to organise and to conduct elections of a new TTFA Executive Committee for a four-year mandate".

Wallace said on Tuesday the sport is in need of an overhaul, saying the eradication of the debt is crucial to this, as everything will be affected.

"If FIFA was going to liquidate the debt, then my fight with them (FIFA) would not have taken place," he said.

Due to Wallace's apparent defiance to orders by the FIFA, to not challenge the appointment of the normalisation committee, the country has until December 18 to know whether it will be re-accepted into the FIFA as a member and be allowed to play in FIFA-sanctioned tournaments.

FIFA last week wrote to Hadad to acknowledge the country's attempts to be re-accepted via an overturning of High Court ruling by the Court of Appeal as well as a decision by the sport's membership to remove all the matters the TTFA had against the FIFA in the court system.

A TTFA Board member who spoke on condition of anonymity, said FIFA will likely provide the funding to clear the existing debt of TTFA and will take it back through the annual grants given to member associations.

He said if this happens, the country may find itself back in the same position it was in at the start, as there will be a strain on the TTFA to finance other programmes such as salaries to coaches and staff and development plans, among others.

"There will also be a strain on the operating costs, as 70-80 per cent of the debt of the TTFA comes from coaches' salaries etc. This means the salary of national coach Terry Fenwick and others will have to be reviewed in the future. It will also mean reducing the amount to be paid to coaches in the future," the board member explained.

Harris said: "There must be some manner of restoring the financial integrity of T&T and that would mean putting certain issues in place and making sure that the decisions made by the normalisation committee are workable."

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on November 14, 2020, 03:42:52 AM
Hagley calls for one-club, one-vote in T&T Football.
By Walter Alibey (T&T Guardian).


Randy Hagley, the Guaya United owner, and managing director is calling for a one-club one-vote system to be introduced into football managed under the T&T Football Association (TTFA) administration as he believes it will solve many of the problems affecting the sport.

Hagley said this should be a priority for the soon-to-be-reinstalled Normalisation Committee, which will be led by businessman Robert Hadad of the HADCO Group of Companies.

Hagley who controls a club that truly epitomizes the community team and spirit that is being sought after he told Guardian Media Sports that the one-club one-vote system will stamp out corruption which is usually derived from the delegate system.

The Guaya United boss said on Friday: "I have been clamouring for this for a little while now, you see with all this Pro League, T&T Super League, and all those other Leagues, that delegation vote is a conspiracy theory. Take for instance me in the Super League, Guaya is the biggest team in the Super League, and at the last TTSL AGM, only four clubs or five clubs voted for Guaya and Petit Valley and these are two clubs that have following."


He noted further: "These men and dem who are presidents and whoever, does cook up dey panchayat to make sure their team vote for who, and that is wrong. So I say, let us cut out all that kind of foolishness. Once you are a member of the T&TFA and you've reached the required standard that TTFA wants with regards to the club license standard which all clubs around the world is supposed to follow as it is a FIFA guideline, once you meet that, your club is a member of the TTFA, you have one vote. In that way, you can vote for whoever you want. Nobody can't buy you and feel you're doing somebody a favour."

With the delegate system currently, clubs are represented by one or two chosen persons who may or may not represent the views of the clubs individually. Last year at the T&T Football Association Election at the Home of Football in Balmain Couva, the Super League was represented by eight delegates though the League comprises more than 21 clubs, Hagley said.

"Trinidad is too small for that. When you look at the population of T&T of 1.3 million, I am sure that the people who follow football are not half a million people and we cannot get it right. This is because everybody wants to be in charge."

At present the T&T Pro League clubs each have a vote at TTFA general meetings while all the other member association and zones are represented by delegates.

Hagley said the one-club one-vote system should be applied to the Pro League, Super League, the six Regional Associations- Northern FA, Southern FA, Eastern FA, Central FA, Tobago FA, and the Eastern Counties Football Union (ECFU) as well as for the parent football association (T&TFA) elections.

The Guaya United boss is also calling on the TTFA to take over the administration of all the tournaments, thereby doing away with the Regional Associations, Super League, and Pro League, and replace them with Divisions.

He said local football should now comprise of a First, second, Third, and Fourth Divisions.

Meanwhile, Hagley has called for total support for Jameson Rigues for the president of the TTSL, saying he has not received the support of the Board of Directors of the TTSL because he is from the countryside.

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Tiresais on November 14, 2020, 01:30:11 PM
One club one vote sounds good in theory, but it concentrates voting power in the lower leagues where numbers are greater, and I dont know if the interests of the gsme overall would be best served by that. Not sure what would be the right way to be fair, and certainly we do need more representation of clubs, players and coaches.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Deeks on November 15, 2020, 01:00:00 AM
One club one vote sounds good in theory, but it concentrates voting power in the lower leagues where numbers are greater, and I dont know if the interests of the gsme overall would be best served by that. Not sure what would be the right way to be fair, and certainly we do need more representation of clubs, players and coaches.

I tend to agree with you here. One club one vote can still be manipulated to serve a certain group and thus strangling the efforts of others. Just remember Jack brought in a bunch of clubs to vote for him. After he got in, these clubs disappeared after a season or so. The TTFA needed to come up with a solution between the pro-league, super league and the zones. The pro league clubs has no competition. No club can be demoted for finishing last. It reminds me of Sunday morning leagues. They need to find a way to make the super league and pro league competitive. But money talks. If you have money, you can just join the pro-league. And just drop off if things not going good. I don't think this is good for our football.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Deeks on November 15, 2020, 01:18:27 AM
But just look at the relationship between EPL and the championship, and the the lower divisions. It is kind of rocky. The only thinks that is fluid in the English football for now, is promotion and demotion. The Premier is split with the so called top 6 or 7 pulling their weight against the other clubs. (Man City, Liverpool, Utd, Arsenal, Chelsea, Spurs, maybe Leicester) wanted 5 subs. The others rallied to deny them, because they think it would be to their disadvantage. But it will happened because you can't have all them millionaires sitting on the bench. They need to play.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on January 19, 2021, 05:26:51 PM
Talks with National Security Ministry ongoing for friendlies.
By Walter Alibey (T&T Guardian).


Talks with the Ministry of National Security have been taking place behind the scenes as national men's football coach Terry Fenwick intensifies his efforts to secure a few international friendly matches, ahead of the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers in March.

Fenwick's men are set to face Guyana in their opening match on March 25 but their preparations for the past few months, have been hampered by exemptions needed by the Ministry of National Security, for the teams coming into and going out of the country.

"We have had some concerted efforts behind the scenes with National Security trying to help us to get games. Obviously, in the world we live in today quarantine is a big issue, and it's not just before the games but it's the country that they go back to, so they're in five to seven or 10-day quarantine camps," said Fenwick.

"In the UK, as we speak you have two weeks, wherever you go you've two weeks quarantine. So we recognise the difficulties around the world, yes we're trying to get games, everywhere else around the world they're playing football and we're not. We have got a World Cup qualifier coming up on the 25th of March that is all-important, so we are working hard behind the scenes to achieve these goals."

The former San Juan Jabloteh and Central FC coach has, on numerous occasions, highlighted the challenges being encountered in securing international friendly matches, amid a deadly COVID-19 pandemic, but he said on Tuesday that he is hoping that within the next 24 hours they can announce something of significance.

In the recent past, Fenwick had lined up a number of international matches - with Grenada, St Vincent and the Grenadines and Dominica, as well as a camp in the United States, all of which fell through due to a combination of lack of funding, and the difficulty involved in arranging matches due to the coronavirus protocols.  

Following the team's opening match at home, the Warriors will then face Puerto Rico on March 28 (away), the Bahamas on June 5 (away), and St Kitts and Nevis on June 8 (at home).

In spite of the challenges, however, Fenwick continued his preparations on Tuesday at the Hasely Crawford Stadium in Mucurapo with a large, enthusiastic crop of mostly young players, who will have to work doubly hard to seal a place on the team.

Like Fenwick, the players have had their own challenges with no local football taking place for the past year and a half.  Due to this, Fenwick has had to scour the globe in search of match-fit players, which he told the media he has done successfully.

The English-born coach has already identified some 25 players from the UK and in the United States which he said may most likely be the players to represent the country at the qualifiers.    

In the meanwhile, the local players have been developing a playing style that will suit the team.

Fenwick explained: "We're establishing a style of play. We've identified lots of players overseas, UK, Europe, and North America and they are playing at a much better standard of football than the guys here in Trinidad, but we've all got to come to a style of football that suits the players that we've got, that's what I am doing with the local guys here on the ground."

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on January 19, 2021, 05:29:30 PM
Football coaches group seeks place on TTFA board.
By Joel Bailey (T&T Newsday).


THE National Football Coaches of TT (NFCTT) is eagerly seeking a place among the board of the directors in the TT Football Association (TTFA).

NFCTT interim first vice-president Wayne Sheppard, on Monday, said, “We sent in the documentation that we needed through to the (FIFA-appointed) normalisation committee for them to progress the process of us being (represented) at board level. We also made a call to Osmond Downer who was helping us with the constitution draft.”

Sheppard said, “We had to put the work with normalisation committee to get us reinstated on the front burner because their mandate is to further align the constitution with FIFA’s constitution. We want to make sure that, in that alignment, we are not left out.”

The NFCTT’s interim executive comprises Jefferson George (president), Sheppard, Dernelle Mascall (second vice-president), Curtis Orr (treasurer), Rayshawn Mars (general secretary), Angus Eve, Clayton Morris and Richard Hood (ordinary members).

According to Sheppard, the group is pleased with the feedback they have been receiving from the normalisation committee, headed by Robert Hadad.

“Jefferson George is the person who’s (on) point on all communications with the normalisation committee,” Sheppard said. “He’s been corresponding with them as it relates to the documents required to get us reinstated at board level. We have been kept up to date by his interactions with them. There is no complaint from that aspect.”

Sheppard said that the national coaches, who were hired during the four-month reign of William Wallace as TTFA president, are still hopeful of getting the remainder of the salaries owed to them.

“We were paid 50 per cent and we’re still discussing with (the normalisation committee) the time frame for the remaining 50 per cent,” he said. “That matter pertains to the coaches who were appointed to the national positions in early 2020.”

With regards to the work being done by the NFCTT, Sheppard said, “We met with the TTOC (TT Olympic Committee) to discuss transparency in governance and those things, the effects of the (covid19) lockdown on sports, and getting things back up.

“We also started a covid-relief drive for coaches who are out of work, non-national coaches,” he added. “We distributed some hampers. We had a meeting with the technical director Dion La Foucade (last) weekend.”

Sheppard pointed out, “We met with the Pro League, the Super League (and) WoLF. We have to meet with the Tobago coaches, through the Tobago Football Association and then the South, East and North coaches. That will all be done together.”

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: asylumseeker on January 19, 2021, 10:39:32 PM
Football coaches group seeks place on TTFA board.
By Joel Bailey (T&T Newsday).


THE National Football Coaches of TT (NFCTT) is eagerly seeking a place among the board of the directors in the TT Football Association (TTFA).

NFCTT interim first vice-president Wayne Sheppard, on Monday, said, “We sent in the documentation that we needed through to the (FIFA-appointed) normalisation committee for them to progress the process of us being (represented) at board level. We also made a call to Osmond Downer who was helping us with the constitution draft.”

Sheppard said, “We had to put the work with normalisation committee to get us reinstated on the front burner because their mandate is to further align the constitution with FIFA’s constitution. We want to make sure that, in that alignment, we are not left out.”

The NFCTT’s interim executive comprises Jefferson George (president), Sheppard, Dernelle Mascall (second vice-president), Curtis Orr (treasurer), Rayshawn Mars (general secretary), Angus Eve, Clayton Morris and Richard Hood (ordinary members).

According to Sheppard, the group is pleased with the feedback they have been receiving from the normalisation committee, headed by Robert Hadad.

“Jefferson George is the person who’s (on) point on all communications with the normalisation committee,” Sheppard said. “He’s been corresponding with them as it relates to the documents required to get us reinstated at board level. We have been kept up to date by his interactions with them. There is no complaint from that aspect.”

Sheppard said that the national coaches, who were hired during the four-month reign of William Wallace as TTFA president, are still hopeful of getting the remainder of the salaries owed to them.

“We were paid 50 per cent and we’re still discussing with (the normalisation committee) the time frame for the remaining 50 per cent,” he said. “That matter pertains to the coaches who were appointed to the national positions in early 2020.”

With regards to the work being done by the NFCTT, Sheppard said, “We met with the TTOC (TT Olympic Committee) to discuss transparency in governance and those things, the effects of the (covid19) lockdown on sports, and getting things back up.

“We also started a covid-relief drive for coaches who are out of work, non-national coaches,” he added. “We distributed some hampers. We had a meeting with the technical director Dion La Foucade (last) weekend.”

Sheppard pointed out, “We met with the Pro League, the Super League (and) WoLF. We have to meet with the Tobago coaches, through the Tobago Football Association and then the South, East and North coaches. That will all be done together.”

This is all very laudable.

After having made numerous posts on the failing of coaches to be seated at the table, and advocating for such, the structured manner with which NFCTT has been treating its inclusion is noteworthy. The missing elements were the will to do it, solidarity within the coaching ranks, a galvanizing moment and a proper appreciation of what was at stake. The thing is: any federation leadership could have harnessed this vacuum by facilitating steps even if coaches themselves had to do the legwork and lifting to make the formalities happen.

I emphasize that because there are two other drums that have been beaten here also. One is that of players taking their seat at the table. The third I will deal with separately.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: asylumseeker on February 02, 2021, 05:18:54 PM
The NC/TTFA should release a transparent statement that indicates how the friendly against the US came into being, the process and rationale for arriving at the decision, and all ancillary arrangements and incentives that pertained to the match and the hospitality of the USSF. A full exposition of when, how, who, what, where and why.
Title: Focus on youth football
Post by: Tallman on February 04, 2021, 02:09:47 PM
Focus on youth football
By Lennox Sirjuesingh (T&T Express)


The recent drubbing and humiliation our football team suffered against the US leads me to believe that we continue to be enveloped in wishful thinking as opposed to engaging in hard work and long term goal-setting and planning.

This is reinforced by coach Terry Fenwick saying that he selected players based on video recordings of these players. What utter madness! Thank goodness he is not coaching a South American country.

For as long as I can recall, there have been repeated calls for an effective youth programme, but with little implementation.

Many including Super League president Clayton Morris and NFA president Ross Russell have recently echoed this youth development ideal. It was revealed that the USA team was the result of their U15 and U17 programme started long ago.

Where is our similar planning? We seem to believe in instant and overnight success, not realising the latter does not come “overnight”.

Our current situation will continue unless we introduce and manage a well thought-out plan for our football development.

To this end, I urge the Normalisation Committee now in charge to aim at leaving a legacy of an effective youth programme with the results manifested in years to come. The relatively short period of two years for that committee would, on the surface, be seen as difficult to achieve but with commitment, zeal and the will to do it, we can make it possible for both male and female teams.

The entire Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) must buy into it and coordination must be handled by the national association. I have seen the youth football trophy on display in Ghana at a hotel and was impressed by the enthusiasm of parents and youth players to take pictures with the trophy.

This could be an avenue for revival of community spirit and identification with our youths. Corporate citizens are known to be supportive of positive programmes and may just wish to be identified with such a programme. Their involvement is vital.

With the coming into being of a specialised ministry for youth, we have another likely supporter of such an initiative.

Is the TTFA likely to be seen as fulfilling its corporate social responsibility if this is implemented?

The board of directors must become partners with the Normalisation Committee as we plan, programme and implement. The possibilities and benefits are endless.
Title: TTFA shortlists 5 coaches for Women's job
Post by: Tallman on February 05, 2021, 06:15:41 PM
TTFA shortlists 5 coaches for Women's job
By Walter Alibey (T&T Guardian)


A five-member Adhoc Selection Committee that includes former national defender Richard Chinapoo, who has had an extensive career, primarily in the United States, will take centre stage as the selection of a coach for the country's Women's team continues.

Robert Hadad, chairman of the FIFA-appointed Normalisation Committee (NC) which also comprises former banker Nigel Romano and attorney Judy Daniel told Guardian Media Sports on Thursday, that the NC will ultimately have the final decision on who the coach will be. He said, the newly appointed committee is a highly technical one and will make recommendations based on qualification, experience and the budget available for the top position.

The other members on the committee will be Jinelle James, director of women's football, Dion La Foucade, the technical director of T&T football, Norris Ferguson - former football administrator, Richard Piper- former national team manager, and Hayden Martin- a retired teacher and coach at St Mary's College.

It is understood that from a total of 195 local, regional and international coaches, there is now a shortlist of five, but it is unsure whether former national women's coach Richard Hood, who took the country's under-20 women to the quarterfinals of the CONCACAF U-20 Women's Championship in the Dominican Republic last year and Angus Eve, who is considered one of this country's most successful youth coach, have made the shortlist.

The coach is expected to be chosen in the coming weeks.

Normalisation Committe to meet with Fenwick

Meanwhile, Hadad and his team will also sit with senior national Men's team coach Terry Fenwick soon to find ways to strengthen the team's chances of qualifying FIFA World Cup, which begins with a qualifying match against Guyana on March 25.

With FIFA suspending all the standing committees of the T&T Football Association inclusive of the technical committee, Hadad said his committee (NC) will do its best with the technical expertise that they have to help guide and direct them in the right direction for football. "What football advice they can give to Mr Fenwick. He and I just came off the phone with each other, we get along very well, we're going to work with him. We are going to try our very best to create an environment to give him the best possible chance," Hadad explained.

The local football boss has also reached out to the country's top international stars Joevin Jones, Kevin Molino and Khaleem Hyland for them to be apart of the set-up.

Fenwick's men were demolished 7-0 by the United States in an international friendly encounter on Sunday at the Exploria Stadium in Orlando Florida, USA but the result has had no effect on Hadad, who told Guardian Media Sports that he's happy with the traction being received, as well as the fact that the coach knows what is available to him.

"We have to work with the coach and the management team and I really think that the exposure is what we need to focus on, and not necessarily the result. The national coach is trying his best to see players and to evaluate players and he did what he thought was necessary. We could all analyse and say good, bad or indifferent but I am just gonna continue supporting him. We're gonna discuss the mistakes made, we're gonna discuss the positives and we're going to work towards the next game and what we could do to make things better for him."

Hadad happy with T&T playing football again

Sunday's match saw the Soca Warriors succumb to their largest-ever margin of defeat by the United States, a result that followed a 6-0 thrashing at the CONCACAF Gold Cup in the USA in 2019. Still, the positives appeared to have out-weighed the negatives, as the NC was bombarded with praises from other CONCACAF and regional territories for being able to pull off the match in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"On Wednesday, I had a meeting with CONCACAF and our group F compatriots, and there was a lot of talk around how Trinidad and Tobago did what Trinidad and Tobago did, we got a game, we actually played football. We went out, we got to the USA. We came in for a lot of praise and I find really funny that we as Trinidadians are not seeing that. We went with what we had and the objective was to give Mr Fenwick the opportunity to view players in the USA, so I am actually very happy with the outcome but I am happy with the result of the game."

The T&T team will play two other warm-up matches against Dominica and St Vincent and the Grenadines later this month. Ongoing talks are underway with the Ministries of National Security and Health, Hadad explained, for a tri-nation bubble to be held here.

And he noted that for these matches, Hadad is guessing that coach Fenwick will utilise all the local players available to him, saying they will not be able to get the international players for matches outside the FIFA window.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on February 11, 2021, 04:40:35 PM
TTFA to work on commercialisation
By Jonathan Ramnanansingh (Newsday).


THE TT Football Association (TTFA) was among several member associations from the region which participated in a commercialisation workshop hosted by Concacaf, last Tuesday, via a Zoom conference call.

The lead presenter at the workshop was Heidi Pellerano, Concacaf’s chief commercial officer, who oversees the organisation’s commercial division, developing and managing strategic partnerships to maximize the commercial opportunities of the organisation.

She also has direct oversight of the departments of business development, partnership marketing, digital and emerging technologies, media distribution, and broadcast productions.

Some of the topics discussed included brand-building tactics, sponsorship, fan engagement, data and analytics specific to fan engagement and marketing and building strategic alliances with commercial partners among other items.

Also present at the workshop were Concacaf general secretary Philippe Moggio, chief director of member associations Marco Leal, senior project manager Howard McIntosh and director of Caribbean football at Concacaf Horace Reid.

Attending the workshop on the TTFA’s behalf was interim general secretary Amiel Mohammed, head of media and communications Shaun Fuentes and Yuri Chapman.

Some of the other countries participating countries were Jamaica, Grenada, Bermuda, Guyana, Barbados, St Lucia among others.

In his address, Moggio emphasised the Confederation’s desire to help the member associations improve their commercial structures and strategies.

“We have heard from many of you that the commercial area is an important area where we all need to strengthen our know-how, so we decided to create this specific commercialization workshop,” Moggio said.

“We have done a lot of work over the past two years in further developing our commercial programme, developing the platforms that target different audiences. “You see our women’s competitions coming together under a Concacaf women’s brand and our youth competitions and how we are packaging those, our CSR efforts and many other initiatives that target different audiences and help us advance our revenue opportunities. These are the areas we want to focus on that can help you at your local level.

The TTFA confirmed they will continue to engage with Concacaf and FIFA experts as it aims to strengthen its marketing and commercial programmes and will be part of further workshops hosted by the confederation throughout 2021.

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Tiresais on February 12, 2021, 03:57:33 AM
Who's Yuri Chapman?
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: maxg on February 12, 2021, 02:28:00 PM
Who's Yuri Chapman?
According to Linkedln

Yuri Chapman
Logistics Assistant with responsibility for Uniforms & Equipment at TTFA
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on February 24, 2021, 01:39:46 PM
Who dropped the ball, TTFA?
By Colin Murray (T&T Guardian).


It truly amazes me how everything associated with Trinidad & Tobago’s football has over time become a consistent form of bacchanal. It’s almost as if we sit and wait for the next story in the long-running soap opera entitled - ‘Who did it this time? Football the T&T way’.

Indeed, the Soca Warriors were hammered by the USA a little over three weeks ago 7-0 in the USA. I think, or perhaps I should hope that we all know the reason why the team was humiliated on that infamous night - January 31. With lessons (hopefully) learned, T&T’s football fans were rightfully waiting for a more positive step as their team was about to embark on preparations for their qualification campaign for the 2022 FIFA World Cup on March 25th with a home fixture against Guyana.

Instead, what the optics reveal is a case of who to blame this time? The Ministry Of Health (MOH) got the first lash when they pointed out why the TTFA’s proposal to host the match was not accepted pointing to various concerns relating to the government's response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. After the Ministry explained why they could not give permission for the game to be played in T&T, the TTFA responded by alluding to the supposed fact that they had been in discussions with the MOH, the Sports Company of T&T and other relevant government agencies over the last few months in order to satisfy their FIFA mandate for international competitions.

While that seems reasonable enough to me, if it is true that the TTFA had been in negotiations with the relevant parties over the last few months, surely they would have suggested that the match can be played in a football bubble as is being done with various football leagues around the world. I know however that in certain countries like Germany, in the Champions League, their teams have to give up home advantage and play their games at a neutral venue in Budapest so it is not something new for home advantage to be relinquished.

It is indeed tough for the players to be giving up a home advantage but with no crowds being allowed into the stadium, it really does not make a difference in that aspect. The only major argument is coach Fenwick’s players would know the conditions better than the opposition. This is ultimately a major advantage playing at home and while it may seem difficult to understand, the pressure with no crowds being present can sometimes work in favour of the players.

I don’t know how the USA, for instance, allowed the game against our national team to play and I hope the TTFA when putting forward their argument for the game to be played in T&T used that as an example. It is indeed difficult to argue with decisions that a government makes to protect its citizens from the effects of a global pandemic. Could you imagine the outcry if something was to go wrong had the game been allowed to play here in T&T? Don’t misunderstand me as I more than anyone would welcome the game being played at the Hasely Crawford stadium but if we drop our guard, we may pay the consequences.

Many people are referencing the CPL being played here over a six-week period in the height of the pandemic with 6 teams and players coming from within and outside the region and everything went well. I'm uncertain whether people understand how difficult it was for the relevant parties to host the CPL. The players and officials from the teams other than the Trinbago Knight Riders had to quarantine for 2 weeks before the tournament started; they were confined to their rooms, fed in their rooms and no one other than the teams was allowed in the hotel. It was extremely tough on the players and eventually when they were let out, they were still in a bubble and not a single external person could have interacted with the players. Mentally painful indeed.

Honestly, I do not know if any further dialogue will have any effect on the MOH’s decision. As I have already indicated, their priority is the safety of our people and unfortunately, I am unconvinced that any official in the TTFA can guarantee that. But deep down, I wish someone could come up with a workable solution but that does not seem possible at this stage. Our best bet is to focus on the team’s task at hand. It makes no sense for the national coach to be ranting, raving and going about the town with the blame game.

You just don’t know who to really believe. While the TTFA’s release stated that they have had discussions over the last few months with the relevant stakeholders, the Minister of Sport and Community Development Shamfa Cudjoe directly contradicted that when she uttered that the TTFA only sought permission in the first week of February. Does that mean the discussions over the last few months focused on pitching marbles? Weren’t the TTFA told to seek permission in writing? Has the TTFA been truthful about having discussions? Why did they only seek permission as we are being told in the first week of February? Can someone please clear the air on these questions or as usual, will it be swept under the carpet without anyone being held responsible or knowing what the truth is?

Terry Fenwick is laying the blame squarely at the feet of the TTFA administrative staff. But surely they are or should be guided by someone and if it is the same people as you are saying and they are not performing, then someone needs to take some form of undertaking so these actions do not repeat themselves. I am sick, fed up and exhausted with the lies, half-truths and innuendos when it comes to T&T football over the many years and it just never seems to get better.

In retrospect, Fenwick must get on with the business of preparing the national team for the encounter against Guyana. Forget about off-the-field antics which you have no control of and concentrate on winning against a tough opponent. As a teammate of mine used to say, “if we have to play them in the sea, we will beat them there as well”. Best of luck to team T&T.

After all, there’s no place to look but up after that disastrous USA performance.

Editor’s note:

The views expressed in this article are solely those of the writer and do not reflect the views of any organisation of which he is a stakeholder.


Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on February 26, 2021, 01:48:31 AM
‘They’re sabotaging Fenwick and Hadad!’ TTFA staff blamed for normalisation committee blunders.
By Lasana Liburd (Wired868).


Who is doing more damage to Trinidad and Tobago’s 2022 Qatar World Cup qualifying chances?

Is it the perceived arrogance and ignorance of the Fifa-appointed normalisation committee, headed by Robert Hadad? The eccentric behaviour and questionable decision-making of Men’s National Senior Team head coach Terry Fenwick?

Or the alleged indifference and mean-spiritedness of the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association’s (TTFA) office staff?

Remarkably, according to a document now making the rounds within local football circles, it is the latter party—the TTFA’s employees—that should be held to account for a series of blunders by the local sporting body, which range from the Soca Warriors’ unusual uniform in last month’s embarrassing 7-0 defeat to the United States to the TTFA’s sloppy and ultimately unsuccessful 29-page proposal to the Ministry of Health for exemptions for home games.

The TTFA Constitution allows the president to recommend a general secretary to the board, with the secretary then empowered to run the day-to-day administration of the football body.

Hadad and the normalisation committee appointed Amiel Mohammed as interim general secretary on 16 January 2021, following the suspension of Ramesh Ramdhan last July. Mohammed has worked for Hadad since the latter’s Fifa appointment last March, with his previous role being ‘assistant to the normalisation committee chairman’.

The TTFA’s organisational chart puts Mohammed in charge of all employees, while Hadad is the only person who can recommend sanctions against the general secretary.

However, based on an unsigned document, it is the office staff—and not Mohammed or Hadad—who should be held accountable for the stuttering start suffered by Fenwick and the normalisation committee.

“One can recall from the start, Terry Fenwick inherited technical staff that tried their best to prevent the National Team [from commencing] training, with red herrings [that] the team should not train until the Fifa ban was lifted, when that was not the case,” stated the document, which described the staff’s behaviour as ‘sabotage’.

“[…] Mr Robert Hadad has been forced to be a one-man team to get everything done himself, working tirelessly with no support elements—due to the blatant failure of those in TTFA, who have done nothing in the last year but acquire a monthly salary.”

The ‘hiccup’ in the resumption of national training, in particular, was blamed on team manager Captain Basil Thompson last year. Thompson was subsequently moved to the post of ‘logistics/safety and compliance manager’ while former St Augustine Secondary and Trinity East College coach Adrian Romain was promoted from Fenwick’s ‘personal assistant’ to team manager.

Romain was in charge when the Warriors returned from Orlando, earlier this month, with no apparent idea of the Ministry of Health’s quarantine protocol—which saw them held at the Home of Football for seven days, with another week of self-isolation at their respective homes.

“The unacceptable situation for the National team to be forced to remain inside their rooms for seven days at the Home of Football, on their return from the USA recently,” stated the document, “again falls squarely at the feet of the TTFA administrative staff.  All that was required was for them to send correspondence to the Ministry of Health and to Mr [Douglas] Camacho (the chairman of the Sports Company) to allow the team to train daily at the Ato Boldon Stadium, which was 50 metres from where the team was confined.

“This would have allowed the team to stay fit and match sharp… It was only when those outside the LOC contacted the relevant officials on the sixth day, that immediate approval was given [for the team to train].

“Ironically, these same TTFA employees who comprise the LOC are employed in that same facility.”

The claims were partially true. The TTFA’s LOC did not arrange for the Men’s National Senior Team to use the Ato Boldon Stadium in Couva. However, in the end, the permission won behalf of the Warriors was useless, since the Ministry of Health refused to allow a single member of the touring party to leave the Home of Football’s facilities—despite the short distance to the stadium ground.

So it would be false to say that the office staff caused the Warriors to lose 14 days of training.

The LOC, incidentally, is headed by former Women’s League of Football (WoLF) president and longtime TTFA employee Sharon O’Brien and includes TTFA director of football Richard Piper as well as technical director Dion La Foucade and office staff workers Azaad Khan, Gary St Rose and Yuri Chapman.

“One could have seen [the administrative blunders] as sheer laziness, if not incompetence by the relevant employees of the TTFA and the LOC,” stated the document, “but the issue of sitting idly by for seven months and not [providing] the operational policy to forward to the Ministry of Sport and Ministry of Health to acquire relevant approval to host the World Cup home game reeks of virtual sabotage by these individuals to embarrass Mr Hadad and the normalisation committee.

“It was known since August that the World Cup games would take place early in 2021, and the LOC did not lift a finger to prepare the proposal for consideration by the sport and health ministers.”

The author admitted that the TTFA proposal, created by Hadad and Mohammed, was a rushed job. The medical document failed to satisfy even Fifa’s minimum standards and was rejected by the Ministry of Health chief medical officer Dr Roshan Parasram.

“It was only eight days ago, when someone (not a member of the LOC or TTFA) contacted the sports minister to acquire (sic) the status to host the game versus Guyana in Trinidad,” stated the document, “they were rightfully told: ‘approve what? nothing was given to approve’.

“It was only then that the National Team manager and Mr Mohammed were forced to do the work of the LOC and prepare the policy plan and have it submitted 72 hrs later. But by this time it was too late…”

Wired868 offered Piper and O’Brien the chance to respond to the claims and explain the organisational structure at the local football body. Both declined comment.

Commissioner of Police Gary Griffith, who served on the TTFA’s LOC under former presidents Raymond Tim Kee and David John-Williams, said the current LOC members are responsible for everything related to the World Cup qualifying campaign.

“One of the main things for the LOC to do should have been the drafting of the [medical] policy,” Griffith told Wired868. “They dropped the ball badly and that is not the job of Robert Hadad. That policy should have been submitted several months ago, just like how the CPL did it.

“It caused Amiel [Mohammed] and Romain to have to rush to do it and by then it was too late. So [the TTFA’s failure to secure home games] falls squarely on the LOC because they have dropped the ball by not doing their jobs.

“[…] They are the ones to prepare all the operational and logistical work for all national games and it has been non existent.”

Despite the obvious flaws in the TTFA’s proposal, which Griffith said was penned by Mohammed and Romain, the sticking point was a 14-day quarantine period that the CMO refused to waive. Once Dr Parasram stuck to his guns on quarantine, it was always going to be impossible for the Warriors to host Guyana here.

Griffith’s view was not unanimous, although nobody was prepared to contradict him on the record. A former general secretary said a proposal of the sort sent to the Ministry of Health was outside of the LOC’s scope and ought to have been handled directly by Mohammed.

“The LOC is supposed to deal with things surrounding the game in Trinidad but an application of that magnitude, that has to go to the government and the CMO, will be the responsibility of the general secretary, unless the president undertakes to do that himself,” said the former TTFA general secretary. “[…] If it were me, I would first ask the medical committee members to give me their input and supply me with that plan, to ensure we get the protocols right.

“The general secretary would then discuss what the medical committee submitted with the normalisation committee and then proceed to do a covering note and send it.

“[…] Unless someone within the LOC was given that responsibility, I don’t see how anyone can say they fell down on their jobs.”

Griffith, though, insisted that the matter of health protocols for the Qatar World Cup qualifying series and the proposal to the Ministry of Health should have been ‘standard procedure’ for the TTFA’s LOC.

Fenwick, in an interview with the Trinidad Express, made it clear that he also blames the office staff.

“There is no excuse [and] you cannot blame Robert Hadad—he is a businessman,” Fenwick told the newspaper. “This has all to do with the administration of football in the TTFA and it’s not the first time we have had these issues. It’s the same people; they are not performing.

“I wanted home advantage… It’s a big plus and not anybody else but our administrators have mashed that up. I’m the coach; I’m meant to get the team right. [But] I’m engaging in so many other things because other people in the association are not doing it.”

Incidentally, Romain was the person responsible for the Warriors’ off-colour appearance in their 7-0 defeat to the United States on 31 January. The National Team’s contract with Joma ended over two years ago, while Hadad cancelled—and settled financially—a controversial kit deal with Avec Sport last year.

So, with no uniform to outfit the players in Orlando, Romain headed to a mall in west Trinidad and purchased Joma gear over the counter.

Griffith said that the LOC also played a big role in lining up the recent friendly but then did not help prepare the squad.

“The only thing they did was arrange the USA game and we saw where that went,” said Griffith. “They pushed and said we got the USA game and then they backed off and left everything on the lap of the manager and general secretary, with no input at all from the LOC.”

Fenwick’s tenure as Men’s National Senior Team head coach expires at the end of 2021, unless he meets performance targets at the Concacaf Gold Cup in July.

The previous TTFA Board said Fenwick had to qualify for the quarterfinal round to earn a two-year extension, but the Englishman had then president William Wallace lower the bar—so that he has only to get into the group stage to earn a new contract.

Hadad’s own term as normalisation committee chairman is meant to go no longer than 21 March 2022.

Then, of course, you have the TTFA office staff, with the likes of O’Brien and Piper clearly in the sights of the new football heavies.

Something will have to give in 2021.

(Unsigned letter on the supposed source of the TTFA’s current woes)

The national football coach is an outspoken individual, and his recent comments about the virtual incompetence of the TTFA in their recent inactivity towards preparation for the World Cup campaign is just a drop in the bucket as to how ineffective they are.

One can recall from the start, Terry Fenwick inherited technical staff that tried their best to prevent the National Team to commence (sic) training, with red herrings about the team should not train until the Fifa ban was lifted, when that was not the case.

Someone had to expose this sabotage, upon which the team commenced training at the Police Training Academy Barracks.

When Terry requested approval to use the National Stadium, he was told by these same staff members that the Stadium was unavailable. But when others contacted Douglas Camacho, it was discovered to be a false statement and the field was then made available.

The most recent list of ball droppings, also falls squarely at the feet of those employed at TTFA, who have not lifted a finger to assist the normalisation committee in ensuring the success of the National Senior Men Team preparing for the World Cup campaign.

Mr Robert Hadad has been forced to be a one-man team to get everything done himself, working tirelessly with no support elements, due to the blatant failure of those in TTFA, who have done nothing in the last year but acquire a monthly salary .

Below are just a few examples:

—The National coach is the one who decides the venue for the matches. However, some in the Local Organising Committee (LOC) had the audacity to tell him that they would decide where the home games would be played.  They wanted the Ato Boldon Stadium as the match venues, even though Terry insisted that the home games should be at the National Stadium. This LOC seems to have forgotten that their job is to facilitate and not direct.

—The unacceptable situation for the National team to be forced to remain inside their rooms for seven days at the Home of Football, on their return from the USA recently, again falls squarely at the feet of the TTFA administrative staff.  All that was required was for them to send correspondence to the Ministry of Health and to Mr [Douglas] Camacho to allow the team to train daily at the Ato Boldon Stadium which was 50 metres from where the team was confined. This would have allowed the team to stay fit and match sharp.

The Ato Boldon field is enclosed along with the home of Football so it was no issue to have the team train there whilst undergoing the mandatory seven day quarantine on their return. It was only when those outside the LOC contacted the relevant officials on the sixth day, that immediate approval was given. Ironically, these same TTFA employees who comprise the LOC, are employed in that same facility.

—Likewise, a National team cannot be forced to remain inactive for 14 days. So on their release from the seven-day quarantine, the LOC, if they had any care or concern towards the development of the team, would have written to the Minister of Heath to seek clearance for the team to continue training as approved by the Prime Minister, on their release from the Home of Football.

Due to the blatant failure, and deliberately so, by the LOC and TTFA employees not to do a damn thing, it meant the National team was forced to remain inactive for 14 days, which would obviously affect their fittest preparation for World Cup qualifiers.

—The administrative preparation and planning for the friendly game vs USA (not a finger lifted by the TTFA), it was Mr Hadad, Mr Amiel Mohammed (general secretary) and the team manager Mr Romain, who worked night and day  for three days to get the team to travel.

—Since December, Mr Terry Fenwick has been trying to get friendly games in Trinidad, and the LOC have done nothing to provide that.

—Now that the decision has been made to have the home game vs Guyana played in the Dominican Republic, over the last three days, it is the team manager and Mr Mohammed who are doing all the work to have this done, whilst the TTFA employees sit and smile in the hope that this too crashes.

—These two have also been solely doing all that they can to get friendly games played in Miami prior to this World Cup qualifier, with no assistance from these several TTFA employees who are being paid with no delivery forthcoming.

—Not one of them have ever attended one single training session or practice game by this same National Team in the last eight months since the National Team resumed training, to see what is required.

—In fact, it was the national coach who had to draft the letter himself to send to the PM to get approval for the team to re commence training, as the TTFA  and the LOC had no intention to do so.

To show their lack of interest, if not virtual sabotage, these employees and the LOC, have done nothing to assist the National team with the following:

—Acquisition of football fields for the team to train;

—Acquisition of water for the team daily, whereby Mr Hadad had to acquire personally;

—Availability of ice;

—Washing of laundry after each session, so the coaches are compelled to do this;

—Acquisition of transport for the players to and from training;

—Meals provided at every session for all players and staff;

—Medical supplies required for the game vs USA—those outside the TTFA had to acquire sponsorship to acquire same.

One could have seen all of the above as sheer laziness, if not incompetence by the relevant employees of the TTFA and the LOC. But the issue of sitting idly by for seven months and not provide (sic) the operational policy to forward to the Ministry of Sport and Ministry of Health to acquire (sic) relevant approval to host the World Cup home game, reeks of virtual sabotage by these individuals to embarrass Mr Hadad and the normalisation committee.

It was known since August that the World Cup games would take place early in 2021, and the LOC did not lift a finger to prepare the proposal for consideration by the sport and health ministers.

It was only eight days ago, when someone (not a member of the  LOC or TTFA), contacted the sports minister to acquire the status to host the game vs Guyana in Trinidad, they were rightfully told: “Approve what? Nothing was given to approve.”

It was only then that the National Team manager and Mr Mohammed were forced to do the work of the LOC and prepare the policy plan and have it submitted 72 hrs later. But by this time it was too late, as it virtually was forcing it down (sic) the government to make a last-minute decision, which is inappropriate, especially when trying to ensure that it does not affect the health of the country.

This is what was done by CPL when their 49-page proposal was submitted months prior to the start of the tournament and approval was then given.

Robert Hadad and the technical staff of the National Team have been doing all the work expected from the TTFA and the LOC, even though these employees are all being paid hefty salaries.

Because of these numerous blunders, it can only be seen as deliberate sabotage and the whole TTFA staff inclusive of the LOC, should be dismissed with immediate effect. Otherwise these blunders would continue, hence making it quite possible that our World Cup campaign may become very short.

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: maxg on February 26, 2021, 06:02:20 PM
But who is this gang.. them don’t work for and answer to Nobody? And they getting pay backpay, and current pay ? Who paying them ? They collecting hush monies?

That anonymous letter is anonymous  :bs:.

Just in case we lorse, or whenever we do, let it be known, is cause we like bachanal shit.

I taking bets on who put together  this letter. Fraid court case doh.

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: asylumseeker on February 26, 2021, 06:27:49 PM
Imagine for most of 2020, there were two factions on the outside of football ... now in 2021, there is factionalism within the new normal. Reeks of progress. ::)

They should invite Justice Gobin to tour the facilities as they parade the brand.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: pull stones on February 27, 2021, 02:29:29 AM
So you all got my point now right? I have been saying this forever, Trinidad and Tobago is an unprofessional lackadaisical parochial bacchanal country with the most divisive self important people in the whole caribbean, be it english, French or spanish speaking caribbean. we are the worst, and subsequently our worst enemy as well.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: asylumseeker on March 09, 2021, 02:07:56 AM
Fenwick: Players choosing jobs over training
By Joel Bailey, Newsday


A LACK of financial support from the FIFA-appointed normalisation committee, which deals with the affairs of the TT Football Association (TTFA), is hampering the preparations of the national men’s team ahead of a pair of 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.

They are due to be played against Guyana (March 25 in the Dominican Republic) and Puerto Rico (March 28 in Puerto Rico).

TT men’s team coach Terry Fenwick said local-based players are having to choose their jobs instead of attending training sessions, especially since the TT Pro League has been inactive since the covid19 lockdown in March 2020.

“This last weekend we were meant to be in Tobago for a camp, to play two games, and the normalisation (committee) couldn’t secure transport (to and from Tobago) for us, which has been pretty much consistent,” said Fenwick on Monday.

The TT team were expected to play an Orange XI and Tobago Phoenix last weekend in Tobago. Instead, they were only able to face the Orange XI on Saturday, at the Police Barracks in St James, a game in which TT prevailed 8-0.

“The Commissioner of Police (Gary Griffith) has given us transport throughout 2020 and this year, and we’ve not had much support (from the normalisation committee) as far as that is concerned,” Fenwick said. “It was great to bring the twin isles together, to see the guys that they have.

“We’re literally making things happen. I’ve got players that are unable to travel for training because they’ve got no money. I’ve got players that are having to choose a job rather than train with the national team, because of a lack of funding.”

There has been talk about Griffith’s involvement in the team, as the players have used the barracks (as well as the Hasely Crawford Stadium, Mucurapo) as a training venue, while Griffith’s son Gary III is among the TT training squad.

Fenwick was quick to point out, “Unless we’d had the support from (Commissioner) Griffith, we would have had no transport for the players to come from Central and South for training sessions. They would not have been fed, nor even (received) drinks. My Football Factory is providing a great deal of equipment for training sessions. We literally are scrambling to keep things going. It’s not easy.

“We’ve had friendlies that have been quashed because we’ve not been able to keep up with the schedules that the technical staff have submitted for friendlies and training sessions. We’ve not had any response.”

Asked if he thinks the lack of support the team has received is related to its 7-0 battering by hosts United States in a friendly international on January 31, Fenwick responded, “Not really.

“We hadn’t kicked a ball in 14-15 months, in the Pro League. The USA game was the only game I’ve had since the normalisation (committee) took over, and that came at no expense to the TTFA.

“If it came around again, I’d take it again. It was an option to see players and get them experience.”
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: asylumseeker on March 13, 2021, 11:11:18 AM
Dear NC, when is the website going to be resolved?
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on March 17, 2021, 01:08:31 AM
Hadad opens up to Lavender deal.
By Walter Alibey (T&T Guardian).


Facing mounting challenges to clear an existing debt that has burdened T&T football for decades, Normalisation Committee chairman, businessman Robert Hadad, has developed an open-door policy in which he has been listening to contractors of the past T&T Football Association (TTFA) administration including UK architectural company, Lavender. 

In addition, Hadad has been working with the sport's world governing body, FIFA, and the T&T government to clear a debt that has reached a negotiable figure of $70 million, plus another $30 million in potential contingent liabilities, which according to the local football boss, refers to the outstanding court matters that the embattled football association faces.

In March last year, then TTFA general secretary Ramesh Ramdhan revealed (https://www.socawarriors.net/federation-news/22547-ttfa-reveals-50m-debt-eradication-proposal.html) that his association had signed a Memorandum of Understanding for the construction of a multi-million-dollar state-of-the-art football, residential and commercial facility over the Arima Velodrome by UK firm Lavender, as part of their $50-million debt-eradication plan.

The deal needed only the go-ahead from Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley (https://www.socawarriors.net/federation-news/22572-ttfa-lavender-seek-arima-meeting-with-pm-rowley.html) and other members of his government, as well as members of the Arima Borough Corporation, before a whopping $12 million dollars were to be deposited into the coffers of the TTFA.

The deal was also communicated to a three-member FIFA/CONCACAF team, here conducting an assessment on the financial affairs of the TTFA at the time. However, Ramdhan and company failed to get the support they wanted from the Arima Borough.

Although the FIFA/CONCACAF team gave a nod of approval for the debt-eradication idea among many other plans by the William Wallace-led administration, designed to repair local football, Ramdhan said (https://www.socawarriors.net/federation-news/23186-ramdhan-ttfa-vowing-to-resume-work-with-miller-lavender.html), the team still delivered a failing grade on the TTFA's ability to manage the affairs of the sport. 

Hadad and the normalisation committee, over the past months, have been engaged in ongoing talks with the government and corporate citizens, but still have had to go back to a number of contracts under the Wallace administration for much-needed help, saying as a good leader and manager, he was not shutting the doors on anyone:

"So the Lavender deal, I have had conversations with them to understand, like any good leader or good manager, you don't close doors on anybody, but I wanted to understand better what they were bringing to the table. So I would not say I am negotiating with anybody. I am saying I have looked at what they wanted to do and they have some convincing to do. The committee will have a look at what they want to do, providing we cannot get the financing via any other means."

According to Hadad: "What they are providing is like a business proposal when you look at it, where they're going to develop the Arima land by building on it. They've made some pronouncements and announcements about who gave them the land without the relevant authorities even knowing about it.

"So I am saying, I am going to work with the relevant authorities, and if the Minister of Sports gives me a piece of land that I could give to somebody like them where we can have proper contractual arrangements, where they can build a football field or a hospital, or homes for sale, I am listening."

He made clear, however, that should he enter into such an agreement then there must be clauses where he will have overall control to seize everything if the contractors don't do what they're supposed to do.

Apart from the Lavender deal, the normalisation committee has reached a settlement with the TTFA website which was pulled for monies owed. Hadad said the website should be up sooner rather than later but he was happy to have gotten rid of the Avec deal.

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: maxg on March 17, 2021, 01:20:17 PM
"Hadad said the website should be up sooner rather than later but he was happy to have gotten rid of the Avec deal."

Oh Oh. Wonder if that also means the end of the Coleraine opportunity/experiment .
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: asylumseeker on March 17, 2021, 04:15:15 PM
Lovely of the TTFA to issue a statement "clarifying" the "animated discussion" this morning, but why the heck have we still not seen a release of a squad due to travel TOMORROW?!
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: maxg on March 22, 2021, 01:07:19 PM
TTFA shortlists 5 coaches for Women's job
By Walter Alibey (T&T Guardian)


A five-member Adhoc Selection Committee that includes former national defender Richard Chinapoo, who has had an extensive career, primarily in the United States, will take centre stage as the selection of a coach for the country's Women's team continues.

Robert Hadad, chairman of the FIFA-appointed Normalisation Committee (NC) which also comprises former banker Nigel Romano and attorney Judy Daniel told Guardian Media Sports on Thursday, that the NC will ultimately have the final decision on who the coach will be. He said, the newly appointed committee is a highly technical one and will make recommendations based on qualification, experience and the budget available for the top position.

The other members on the committee will be Jinelle James, director of women's football, Dion La Foucade, the technical director of T&T football, Norris Ferguson - former football administrator, Richard Piper- former national team manager, and Hayden Martin- a retired teacher and coach at St Mary's College.

It is understood that from a total of 195 local, regional and international coaches, there is now a shortlist of five, but it is unsure whether former national women's coach Richard Hood, who took the country's under-20 women to the quarterfinals of the CONCACAF U-20 Women's Championship in the Dominican Republic last year and Angus Eve, who is considered one of this country's most successful youth coach, have made the shortlist.

The coach is expected to be chosen in the coming weeks.

Normalisation Committe to meet with Fenwick

Meanwhile, Hadad and his team will also sit with senior national Men's team coach Terry Fenwick soon to find ways to strengthen the team's chances of qualifying FIFA World Cup, which begins with a qualifying match against Guyana on March 25.

With FIFA suspending all the standing committees of the T&T Football Association inclusive of the technical committee, Hadad said his committee (NC) will do its best with the technical expertise that they have to help guide and direct them in the right direction for football. "What football advice they can give to Mr Fenwick. He and I just came off the phone with each other, we get along very well, we're going to work with him. We are going to try our very best to create an environment to give him the best possible chance," Hadad explained.

The local football boss has also reached out to the country's top international stars Joevin Jones, Kevin Molino and Khaleem Hyland for them to be apart of the set-up.

Fenwick's men were demolished 7-0 by the United States in an international friendly encounter on Sunday at the Exploria Stadium in Orlando Florida, USA but the result has had no effect on Hadad, who told Guardian Media Sports that he's happy with the traction being received, as well as the fact that the coach knows what is available to him.

"We have to work with the coach and the management team and I really think that the exposure is what we need to focus on, and not necessarily the result. The national coach is trying his best to see players and to evaluate players and he did what he thought was necessary. We could all analyse and say good, bad or indifferent but I am just gonna continue supporting him. We're gonna discuss the mistakes made, we're gonna discuss the positives and we're going to work towards the next game and what we could do to make things better for him."

Hadad happy with T&T playing football again

Sunday's match saw the Soca Warriors succumb to their largest-ever margin of defeat by the United States, a result that followed a 6-0 thrashing at the CONCACAF Gold Cup in the USA in 2019. Still, the positives appeared to have out-weighed the negatives, as the NC was bombarded with praises from other CONCACAF and regional territories for being able to pull off the match in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"On Wednesday, I had a meeting with CONCACAF and our group F compatriots, and there was a lot of talk around how Trinidad and Tobago did what Trinidad and Tobago did, we got a game, we actually played football. We went out, we got to the USA. We came in for a lot of praise and I find really funny that we as Trinidadians are not seeing that. We went with what we had and the objective was to give Mr Fenwick the opportunity to view players in the USA, so I am actually very happy with the outcome but I am happy with the result of the game."

The T&T team will play two other warm-up matches against Dominica and St Vincent and the Grenadines later this month. Ongoing talks are underway with the Ministries of National Security and Health, Hadad explained, for a tri-nation bubble to be held here.

And he noted that for these matches, Hadad is guessing that coach Fenwick will utilise all the local players available to him, saying they will not be able to get the international players for matches outside the FIFA window.

So WHO is the coach ?
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on April 12, 2021, 06:49:40 AM
Dear Editor: TTFA member bodies have no uniformity, and it’s killing our game.
Wired868.com.


“[The TTFA’s] associate members also need structural reform, especially for youth development. Every group does whatever it wants. Under-8s may play in 7v7 competitions in south Trinidad, but play 5v5 in the east, and something completely different in the north—each with different sized goalposts or field dimensions. There is no national uniformity…”

The following letter to the editor on the state of local football was submitted to Wired868 by American Youth Soccer Organisation (AYSO) president and former Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) technical committee member Dale Toney:

Is normalisation really working for the TTFA? The definition of the word states ‘to bring or restore to normal condition’. Is this the normalcy?

The TTFA, an association that is 113 years old, is desperately in need of a structural overhaul. Changes need to be made because it’s a fiduciary and should  start performing like one: by developing an organisational structure for its various departments with functions and job description for each, along with codes of conduct and conflict of interest policies for office employees, technical team staff, players and coaches.

Its associate members also need structural reform, especially for youth development. Every group does whatever it wants. Under-8s may play in 7v7 competitions in south Trinidad, but play 5v5 in the east, and something completely different in the north—each with different sized goalposts or field dimensions. There is no national uniformity.

Then there are the unregistered leagues and tournaments which pop up out of nowhere.

We look to Europe and the USA to import elite players, but why not adopt or emulate some of their processes to build a greater number of home-grown players?

In the US youth soccer circuit, you need to show proof of affiliation to your home state association, insurance and other compliance items to enter a tournament. At the TTFA’s 2017 AGM, an amendment was proposed and passed that was meant to regularise all local football tournaments.

Only authorised member bodies are authorised to conduct competitions and they must notify the TTFA with the database of clubs, coaching schools, academies, players, and coaches (with their certifications) that are taking part. These bodies must provide the FA with subscription fees, financial statements, bylaws, a constitution, and valid bank account with transaction signatories to earn that right.

There should be no room for every Tom, Dick or Harry to throw a tournament using national referees and simply pocket the proceeds and walk away, with no accountability or significant benefit to the TTFA’s membership.

Then there is the neglect of women’s football, with most of the fields our girls play on lacking washroom facilities and security.

Our Pro League has shown little progress from its inception, the Secondary School Football League has its high points but many players are on the block or working odd jobs as soon as the season ends, and the Primary Schools League can barely justify its existence. The relevant authorities in education and sports need to do more to create career opportunities through sport.

Can’t we involve our universities in providing research on physical growth patterns, nutrition, rest-recovery, bio-banding, psychosocial attributes, cognitive behaviour and other factors that could be important for the success of our children?

What about a scenario where our school players are drafted into a revamped, rebranded vibrant Pro League that has moved on from the one-owner syndrome and is able to attract corporate sponsorship?

I keep hearing about all the challenges but am yet to see anyone make a concerted effort to change the mindset and attitude of the TTFA’s stakeholders.

Has the FA ever stood up for a cause in Trinidad and Tobago—whether it be women’s rights or child abuse—or help the nation commemorate anything? 

But who am I to say better can be done? As the saying goes: we like it so. Let’s host an Ease of Restriction Fete instead. Choose a stadium.   

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: asylumseeker on April 28, 2021, 09:30:51 AM
Dear NC/TTFA,

What's your plan for prioritizing the vaccination of players in the NT pool?
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Tiresais on April 28, 2021, 01:02:29 PM
Dear NC/TTFA,

What's your plan for prioritizing the vaccination of players in the NT pool?

Vaccine? They can't even pay them for training and ensure shirts for a game!
Title: Coaches, normalisation committee meet over outstanding salaries
Post by: Tallman on May 05, 2021, 02:05:44 PM
Coaches, normalisation committee meet over outstanding salaries
By Joel Bailey(T&T Newsday)


THE FIFA-appointed normalisation committee met virtually with the National Football Coaches of T&T (NFCTT) on Monday to address the non-payment of outstanding salaries to technical staff and players.

The normalisation committee runs the daily affairs of the T&T Football Association (TTFA),

Last week, the NFCTT aired its concerns, with interim president Jefferson George “expressing extreme dissatisfaction with the treatment of staff and players, and the lack of transparency in the dealings of the TTFA.”

In an interview on Tuesday, George said, “We told them about the challenges (and) the lack of funds. We were able to express to them that, while we don’t disregard the gravity of their situation in finding the funds, we thought that priority had to be given to the persons who were actually doing the work, meaning the players and the technical staff (who have not received) a cent since last year.”

George, the former T&T men’s Under-15 goalkeeper coach, said, “Some sort of balance had to be struck between those two and, at the moment, the balance is off, because you can’t be trying to address (debts), while not fulfilling the requirement to those who continue to work. I thought it was unreasonable."

He was hopeful about the outcome of the meeting.

“They listened, they agreed that the challenges that we face are great and they said that on Friday they’ll come back to us. We are hoping that on Friday we’re going to know when persons are going to be able to receive the monies that they are owed.”

George and Angus Eve were the NFCTT representatives at Monday’s meeting, while the normalisation committee members present were Nigel Romano, Judy Daniel and Trevor Gomez.

Were the normalisation committee members assured that chairman Robert Hadad would be briefed about the meeting?

“They said he would not have been able to make the meeting,” George replied. “They spoke with the authority of the entire body.”

George believes the issue should have been rectified a long time ago.

“The situation with non-payment is unreasonable anyway. The length of time that guys (are) without renumeration is unacceptable. It should not have had to come to this point. This is one of the things that we expressed to them.

“Too often we find, in local context, that the priority given to players and staff is way too low. The experience that these guys have in business, I don’t think this model will be used in any other business, where you can have people working months without receiving a cent.

“That is not good for any type of business,” George added. “We expressed that to them, and we hope that things can have a major change going forward.”
Title: Najjar: John-Williams and Wallace connection best for T&T football
Post by: Tallman on May 05, 2021, 02:25:59 PM
Najjar: John-Williams and Wallace connection best for T&T football
By Walter Alibey(T&T Guardian)


Despite being vilified in contrasting ways, the pair of David John-Williams and William Wallace, both former presidents of the T&T Football Association, are being seen as the ones to steer T&T football to a position of stabilisation, together.

So says former coach and Technical Director Hannibal Najjar on Tuesday, as he believes both individuals have assets that will be helpful to T&T football moving forward.

Najjar said, both men agreed with the idea of working together in principle last year, and he gave the assurance he will attempt to reach out to them again to see what can be done. This means both men would have to put aside their differences to join the same slate for the T&TFA Election, which will be determined by the current Normalisation Committee, being led by businessman Robert Hadad.

In November 2019 the team of John-Williams was replaced by Wallace's United T&TFA, following a hotly contested election at the Home of Football in Balmain, Couva.

John-Williams failed to convince the membership that he was transparent and accountable during his reign as president, as this was challenged by United T&TFA member Keith Look Loy in the courts midway during his four-year term of office which started in November 2015.

John-Williams was also chastised for his handling of the construction of the Home of Football, among many other issues. But later, the same membership joined forces to remove Wallace, after a FIFA said that the Wallace administration had placed local football on the brink of insolvency and illiquidity, despite them being in office for just three months.

Najjar, who described the sport as being the lowest of low at this point said: "I believe that William Wallace has the spirit in him to be a part of something, anything, that will help football, really from a gentle leadership place. It's like having two kinds of leaders, one who is determined but has a gentle approach to how he would have led, and one who is determined and has a more courageous, bolder way to go forward, which is what David has. I am going to call both of them and speak to them that I am going to try to re-engage the idea of both of them being brought in, in some way, initially, separately and or together by the Normalisation Committee, for them to see how they can utilize what is existing and not to try and do it on their own."

At present, the Hadad-led normalization committee of Attorney Judy Daniel, and businessmen Nigel Romano and Trevor Gomez, is nowhere close to achieving the mandate set out by the sport's world governing body of 1. Establishing a debt repayment plan that will be implementable by the TTFA; 2. Review and amend the TTFA Statutes and ensure their compliance with the FIFA Statutes and requirements before duly submitting them for approval to the TTFA Congress; 3. Run the TTFA’s daily affairs; 4. Organize and conduct elections of a new TTFA executive committee for a four-year mandate.

According to Najjar: "I feel hopeful, and I feel we have hit our heads up against a wall right now and I think Hadad and them are concerned with the image that is out there right now, with all that is going on and them being rejected or some question mark over their heads by the coaches, particularly the local coaches, and these committees that they have kind of ostracized."

Najjar who coached T&T between 2002-2003, believes it will foolish for the membership to write off both men because of their past, as they still have so much to offer.

Contacted for a comment, Wallace said he prefers to stay out of the football right now as there are too many people with personal agendas. John-Williams on the other hand refused to comment.
Title: Coaches, players to receive wages, stipends by month-end
Post by: Tallman on May 08, 2021, 11:14:24 AM
Coaches, players to receive wages, stipends by month-end
By Walter Alibey (T&T Guardian)


A number of national football coaches and players have finally gotten a reason to smile. Some 40 coaches and an unknown amount of players will receive payments of salaries and stipends dating back to April 2020.

Confirmation of this came on Friday afternoon, following another meeting between the members of the FIFA-appointed Normalisation Committee Trevor Gomes and Nigel Romano, and the National Football Coaches of T&T (NCFTT) which was represented by its interim president Jefferson George and Angus Eve, a former national coach, virtually.

Both Romano and Gomes gave the commitment that payment will be made by the end of May.

Only a few days ago, the members of the national football coaches organisation called on coaches and players to stay away from training sessions as there was no definite date for payment of salaries to coaches, as well as no confirmation that local players who were training with the national team, would have been given stipends.

Chairman of the normalisation committee Robert Hadad had said his committee could not pay stipends as they were not obligated to do as such. The local football boss also told Guardian Media in January that paying stipends would have been setting a dangerous precedent. However, he has reconsidered his position, in the wake of threats by players to walk away from the team.

George said they are satisfied with the commitment given by the normalisation committee and they are only now waiting on a time for payments to go to the bank now. The payments will be for coaches of all national teams, as well as players of the senior national team.

Guardian Media asked if stipends would be offered to players on the country's futsal and beach soccer teams as well, but George said representation was only made to the coaches and players who were specifically affected by the recent development.

He admitted, however, that his organisation did have a contingency plan in place, just in case things didn't go according to their plan.

"We had also planned to approach the Ministry of Sports and Community Development and the government to find out whether our members can apply for the grants being offered to unemployed people. And if they could have, then we would have pursued that option," George told Guardian Media Sports Friday evening.

The last time coaches were paid salaries was on December 23, last year and that payment was for three months only. They were also given the assurance that the remaining amounts would have been paid by January this year.

Since coaches have different contracts, the normalisation committee would clarify the months that last year's three-month payment was for, as they attempt to bring salaries up to date.

George said the family of former national player and coach Clyde Leon who died recently, will receive retroactive payments. George said he will take personal responsibility to ensure that this happens. Leon was an assistant coach of this country's Under-15 team.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on May 11, 2021, 12:49:17 AM
Players, coaches may benefit from FIFA COVID-19 Funding.
By Walter Alibey (T&T Guardian).


There are concerns in the local football fraternity as to why money from FIFA implemented COVID-19 Relief Fund is not used to pay players, coaches and other staff members.

The fund was introduced by the sport's world governing body to help Member Associations deal with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, which had affected sports around the world when it hit in March last year.

A report from FIFA states: "FIFA's Member Associations are each set to receive $1 million (Ł771,000/€849,000) as part of the governing body's COVID-19 relief plan. The organisation will make a total of $1.5 billion (Ł1.16 billion/€1.27 billion) available for its 211 Member Association from the six Confederations to alleviate the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

The plan, given the green light by the Bureau of the FIFA Council, was drawn up by FIFA administration in cooperation with confederations and was approved by the ruling FIFA Council on June 25."

President Gianni Infantino said: "This relief plan is a great example of football's solidarity and commitment in such unprecedented times."

In the first phase of the plan, the operational cost entitlements to Member Associations were released.

In the second phase, MAs were allowed to transform their development project grants into COVID operational relief, while a third phase includes a universal solidarity grant of $1 million for all members as well as an additional grant of $500,000 (Ł385,000/€425,000) for women's football.

An additional $2 million (Ł1.42 million/€1.7 million) was set to be offered to each Confederation, with all full amounts being made available by January 2021.

In Jamaica, these grants were used to pay players' stipend and salaries, while in Barbados both players and clubs received monies from the COVID Relief Fund to help throughout the pandemic, said long-standing Barbadian Football Administrator and Caribbean Football Union president (CFU) Randy Harris revealed to Guardian Media Sports on Monday.

In T&T, Robert Hadad and his Normalisation Committee (NC) which were appointed by FIFA in 2020, were forced to make an about-turn after stating that the NC was not obligated to pay players a stipend and that that line item was not in a budget submitted to FIFA. Following media reports Hadad, the HADCO Group of Companies director has faced strong criticisms because players were unable to earn an income due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The NC boss had also refused to pay salaries, however, the concerns were addressed last week with a promise to pay following a meeting between the National Football Coaches Association of T&T and the NC.

According to Harris, national players can benefit from the COVID Relief Fund, which is what Barbados used to pay its players. "What we did was give the players monthly stipend, the players who were training in the national team. The coach decided on the amount of money for players based on the status of the team, in other words, if you are a starter or a likely starter you will get a certain amount. If you don't start you get another amount."

T&T local players are due to receive stipends at the end of this month, after close to a year of training with the team. It is uncertain if the amount will be a one-time payment.

Harris said he believes the difficulty posed for the players to be given stipends may have come from directives by the FIFA to the normalisation committee about how the funding is to be used.

Harris said the huge debt that T&T has found itself in, has made the situation difficult for players to be given a stipend.

Monies from FIFA, courtesy annual grants and COVID Relief funds have already been received by all member associations, with additional loans of up to $4 million being offered by the sport's world governing body.

The funds were made available for Member Associations to use for the restart of activities and competition, implementation of return-to-play protocols, the participation of national teams in competitions, the hiring and re-hiring of staff, the maintenance of football infrastructure and general administration and operating costs.

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on May 30, 2021, 12:34:54 AM
Fenwick, Hadad's silence worries NFCTT.
By Walter Alibey (T&T Guardian).


After receiving a promise that salaries and wages owed to them will be paid at the end of the month (May), president of the National Football Coaches of T&T (NFCTT) Jefferson George said the coaches are looking forward to Tuesday's payment.

"And that is only because the last day of the month, Monday, (May 31) is a holiday, so we're looking at Tuesday for a payout of salaries," said George, the executive who has spearheaded two meetings with their employers - the Normalisation Committee (NC) which was appointed by the sport's world governing body FIFA, in March last year.

George, an former goalkeeper also told Guardian Media Sports that the organisaton is looking to bring an end to the code of silence used by both Hadad and national coach Terry Fenwick in the handling of the national team affairs and the sport, in general.

The team was whisked out of the country on Friday with Hadad and Fenwick refusing to give an update on the team, the challenges faced and where the country's scheduled home match on June 8 against St Kitts and Nevis is to be played.

The NC only provided information about the team, as well as comments from the coach through the T&T Football Association's (TTFA) media officer Shaun Fuentes while the team was en route to the Bahamas for its first game on Saturday (June 5). The team's second game against St Kitts and Nevis will be on June 8.

The expected payment of salaries will be made to some 40 coaches and staff members, while stipends will be given to an unknown number of local players who are not attached to any clubs presently.

This assurance was given to the coaches by the NC deputy chairman and attorney Judy Daniel, businessmen Trevor Gomez and Nigel Romano - all of whom represented the NC in the absence of chairman Robert Hadad.

George said his association was given the assurance that payment is still on track for the promised time.

"They are still on track for a month-end payment. The 28th was yesterday which fell on the weekend and the 30th is tomorrow, so we are still looking at payment on Tuesday. With the holiday in the middle of next week, we're still trying to make that deadline, so we're just waiting for delivery.

"At this point, it's only wait we can wait and remain optimistic. We don't have too much details on what's causing the delay in payment or, as you might infer, what is happening with the money? That was our question, having not been given a settlement but at this point, we don't want to speculate and I don't want to get into that.

"Right now, I want to make sure that they deliver as to their promise. At this point, they're on track and hopefully, we could be able to get some answers to the other issues."

George also noted: "What we would have told them as well is that the promise that was made we accepted in good faith and we are allowing them to show themselves to be honourable men."

The lone payment of salaries to coaches was made on December 23, last year and despite a promise that the balance of the payment would have been made by January of this year, they have been horrific reports of a staff member on the verge of being evicted from his apartment, as well as players threatening to abandon the team in search of a job where they can be paid.

George and the coaches association also attempted to deal with the level of secrecy being used to manage the affairs of the sport and the football team.

Guardian Media Sports was reliably informed that both Fenwick and Hadad agreed to address the media on Thursday before the team left the day after, but this failed to materialise.

George said: "That is something we attempted to do before Thursday but they had the situation with the players who were tested positive for COVID-19. The intent was to have a bit of time for the press to ask about the team Thursday after training, but that did not materialise.

"We also looked at doing something at the Woodbrook facility as well but having to get permission from the Ministry, and the COVID protocols and all that, it would have been a little too much to pull it off."

George promised the NFCTT will continue to work with Fenwick and the normalisation committee for a better relationship with the media and the sport's stakeholders.

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: asylumseeker on May 30, 2021, 03:19:10 AM
Why is it that bargaining with, or imploring, the NC/TTFA to speak openly to the people of Trinidad and Tobago is a "thing"?

As things are poised, somebody feelings on de verge of getting hurt.
Title: STILL WAITING...Outstanding salaries for coaches now coming this month
Post by: Tallman on June 04, 2021, 01:31:56 PM
STILL WAITING...Outstanding salaries for coaches now coming this month
By Ian Prescott (T&T Express)


NATIONAL team coaches have been told to wait another week for payment of outstanding salaries, the Fifa-appointed normalisation committee not having met the May month-end promise it issued a few weeks ago.

However, National Football Coaches of Trinidad and Tobago (NFCTT) Interim president Jefferson George is holding on to hope that in a week’s time original promises will be met. Former W Connection goalkeeper George confirmed that salaries were not in bank accounts at month’s end as promised but is buoyed having been in communication with the FIFA-appointed normalisation committee.

“We haven’t received pay as yet. But we have been in communication with them and we are hopeful of receiving the payment this week,” stated George.

“We got confirmation that the payment will be this week from the normalisation committee. So we are just waiting to alert our members when they can get to the bank,” George added.

Promised by the end of May after a virtual meeting, the funds may now come in the first week of this month. George disclosed no reason for the postponement. However, it is known that the normalisation committee has no cash in the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) accounts and has been awaiting its latest disbursement of FIFA funding.

“The last time there was a little false start where guys were going to check their accounts and that kind of thing before the funds were there,” stated George, “We are trying to avoid that.”

The normalisation committee had promised and paid national coaches’ 50 per cent of outstanding salaries following a 2020 protest by the coaches but has since failed to honour the payment of the balance of the outstanding salaries. Subsequently, the normalisation committee had a virtual meeting with the NFCTT in the first week of May and vowed to pay the outstanding money. Representing the NFCTT at the virtual meeting were interim president George and Angus Eve, while Judy Daniel, Nigel Romano and Trevor Nicholas Gomez represented the normalisation committee, minus chairman Robert Hadad. Following that early May 2021 meeting, another Eve had stated that the main issue between the bodies had been a breakdown in communication. Eve said the main problem national coaches have had since the normalisation committee was installed a year ago by FIFA, was being left in the dark.

“We never had an issue with them except the communication issue,” Eve said, “They were saying they did not get the funding, they were expecting to get at a particular time, but they did not get back to us,” Eve had said.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: asylumseeker on June 08, 2021, 05:35:20 AM
Worst FA on the planet?
Title: Rigues offers TTFA solution to football problems
Post by: Tallman on June 13, 2021, 07:46:30 PM
Rigues offers TTFA solution to football problems
By Walter Alibey (T&T Guardian)


Jameson Rigues, the former interim president of the T&T Super League is offering his services and expertise to the members of the FIFA-appointed Normalisation Committee (NC) to find a solution to the problems affecting the sport of football.

Rigues, who contested the leadership of the organisation last year against former 'Strike Squad' defender and captain Clayton Morris and lost, said he intends to chat with Robert Hadad, chairman of the NC to agree on common grounds moving forward.

Rigues, the First vice president of the T&TSL in his letter dated June 8 to Hadad, stated: "The constantly declining state of T&T football is desperately calling for a proper T&T Football Plan (TTFP), a vision for football in 2030. The plan is a set of ambitious, yet tangible goals that everyone in T&T football can work towards over the next eight years, at least, as we strive to become the most popular and well organized footballing nation in CONCACAF and qualify for consecutive FIFA World Cups from 2026."

He noted: "Along the way, football will nurture a lifetime connection to the game for all our people in all our diversity. We all want football to live and breathe beyond the 90 minutes.
The (TTFP) is a collaboration involving all of Football’s stakeholders; everyone from national, state and private enterprise to the community participants, from top Tier clubs to fans on the bleachers and in digital communities. The TTFP represents the game’s collective wisdom at this point in time. The plan will give the sense that the game is on the move and that our best years are ahead of us."

Hadad and his members - attorney Judy Daniel, the deputy chairman and businessmen Nigel Romano and Trevor Gomez may feel that they are in need of much-needed help following the disclosure of a $98.5 million debt, discontent among the membership, no development programmes, no functional committees, and a senior national team that just failed to emerge from the first round of the FIFA World Cup Concacaf Qualifiers recently.

According to Rigues, "We need to harness the unity of purpose, energy, confidence and ambition that exists in T&T football, explore the potential of our youth in the decision-making process and ensure that there is a new breed of qualified individuals in leadership roles.

To me, it makes no sense hiring and firing coaches, expecting results from matches, without a clear national football plan.

Like any game of football, the TTFP will inevitably spark debate and become a contest of ideas where the outcome cannot be easily predicted. That’s the nature of any grand undertaking.

In developing this plan, football must make a decision not to be limited by the game’s resources in 2021.

There must be a firm conviction that football’s best years are ahead of us. This growth will bring the promise of greater revenues and new income streams, enough to fund the future. But I can say with certainty that without an inclusive national plan with a long-term vision,

T&T football cannot possibly reach its potential."
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: asylumseeker on June 17, 2021, 08:24:25 AM
Dear TTFA, please release the Gold Cup provisional list.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: royal on June 17, 2021, 12:14:25 PM
Dear TTFA, please release the Gold Cup provisional list.

they ain't in de airport as yet  ;D
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: asylumseeker on June 17, 2021, 03:36:34 PM
Dear TTFA, please release the Gold Cup provisional list.

they ain't in de airport as yet  ;D

Correct!

Ah might hadda raise that to PRETTY PRETTY PLEASE and promise not to ask any sensitive questions ... such as, how come the women's team jobs have reappeared as vacancies?

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Tiresais on June 17, 2021, 04:14:18 PM
If it has GG3 on it, expect it released 10 minutes into the first match...
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: royal on June 18, 2021, 09:23:56 AM
Gold Cup Preliminary Rosters
GG3.0 still there .... :frustrated:

https://mcusercontent.com/78d3589fb61466b549ff752e5/files/d0c51919-ac40-a86f-cf86-d17b5e869543/Prelims.pdf
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: asylumseeker on June 18, 2021, 10:37:00 AM
Gold Cup Preliminary Rosters
GG3.0 still there .... :frustrated:

https://mcusercontent.com/78d3589fb61466b549ff752e5/files/d0c51919-ac40-a86f-cf86-d17b5e869543/Prelims.pdf

Ent yuh in town long?
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: asylumseeker on July 14, 2021, 03:40:40 PM
I am a Soca Warrior, Win or Lose I’m a Fighter
By Lance Dowrich (lancedowrichcom.wordpress.com) (https://lancedowrichcom.wordpress.com/2021/07/11/i-am-a-soca-warrior-win-or-lose-im-a-fighter/)


If you didn’t know, Trinidad and Tobago Men’s National Football Team, aka “the Soca Warriors” drew nil all with CONCACAF powerhouse Mexico, last night, 10th July 2021 in the opening match of the 2021 Gold Cup, being played in the USA.

The energy of the dressing room as seen in post-match clips shared on social media tells us that this result heralds a new start for the team and for football in Trinidad and Tobago!

To the FIFA-appointed Normalization Committee headed by Robert Hadad, please update the TTFA website! The latest media post is 21st April 2021. Can the energy of yesterday’s game and post-match celebrations be translated to the TTFA website? Keep us connected through all of your channels. Just note that the USA Soccer Federation has the schedule of Gold Cup games for the US Men’s National Teams, as well as the entire roster of players.

Thankfully, the Facebook page of the TTFA was updated with video clips of the match! Well done! Positive! Niceness!

LoopTT reported on 22nd April 2021, that Miami-based sports apparel brand BOL, in announcing a two year partnership deal with the TTFA for newly branded kit, that game-day, training, and goalkeeper jerseys will be available for purchase after the new jerseys are released on BOL’s official site. I am really happy to report that this is a reality and that TTFA- branded kit is available as promised on the BOL online store at https://bolfootball.com/

Well done to the Normalization Committee!

The fact that we are in the 2021 Gold Cup means that fans are watching. Now that we have drawn with Mexico, fans are re-engaged. Now is the time for the Normalization Committee to be agile and set up systems to keep us engaged for a long long time. I also want a pack of Sports Card set of all the players on this brave Soca Warriors team with comprehensive bios and stats on each player, the schools and teams they each played for, their thoughts and hopes and background on the Coach Angus Eve and the entire technical staff!

Of course we want more! Hurry bird don’t build nest! But with Angus Eve at the helm and with these guys clearly motivated we watching expectantly!

I am a Soca Warrior, win or lose I am a fighter!
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: pull stones on July 15, 2021, 12:28:16 AM
and that hype jus to turn around and eat a big shit pie. this is the thing about trinis, one little bit of progress and they jump out of themselves. now who a huge eggg facial after all that hype, like my old principal used to say, curb your enthusiasm lads and lets celebrate when it's all over, not before.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Deeks on July 15, 2021, 04:38:48 PM
I did not see any rythmn section going thru. the street of PoS after the Mexico game. They players had a right to celebrate their tie against the Mexicans. They were supposed to get 6. Honestly, this team not ready at this point. Not ready!
Title: TTFA enters two-year partnership with Korean-based EPTS company Fitogether
Post by: Tallman on September 21, 2021, 06:24:54 PM
TTFA enters two-year partnership with Korean-based EPTS company Fitogether
TTFA Communications


The Trinidad and Tobago Football Association has entered into a partnership with South Korean-based company Fitogether which will see Electronic Performance and Tracking Systems (EPTS)  devices and supportive technology provided for the Men and Women’s Senior National Teams for a two-year period.

Fitogether specializes in wearable technology for athletes (EPTS) and this will allow for continuous data collection of our senior national team players for development and tactical analysis. This data will be used in Performance Analysis as the TTFA begins to increase the human resource capital in performance analysis in the Association and hopefully throughout the country. Fitogether's systems are also FIFA-approved.

In return for its sponsorship, Fitogether shall receive marketing opportunities through the TTFA in the form of commercial branding at events and media platforms.

The Senior Women’s Training Squad began using the system during a just-concluded training camp at the Ato Boldon Stadium and head coach James Thomas is excited about the access to the devices.

“The opportunity to work with Fitogether and the technology they have is really a game changer for us as a national team.  To be able to integrate this into what we do, our planning and our reflection of sessions and games is absolutely vital for the things we are trying to achieve as a national team,” Thomas said.

“It’s a tool that we are going to use everyday whether it’s in the local training program or in national team camps and it will form a very important pillar within the toolbox that we have as coaches to provide those players with a platform in the environment that they need in order to achieve the things they are setting out to.

“Football is now in a place where science plays a huge role and the top teams in the world use these technologies and they use it because they have a massive impact and positive effect on everything that the coaching staff, from head coach all the way through to the sports science department and assistant coaches and technical analysts have. It’s something that we are really looking forward to working with going forward,” James added.

Taeryung KIM, Director of Fitogether also expressed his delight over the new partnership with the TTFA.

"We are delighted to work with TTFA. Fitogether is a Football technology and science company based in South Korea," Taeryung stated.

"We are the official EPTS (Electronic Performance Tracking System) company of the K-league and an EPTS company certified by FIFA. After Covid-19, performance management using player data has become important. We believe that technology will help the development of football," added Taeryung.
Title: Re: TTFA enters two-year partnership with Korean-based EPTS company Fitogether
Post by: asylumseeker on September 22, 2021, 01:50:37 PM
TTFA enters two-year partnership with Korean-based EPTS company Fitogether
TTFA Communications


The Trinidad and Tobago Football Association has entered into a partnership with South Korean-based company Fitogether which will see Electronic Performance and Tracking Systems (EPTS)  devices and supportive technology provided for the Men and Women’s Senior National Teams for a two-year period.

Fitogether specializes in wearable technology for athletes (EPTS) and this will allow for continuous data collection of our senior national team players for development and tactical analysis. This data will be used in Performance Analysis as the TTFA begins to increase the human resource capital in performance analysis in the Association and hopefully throughout the country. Fitogether's systems are also FIFA-approved.

In return for its sponsorship, Fitogether shall receive marketing opportunities through the TTFA in the form of commercial branding at events and media platforms.

The Senior Women’s Training Squad began using the system during a just-concluded training camp at the Ato Boldon Stadium and head coach James Thomas is excited about the access to the devices.

“The opportunity to work with Fitogether and the technology they have is really a game changer for us as a national team.  To be able to integrate this into what we do, our planning and our reflection of sessions and games is absolutely vital for the things we are trying to achieve as a national team,” Thomas said.

“It’s a tool that we are going to use everyday whether it’s in the local training program or in national team camps and it will form a very important pillar within the toolbox that we have as coaches to provide those players with a platform in the environment that they need in order to achieve the things they are setting out to.

“Football is now in a place where science plays a huge role and the top teams in the world use these technologies and they use it because they have a massive impact and positive effect on everything that the coaching staff, from head coach all the way through to the sports science department and assistant coaches and technical analysts have. It’s something that we are really looking forward to working with going forward,” James added.

Taeryung KIM, Director of Fitogether also expressed his delight over the new partnership with the TTFA.

"We are delighted to work with TTFA. Fitogether is a Football technology and science company based in South Korea," Taeryung stated.

"We are the official EPTS (Electronic Performance Tracking System) company of the K-league and an EPTS company certified by FIFA. After Covid-19, performance management using player data has become important. We believe that technology will help the development of football," added Taeryung.

No bidding process ... ent?
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: maxg on September 22, 2021, 03:08:41 PM
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/326563301_Validation_of_electronic_performance_and_tracking_systems_EPTS_under_field_conditions

Hey if it's free and you have someone who can actually analyze and draw positive benefits and conclusions from the technology and data produced sure, use it. However, i'm not sure it's high on the list of priorities of what is absolutely needed by our women's program at this moment or for the next few years. In my opinion top of the list of priorities are barely field related at all. Even if football is played on a field, A lot of of it's organization and positive production is done off it. Even for fete match. Otherwise is just a pickup run out in the park, some show up, some don't.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on September 28, 2021, 01:07:44 AM
TTFA to review 2019 financial statements in two weeks.
By Joel Bailey (T&T Newsday).


THE FIFA-appointed normalisation committee, which oversees the affairs of the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA), plans to review their audited financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2019 in the next two weeks.

The normalisation committee, headed by Robert Hadad, held their first-ever Annual General Meeting (AGM) since they were appointed in March 2021, after the previous executive, led by William Wallace, were removed due to mounting debts estimated at $50 million.

The AGM took place on Sunday, at 10 am, via the zoom online platform.

According to a media release, Hadad "addressed many of the challenges that the TTFA is faced with."

However, the items still to be resolved/discussed were the approval of the audited financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2019, expulsion of the Coaches Association, and the admission for membership – pursuant to the Unified Football Coaches of TT application.

"These items will be tabled at an Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) to be held in 14 days," the media release said. "The members are tasked to review the 2019 financial statements in detail and understand the implications to the TTFA, and table all additional questions to the external auditors Madan Ramnarine and Company.

"Madan Ramnarine and Company, the Chartered Accounting firm, was appointed as the organisation’s external auditors in 2018 by the TTFA membership."

When contacted on the reason(s) why the TTFA were looking to review their audited financial statements for the year 2019 instead of 2020, Amiel Mohammed, acting general secretary of the TTFA, responded, "It was announced to the membership that, as the auditors were now properly approved for the year ending 2020, those auditors will now begin their work expeditiously. We would (then) convene an extraordinary general meeting right thereafter to have those approved.

Asked if the extraordinary general meeting planned for mid-October will deal with the 2019 audited reports, Mohammed replied, "Correct. The idea behind it is that, in 14 days, the financial (statements) for 2019 would be put to the membership.

"We're hoping by early 2022, we would be able to host an extraordinary general meeting to approve the 2020 ones."

The media release pointed out that, during the 2018 AGM, the TTFA membership attempted to expel the Coaches Associations from the membership based on inactivity/dormancy. However, this motion was not properly executed as per the TTFA Constitution, and will now to be addressed at the forthcoming EGM.

Hadad was quoted in the media release as saying, “If we really wish to rebuild football in this country, then we must embrace the debt crisis as the entire membership’s problem. It is an unprecedented problem, but it is a problem that we all share.

"The issues have been aired, improvements in governance outlined, the need for fundraising and debt repayment stated – let us work together to restore this fractured association.”

RELATED NEWS

Critical issues aired at TTFA’s AGM on September 26th, 2021.
TTFA Media.


• Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) to be held in 14 days

• 2019 audited financial statements still to be approved

The FIFA appointed Normalization Committee (NC) hosted the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) Annual General Meeting (AGM) 2020/2021 on Sunday 26th September 2021 at 10.00 am via the zoom online platform.

The AGM was attended by most of the TTFA Membership. Robert Hadad, Chairperson of the NC, addressed many of the challenges that the TTFA is faced with. While many of the issues were addressed, the following items are still to be resolved/discussed:

• Approval of the Audited Financial Statements for the year ended 31st December 2019

• Expulsion of the Coaches Association

• Admission for Membership – pursuant to the Unified Football Coaches of T&T application.

These items will be tabled at an Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) to be held in 14 days.

The members are tasked to review the 2019 financial statements in detail and understand the implications to the TTFA, and table all additional questions to the external auditors Madan Ramnarine and Co. Madan Ramnarine and Co, the Chartered Accounting firm, was appointed as the organization’s external auditors in 2018 by the TTFA Membership.

In addition, during the 2018 AGM, the TTFA Membership attempted to expel the Coaches Associations from the Membership based on inactivity/dormancy. However, this motion was not properly executed as per the TTFA Constitution, and will now to be addressed at the upcoming EGM.

In closing, NC Chairman Robert Hadad stated, “If we really wish to rebuild football in this country, then we must embrace the debt crisis as the entire membership’s problem. It is an unprecedented problem, but it is a problem that we all share.The issues have been aired, improvements in governance outlined, the need for fundraising and debt repayment stated – let us work together to restore this fractured association.”

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Tallman on October 06, 2021, 07:34:59 PM
Awai tells members, TTFA not insolvent...wants Hadad to get certificate of title for HoF land
By Walter Alibey (T&T Guardian)


Mike Awai, a stakeholder in local football, is urging the membership of the T&T Football Association (TTFA) to not approve the audited financial accounts of the TTFA when it is presented for discussion and eventual vote at the TTFA Emergency General Meeting (EGM) on Sunday.

Awai, the former AC Port of Spain Business Development Manager, has been angered by a Guardian Media report on Wednesday that confirmed that the embattled football association is insolvent, and is now calling on Robert Hadad, the chairman of a FIFA-appointed Normalisation Committee to get a certificate of title for the land housing the controversial "Home of Football" (HoF) in Balmain, Couva that will be accepted by the auditors.

Awai said for such a businessman, a certificate of that nature would be at his fingertips or at the call of his phone.  

Determining the solvency of the football association will be done at the EGM. At present, the TTFA is in need of the audited financials of the association to be approved if it is to received monies from FIFA.

The EGM became the next step after AGM deferred discussions on the issue of the audited financial statement and the lease for the Home of Football at the annual general meeting (AGM) of the TTFA on September 26. At that meeting, the accounts were presented minus the value for the land that houses the Home of Football, said to be estimated at $42 million.

In July, Hadad issued a statement that put the TTFA debt at $98.5 million.

Leading the discussions were the Veteran Football Foundation of T&T (VFFOTT) and T&T Pro League campaigners W Connection Football Club, both of which penned letters to the normalisation committee before and after the AGM, demanding answers on the matter.

However, David John-Williams, a former president of TTFA who was responsible for ensuring that approved audited financial reached into the hands of the FIFA in 2018 and 2019 for the first time since 2008, has promised to offer a statement after the EGM. John-Williams is also responsible for securing the land for the Home of Football from the government.

In the meanwhile, Awai who has been attempting to find answers for the football quagmire, was livid when he saw statements from the local football boss and said on Wednesday: “What is wrong with Hadad? He took 18 months to figure out that he does not have a plan. What has he been doing? What is his mantra?

"Isn’t it to fix the constitution, to prepare fresh election and have a debt repayment plan? I am going to send an email to all the stakeholders because I have the whole listing of them.

"I am going to make an appeal to the stakeholders, not to approve the audited accounts because the TTFA is not insolvent.

"Eighteen (18) months and we can’t get a certificate of title, 18 months and we can’t get a proposal for the repayment plan and now all of a sudden, after 18 months he is now asking the government to talk, he could have done that a year ago and they might have done something small for us in the budget.”

Awai, the owner and founder of the FUTGOF Football Academy, has been avoiding calls to enter the fray ahead of the coming elections of the TTFA. However, he has been bitterly disappointed with the work done by Hadad and his committee members to date, saying they have not achieved a single item of their mandate by FIFA.  

A week ago, Awai came up with two theories why the NC would want the TTFA to be insolvent, and one entailed the possibility of avoiding the huge debt that has crippled local football for many years.  

Sunday’s EGM is expected to be intense but Hadad is assuring members that answers to their questions will come but just not from him. Apart from revealing the financial status of the TTFA, Hadad also said that the independent auditors will be the ones to provide the answers to the questions of the members.

Awai believes that if the membership approves the audited financials, they will indirectly be giving up their power and control of the assets of the TTFA.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on October 06, 2021, 08:02:19 PM
Is TTFA squatting at HoF? Bol, Fenwick, debt repayment plan and missing financials among NC issues
By Lasana Liburd (Wired868)


The Trinidad and Tobago Football Association’s first general meeting under the Robert Hadad-led normalisation committee passed without rancour today but with few questions answered.

A TTFA press statement this evening said that ‘many of the issues were addressed’ but did not identify any. It listed some matters that were ‘still to be resolved/discussed’:

- Approval of the audited financial statements for the year ended 31st December 2019;

- Expulsion of the coaches association;

- Admission for membership pursuant to the Unified Football Coaches of T&T application.

Those topics are to be re-tabled at an extraordinary general meeting within 14 days’ time.

The TTFA, apparently, failed to properly disassociate the defunct coaches association in 2019 and must complete that process before considering an application for membership by the fledgling Unified Football Coaches of Trinidad and Tobago (UFCTT).

Notably, Hadad and fellow committee members Judy Daniel, Nigel Romano and Nicholas Gomez did not present audited statements for their spending since taking over the local football body in 2020.

However, the normalisation committee did present a budget which showed a surplus of TT$157,609 for the last calendar year. During that period, the Men’s National Senior Team, Women’s National Under-20 Team and the Men’s Beach Soccer and Futsal Team all competed while the other teams had their respective competitions cancelled owing to the pandemic.

Despite the cancellations, staff still had to be paid in accordance with the terms of their contracts.

The normalisation committee puts its 2020 income—minus the South West Regional Health Association (SWRHA) reimbursement for use of the Home of Football—at TT$20,698,200. Apart from TT$96,500 in membership subscription fees, the entire income came from Fifa, Concacaf and the Caribbean Football Union (CFU).

In the expenses column, there was TT$2,395,303.44 for TTFA administrative staff salaries and NIS contributions, TT$15,638,287.56 for TTFA technical staff salaries and expenses and another TT$3,157,000 for administrative expenses (excluding the SWHRA usage).

In its convocation documents sent before the general meeting, the normalisation committee offered some details on its two-year apparel deal with Bol, signed in March 2021. According to the contract, the TTFA ‘will receive approximately 9,000 units of sponsored sports apparel annually au gratis and a sponsorship bonus of  US$50,0000 in each of the contract years’.

Under the bonus incentives included in the deal, the Soca Warriors earned the TTFA US$25,000 for qualifying to the group stage of the 2021 Concacaf Gold Cup.

The Women’s National Senior Team can also earn between US$25,000 for a group stage place in the Concacaf tournament with US$50,000 for a semifinal place or US$100,000 for winning the tournament outright. The bonus money is only for the team’s final placing and not cumulative.

The Women Soca Warriors would earn US$500,000 for the TTFA if they qualified for the 2023 World Cup.

The TTFA is also ‘contractually entitled to an annual royalty payment of 6% of the net sales of the respective preceding calendar year’.

A W Connection representative enquired about the pay-out to the Men’s National Senior Team staff before today’s meeting and whether there were any legal challenges. (The normalisation committee insists on written questions rather than direct oral ones.)

“Following the dismissal of key members of the Senior Men’s National Team prior to the expiration of their contracts, no further details were provided regarding same,” said the local stakeholder, on 16 September. “Kindly advise as to the terms of separation and/or if any legal proceedings were initiated against the TTFA in this regard.”

The 23 September response was directed to W Connection director Renee John-Williams.

“Senior members of the Senior Men’s National Team and the TTFA by mutual agreement agreed to separation on the grounds of affordability,” stated the normalisation committee, via action general secretary Amiel Mohammed. “These members have been generous in understanding the financial constraints of the TTFA and their settlement packages have allowed for a mutual parting that is amenable to the TTFA.

“Senior Men’s National Team head coach Terrence Fenwick was terminated on 11th June 2021 in accordance with the terms of his contract, with one month’s salary in lieu as per the notice period.”

John-Williams also requested more detailed financial documentation.

“Constitutionally, the audited financial statements for the period ending 31st December 2020 should have been prepared and were supposed to be presented at the upcoming AGM,” stated the missive. “Kindly advise as to the status of these documents and when the membership can expect to be furnished with them.”

The normalisation committee again offered an explanation.

“[…] As you know, due to the global Covid-19 pandemic and the legal battles that punctuated the normalisation process, as well as the suspension of the TTFA from Fifa on 24th September 2020,” replied Mohammed, “the TTFA AGM could not take place in 2020. Therefore, the independent external auditors could not have been appropriately appointed to begin work on the audit of the financials for the year ended 31st December, 2020.

“With this in mind, the normalisation committee will be recommending to the members the appointment of independent external auditors at the 2020/2021 AGM to have the audited financials completed. An extraordinary general meeting will be convened thereafter, with the support of the general meeting at the 2020/2021 AGM, to have the audited financials for year ended 31st December 2020 presented and approved.

“Similarly, financial matters such as the Budget for January 2022 to December 2022 will be presented at the proposed extraordinary general meeting for approval.”

There was little tangible information on the TTFA’s debt repayment plan, which was a key reason for Fifa’s implementation of a normalisation committee in the first place.

The Hadad-led body said Ernst & Young was given the task of creating a blueprint for the TTFA to get out of its financial hole but offered no details. EY will be paid for its services by Fifa.

“[…] Numerous financial service firms were invited to submit proposals to assist in the development of the debt-repayment proposals,” stated the normalisation committee, in its convocation documents before today’s meeting. “The proposals were evaluated and EY was then selected as the firm of choice as they offered the most thorough scope of work and value proposition for this exercise. The costs associated with this debt repayment project will be fully funded by FIFA.

“Over the duration of its term, the NC will reveal the enablers needed and inhibitors identified as the committee collaborates with all TTFA stakeholders to fulfil its mandate and carefully plan the way forward for T&T football.”

There were no further updates on that matter today.

Another eye-raiser is that the TTFA apparently does not have a lease for the land on which the David John-Williams-led body constructed the controversial multi-million dollar Home of Football facility, opened in 2019 despite being essentially incomplete.

“The deed for the leasehold land, granted to the TTFA by the Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, was never perfected and therefore cannot be treated as an asset,” stated the normalisation committee. “The letter, dated 3rd August 2017 from Minister of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries, the Honourable Clarence Rambharat, merely lays out the description of the property, its purpose and intended use. However, it is not a deed of lease and therefore it cannot convey the property to the TTFA.

“It is in this regard, that the [TT$42,524,000] capital grant was removed as the TTFA does not have an absolute title to the land and therefore it cannot be included among TTFA’s assets.”

Veteran Footballers Association of Trinidad and Tobago interim president Selby Browne asked what the normalisation committee has done to address the lease issue—Fifa statutes mandate that the TTFA must have at least a 20-year lease to qualify for the Fifa Forward funding which was received for the HoF.

“Based on the accepted reasons for removal of the Government Capital Grant of $42,524,000 from the TTFA asset, why has the Committee been unable to immediately receive the deed to establish title to this major asset, since taking responsibility for the TTFA and the HoF?” Browne asked, via email. “Worse, having missed an excellent opportunity to ensure this important objective was realised, when entering into an occupancy agreement with the said Government of TT for the HoF.

“What therefore are the immediate plans of the Committee to urgently have this important responsibility to secure the title to the land realised soonest?

“The fact that the TTFA also does not have a lease for the Office at the Couva stadium seems to indicate the TTFA is a squatter at both locations.”

Wired868 was not advised of a response to Browne’s concern.

The EY report presented to the normalisation committee also ‘revealed total estimated outstanding liabilities and unasserted claims (contingent liabilities) of approximately TT$98.5 million as of 9 February 2021’.

“The Association’s current liabilities exceed its current assets by TT$45,700,820,” stated the convocation documents. “The normalisation committee cannot as yet determine the ability of the Association to continue as a going concern.”

Once more, there was no discussion on the implications of the TTFA’s financial state. Members—and creditors—will hope to learn more at the EGM within the next two weeks.

Hadad, in his statement today, asked members to move forward ‘together’ with the normalisation committee.

“If we really wish to rebuild football in this country, then we must embrace the debt crisis as the entire membership’s problem,” said Hadad. “It is an unprecedented problem, but it is a problem that we all share.The issues have been aired, improvements in governance outlined, the need for fundraising and debt repayment stated—let us work together to restore this fractured association.”

Thus far, Hadad’s idea of ‘togetherness’ appears to be that his four-member committee does whatever it is allowed to by Fifa while local football stakeholders stay out of their way.

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: gawd on pitch on October 06, 2021, 08:44:38 PM
FIFA solution. . Call in a Normalization Committee for the Normalization Committee.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: asylumseeker on October 09, 2021, 09:32:05 AM
FIFA solution. . Call in a Normalization Committee for the Normalization Committee.

Bullshit has been normalized in T&T football. For some time now at that. "We" keep thinking there's nothing left to perfect but time and again, that thought gets kicked to the curb and voilŕ ... BOOM! ... more perfected bullshit.

A constant parade of those who think everybody doltish.

What plays out on the national football stage also plays out in the lower echelons of football. Nuff short-end-of-the stick ppl who think they have an insurmountable angle that is really the end of untethered rope being gradually released by the playees.

How are circuses normalized? With the ringmasters or with the clowns?

Title: Membership to vote for FIFA funding or insolvency
Post by: Tallman on October 09, 2021, 08:55:23 PM
Membership to vote for FIFA funding or insolvency
By Walter Alibey (T&T Guardian)


Mixed expectations have been given ahead of Sunday’s Emergency General Meeting (EGM) of the T&T Football Association (TTFA) with an urgent need for the association’s audited financial statement to be approved, if monies from FIFA are to be forthcoming.

Eastern Football Association (EFA) president Keiron Edwards believes the accounts will be approved while two other members Lee Davis of the T&T Super League (TTSL) and Selby Browne of the Veteran Football Foundation of T&T (VFFOTT) are unsure that approval will be granted.

Both men are desirous of receiving more information on the reasons why a $42 million price-tag for the piece of land housing the controversial Home of Football in Balmain, Couva was left out of the audited statements, and why Robert Hadad, the chairman of the Normalisation Committee, did not approach the relevant authorities to achieve a certificate of title for the auditors, ahead of the EGM.

According to Davis, questions will have to be asked to former president David John-Williams about why the land has no deed, saying: “The thing about it is, who has the deed for the land? And what access does the TTFA have to do whatever they need to do to convert the land to any business.

"The last thing I would have heard is that nobody could really say who has the title to the land, which is a serious issue since we've gone and build aspects of the TTFA on the land, and that’s a serious thing. Who really owns the title to the deed or property, that needs to be clarified.”

Davis, who recently got the nod over Edwards and Ryan Ottley for the presidency of the Super League, noted: “We have to wonder what Mr David John-Williams was doing and the kind of considerations might have gone his way for certain things to go how they went.

"We know in T&T a lot of the institutions are literally almost corrupted. People could do things and hope for the best down the road. The mere fact that the auditor doesn’t have that to present as to the exact title and deed, for me it should be even more disconcerting.

"All this was done and we still don’t have no statement or no deed or no letter of comfort to say that we have access to this property. I am wondering now if the land is really ours or because of some administrative issue we don’t have the title or the deed or they playing smart."

Browne, on the otherhand, was one of two members who wrote to the Normalisation Committee requesting answers to the financials and the land. Browne also told Guardian Media Sports that questions of why a certificate of title was not requested, was also not responded to or acted upon.

The VFFOTT boss said Hadad’s recent statement that the TTFA is insolvent has further compromised his position.

“What I expect is that, as I stated in my letter, the situation as is would suggest that the NC would be prepared to give a declaration to the membership that, should the membership approve the 2019 audited statement, the NC would not entertain any question of solving the issues of the TTFA.

"Subsequent to that an announcement by Mr Hadad that the TTFA is insolvent, has brought further concerns on his ability to hold the appointment that was made of him by FIFA.

"The TTFA is owned by the membership of the TTFA. I think that our initial expectation to have Mr Hadad and the NC do that declaration in the effort to move forward amicably, has now been compromised and it would really be left in to the delegates to determine whether they accept or reject any proposal from Mr Hadad or the NC."

Meanwhile, Edwards is calling for the approval of the audited financials, believing that all will be sorted out with the TTFA once approval has been granted for financial statement to be sent to FIFA.

"I think the auditors would adhere to the questions the membership would’ve asked and I think the audit would be approved. I think everybody understands the importance of the audit being approved in terms of finances."

He added: "It’s a simple matter of the deed not being finalised, if it is not finalised, they cannot put it on the financial statement. It’s a process that the normalisation committee, now doing what is required to ensure that the deed is finalised and once that happens then it will be placed back on the financial statement to be audited in a year to come.

"I’m not seeing that as a major problem. It was a concern for members seeing that it was not finalised in totality. I think the justification behind it is clear right now, so they would approve the audit and that would be sorted out in time to come.

"However, what the membership would have to do is to get an undertaking by the normalisation committee to ensure that they would sort out the situation,” Edwards explained.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Tallman on October 11, 2021, 11:29:15 AM
Big Stick Diplomacy: FIFA threatens withholding subvention; TTFA members approve audited financials
By Ian Prescott (T&T Express)


A subtle reminder that Trinidad and Tobago would have to do without FIFA monies was enough incentive to get most delegates voting in favour of passing 2019 financials, presented by the FIFA-appointed normalisation committee (NC), headed by local businessman Robert Hadad.

Under fire NC chairman Hadad established firmly his point at yesterday’s Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) emergency general meeting (EGM) with an input from a FIFA official, who indicated that FIFA would only release its subvention to the TTFA —the local football association’s only source of income—if the audits were approved by the membership.

Subsequently, 24 Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) delegates voted in favour of approving the accounts statements, which had been rejected at the TTFA’s AGM just two weeks earlier. Thirty delegates also voted to delist the inactive former football coaches’ association and later voted for the installation of the year-old Unified Football Coaches of Trinidad and Tobago (UFCTT).

The intentions of the NC, appointed by world football’s governing body in March 2020, was questioned by Veteran Footballers Foundation of Trinidad and Tobago (VFFOTT) president Selby Browne. Hadad indicated that although the course of the FA was uncertain, the normalisation committee were not currently on a pathway to declare the TTFA insolvent.

Further, an argument was put forward that the only persons who could arrange affairs to dissolve the Association was the TTFA membership, and that neither the FIFA nor the NC had the power to wind up the Association, which was incorporated by an act of Parliament.

Former president David John-Williams also questioned the actual debt of the TTFA, which chairman Hadad estimated at $50 million. Responding to John-William’s query, Hadad admitted that on the books, the debt stood at $35 million, but with pending court matters and other contingencies, was likely to swell to his previous estimation.

Hadad was again chided for his lack of communication with local football stakeholders and as the NC president he was reminded of his duty to report to the membership. It was strongly suggested that he should regularly communicate with TTFA members, at least on a monthly basis. Despite several issues being ventilated, the consensus was that TTFA members are still in the dark over many other TTFA matters.

The TTFA subsequently issued a media release, stating: “The NC reiterated that management decisions related to the 2019 audited financials were all guided by International Financial Reporting Standards issued by the International Accounting Standards Board and adopted by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Trinidad and Tobago.”

The communique added: “The NC also outlined that these standards were used to address the matter of the accounting of the grant of the 17.51 acres of leasehold land in Balmain, Couva, which was valued at $42.5 million. Accounting for Government Grants, which this land falls under, is covered under International Financial Reporting Standards. When the lease is perfected, the TTFA will determine the most appropriate accounting treatment, in accordance with good financial governance practices.”
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: asylumseeker on October 11, 2021, 01:52:24 PM
Sign or be penniless. Take it or leave it. Yuh money, yuh life, and/or yuh baldhead wife. Coercive? Coercion, what coercion?
Title: Ex-Caribbean Football Union general secretary Harold Taylor dies
Post by: Tallman on November 19, 2021, 07:39:58 AM
Ex-Caribbean Football Union general secretary Harold Taylor dies
By Joel Bailey (T&T Newsday)


FORMER general secretary of the Caribbean Football Union (CFU), Harold Taylor, passed away on Wednesday at the age of 88.

An ex-school teacher, Taylor was involved in football regionally, as well as locally, with the then-Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation (now T&T Football Association). He was the TTFA vice-president, under the leadership of Peter O’Connor, in the late 1980s, and the FIFA technical developmental officer for the Concacaf region.

Former FIFA vice-president, Concacaf and CFU president, and TTFF special advisor Jack Austin Warner, paid tribute to his close friend.

“Harold Taylor was my great friend for more than 40 years,” said Warner, during a telephone interview on Thursday. “He served in various capacities in football at the highest level, as general secretary of the Caribbean Football Union. He was also, at one time, president of the Secondary Schools Football League.

“We had a very harmonious working relationship and I always cherished his ideas, not only in football but generally in life,” Warner continued. “We travelled to many a country and we always able to represent Trinidad and Tobago and the Caribbean at all these football fora, with a great amount of credibility, unlike today.

“He would be sorely missed by me and I would like to extend to his immediate family and friends my condolences on his passing.”

Taylor’s son Joseph was also heavily involved in the sport, as a referee, a linesman (assistant referee) and, upon his retirement, president of the T&T Football Referees Association (TTFRA).

Warner said, “(Joseph) was into football and well, and his granddaughter (Crystal Ann), at one time, represented Trinidad and Tobago as a goalkeeper.”

Tributes were also paid to Taylor on Facebook.

Ex-T&T men’s and women’s team coach Jamaal Shabazz wrote, “RIP Mr. Taylor a real sincere soldier for T&T, Caribbean, Concacaf and world football”, and former national midfielder Clint Marcelle wrote, “RIP Mr Taylor and thank you for your service in football.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on January 02, 2022, 03:41:06 PM
TTFA awards top players for 2021.
TTFA Media.


The Trinidad and Tobago Football Association is pleased to announced the 2021 Player of the Year in the following categories following the selections made by the respective head coaches of the various national teams combined with an online voting poll.

Senior Men – Aubrey David
Senior Women’s – Kennya Cordner
Futsal – Andre Marchan
Beach Soccer – Ryan Augustine.

The individuals will receive awards courtesy The Fan Club of Trinity Mall and the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association in recognition of their achievements. The TTFA also wishes to applaud the other individuals who were nominated in each category by the panel for their contribution and efforts to the national team and by extension local football in 2021. We wish to acknowledge the commitment and dedication displayed by each individual who participated or were in some way involved in the activities of our National Teams and local football during the past year.

Winners’ Reactions

Aubrey David Defender, National Men’s Senior Team & Deportivo Saprissa, Costa Rica

“This is a tremendous honour for me to go down in the books as a Player of the Year for Trinidad and Tobago and to be classified among so many other committed and dedicated individuals who have won this award in the past. This has been a most challenging and difficult period for so many of us in sport, football and generally as people across the world. I think it was a blessing to be able to play football in 2021 and I would like to dedicate this award to the many others who contributed to our football in 2021, teammates and staff members. Hopefully we can take this drive into 2022 on the path to recovery.”

Kennya Cordner Forward, National Senior Women’s Team & Fenerbahce, Turkey

“Giving thanks always to the most high God for without him none of this will be possible. After being away for so long from national team football, I kept on doing my thing regardless and I am truly happy that I could come back and still contribute and make an impact on the national team and to be named Player of the Year for Trinidad and Tobago Women’s football. It’s truly a wonderful feeling. I am happy that for the third time I am the Footballer of the Year and I will continue to work even harder an do my best ! Thanks the all those who believed in me and never gave up on me!”


Ryan Augustine Captain National Men’s Beach Soccer Team

“I’m just grateful for what the program has provided me over the years. I’m immensely thankful for such a family oriented group, the supportive staff and talented teammates. I hope my efforts helps to grow support for the sport and hopefully provide the life changing opportunities that I’ve been fortunate enough to experience.”

Andre Marchan Goalkeeper National Futsal Team

“I am truly grateful for being recognised for my efforts for the national Futsal team in 2021. It was an enjoyable and learning experience for myself and the rest of the team. Hopefully we can continue to develop and achieve more in 2022 and beyond

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Trini _2026 on January 12, 2022, 06:34:20 PM
WE PLAYING  Bolivia  ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D :cheers: :challenge: :afro: :wavetowel: :wavetowel:
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Tallman on January 12, 2022, 07:14:32 PM
WE PLAYING  Bolivia  ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D :cheers: :challenge: :afro: :wavetowel: :wavetowel:

The one caveat is that it is not during the FIFA window.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: asylumseeker on February 02, 2022, 04:08:41 PM
I see the palace coup is completed.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: asylumseeker on February 04, 2022, 06:22:09 PM
WATCH: Wired868's Lasana Liburd discusses the appointment of Anton Corneal as TTFA Technical Director with the SportsMax Zone.

https://www.youtube.com/v/ljFqjN543ZI
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on February 05, 2022, 07:44:39 PM
TTFA proposes new auditor after incumbent resigns.
By Walter Alibey (T&T Guardian).


Local football members are questioning the decision to appoint Aegis Business Solutions, a premier outsourcing & advisory services provider in the Caribbean, as the T&T Football Association's auditor for 2021, 2022 and beyond.

This will be decided at a virtual Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) of the T&TFA on Monday at 5:30 pm. The decision to propose Aegis Business Solutions as a replacement for Madan Ramnarine and Company comes after a literal juggling exercise that eventually led to the resignation of Madan Ramnarine and Company on December 31 last year (2021).

Guardian Media Sports was told that the Normalization Committee hosted the 2020/2021 T&T Football Association Annual General Meeting (AGM) on September 26, last year and proposed the appointment of Grant Thornton Orbit Solutions (GTO) as the external auditors for the financial statements for 2020 and 2021.

At the 2020/2021 AGM, the TTFA Membership identified a clerical error in the 2019 AGM Minutes which led to Madan Ramnarine & Co being appointed as the auditors for TTFA’s Financial Statements for 2020. The AGM then reconfirmed that Madan Ramnarine & Co be appointed as auditors for the TTFA’s Financial Statement for 2020 and Grant Thornton Orbit Solution be appointed the auditors for the TTFA’s Financial Statements for 2021.

However, on October 6, last year, Madan Ramnarine & Co resigned and the normalization committee, being led by businessman Robert Hadad approached (GTO) to be the auditor for 2020. They were also expected to do the financial statements for 2021.

In a sudden turn of events, however, GTO declined the appointment following the resignation of Madan Ramnarine and Company, thereby opening the door for Hadad and company to approach Aegis Business Solutions, BDO and PKF to submit proposals to conduct the audits of the TTFA’s financials.

Both Aegis Business Solutions and PKF were the only ones to submit proposals as the other company (BDO) pulled out based on a potential conflict of interest due to their provisions of forensic and other services in other territories for FIFA and CONCACAF.

The normalisation committee in a release explained to its members that it received proposals from Aegis and PKF and based on their analysis of the proposals as well as the cost differentials, Aegis' proposal was accepted and is being proposed to the TTFA General Membership for approval.

Yesterday Selby Browne, president of the Veteran Football Foundation (VFF) and Akel Baig, general secretary of the Northern Football Association wrote to the Hadad and company expressing their concern.

Baig in his representation of the NFA is demanding answers to; why has Madan Ramnarine resigned; why three different external auditing firms by the NC in one year; what did it cost the TTFA to retain three auditing firms; demanding a statement of independence from new auditors; what was the procurement method used to select an external auditor; how does Aegis Business Solutions intend to deal with the state of bankruptcy highlighted by the normalisation committee; and how many audits have Aegis done under bankruptcy and insolvency proceedings.

Browne also had some questions for the normalisation committee that centre around:

1. The proposal for another audit firm without a profile of that company is attached to the Notice, as was the case with the proposal for Grant Thornton; 2. The reason for the replacement of Grant Thornton, while it is wondered whether it is their non-independence of the TTFA, CONCACAF and FIFA;

3. Whether the process of extending invitations to submit proposals from all the major accounting firms with operations in the Republic was utilized to include the big four globally, namely, KPMG, PWC, Deloitte and EY.

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on February 09, 2022, 01:11:06 AM
Aegis accepted as TTFA auditors, membership fees waived.
By Walter Alibey (T&T Guardian).


Aegis Business Solutions, a premier outsourcing & advisory services provider in the Caribbean was on Monday accepted as the new auditing firm for the T&T Football Association.

The approval by the association's general membership at a virtual Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) is being seen as a move forward in the sport.

The endorsement means that the firm will do the football association's Financial Statements for 2020 to 2021, and 2021 to 2022.

The new auditors replace incumbent Madan Ramnarine and Company which resigned on December 31, 2021amidst a proposal by the FIFA-appointed Normalisation Committee last year for Grant Thornton Orbit Solutions (GTO) to take over as the external auditors for the financial statements for 2020 and 2021.

The latter who resides at Queen's Park West, Port-of-Spain, later pulled out following the resignation of Madan Ramnarine and Company. However, on Monday, 26 of the 28 eligible members voted in favour of having Aegis as the new auditors, while two members abstained.

Selby Browne, president of the Veteran Football Foundation of T&T told Guardian Media Sports on Tuesday that the acceptance of the Aegis is critical to the clearance of the debt that's currently crippling local football. This debt, the normalisation committee has put as a whopping $98.5 million.

Browne who made several recommendations through the VFF to fix the problems affecting the sport, further explained that there will be a waiver of fees for members when play resumes.

"The other item that came up was the question of the compliance status and the recommendation to the committee was that the fees that are now due, that are payable by the membership, be adhered to and a recommendation was made for a $2000 annual fee for the new Coaches Union that has been admitted.

I moved a motion that the fees be honoured and paid by the membership and that the 2000 fee be accepted, that motion was seconded, it went to a vote and did not find favour with the meeting," Browne explained.

He added: "There was a motion by Osmund Downer, a former FIFA referee, to have the membership fees waived for the period 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 until play had been reinstated post-COVID-19 and that was seconded and found favour with the membership."

That decision did not resonate nicely with Browne who believes the decision to waive the fees was counter-productive and reminiscent of the reasons the football association has found itself in the position it has, saying: " It is very significant from my own perspective that members, yes we can appreciate the fact that during the downtime, there was no activity and no club registration in the case of associations or zones and no membership registration in the case of clubs which would affect your finances, but one would expect that members of the tTTFA to be able to withstand or even seek an adjustment as was recommended by the south zone, to adhere to the payment only but after we restart the football.

You see it leads to the business of the TTFA being continued and conducted and the membership playing their roles and taking seriously the importance of their role in this matter at the highest forum of the TTFA. Unfortunately, it was clearly evident that this matter goes back to the several decades that caused the TTFA to be in this position that it finds itself in financially."

The outspoken football administrator was however high in praise for Acting general secretary Amiel Mohammed who he said was an advocate of communication in the TTFA which he has always called for.

It was Mohammed who led clear communication among the membership for the appointment of the new auditor, Browne said. He called for this communication to be continued on other issues such as the selection and appointment of staff and personnel by the normalisation committee.

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: asylumseeker on February 09, 2022, 06:32:09 AM
Aegis accepted as TTFA auditors, membership fees waived.
By Walter Alibey (T&T Guardian).


...

"The other item that came up was the question of the compliance status and the recommendation to the committee was that the fees that are now due, that are payable by the membership, be adhered to and a recommendation was made for a $2000 annual fee for the new Coaches Union that has been admitted.

I moved a motion that the fees be honoured and paid by the membership and that the 2000 fee be accepted, that motion was seconded, it went to a vote and did not find favour with the meeting," Browne explained.

Because? Why? Where's the beef? What's the beef?

EDIT: Maybe the reporter can fill that gap.
Title: At long last, football in T&T has returned!
Post by: Tallman on April 07, 2022, 04:45:30 PM
At long last, football in T&T has returned!
By Colin Murray (T&T Guardian)


I am certain that many of you will agree that It’s great to see local football being played once again. Over the last two years, we had to be content watching the English Premier League, La Liga, Serie A, etc on our television sets and not knowing when T&T’s clubs could take the field again to compete was disconcerting.

When the Minister of Sport and Community Development announced the opening of contact and team sports, many sportsmen and women breathed a sigh of relief knowing that they could compete again and for some athletes, it presented a welcomed opportunity to refine their goals of perhaps one day playing on the international stage. Even though the Minister made the announcement, both the Pro League and the Super League did not seem ready to restart their competitions so it was left to the Ascension Football League to fill the void and put together a ten-team tournament comprising of clubs throughout the length and breadth of Trinidad to participate and how well they have done thus far.

The games are played on weekends starting on Fridays with a double-header at Phase 2 La Horquetta Recreation Ground then on Saturdays another double-header at the Arima Velodrome and lastly, on Sundays a game at the St James Police Barracks. The players have only been able to train for about 3 to 4 weeks but credit to them as the matches have been very competitive (perhaps surprisingly given the relatively short training period) and the players have been giving heart and soul to the football field. The crowds that have converged, especially at the La Horquetta ground on a Friday evening, have been phenomenal. The community has come out in their hundreds to support their local team - Terminix La Horquetta Rangers - and they have been richly rewarded by seeing them play hard competitive and constructive football.

It was easy to look at the players and realise that their fitness levels were not at 100%, also some players were not quite used to the style of play of the teams but one could not question the effort of all players thus far. I can see the teams improving and playing a better brand of football in the next couple of weeks when their fitness levels improve and when they understand exactly the style of play that is required by their respective coaches.

Indeed, it certainly has been a productive start to the resumption of football and I can see quite a few players knocking on the door of coach Angus Eve and basically saying, “hey coach, do you remember me?” which augurs extremely well for football in Trinidad and Tobago.

Another organisation that has held its hand up and is supporting football in Trinidad and also in the sister isle is Tiger Tanks. Their competition, Tiger Tanks Under-20 Men’s Invitational Football Tournament, kicked off last weekend in Tobago and the action continues this weekend with five matches in Trinidad and two in Tobago. As mentioned, our youngsters have not had competitive football for two years so it was good to see them back on the field of play. Yes, they will take a long while to adjust to the conditions and style of play of their teams, but many of these youngsters were about to break into their school’s first team in 2020 and so have missed 2 critical years of their development from 16 to 18 years of age. Most, if not all of them, have now left secondary school and would have had to slot into these Under-20 teams with a style of play that is new to many of them as they would have come from Under-16 school tournaments. Hopefully, parents, friends and club supporters would come out to support these youngsters as they are the future of Trinidad and Tobago’s football in 4 to 5 years’ time they should be pushing to be fixtures on the national team.

With reference to the national team, the Soca Warriors have won the three-team tournament played at the Hasely Crawford stadium against a very ordinary Barbados team and a tougher Guyana team. I must say the fans who came out for the first time in 2 years to witness the Warriors play live seemed disappointed that they did not execute a victory against the Golden Jaguars. There is no doubt on paper that the Warriors are a better unit so coach Angus Eve would have been equally disappointed that the chances created were not put away.

Despite the setback against Guyana, there is a lot to look forward to with the national team. They are involved in the Concacaf Nations League in League B / Group C alongside Nicaragua, St Vincent and the Grenadines and the Bahamas. It is imperative to do well in this tournament as winning the group will result in promotion to League A (along with Mexico, USA, etc.) and automatic qualification for the 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup. The incentives are there for the Soca Warriors and coach Eve, who now has in addition to the foreign-based players, local ones competing week in and week out to choose from so he should be able to pick his best squad barring injuries and/or club commitments.

Last but by no means least, the women Soca Warriors take on Turks and Caicos and Guyana on April 9th and April 12th respectively in the Concacaf World Cup Qualifiers. After victories in two previous qualifying games coach, Kenwyne Jones seems quietly confident that his team can pull off two more victories. He indicated that he has the majority of his squad which suggests to me that he has the squad he would have wanted to be able to be victorious. In fact, Jones has openly said he expects them to win both matches. Turks and Caicos should be a comfortable victory for them, especially when one considers the fact that they have conceded a whopping 26 goals thus far in their group matches; 7 against Guyana and 19 (yes, the result was 19-0) against Nicaragua. On the other hand, Guyana is unbeaten having won 4-0 and 7-0 against Dominica and Turks and Caicos respectively.

I must say, I have been impressed with the job Jones is doing. He seems focused on the job at hand, he is a no-nonsense individual, committed, serious and expects nothing but 100% from his charges. He has the playing experience from his professional days to turn things around when they are not going according to plan. However, he is still learning the trade as a national coach but like him, I believe the Women Soca Warriors will be victorious in the two World Cup Qualifying games. Good luck to them!
Title: Selby Browne’s football reset plan
Post by: Tallman on April 18, 2022, 01:43:58 PM
Selby Browne’s football reset plan
T&T Express


President of the Veteran Footballers Foundation of Trinidad and Tobago (VFOTT) Selby Browne wants to be the next president of the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association.

In an effort to achieve this goal, he has assembled experienced members from the local football fraternity and also young professionals who are actively involved in football nationally and internationally.

Browne says he and his team will roll out their plans for the “new TTFA” over the coming weeks and months. Currently, local football is being run by the FIFA-appointed normalisation committee headed by businessman Robert Hadad.

Appointed in March 2020 to deal with the TTFA’s debt problem for an initial period of two years, the committee’s life has since been extended to March, 2023, after which elections will be held for a new administration to run the TTFA’s affairs.

Here, Browne outlines his vision for taking the game forward; his “TTFA Reset 2022-23.”

Against a background of the appointment of the FIFA normalisation committee on March 17 2020 for a two-year term, with an extended year for completion of its mandate, and the Covid-19 shutdown for the past two years, the national senior male football team has unsuccessfully participated in the qualification matches for the FIFA World Cup 2022 and did not advance out of its group at the CONCACAF Gold Cup 2021 and now awaits preparation for the CONCACAF Nations League 2022. The national women’s team is involved in qualification matches for the FIFA Women Cup 2022.

The highlight of the football landscape since the return to normalcy granted on the advice of the health technocrats has been limited to the hosting of a triangular tournament between Barbados, Guyana and the national male team in which Trinidad and Tobago won the trophy, along with the excitement of the Ascension League and Tiger Tanks tournaments.

However, what is the status or plan with respect to the Pro League teams, the Super League teams, the roll-out of the Secondary School and Primary School Leagues along with WoLF (women’s league) and the zonal operations to embrace teams within their region and the community Leagues?

The structure for the New TTFA for which discussion will be invited, will be based on four pillars to ensure the proper development of the Trinidad and Tobago football style.

Pillar 1- Finance and Administration:
There must be professional personnel on all TTFA committees.
The revenue generation assets of the TTFA must include the Home of Football in addition to sourcing investment for an attractive ROI.
The TTFA must directly strengthen zonal football.
Nationals with sport business administration skills must be sourced whether they are based nationally or internationally.

Pillar 2 - Marketing and Media
All TTFA national and international football must be marketed.
Sales personnel must be sourced.
Information technology (IT) personnel familiar with global football technology must be recruited.

Pillar 3 - Structure:
There must be juvenile foundation football development.
A youth football development programme must be produced.
Primary and secondary schools should play within their zones together with community teams.
The secondary schools should play adult teams and then against themselves for the InterCol competition.
An Elite football development programme must be established.
There must also be a national teams residential training programme.
International tournaments must also be part of the national programme.

Pillar 3 - Training and development
Trained nationals with coaching experience in the development of juveniles must be sourced.
Nationals coaching actively at the highest level internationally must be identified.
Nationals who have played at the highest level nationally and internationally must be recruited.
Nationals skilled with advance training methodology must be engaged.
Nationals with sport medicine training and practice must also be sourced.

Pillar 4 - Training and development for:
Club Administrators
Referees
Coaches
Tournament coordinators

And as Trinidad and Tobago awaits the completion of work by the FIFA normalisation committee for presentation of its recommendations to the TTFA membership for review, Browne and his team stress that the Home of Football must remain a vital TTFA asset as it is key to generating revenue for the rebuild and restructure of football in T&T.

He says the next nine-month period will be critical for the rebuild and restructure of the game.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Tallman on August 15, 2022, 09:36:05 AM
T&T football failure—‘Enough is Too Much’
By Lennox Sirjuesingh (T&T Guardian)


Dear Editor,
The recent failures of our football to participate in the CFU and CONCACAF Youth Tournaments for boys and girls in U14 and U16 is a testimony of the National Sporting Association’s inability to manage its affairs. Successive attempts and calls at jolting the TTFA into action have been simply “dead ends” due to a lack of commitment to long-term programming.

Former national coach Terry Fenwick on his elevation to the post, elected president of Northern Football Association, Ross Russell, technical directors Dion La Foucade and Anton Corneal all in positions to duly agitate and propose to follow up on their calls for Youth Football have not resulted in action.

In this regard, now is the time for the national community to declare, “Enough is too much.”

Far too much, for us to sit and accept this sorry state of affairs with selected personnel to manage our game not understanding their roles and duly performing.

The suggestions are wide-ranging from proven theories, and tried and tested programmes but sorely lacking in implementation in our country. It appears as though as soon as one becomes a Sports Administrator in our major sporting organisation, he is an authority knowing everything and suggestions given in good faith are often ignored.

Youth sports and long-term involvement and achievement are non-existent. Often these overnight authorities come with a little track record of performance.

We don’t have to look beyond our region to find the result of youth and national development with Jamaica as the finest example.

They qualified for a World Cup, Women’s second World Cup both ahead of us, while today we cannot field teams in age-groups Under-14 and 16s.

One may be tempted to start a “minor league” of Youth Football and hope to be the example for these “overnight success” failures.

There is even a need for us to examine and appreciate our past programmes, largely conducted on commitment and volunteerism without amateurism, but a level of measured attainment in our Youth Football, where we were the first Caribbean nation to qualify for an Under-19 World Cup.

The Under-14 team of 1981 which gave us Russell Latapy, Dwight Yorke, Shaka Hislop, Ancil Elcock, Wayne De Bique (and for good measure Brian Lara) stands out as the most beneficial programme in Youth Football ever conducted in our country. Bertille St Clair can attest to that.

The situation today seems to be “pay” for everything we do. National coach Angus Eve recently reminded us of his parental involvement and investment in him his development through which he developed. A fine example indeed.

There are other such families known for their support for their children. Imagine the disappointment of an Under-14 child being told we are not going to the tournament.

Are we so insensitive or just another example of the “Square Peg”?

The TTFA must understand that “administration” is to blame for everything, as I was taught during at a FIFA Futuro Course conducted by Hugo Salcedo and which has greatly influenced my life opportunities to lead.

Be it Normalisation Committee or whatever there is to be proper acceptance of the responsibility or “doing the honourable thing”.

Those of us who so unselfishly served our game and country can stand tall today and feel our service to our people in Sports, and elsewhere, was not in vain.

“Enough is Too Much”!

Lennox Sirjuesingh

Former TTFA Administrator,
FIFA Referee, CFA Secretary,
Chaguanas
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on September 07, 2022, 11:08:42 PM
Consideration of TTFA debt repayment proposal.
TTFA Media.


Delayed by appeals

The Court’s consideration of the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association’s (TTFA) repayment proposal filed under the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act, will be slightly delayed as the court was asked for a short adjournment to consider filings made by former FIFA Vice President Jack Warner, former T&T national coach Terry Fenwick, and sports marketer Peter Miller.

The Honourable Justice Devindra Rampersad sat virtually on Wednesday, September 7, 2022 to consider the application to approve the repayment proposal, filed by Maria Daniel, the Trustee acting on behalf of the TTFA’s FIFA-appointed Normalisation Committee (TTFA NC). The repayment proposal was unanimously approved by TTFA’s creditors on May 5, 2022, at a meeting chaired by the Supervisor of Insolvency.

Attorneys Rekha Ramjit and Nera Narine, acting on behalf of Warner,have filed various applications challenging the Trustee’s decision to disallow the claims of Warner and his various companies. At 3pm, on the day before the hearing, the Trustee was notified of applications made by Kiev Chesney and Chelsea Chesney,representing Fenwick and Miller,who are now also appealing against determinations made by the Trustee with respect to their claims.

Kerwyn Garcia, instructed by Chrishaunda Baboolal, acting on behalf of the Trustee, requested to have all matters related to the TTFA’s debt repayment brought before one judge to facilitate better case management and economy of time and effort. Mr. Garcia emphasised the need to have all matters determined expeditiously so that the TTFA could complete its restructuring exercise and proceed with the task of developing football in Trinidad and Tobago, which is of national importance. All parties agreed and the matter was adjourned to September 26, 2022.

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Tallman on September 20, 2022, 02:52:40 PM
Edwards to members: Don’t sign audited TTFA statements
By Walter Alibey (T&T Guardian)


Keiron Edwards, president of the Eastern Football Association (EFA) is advising the local football membership not to put their stamp of approval on the T&T Football Association’s Audited Financial Statement when it comes up for approval at tomorrow’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) at the Home of Football (HoF) from 8.30 am.

Edwards, in a letter, addressed to the head of the Normalisation Committee Robert Hadad on Saturday (September 17), titled Re: Concerns regarding the Audited Financial Statement for the years ended 31st December 2020 and 31st December 2021’, outlined five main reasons for his concerns, namely Erroneous Reporting; Unauthorised Removal of Fixed Assets from the Association; Presentation of Financial Statement in an environment of bankruptcy and insolvency proceedings; Neglected Disclosure Notes to the Financial Statements; and Increased Debt under the Normalization Committee, which all stemmed from the audited report of the TTFA auditor AEGIS Building Solutions.

The eastern football association boss is calling on the TTFA to deal with the concerns first before the audited statement can be sent out to the membership for approval.

Under the headline of Erroneous reporting, Edwards said: “According to the Auditor’s Report, AEGIS Building Solutions stated, “We were unable to determine whether any adjustments might have been found necessary in respect of recorded and unrecorded plant and equipment.” This was because assets were not tagged and there was no proper record keeping of the fixed asset register, which did not include proper descriptions of assets.”

According to Edwards, this means that the figure stated for fixed assets on the Statement of Financial Position of the Audited Financial Statements was incorrect.

He later questioned- then how did the balance sheet balance? as it further suggests that there is a corresponding error on the credit side of the financial statements referred to as a compensating error. “It further suggests that there may be more erroneous and unrealistic figures on the statement of comprehensive income and the statement of cash flow as well,” Edwards noted.

“These financial statements, with the errors noted by the auditor, brings into question the integrity of the Audited Financial Statements for both years and it is not advisable for the members to sign them. The financial statements are now overshadowed by doubt regarding their accuracy, understandability and usefulness and must be corrected before it is presented to the members.”

Edwards also expressed particular concern with the area of unauthorised removal of fixed assets from the association, saying, “It appears that some fixed assets were removed from the Association without authorization. As such, the figures on the Balance Sheet may be inflated. It is therefore likely that there has been a material amount of theft or fraud regarding the Fixed Assets in the TTFA. In fact, the auditors stated that they were unable to verify assets because some Assets were taken off-site and not returned to the Association.”

Edwards’ letter to Hadad on Saturday was accompanied by nine questions seeking responses for if fixed assets were untagged, how then can the determination for Note 3 in the notes to the Financial Statements and the charge for depreciation be deemed; What measures have you put in place to ensure proper record keeping; to how can fixed assets be removed from the premises without proper record keeping, among many others.

Edwards also pointed to the area of Neglected Disclosure Notes to the Financial Statements, saying- “ International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), requires that financial statements must be accompanied by disclosure notes, which assist users of the financial statements in understanding the financial position of the entity. However, the following notes were not disclosed in the Association’s Audited Financial Statements for the years ended 31st December 2020 and 31st December 2021.

These notes, he said, were missing for Inventory under the summary of significant accounting; for office equipment and computer; the impairment of fixed assets; and for employee benefits, as it relates to vacation and pension, among many others.

Edwards made it clear to Hadad and his members that as the manager of the association that they are responsible for safeguarding the fixed assets of the association. “You are required to be accountable for the funding given to you by FIFA and the Government of T&T which you have failed to do. This illustrates that you continue to manage the affairs of the association in a manner that is not financially prudent and responsible,” Edwards said.

Edwards said he has not yet received a response from the normalisation committee and yesterday Guardian Media Sports also requested a comment from Hadad on the concerns expressed by Edwards but got no response.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Deeks on September 20, 2022, 03:23:40 PM
Wow. It appears someone has some balls to challenge the NC. Let’s see how far this goes.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: asylumseeker on September 20, 2022, 07:50:49 PM
Wow. It appears someone has some balls to challenge the NC. Let’s see how far this goes.

Connect de dots.
Title: Hadad refutes Edwards TTFA accounts concerns
Post by: Tallman on September 21, 2022, 07:24:18 AM
Hadad refutes Edwards TTFA accounts concerns
By Walter Alibey (T&T Guardian)


“The concerns which you raised are blown out of proportion.”

This is a summary of the Normalisation Committee (NC), managers of the T&T Football Association’s, (TTFA) response to concerns raised by Keiron Edwards, president of the Eastern Football Association (EFA) on the TTFA’s audited financial statement, which will go before the membership for approval from 8.30 am this morning at the Home of Football in Balmain, Couva.

Edwards called on the membership to not sign the accounts when it is presented at today’s annual general meetings (AGM) based on the football association’s audited accounts which was done by Aegis Business Solutions, Chartered Accountants.

The EFA’s boss, in a letter to the TTFA/NC on Saturday, quoted from the Aegis’ report for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 31st December 2021, which stated: “We were unable to determine whether any adjustments might have been found necessary in respect of recorded and unrecorded plant and equipment. This was because assets were not tagged and there was no proper record keeping of the fixed asset register, which did not include proper descriptions of assets.”

Edwards said that statement meant that the figure stated for fixed assets on the statement of financial position of the audited financial statement was incorrect, and later questioned how the embattled football association was able to balance their accounts.

Edwards also pointed to five areas of the audited statement where there were other concerns, such as Erroneous Reporting; Unauthorised Removal of Fixed Assets from the Association; Presentation of Financial Statement in an environment of bankruptcy and insolvency proceedings; Neglected Disclosure Notes to the Financial Statements; and Increased Debt under the Normalisation Committee.

FIFA $$$ dependent on approval

Yesterday, however, Robert Hadad, chairman of the NC, in a response told Edwards they had just stated the correct position of the football association and reminded all that the audited accounts needed to be approved for FIFA subventions for the rest of this year and part of next year to be received.

“Their audit opinion specifically addresses the deficiencies in the systems and internal controls applicable to plant and equipment, specifically, the furniture and fixtures, given the difficulty they encountered in verifying some of the assets in this category.

“Given the fact that furniture and fixtures account for 4.3 per cent of the assets on the balance sheet as at that date, I believe that the concerns which you raised are blown out of proportion. The basis for the qualified opinion, in our humble view, in no way shape or form suggests that there may be more erroneous figures on the statements of comprehensive income or cashflow.”

In a four-page document, Hadad sought to clear the air on the concerns raised by saying: “The audit opinion clearly states that except for the effect of the above the accompanying financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the TTFA as at December 31, 2020 and December 31, 2021, and its financial performance and cashflows for the years then ended in accordance with IFRS for SMEs.

“You should note that the NC inherited these deficiencies in the internal controls over the plant and equipment and have been working to strengthen them. Some of the items referred to by the auditors related to purchases made prior to 2017, while others were not clearly described. However, we are pleased to report that the majority of the furniture and equipment at the HOF has now been tagged and our Fixed Asset register has been updated.

There are a few items which are still not accounted for and the accounting staff will be making recommendations to write off if these are not resolved. They have advised that the value of these items will be quite immaterial and will be below the total value of furniture and fixtures, which as noted above represent 4.3 per cent of the TTFA’s total assets as at December 31, 2021. Once resolved, the updated Fixed Asset register with the corresponding asset tags will be shared with the NC.

Hadad denies theft or fraud regarding TTFA Fixed Assets

“We would also like to make it very clear that there is no evidence to suggest ‘... a material amount of theft or fraud regarding the Fixed Assets in the TTFA’.”

Bugged by circulating opinions that the NC has performed poorly for the three-year period it has been in charge of local football, Hadad in his letter also made it clear: “The NC has not appointed an internal audit committee. This will be included in the new governance structure. However, we have been working closely with the FIFA Financial Governance team, which scrutinises all our expenditure and insists that all reports are submitted before disbursing funds.

A FIFA Central Audit team also visited in July 2022 to audit the TTFA’s use of FIFA funds and did not raise any concerns. In fact they advised that since 2020 we had put significant controls in place and we continue to work on improving the control environment. Therefore, we would appreciate if you, Mr. Edwards, could supply evidence to support your assertion that the NC has failed to account for the funding given to the TTFA by FIFA and the GORTT.”

In the area of ‘Going Concern’- Hadad explained that the auditors were right that a material uncertainty exists that may cast significant doubt on the TTFA’s ability to continue as a going concern, and he noted further that that uncertainty is dependent on the outcome of the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act (BIA) process, which is currently working its way through T&T’s legal system.

“If the proposal is approved all creditors will be paid some portion of the amounts due to them and the TTFA will be in a position to continue serving the football community in T&T, free of debt. If not, the TTFA will be wound up and creditors will receive much less than they have been promised under the BIA.”

Hadad also reminded Edwards of the following:

Disclosures in the financial statements

As stated in their audit opinion, the TTFA’s financial statements are prepared in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standard for Small and Medium-sized Entities (IFRS for SMEs). This is a financial reporting framework applied by entities that are not publicly traded and publish general purpose financial statements for external users.

The standard is designed and tailored to the needs of Small and Medium-sized Entities to ensure these entities are effectively able to comply with the international reporting framework guidelines without significantly affecting their bottom-line. The main difference between full IFRS and IFRS for SMEs is the simplified nature of IFRS for SMEs as some topics in full IFRS are omitted and some accounting policy options are not allowed. Also, many of the recognition and measurement principles in full IFRS have been simplified, and substantially fewer disclosures are required.

However, despite this, it should be noted that depreciation rates and impairment have been captured in note 2(d) and we do not believe that the other notes are relevant since inventory, employee benefits, severance, financial risk management and fair value are not applicable to the TTFA. The latter two are more relevant to financial institutions and larger publicly traded entities.

Debt under the Normalization Committee

Loans and borrowings have actually declined under the NC. Falling by 30.77% from $4.03 million in 2019 to $2.79 million in 2021.

However, Accounts Payable increased by 10.88% over the same period, from $44.11 million in 2019 to $48.91 million in 2021. Of this, interest payable increased by 63.57%, from $519,829 in 2019 to $850,278 in 2021. This represents interest due on the GORTT and CONCACAF loans for which no interest has ever been paid. Therefore, each year we accrue for the interest payable for that year. The interest on the CONCACAF loan must be paid in 2025/26 after the final principal payment is made, as per the agreed amortization loan schedule. Therefore, we can expect this line item to continue to increase going forward.

Other payables and accruals have remained fairly consistent around the $29 to $30 million mark. However, what has been increasing are amounts due to the GORTT for statutory deductions like income tax, national insurance and health surcharge and the interest and penalties due on these. The NC inherited a situation where deductions were made, but not remitted to the statutory authorities. In fact the TTFA was never registered with the Board of Inland Revenue or the National Insurance Board and we found no evidence of remittances being made with respect to statutory deductions. Therefore each year, as interest and penalties rise, these figures continue to increase and as at December 31, 2021 this figure totalled $9,080,751. We are now in the process of regularizing this situation.

Statement of comprehensive income

Revenue has declined by $24.12 million, or 62.5% from 2019 to 2020. As the pandemic shut down activity, grants declined by $13.44 million or 51.4%. Sale of rights, appearance fees, and the write back of statute barred liabilities, which accounted for $9.17 million, disappeared. And sponsorship fell by 55.9%, from $2.47 million to $1.09 million. Thankfully, grants were back up to $20.5 million in 2021, as footballers returned to competition, albeit under constrained circumstances with the support of the FIFA Covid Solidarity Grants.

Total operating expenses also declined from $35.78 million in 2019 to $15.41 million in 2020, before increasing to $25.04 million in 2021. The increase from 2020 to 2021 was primarily due to depreciation on the Home of Football, match fees, overseas travel and professional and legal fees. The technical professional fees were earned by the coaching staff and the administrative professional and legal fees were primarily incurred for the Bankruptcy and Insolvency process, consulting and payroll services. Details can be provided to the Membership on request.

The NC therefore rejects your assertions that it continues to adopt an ostentatious approach to management of the TTFA. In fact we have been quite prudent and have ensured that we did not incur any debts that we could not service.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: asylumseeker on September 21, 2022, 04:57:30 PM
Hadad was ALWAYS going to refute the assertions. Awaiting the next impasse.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on September 22, 2022, 12:18:31 PM
TTFA membership blanks audited financials.
By Walter Alibey (T&T Guardian)..


Issues raised about the Audited Financial Statement of the T&T Football Association (TTFA) for the periods 2020 and 2021 prevented it from being approved by the membership at the Annual General Meeting of the TTFA at the Home of Football in Balmain, Couva, yesterday.

All other items on the agenda, inclusive of the budget, were approved by the 31 members who turned up out of the total of 47, Guardian Media Sports was told.

A motion was moved to delay the passing of the audited financials due to issues raised by Eastern Football Association president Keiron Edwards a day ago, and 17 members voted in favour of, while there were 14 abstentions. 

It was agreed that the members will return in 17 days’ time for an Emergency General Meeting (EGM), at which time the issues raised will be dealt with to the satisfaction of the members, and another attempt will be made to have the audited financials approved.

The TTFA can only receive subventions from the sport’s world governing body FIFA once the audited financials are approved and this was stated to the members by Robert Hadad, chairman of the FIFA-appointed Normalisation Committee (NC) which is currently managing the affairs of the organisation.

Edwards raised some concerns about the validity of the audited statement when Aegis Business Solutions, Chartered Accountants, the auditors for the embattled football association stated: “We were unable to determine whether any adjustments might have been found necessary in respect of recorded and unrecorded plant and equipment. This was because assets were not tagged and there was no proper record keeping of the fixed asset register, which did not include proper descriptions of assets.” 

Edwards said that meant that the figure stated for fixed assets on the Statement of Financial Position of the Audited Financial Statements was incorrect.

On Tuesday, a letter responding to the concerns of Edwards was sent out by the TTFA but it did not convince members during the meeting.

Edwards speaking after the AGM said, “The AGM went well, we would have passed most of the items. We passed the budget, we passed most of the items. The audited statements were postponed for 17 days, we must have some consultation with the normalisation committee about it and we would have that in the next 17 days, in an attempt to pass it at an EGM.

“These issues were there, it’s just a time for us to have further discussions on it and we will come up with some solutions and be able to pass the audited statements where persons will be comfortable.

“There were some things to address and we will treat with it, but there are still things that need to be addressed,” Edwards explained.

Attempts to get a comment from the Amiel Mohammed of the football association proved futile as calls to his phone went unanswered.

Eddison Dean of Club Sando said he does not see anything changing ahead of the EGM in 17 days’ time.

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on September 26, 2022, 11:49:59 PM
Consideration of TTFA debt repayment proposal to be decided on September 28, 2022.
TTFA Media.


The Court’s determination of the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association’s (TTFA) repayment proposal filed under the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act is expected to be made on Wednesday, September 28, 2022 by the Honourable Justice Devindra Rampersad.

On September 7, 2022, the Honourable Justice Rampersad sat virtually to consider the application to approve the repayment proposal filed by Maria Daniel, the Trustee acting on behalf of the TTFA’s FIFA-appointed Normalization Committee (TTFA NC). At that hearing, the Court approved a short adjournment to September 26, 2022, to consider filings made by former FIFA Vice President Jack Warner, former T&T national coach Terry Fenwick and sports marketer Peter Miller.

On September 6, 2022, the Trustee was notified of applications made by the attorneys representing Fenwick and Miller appealing against the determinations she made regarding their claims. At the September 26, 2022 hearing, attorney’s Bronock Reid and Kiev Chesney, representing Fenwick and Miller respectively, agreed to the Trustee’s proposal of having the invalidated portions of their claims set aside and placed in trust, pending the final determination of their appeal hearings. The funds that will be set aside will be allocated from the US$3.5 million financial instrument approved by the TTFA and unanimously by the creditors to fund the proposal under the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act. Creditors owed up to TT$200,000.00 will be paid in full and balances above that will be pro-rated.

Attorney Nera Narine, acting on behalf of Warner, presented arguments challenging the Trustee’s decision to disallow the claims of Warner and his various companies. While Kerwyn Garcia, instructed by Chrishaunda Baboolal, acting on behalf of the Trustee, defended the position of the Trustee’s determinations and the ethics and compliance requirements of the proposal’s debt financiers and emphasized the national significance of the substantive matter for the future of football.

The Honourable Justice Rampersad adjourned the matter and is expected to provide his verdict on the TTFA’s application for the approval of the repayment proposal on Wednesday, September 28, 2022.

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on September 28, 2022, 05:39:47 AM
Justice Rampersad to rule on TTFA debt repayment Wednesday.
T&T Guardian Reports.


The Court’s determination of the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association’s (TTFA) repayment proposal filed under the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act is expected to be made on Wednesday by High Court Judge Devindra Rampersad.

On September 7, Justice Rampersad sat virtually to consider the application to approve the repayment proposal filed by Maria Daniel, the Trustee acting on behalf of the TTFA’s FIFA-appointed Normalisation Committee (TTFA NC).

At that hearing, the Court approved a short adjournment to Monday to consider filings made by former FIFA vice president Jack Warner, former T&T national coach Terry Fenwick and sports marketer Peter Miller.

On September 6, the Trustee was notified of applications made by the attorneys representing Fenwick and Miller appealing against the determinations she made regarding their claims.

At the September 26, hearing, attorneys Bronock Reid and Kiev Chesney, representing Fenwick and Miller respectively, agreed to the Trustee’s proposal of having the invalidated portions of their claims set aside and placed in a trust, pending the final determination of their appeal hearings.

The funds that will be set aside will be allocated from the US$3.5 million financial instrument approved by the TTFA and unanimously by the creditors to fund the proposal under the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act.

Creditors owed up to TT$200,000.00 will be paid in full and balances above that will be pro-rated. They will also have the option to be paid in US or TT dollars.

Attorney Nera Narine, acting on behalf of Warner, presented arguments challenging the Trustee’s decision to disallow the claims of Warner and his various companies.

Kerwyn Garcia, instructed by Chrishaunda Baboolal, acting on behalf of the Trustee, defended the position of the Trustee’s determinations and the ethics and compliance requirements of the proposal’s debt financiers and emphasised the national significance of the substantive matter for the future of football.

Justice Rampersad adjourned the matter and is expected to provide his decision on the TTFA’s application for the approval of the repayment proposal today.

The proposal was developed by Daniel and her EY Team in collaboration with the TTFA’s FIFA-appointed Normalisation Committee and will be funded by an interest-free USD$3.5 million instrument that the TTFA will have ten years to repay.

There were 299 creditors listed in the trustee’s repayment proposal with a total unsecured debt of TT$84.5 million. Ninety-three of these submitted had claims amounting to $59.3m of which 88 were validated with a value of $34.4m before today’s meeting. Fifty-one of them (or their proxies) registered and voted at today’s meeting.

Notably absent was the TTFA’s largest listed creditor, Austin Jack Warner, who topped the list with a debt of $22.7 million. Daniel advised the meeting that Warner did not submit a claim for validation.

The trustee’s original proposal, which creditors received on April 22, was enhanced before the meeting—total funding was increased by US$500,000 to US$3.5 million, and instead of allocating a TT$3 million provision for the BIR and the NIB, funds would now be set aside for outstanding payments monthly.

The meeting included representatives from the Office of the Supervisor of Insolvency; law firm Fitzwilliam, Stone, Furness-Smith & Morgan; EY; and Normalisation Committee chairman Robert Hadad and member Nicholas Gomez.”

There were also submissions from Anton Corneal, the current technical director, former national coaches Dennis Lawrence, Russell Latapy, Stern John and former General Secretary Sheldon Phillip, who submitted the biggest claim for $12 million, among many others.

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on September 29, 2022, 12:58:23 AM
Judge signs off on TTFA's debt repayment proposal.
By Jada Loutoo (T&T Newsday).


TRINIDAD and Tobago’s Football Association’s (TTFA) repayment proposal has been signed off by the High Court judge who was approached by the local football body for protection under bankruptcy and insolvency law.

On November 8, 2021, the TTFA filed for protection under the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act as it faced a crippling debt crisis.

On Wednesday, at a brief hearing, Justice Devindra Rampersad approved the repayment proposal filed by Maria Daniel, the trustee acting on behalf of the TTFA’s FIFA-appointed normalisation committee.

He was also told the six objectors to the application, chief among them former FIFA vice-president Jack Warner, were withdrawing their challenge.

Attorney Rekha Ramjit, who represents the six, said the decision to withdraw the objection was made “after careful consideration.”

She said Warner, a former Concacaf president, expected any protracted litigation could have negative and damaging effects on football in TT and its presence in the 2026 World Cup.

She said there were other legal options open to her clients and those are being pursued. However, she said it was felt the withdrawal of the objection would be in the best interest of football.

Earlier this year, the TTFA presented its proposal to the court for approval to liquidate the body’s massive debt.

In a statement, the body said it had “notified the Supervisor of Insolvency of its intent to make a proposal under the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act of TT which will enable a structured approach to the restructuring of the TTFA and the preparation of a fair, transparent and acceptable payment proposal to address the TTFA’s debt.”

In May, the TTFA announced that creditors voted unanimously in favour of the debt repayment proposal which would see them receiving anywhere from 63 cents on the dollar to 100 per cent of the money owed to them.

Creditors were invited to vote after a comprehensive 45-minute presentation by Daniel that gave a full illustration of how the TTFA found itself in its current state of debt and the options that were considered before arriving at utilising the restructuring option available through the Bankruptcy Act option, the TTFA said.

It said the proposal is expected to be funded by an interest-free US$3.5 million instrument that the TTFA will have ten years to repay.

Creditors owed up to TT$200,000 will be paid in full and the balances above that will be pro-rated. They will also have the option to be paid in US or TT dollars.

According to the TTFA, there were 299 creditors listed in the trustee’s repayment proposal with a total unsecured debt of TT$84.5 million. Ninety-three of these submitted claims amounting to $59.3 million of which 88 were validated with a value of $34.4 million.

Warner is the TTFA’s largest creditor with a debt of $22.7 million.

Also appealing against the trustee’s decision to invalidate a portion of their claims were former TT men's team coach Terry Fenwick and sports marketer Peter Miller.

Daniel’s original proposal, which creditors received in April, was enhanced with an increase of US$500,000 to US$3.5 million, and instead of allocating a TT$3 million provision for the BIR and the NIB, funds would now be set aside for outstanding payments monthly, the TTFA said.

Representing the trustee were attorneys Kerwyn Garcia and Chrishunda Baboolal.

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Deeks on September 29, 2022, 10:55:07 PM
Finally ?????????
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on October 01, 2022, 12:57:53 AM
Edwards hopes TTFA avoids ‘Big Stick’ approach to get audits pass.
By Nigel Simon (T&T Guardian).


President of the Eastern Football Association, Keiron Edwards says he is hoping that the Normalisation Committee-led T&T Football Association (T&TFA) shies away from using a “Big Stick” approach in trying to get the 2020 and 2021 Financial Statements and Independent Auditors Reports approved.

On September 21, Edwards moved a motion to delay the passing of the audited financials with 17 members voting in favour, while there were 14 abstentions with all other items on the agenda, inclusive of the budget being approved by the 31 members who turned up out of the total of 47 at the Annual General Meeting of the TTFA which was held at the Home of Football in Balmain, Couva.

The decision to move to motion impacts the T&TFA’s ability to function as it can only receive subventions from the sport’s world governing body FIFA once the audited financials are approved and this was stated to the members by Robert Hadad, chairman of the FIFA-appointed Normalisation Committee (NC) which is currently managing the affairs of the organisation.

Back then Edwards raised some concerns about the validity of the audited statement when Aegis Business Solutions, Chartered Accountants, the auditors for the embattled football association stated: “We were unable to determine whether any adjustments might have been found necessary in respect of recorded and unrecorded plant and equipment. This was because assets were not tagged and there was no proper record keeping of the fixed asset register, which did not include proper descriptions of assets.”

Among the concerns raised by Edwards was that the figure stated for fixed assets on the Statement of Financial Position of the Audited Financial Statements was incorrect.

A day earlier, a letter responding to the concerns of Edwards was sent out by the TTFA but it did not convince members during the meeting.

Edwards speaking after the AGM said, “The AGM went well, we would have passed most of the items. We passed the budget, we passed most of the items. The audited statements were postponed for 17 days, we must have some consultation with the normalisation committee about it and we would have that in the next 17 days, in an attempt to pass it at an EGM.

“These issues were there, it’s just a time for us to have further discussions on it and we will come up with some solutions and be able to pass the audited statements where persons will be comfortable.

And, on Monday, September 26, in a letter to TTFA Acting General Secretary, Amiel Mohammed, Edwards again stated his concerns on behalf of the membership.

Edwards in his letter pointed out that the TTFA’s auditors AEGIS Business Solutions qualified the audit report on the grounds of uncertainty. As such, they cannot determine the value of TTFA’s fixed assets.

“Therefore, we do not know if the amount omitted or overstated was 5%, 10% or 20%. Materiality can only be applied in a situation when you are aware of the quantum of the issues presented and it can be quantified and applied. But in the case of T&TFA, we do not know the amounts omitted or overstated so we do not know if it’s material or not.

The fact that the financial statements of the TTFA were qualified on the grounds of uncertainty by the External Auditors means that the amounts are material. If it were immaterial the auditors would have ignored it.

In conclusion, Edwards stated, “Ultimately, there are two members of the Normalization Committee that are qualified Accountants namely, Nigel Romano and Trevor Nicholas Gomez and in addition, they represent FIFA, as such, they should be held to a higher standard of accountability and transparency. “The Normalization Committee should not ask the members of the TTFA to approve financial statements that are overshadowed by doubt, uncertainty, and irregularities.

“As such, please correct these issues before it is presented to the members of the association for approval.

But in response, the T&TFA through Mohammed issued a response that informed its members to review information regarding the audited financial statements of the T&TFA for the years ended 31 December 2020, and 2021 in which they have tried to answer the concerns raised by Edwards, and also issued another letter informing of the Extraordinary General Meeting on Saturday, October 8 at the Home of Football, from 10 am.

However, contacted for comment Edwards said that the T&TFA send back the same statements that the membership didn’t approve the first time around.

“We have already spoken on these documents and are hoping that a meeting is held before the Extraordinary General Meeting is held so that we can go over the issues in person. They have to remember that the membership of the T&TFA is the deciding body on any concerns and concerns raised by the membership should and must be taken into consideration, and discussed before we move forward.”

“So I’m currently awaiting feedback on a suggested meeting to be held between us the membership and T&TFA.

“We already had a discussion with two members of the Normalization Committee and have explained to them our concerns and we were hoping for a more organised meeting to follow, but we are seeing that the T&TFA has issued a release regarding the EGM on Saturday, October 8 for 10 am to have the 2020 and 2021 statements approved.

“But we are hoping that this is not a “Big Stick” approach being used by the governing body, and they are serious just as us about getting these issues resolved by having the meeting before the EGM, with its membership.”

RELATED NEWS

SSFL president : Court ruling on TTFA debt repayment a wake-up call.
By Jonathan Ramnanansingh (T&T Newsday).


SECONDARY Schools Football League (SSFL) president Merere Gonzales believes the High Court’s decision to approve the TT Football Association’s (TTFA) repayment proposal is a progressive step, but should also serve as a “wake-up call” to the sport’s administrators and stakeholders.

Gonzales, a TTFA executive member, expressed relief when, on Wednesday, Justice Devindra Rampersad signed off and approved the association’s repayment proposal filed by Maria Daniel, the trustee who acted on behalf of the TTFA normalisation committee.

This decision will allow the TTFA to begin dispensing payments to its creditors, some of whom, have been owed for more than a decade.

“I’m extremely gratified by the court’s ruling because it’s a step in the right direction since it’s in the best interest of TT football. Our football is at a stage where it needs further advancement, promotion, development and all that is necessary to become very progressive,” he said.

Gonzales credited Daniel and the normalisation committee for helping the TTFA reach this critical juncture.

He hopes this experience, which began in March 2020 when FIFA removed the then president (William Wallace) and his executive for shoddy financial management, serves as an eye-opener to administrators.

“We can only benefit from a decision like this taking into consideration that very grave errors, financial improprieties and lack of accounting were made. If we don’t learn from our history then we are doomed. I don’t think we would want to return to such a point.

“We have to ensure all TTFA stakeholders do what is necessary so their books and finances are in order, which will put us in good stead so, the annual FIFA subvention would be comfortably provided. We need to be transparent and accountable. It’s a massive wake-up call,” he added.

Gonzales said that the TTFA, and all other local sporting bodies, need to understand the importance of proper financing, budgeting and utilising their assets in a very prudent way.

This, he said, would aid the beneficiaries, mainly players, to achieve their goals and aspirations through the competent planning of administrators, inclusive of proper financial audited reports and statements.

Normalisation committee chairman Robert Hadad shared similar sentiments.

Commenting on the landmark approval, Hadad said, “I am grateful. We look forward to finally paying the debts that have crippled the Association for many years.

“This is another milestone along the path to fully remediating football and we will continue to work on completing this process. I would like to thank the trustee and her legal team and the TTFA staff for their efforts in helping us to reach this significant milestone.”

This comes after the TTFA notified the supervisor of insolvency, on November 8, 2021, of its intent to make a proposal under the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act (2007) of TT, which would enable the restructuring of the TTFA using a fair, transparent and acceptable process to address the association’s long-standing debt.

The process, which was managed by licensed independent trustee Daniel, allowed the TTFA to manage its operations and provide a stay from all legal proceedings and creditor actions for a period of up to six months.

On May 5, 2022, Daniel met with creditors at the Home of Football, Couva, under the chairmanship of the supervisor of insolvency, where she outlined the process that she and her team undertook to validate creditor claims and work with the normalisation committee to develop the proposal.

At this meeting, the proposal which would be funded via an interest-free US$3.5 million financial instrument, was approved unanimously by the creditors whereby validated creditors owed up to TT$200,000 will be paid in full and balances above that will be pro-rated.

The trustee sought to have the proposal approved by the High Court on September 7.

However, Justice Rampersad sought a short adjournment to consider filings/appeals made by former FIFA vice president Jack Warner, former TT men’s coach Terry Fenwick and sports marketer Peter Miller.

At a hearing on Monday, attorneys Bronock Reid and Kiev Chesney, representing Fenwick and Miller respectively, agreed to the trustee’s proposal to have the invalidated portions of their claims set aside and placed in a trust, pending the final determination of their appeal hearings.

The funds that will be set aside will be allocated from the US$3.5 million financial instrument.

And, on Wednesday, at the substantive hearing before Justice Rampersad, Warner, through his attorney Rekha Ramjit, withdrew their matters and the proposal was approved.

The trustee will now work with the normalisation committee and the proposal’s financiers to prepare the payments to the validated creditors under the guidelines of the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act and the terms approved by the creditors.

A TTFA statement on Wednesday night said the judge’s decision “granted a new lease on life” for the TTFA.

In March 2020, the FIFA Council suspended the TTFA with immediate effect due to grave violations of the FIFA Statutes. The decision came after a FIFA/Concacaf fact-finding mission to TT to assess, together with an independent auditor, the financial situation of TTFA.

This found extremely low overall financial management methods, combined with massive debt, have resulted in the TTFA facing a very real risk of insolvency and illiquidity.

FIFA then appointed a normalisation committee, headed by Hadad, to run the TTFA'S daily affairs, establish an implementable debt repayment plan and to review and amend the TTFA Statutes (and other regulations where necessary) and to ensure their compliance with the FIFA Statutes and requirements.

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Tallman on October 05, 2022, 12:56:55 PM
FIFA satisfied with TTFA's audited financials
By Walter Alibey (T&T Guardian)


Three days before the T&T Football Association (TTFA) holds an Emergency General Meeting (EGM) to treat with issues highlighted by its members in its audited financial statement for 2020/2021, comes confirmation from the sport's world governing body - FIFA that it is satisfied with the statement.

At an annual general meeting (AGM) on September 21 at the controversial Home of Football in Balmain, Couva, Keiron Edwards, president of the Eastern Football Association (EFA) received tremendous support in delaying the approval of the audited financials based on five main reasons, such as Erroneous Reporting; Unauthorised Removal of Fixed Assets from the Association; Presentation of Financial Statement in an environment of bankruptcy and insolvency proceedings; Neglected Disclosure Notes to the Financial Statements; and Increased Debt under the Normalisation Committee, which all stemmed from the audited report of the TTFA auditor AEGIS Solutions.

In the report, AEGIS confirmed that they were unable to determine whether any adjustments might have been found necessary in respect of recorded and unrecorded plant and equipment.

Edwards said because of this, figures quoted in the financial statement could not be validated and convinced members at the September 21 AGM to have the audited financials dealt with at an EGM 17 days after that meeting, which is carded for Saturday.

However, a letter from FIFA's Head of Financial Governance & Oversight Services Christopher Suppiger on September 30 made it clear that failure to present audited financials by June 30 will result in the restriction of funding.

"It is important to highlight that the FIFA Forward Regulations require all member associations to submit the audited financial statements irrespective of the opinion of the auditor. However, it is worth noting that even though the 2020 and 2021 financial statements had a qualified opinion, we consider the reason for qualifying the opinion immaterial and we are comfortable with the financial statements presented at the TTFA General Assembly held on September 21st, 2022."

The letter also stated: "According to article 16 of the FIFA Forward Regulations, 'For each financial year, the FIFA general secretariat shall conduct a FIFA central audit review of all member associations and confederations that have received Forward 2.0 funds in the previous year'. Therefore, we would like to emphasize that the results of the recently concluded 2021 Central Review conducted by independent auditors appointed by FIFA, were positive and in line with the FIFA Forward Regulations, having the recommendations made jointly by FIFA and the auditors been fully implemented or currently under implementation since the appointment of the Normalisation Committee of the T&T Football Association (TTFA).

"We would like to make reference to Article 14 of the FIFA Forward Regulations, which states that all member associations must submit annually their audited financial statements and the signed minutes of the member association’s congress or general assembly where these are presented and approved by June 30th. Failing to do so will result in the restriction of funding."

Yesterday, Edwards refused to comment on the letter, saying he did not have the document from FIFA before him and would respond accordingly.

Coincidentally, Head of Sport Development at the Sports Company of T&T Justin Latapy-George, in a letter dated September 30, responded to an inquiry by TTFA general secretary Amiel Mohammed about its audited report.

According to Latapy-George: "Further to your inquiry re the bolded and underlined subject above, this correspondence is to confirm that the Board of Directors of the Sports Company of T&T Ltd (SPORTT) remains committed to assisting national governing bodies (NGBs) for sport with the production of audited financial reports.

"This assistance is on the condition that the audited financial reports are produced by an entity/individual that is currently a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of T&T (ICATT) and the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) for small-to-medium enterprises (SMEs) is used to produce this report.

"Audited financial reports generated consistent with the above criteria will be accepted by SPORTT and recognised as fulfilling the compliance requirement for the submission of such reports."

AEGIS coincidentally also submitted a four-page document on September 30 to confirm that the audited financial statement presented on September 21, was done according to international standards.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on October 08, 2022, 11:18:02 PM
Audited financial statements approved at EGM.
TTFA Media.


The Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) held an Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) at the Home of Football on Saturday 8 October 2022 where the Association’s audited financial statements for years ended 31 December 2020 and 2021 were approved by the General Membership.

At the TTFA’s Annual General Meeting, which was held on 21 September 2022, all other matters were addressed and approved. The Membership voted in favor of deferring the approval of the audited financial statements to the EGM in an effort to provide Members with more time to digest its contents and to have any queries answered.

The approval of the audited financial statements, which follows the recent approval of the Association’s debt repayment proposal under the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act, allows the TTFA to move forward positively in an effort to remediate football.

Over the next few months, the TTFA will be working with the stakeholders of the football fraternity to develop and execute long-term development plans. A few of these plans, such as the High Performance Programme, Girls Play Development Campaign, Academy and Safeguarding Registrations have already begun to be rolled out and will be expanded, in conjunction with league development plans, very soon.

TTFA launches Safeguarding Initiative (https://thettfa.com/news/ttfa-safeguarding/)

TTFA launches FIFA Girls Play campaign (https://thettfa.com/news/ttfa-launches-fifa-girls-play-program/)

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Tallman on October 10, 2022, 11:30:27 AM
Hadad hails 'positive step' as TTFA audited financial statements approved
By Jonathan Ramnansingh (T&T Newsday)


TRINIDAD and Tobago Football Association’s (TTFA) audited financial statements for 2020 and 2021 have been approved by its membership.

The approval came with “some conditions” but these are expected to be ironed out and made official, within the coming days.

TTFA normalisation committee chairman Robert Hadad and Eastern Football Association president (EFA) Kieron Edwards breathed a sigh of relief following the membership’s decision to finally approve the Aegis Business Solutions-audited statements.

Both administrators were upbeat on the landmark move and believe it’s a step in the right direction for T&T football.

“It is another positive step in football after the recent Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act approval. We are excited about moving football forward and working with the football fraternity to get the sport back to a level we can all be proud of.

“Our doors are opened to the stakeholders and we look forward to working with them. Let’s get going together,” Hadad said.

The welcomed approval came 17 days after the association’s annual general meeting (AGM), where it was decided to postpone the action, and hold talks with the normalisation committee to address some minor concerns raised by members.

Edwards said, “The financials were approved but with some conditions. The normalisation committee would have to provide some further documents to the audited statement but that would be provided. It should be a simple process.”

At the EGM, Edwards said members showed strong interest in clarifying certain issues, holding persons accountable and ensuring their questions did not go unanswered.

He was, however, pleased the TTFA had arrived at such a crucial juncture and communication between the normalisation committee and members had improved for the betterment of T&T football.

“This approval was the first time I felt that football is going in a right direction, especially when members are asking pertinent questions towards important issues. We have to continue the process.

“Once documents are brought before us to approve, it cannot be a rubber stamp. We (membership) have to look at the information before us and make proper representation.

“So when we cast that vote of approval, it must be one that we are comfortable with and we can take back to our members and let them know that a decision was made in the best interest of the TTFA,” he added.

Edwards said there was positive feedback from the normalisation committee and confirmed that Hadad mentioned that they “need to do a little better with communication.”

The future looks promising, he told Newsday.

“We look forward to seeing this level of communication and dialogues continue in a respectful manner in which it did for matters going forward. We continue to look forward to better and brighter days ahead for football.

Of the 48 TTFA members, approximately 30 were present for Saturday’s EGM. The approval of financial statements for 2020 and 2021 was the only item on the EGM agenda.

Edwards added that the approval is one of several requirements needed by FIFA for the TTFA to request its FIFA Forward Funding.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on October 19, 2022, 12:48:40 AM
TTFA officials attend FIFA workshop in Miami.
T&T Newsday Reports.


NORMALISATION committee chairman Robert Hadad, acting general secretary Amiel Mohammed and TT Football Association’s club licensing and project manager Amara Felix-Toussaint are all attending a FIFA Forward Project at the Marriott, Miami Airport, Florida, USA.

The workshop started on Monday and ends on Wednesday.

The FIFA Forward programme has strived to demonstrate its importance as a catalyser towards achieving FIFA president Gianni Infantino’s vision to make football global. The Forward programme’s fundamental purpose, as a key source of funding to be invested in the game, is to support all FIFA member associations through an efficient development framework focused on the materialisation of tailor-made solutions for the advancement of football worldwide.

A TTFA media release on Tuesday, said, “The workshop will focus on how to make the most of the FIFA Forward programme by means of consolidating knowledge and grasping its essential management principles to enable participating member associations to put in place efficient processes, tools and structures to ensure access to FIFA Forward funds and full compliance with the relevant regulations.”

Presidents, general secretaries and designated administrative staff related to project management from member associations across the region are among those attending the workshop.

“Member associations will have the opportunity to share best practices from a project management and financial viewpoints, discuss and convey their main objectives and challenges for the new Forward cycle, and to clarify doubts in the diligent use of the funds received under the FIFA Forward programme.”

Participants will have the opportunity to interface and take advantage from the contributions of experts from FIFA on the planning, implementation and monitoring of different football development projects, in particular in the major areas of interest, such as national teams, infrastructure and competitions. The workshop will also be an occasion to share knowledge and key learnings acquired from member associations in the region. Time will also be allocated for bilateral meetings between each member association and both the FIFA Membership Association Americas Sub-division and the Financial Governance teams, to review the status of the programme and particular plans for the future.

RELATED NEWS

Hadad, TTFA officials at FIFA Forward Workshop
T&T Guardian Reports.


FIFA-appointed Normalisation Committee chairman Robert Hadad, acting general secretary Amiel Mohammed and Amara Felix-Toussaint, the TTFA’s Club Licensing and Project Manager are all currently attending the FIFA Forward Project at the Marriott, Miami Airport in the USA.

The workshop runs from October 17-19 and will focus on how to make the most of the FIFA Forward Programme, by means of consolidating knowledge and grasping its essential management principles to enable participating MAs put in place efficient processes, tools and structures to ensure access to FIFA Forward funds and full compliance with the relevant regulations.

Attendees include Presidents, General Secretaries and designated administrative staff related to project management, from MAs across the region.

Member Associations will have the opportunity to share best practices from a project management and financial viewpoint, as well as discuss and convey their main objectives and challenges for the new Forward cycle, and to clarify doubts for use of funds received under the FIFA Forward Programme.

Participants will have the opportunity to interface and take advantage from the contributions of experts from FIFA on the planning, implementation and monitoring of different football development projects, in particular in the major areas of interest, such as national teams, infrastructure and competitions. The workshop will also be an occasion to share knowledge and key learnings acquired from MAs in the region. Finally, time will also be allocated for bilateral meetings between each MA and both, the FIFA MA Americas Sub-division and the Financial Governance teams, to review the status of the programme and particular plans for the future.

Since its inception, the FIFA Forward Programme has strived to demonstrate its importance as a catalyser towards achieving FIFA President Gianni Infantino’s vision to make football truly global. The Forward Programme’s fundamental purpose, as a key source of funding to be invested in the game, is to support all FIFA Member Associations (MA) through an efficient development framework focused on the materialization of tailor-made solutions for the advancement of football worldwide.

Among its various fields of action and contribution aiming to level the field of play and competencies between MAs on and off the pitch, the Forward Programme aims to give support to develop projects and initiatives based on the concrete needs and objectives of each MA. Among other prospects positively impacting football and its stakeholders, the Programme contributes to enhancing infrastructure conditions, improving and expanding domestic competitions, boosting national teams’ performance and defining development pathways for women and youth football.

As the kick-off of Forward 3.0 approaches, FIFA shall continue to pursue and reassert its full commitment to the implementation of the Programme working hand in hand with its MAs to fulfil the priorities of football in their respective countries. Forward 3.0 (2023-2026) cycle will bring about new regulations, new requirements and new opportunities to continue growing the game across the Caribbean region through the implementation of high and long-term impact projects benefitting the region’s football landscape.

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on November 02, 2022, 11:43:07 PM
The importance of registering your academy with the TTFA.
TTFA Media.


The Trinidad and Tobago Football Association is continuing its campaign to have football academies throughout the country complete its Registration process with the local governing body.

An integral part of the TTFA’s Vision and Mission is to improve playing conditions, standards and increase the possibility of success at all levels. The development of aspiring young talents is at the core of these objectives, and Academy Registration or Accreditation process introduced by the TTFA is a step taken to strengthen and improve the Youth Development System in the country.

Together, we will set the benchmark for player development in through the academies and support the clubs and their academies in nurturing the next generation of player in Trinidad and Tobago

TTFA Technical Director Anton Corneal emphasised, “One of the main reasons for our academies to be registered with the FA is its one way to track players and their progress, not just for the FA but they will also be registered on a FIFA platform. If a player ends up with a professional club and there is any development fee attached to it, we can then show evidence of where that player was registered and show his history.

“Also when we are disseminating information to players throughout the country, we will do it via the TTFA platforms, directly to these academies. It makes it a lot easier to communicate. Also wherever and whenever there are ways of providing assistance to the academies, priority will be given to those that are registered. Areas such as coaching certification and providing advice on structure will also be among the benefits,” Corneal stated.

WHY IS THE REGISTRATION PROCESS IMPORTANT?

• TTFA supports the Academies with the establishment and development of their youth academies, providing national recognition to those academies/clubs.

• Establishing these academies/clubs helps in developing professional players who have a relationship or/ an identity with the training clubs/academies.

• The vital role of the academies/clubs acting as a link between grassroots football and professional football is ensured.

Please Download the Forms below to Register. Submit to safeguarding.ttfa@gmail.com

TTFA-Academy-Registration-Process (https://thettfa.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/TTFA-Academy-Registration-Process.pdf)

TTFA-SAFEGUARDING-DECLARATION-ACADEMY (https://thettfa.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/TTFA-SAFEGUARDING-DECLARATION-ACADEMY.pdf)

FEEDBACK AND OPEN COMMUNICATION

We want to minimise the risk of misunderstanding at every stage. Close and regular communication between the FA, Clubs, Academy Players and parents helps to ensure an enjoyable and productive experience for everyone.

Feedback helps all of the stakeholders to identify areas for improvement that will enhance the learning environment and the playing experience. Comments, suggestions and the raising of concerns help us to manage risks and encourage better performance. Feedback can be sent to technical.ttfa@gmail.com; safeguarding.ttfa@gmail.com

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: maxg on November 05, 2022, 11:42:30 AM
Thinking : I feel we will lose both Lee and Hospedales .  ::)
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Tallman on November 29, 2022, 09:03:10 PM
TTFA delegates call for fresh elections
T&T Express


Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) delegates have requested that the FIFA-appointed normalisation committee (NC) quickly conclude its mandate and hand the control of local football back to the Association.

As such, correspondence has been sent to the TTFA’s acting general secretary, Amiel Mohammed, requesting the convention of an extraordinary general meeting (EGM) to ventilate pertinent issues.

Appointed by world football’s governing body (FIFA) in March 2020, the NC, chaired by businessman Robert Hadad, was given the mandate to liquidate the TTFA’s multi-million-dollar debt, amend the TTFA Constitution in line with FIFA statutes, and to call fresh elections.

The normalisation committee’s term is due to end in March. With the debt eradication process well under way, delegates have written to Mohammed requesting a general meeting.

“In keeping with article 29.2 of the TTFA Constitution, hereby request that the Normalisation Committee convene an extraordinary general meeting of the TTFA,” stated the correspondence addressed to Mohammed.

The correspondence bore signatures of delegates from TTFA members associations; Central Football Association, Eastern Football Association, Northern Football Association, Southern Football Association, Eastern Counties Football Union, TT WoLF, Referees Association, the Football Coaches Association and Secondary Schools Football League.

Within the correspondence the general purpose was to compel the normalisation committee to conclude its work and call elections.

The communique further stated: “Whereas FIFA had installed a normalisation committee in March 2020 to run the affairs of the TTFA, with a specific mandate to be completed within a period of two years ending March 2022, and whereas the tenure of this Normalisation Committee was extended for a further year ending in March 2023, and whereas the Normalisation Committee has had more than sufficient time to complete the mandate.

“Be it resolved that this Extraordinary General Meeting of the TTFA now strongly urge that the TTFA normalisation committee takes all steps to complete its mandate and to arrange for the election of a new Board of Directors to run the affairs of the TTFA as required by the Constitution of the TTFA, and that this be done in the shortest possible time, but no later than the month of March 2023,” it added.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: ABTrini on November 30, 2022, 10:48:53 AM
Omit from consideration:

Kelvin Jack-- why? what administrative skills come to mind?

Terry Fenwick- disaster----- eurocentric thinking- there  appears to be an arrogance which has not been influential in winning friends and influencing others

Brent Sancho- how  successful was he at running pro league team -  did his political affinity prove successful-  was his foray as an administrator one to be emulated?
David-John Williams= had a chance and well let's jusy say this ship has sailed on

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Tallman on December 08, 2022, 05:34:07 PM
Set TTFA elections date
By Ian Prescott (T&T Express)


Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) delegates want a firm date set for impending elections, firmly of the belief that the FIFA-appointed normalisation committee (NC) has completed most of its mandate and should be preparing to demit office and hand control back to local football stakeholders.

Delegates are hoping to ventilate issues at an Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM), set for 10 a.m. on Saturday at the Home of Football, Couva. Amiel Mohammed, acting TTFA general secretary, confirmed the EGM date following a December 18 petition that stakeholders sent to him requesting such.

“In accordance with the letter dated 18 November 2022 sent by TTFA Members to the normalisation committee on 23 November 2022 and Article 29 (2) of the TTFA Constitution, this correspondence serves as formal notice of an Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) to be held on Saturday 10 December 2022 at 10 a.m. (local time),’ Mohammed’s correspondence stated.

Eastern Football Association (EFA)president and TTFA delegate Kieron Edwards said the hope is that at the EGM a date will be confirmed for the election of a new TTFA executive. He accused the NC of doing things in the past without the membership’s input and stated the EGM has been called to make delegates part of the process. “It’s basically to set a date for the election. We need to have clear guideline from the normalisation committee when things will be done,” stated Edwards.

Chaired by local businessman Robert Hadad, football’s governing body FIFA instituted the NC to run football in T&T after dissolving the then TTFA executive, of which William Wallace was president. FIFA cited the multimillion-dollar TTFA debt and a treat of insolvency for its intervention.

The NC was given four mandates, including to run the TTFA’s day-to-day-affairs and formulate a debt-repayment solution, both of which it has accomplished. It was also tasked with making necessary amendments of the TTFA Constitution to fall in line with FIFA statutes and finally to call fresh TTFA elections.

After almost three years in charge, the normalisation committee’s term in office is due to end on March 17, 2023, after which they will hand over power to the newly-elected TTFA executive. Edwards believes the handover of power should be seamless.

“We are the members who would be voting,” Edwards explained. “We don’t want the election sprung upon us, and then there is a big scramble. I don’t think that is the best way for Trinidad and Tobago football to have that transition. The transition should be smooth.”

Another stakeholder, Veteran Footballers Foundation president Selby Browne feels that is not the right of either world governing body FIFA, its normalisation committee, or regional football body, CFU, to amend the constitution of the football association of T&T.

Browne suggests that if the TTFA constitution needs amending, it is the job of the TTFA to do so, and is neither the responsibility of FIFA nor its normalisation committee. “The membership of the TTFA feel that if any amendment of the TTFA Constitution must be done, then it must be done by those elected,” he said.

Browne noted that precedent had already been set in neighbouring Guyana, where after FIFA’s intervention and installation of a normalisation committee, it was the newly-elected executive which made constitutional amendments required by FIFA. “Let the people who are elected amend the constitution,” Browne insists. “You don’t want to amend a constitution and tell them work with that.”

Browne also expects that having completed its mandate, that all normalisation committee members, including its appointed acting general secretary (Mohammed) would step aside, and let football return to the control of the TTFA membership.

“I want to express thanks to the NC for the work done. I congratulate the trustees on a job well done,” stated Brown. “The normalisation committee must now complete the job by doing what is their final responsibility —set the date for the elections.”
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Tallman on December 11, 2022, 12:56:02 PM
TTFA membership propose March 18 for election of new executive
By Jonathan Ramnanansingh (T&T Newsday)


MARCH 18, 2023 is the date put forward by the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) membership, to the FIFA-appointed normalisation committee, to host a fresh election and appoint a new executive.

The motion was brought forward, voted on and tallied, with 20 of the 26 members present voting in favour of the proposed date.

This was done at an Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) at the Home of Football in Balmain, Couva on Saturday.

“Now it’s up to the normalisation committee to set things in motion to have the election,” said Eastern Football Association president Kieron Edwards.

The proposed election will return control of the TTFA to its membership after FIFA removed its executive (then headed by William Wallace) in March 2020 because of extremely low financial management methods and massive debt.

FIFA appointed a normalisation committee, led by chairman Robert Hadad, to run TTFA’s daily affairs, implementing a debt repayment plan, review and amend TTFA’s statutes to ensure compliance with FIFA, and to conduct an election of a new executive for a four-year mandate.

“The membership requested March 18 to be election day. The TTFA constitution, which was amended and approved by FIFA and Concacaf, gives the membership the power to do so,” Edwards added.

He said the normalisation committee has one last mandate to fulfil – to review the constitution and make any changes, if necessary, and bring it to the membership to approve.

Edwards believes there is more than enough for this to be done time before the proposed March election. He agreed, however, that there may be some minor adjustments made to the constitution by the sport’s global governing body.

“It’s enough time to do any simple amendment, if necessary," he said. “Because there may be one or two things that the previous executive, maybe, tried to hang their hat on, and FIFA just wanted to take a look at it again and maybe tighten up a few things, where, I think there are certain areas that could be tightened.

“But it shouldn’t take maybe a month or two to do such. So there’s time do that before the election and bring it to the membership. That’s the only outstanding matter at hand.”

Edwards said the membership is “fully on board” with the “new Gianni Infantino-led FIFA and we expect the right thing to be done, the constitution adhered to and we have (an) election in due course.”

He said that the membership wants to send a message to T&T and the wider world that FIFA would not steamroll any member, but follow the constitution, and people must be held accountable to due process and to the constitution of football.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on January 18, 2023, 12:50:22 AM
Levi Garcia, Asha James cop 2022 TTFA Player of the Year awards
T&T Newsday Reports.


ONE of the most anticipated events on local football's illustrious calendar arrived once again as national players, coaches and fans were given to opportunity to celebrate the most outstanding local footballers throughout the year 2022.

The Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) announced their annual Player of the Year awards via their website on Tuesday where players who represented T&T at the international level were commemorated for their exceptional performances.

According to the TTFA, the final placings were determined by a combination of online voting for the media and the fans and selections made by National Team head coaches and members of the TTFA Technical Department.

They highlighted the top three players in the following categories: Best Senior Men’s Player, Best Senior Women’s Player, Best Youth Men’s Player, Best Youth Women’s Player, Best Futsal Player, Best Men’s Beach Soccer Player and Best Women’s Beach Soccer Player.

Subsequently, the TTFA stated, “We take this opportunity to applaud all those who made into the top three placings and offer a special acknowledgement and congratulations to the winners who all excelled for their respective teams during competitions in 2022.”

In-form AEK Athens and national mercurial attacker, Levi Garcia, was awarded the Men’s Player of the Year award for his thrilling performances for the Senior National Team as well as his club performances in Greece.

He netted four goals for T&T and an impressive 12 goals for AEK Athens in 2022.

He was tailed by Ryan Telfer in second place and third place was occupied by last year’s winner, Aubrey David.

Asha James won the Women’s Player of the Year title – four days after celebrating a transfer to Portuguese top-division club, Valadares Gaia Football Club. For her current club, Texas A&M, she received the Player of the Week award on two occasions. She also was a standout player for the Trinidad and Tobago Senior Women’s National Team at the Concacaf Women’s Championship last year.

She was followed by Liana Hinds in second and by new club-mate, Chelsi Jadoo, in third.

Former Naparima College and Secondary School Football League (SSFL) star Molik Khan was named the Best Youth Men’s Player of the Year thanks to his performances for the T&T youth teams as well as for the Senior Team during the Concacaf Nations League campaign. Second place was awarded to Nathaniel James and Real Gill occupied the third-place spot.

On the women’s side of the youth awards, Maria-Francis Serrant received the Youth Women’s Player of the Year award, edging out both Sarah De Gannes and Marley Walker.

Che Benny won the Best Futsal Player of the Year ahead of Elijah Shade and Kalev Kiel. Benny was T&T’s star player at the Caribbean Association of National Olympic Committees (CANOC) Under-23 Championship held in Guadeloupe in 2022. His outstanding performances, including five goals in the third-place playoff, led T&T to bronze at the tournament and was named the competition’s Most Valuable Player.

Jessie Bailey took home the Men’s Beach Soccer Player of the Year, being voted above former Presentation College starlet Jordan Riley and Dominic McDougall.

The final award was handed to La Horquetta Rangers’ budding talent Alexcia Ali, the Women’s Beach Soccer Player of the Year. Second place was given to Tenesha Palmer and Tsai Ann Fernandez was voted as the third-best player.

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on January 21, 2023, 02:19:04 PM
TTFA appoints CEO of it's senior Men's league competitions.
TTFA Media.


The Trinidad and Tobago Football Association is pleased to announce that Colin Wharfe has been appointed as the CEO of the new TTFA Senior Men’s League competitions, which will kick off after Carnival 2023.

The TTFA Normalization Committee in conjunction with a FIFA League Development Programme representative determined the type of profile and characteristics that would be expected of the individual chosen to spearhead this League, previously referred to as the “Elite League.”

The profile included an individual with extensive experience in senior leadership positions, passion for the game and experience in league management. A key factor was that the individual must also be highly respected by corporate Trinidad and Tobago as someone who has a reputation for being accountable, transparent, and diligent and as such attractive for partnership and investment.

 Wharfe, who has worked with T&T Pro Clubs and served as Chairman of the Steering Committee of the 2022 Tiger Tanks Under-20 Tournament is no stranger to the football circuit and was selected as the ideal fit and will serve in the role for at least the first season.

“Trinidad & Tobago football’s senior clubs and its players deserve, at a minimum, to be participating in competition at the highest level in the CONCACAF region and we are working diligently to accomplish that. This in turn will assist in restoring our once pride of place among the top teams in the region.”

“But even before that step, we must work towards restoring the pride of local football in the players, coaches, corporate supporters and the public.” – Colin Wharfe

Wharfe has already been in consistent dialogue with the prospective clubs and will continue to work with stakeholders to ensure that the foundation of this new league structure is robust, sustainable and attractive.

 The name of the League and its logo, funding, the successfully licensed clubs, the governance of the League and other details will be unveiled to the Public at the upcoming launch carded for the next few weeks.

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Tallman on February 12, 2023, 11:39:00 AM
TTFA members quash election motion
T&T Express


TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO Football Association members voted yesterday to change their December 10 Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) decision to have March 18 elections.

At another EGM at the Ato Boldon Stadium in Couva, called yesterday by the FIFA-appointed Normalisation Committee, the members, by a vote of 22 for, zero against and zero abstentions, overturned the previous motion.

That December 10 motion stated: “Whereas FIFA had installed a normalisation committee in March 2020 to run the affairs of the TTFA, with a specific mandate to be completed within a period of two years ending March 2022, and whereas the tenure of this Normalisation Committee was extended for a further year ending in March 2023, and whereas the normalisation committee has had more than sufficient time to complete the mandate; be it resolved that this Extraordinary General Meeting of the TTFA now requests that the TTFA Normalisation Committee takes all steps to complete its mandate and convene an Extraordinary General Meeting of the TTFA on March 18, 2023 to elect a new Board of Directors to run the affairs of the TTFA as required by the Constitution of the TTFA.”

The new motion yesterday stated in part: “Be it resolved that this Extraordinary General meeting...now nullifies the decision to accept the motion adopted at the EGM of December 10, 2022, and instead adopt the following motion:...Whereas this EGM is of the firm opinion that the Normalisation Committee has had more than sufficient time to complete the mandate, almost three years, be it resolved that this Extraordinary General Meeting strongly urges that the Normalisation Committee takes all steps to complete its mandate within the shortest possible time, with its last task being the organisation of elections for a new Board of the TTFA.

Commenting on yesterday’s meeting, president of the Veteran Footballers Foundation of Trinidad and Tobago (VFFOTT) Selby Browne indicated: “It is the prerogative of FIFA to extend the term of the NC and expect they may reluctantly have to do so.”

Browne added that he also recommended that Richard Groden, a former TTFA General Secretary be added to the NC to strengthen and ensure it completes its mandate as son as possible.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on March 08, 2023, 02:14:15 PM
TTFA and FIFA+ team up for Global Audience.
TTFA Media.


The Trinidad and Tobago Football Association and FIFA+ commit to bringing live matches and more to global football audiences.

The Trinidad and Tobago Football Association and FIFA+, the new one-stop digital destination for football fandom, have teamed up to take Trinidad and Tobago’s football to the world. As part of its mission to give fans engaging and innovative ways of interacting with the beautiful game, FIFA+ offers free access to live football action from every corner of the globe, which will now include matches from the TTFA’s Competitions.

The platform, which is available on the web, as a mobile app and on select connected devices, and is now accessible in ten languages, represents a ground-breaking approach to showcasing live football from men’s, women’s and youth leagues and cups to a global audience.

“We are indeed delighted to have been presented with this opportunity by FIFA to have this platform, via FIFA+, showcase our football and by extension our country to the world. In this age of modern technology it is the ideal matchup,” said Robert Hadad, Chairman TTFA Normalisation Committee.

“Technology has had a massive impact on almost every aspect of the game and society. The world has changed tremendously, and people are now about to access information on T&T more quickly, communicate more directly and effectively, and develop ideas. While it is not always instantly apparent, the impact that technology has had on football is vast and our presence on FIFA+ will go a long way in promoting Trinidad and Tobago’s football. This connection will no doubt raise fan enthusiasm and contribution related to the sport here,” Hadad continued.

Charlotte Burr, Director of Strategy, Corporate Development and Digital FIFA, said: “For the first time ever, our MAs can seamlessly tap into a truly global football fan base and grow a direct relationship with it on a daily basis. We are proud to work side by side with the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association and are excited about helping to really grow the game across CONCACAF and beyond.”

Since its launch, FIFA+ has steadily expanded its reach and added exciting new content streams in order to deliver a truly multifaceted digital experience.

Completely free, the platform offers an extensive archive (including all men’s and women’s FIFA World Cup™ matches), thousands of live fixtures every year, interactive games and predictors, and a slate of original documentaries, docuseries, talk shows and shorts.

By the end of 2023, FIFA+ will be streaming the equivalent of 40,000 live games per year from 100 MAs across all six confederations, including 11,000 women’s matches. FIFA+ provides live coverage ranging from Europe’s top-flight leagues to previously unserved competitions from around the world in men’s, women’s and youth football. FIFA+ can be accessed worldwide at fifaplus.com and on major app stores.

The TTFA page on FIFA+ can be accessed via this link (https://www.fifa.com/fifaplus/en/member-associations/trinidad-and-tobago)


Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: kounty on March 08, 2023, 04:46:46 PM
TTFA and FIFA+ team up for Global Audience.
TTFA Media.


The Trinidad and Tobago Football Association and FIFA+ commit to bringing live matches and more to global football audiences.

......



The TTFA page on FIFA+ can be accessed via this link (https://www.fifa.com/fifaplus/en/member-associations/trinidad-and-tobago)



sound too good to be true!  ;D
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: kounty on March 11, 2023, 05:19:35 PM
was hoping this JA game would be on here  :-\
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: asylumseeker on March 14, 2023, 07:41:23 AM
Who from the TTFA is/will be travelling to Rwanda for the FIFA Congress?
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on May 03, 2023, 02:00:05 AM
UTT, TTFA sign 4-year deal to improve sport, players.
T&T Guardian Reports.


Local football was placed in safer hands on Tuesday. Following the signing of a four-year Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) partnership deal between the parent T&T Football Association (TTFA) and the University of T&T (UTT) at the UTT's Chaguanas campus, players, coaches and other coaching staff will now have direct access to the UTT's expertise and facilities.

It will lead to the development of the sport essentially, as well as opportunities that will make professionals out of players in a wide range of careers.

Attending the signing ceremony was Robert Hadad, chairman of the FIFA-appointed Normalisation Committee, as well as technical director Anton Corneal, TTFA's general secretary Amiel Mohammed, UTT’s Chairman of the Board of Governors Professor Clement Imbert, President Professor Prakash Persad and UTT’s Senior Manager Sport and Recreation, Ian Pritchard.

Pritchard told Guardian Media Sports on Tuesday that the deal will be an obligation between the parties for advanced research and development to be done during preparation and training, using technology to further develop players. He noted that a scientific approach can also be used for measuring players' performances and readiness.

He said players, coaches and other staff will also have access to their facilities and expertise, which will include rehab services, human resource capacity, and testing methods for athletes to determine their readiness.

According to Pritchard, there will also be the offering of partial scholarships for students/players on the verge of leaving school.

"Through our High Performance programmes, young players in the TTFA High Performance Programmes will get the opportunity to advance their academic careers through partial scholarships etc. This initiative started back in 2007 when the Sport and Recreation Unit of the UTT started offering scholarships for the advancement of young players.

"And the reason I say partial scholarship is because we don't offer room and board like universities abroad, but we offer transportation and insurance, as well as some level of financing."

The MOU is expected to cover a large range of objectives, such as: 1. Seeking to encourage and ensure mutual cooperation and support generally between UTT’s Academy of Sport and TTFA’s Academies and National Teams; 1.1. Lending technical support to each other in an effort to ensure the continued development of football in T&T; 1.2. Advancing coaching education as a priority agenda of this MOU, through mutual cooperation and support generally between UTT’s Academy of Sport and the TTFA.

The embattled football association has committed to: 4.1 to making the TTFA facilities available to UTT. For the purposes of this agreement, “TTFA facilities” shall mean its football fields, courts and the Home of Football at Balmain, Couva, as well as its administrative offices, conference room(s) and any other location

that TTFA may reasonably make available to UTT;

4.2 Endorsing, sanction or otherwise approve of the football tournaments arranged, hosted or administered by UTT on the condition that UTT has satisfied TTFA that it has attained the requisite standards and approvals for the hosting of such tournaments;

4.3 to endorse, sanction or otherwise approve of football coaching certification courses arranged, hosted and administered by UTT in conjunction with the TTFA:

4.4 to provide access, where reasonably practicable, to its national teams, both male and female, including the Under-23, U-19, U-17 and Under-15 teams. The access being sought by UTT shall be limited to coaching and training sessions, attendance of such national team members at UTT screening sessions annually, attendance at competitive and friendly matches, and promotional appearances by team members, whether the team members are available individually, in small groups or as an entire team.

On the other hand, the UTT, which has campuses across T&T inclusive of San Fernando, Point Lisas, Camden, Chaguaramas, the ECIAF campus, as well as in the sister isle of Tobago has assured its undertakings will include: 3.1 Where feasible, to make UTT facilities available to TTFA. including classrooms, lecture halls, outdoor courts, auditoriums, outfields, laboratories and such other venues, rooms or locations at UTT campuses that UTT may reasonably make available to TTFA;

3.2 to provide educational and training opportunities, through its academic and coaching staff, associates and/or consultants, to coaches, teams and clubs affiliated to TTFA on topics including but not limited to: (i) national coaching certification (various levels); (ii) anti-doping; (iii) match-fixing, corruption and illegal betting; (iv) safeguarding and child protection; (v) health, fitness, safety and risk management; (vi) sports science; (vii) ethical values and sport; (viii) pre-participation athletic evaluation; (ix) taping and bracing; (x) periodization; (xi) nutrition and sport performance; (xii) sports psychology;(xiii) contractual rights and obligations;

(xiv) intellectual property; and (xv) financial management and taxation 3.3 to offer scholarships where feasible to those inductees of the Programmes that meet

UTT’s criteria for scholarship eligibility;3.4 to offer coaching and technical expertise to TTFA’s national teams; 3.5 to facilitate and foster the building of strategic relationships between UTT’s local, regional and international academic and sporting partners and the TTFA for the benefit of the TTFA.

RELATED NEWS

UTT, TTFA sign historic MOU on sport development.
By Jonathan Ramnanansingh (T&T Newsday).


Trinidad and Tobago's current crop and future generation of footballers stand to benefit from Tuesday’s signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the TT Football Association (TTFA) and the University of TT (UTT).

The historic agreement allows national youth, senior players and staff an opportunity to access all of UTT’s facilities and programmes to help better understand, nurture and elevate their skills.

At the UTT campus in Charlieville, senior manager, sport and recreation, Ian Pritchard outlined an array of the university’s options for footballers, which they can tap into to become more all-round, multi-faceted players.

Pritchard said the MOU had been long coming and aims not only to elevate TT’s footballing progress but also aid players’ academic development.

He said the university is being projected as the number one research centre for sport and sport development in TT. UTT has a centre for kinesiology, physical education and sport where everything is centred on sport development.

Pritchard forecast its benefits to local football.

“At UTT, we have nutrition and sport performance, psychology and how it affects and impacts performance of athletes, ethical values in sport, research and sport science, in terms of getting athletes to perform at their optimum,” he said.

Pritchard also highlighted the rehab centre, led by Adrian Palmer, and UTT’s strength and condition co-ordinators. Additionally, its high-performance athlete development programme serves as a platform for young footballers to balance sport and academics at UTT.

“What we are saying to TTFA in our MOU is that your U-15, U-17 and U-19 teams have the possibility of engaging in continuous education at the university, where they can be trained and housed together, hopefully at the Home of Football.

“That development and working together in an environment like that can always be beneficial to the development of those young footballers who will be the talent of the future generation of TT football. Our facilities are open to you, our research facility, classrooms and staff.”

Pritchard also said there was ongoing discussion of a programme which entails a series on leadership coaching that will be launched at the UTT.

TTFA normalisation committee chairman Robert Hadad expressed elation at the MOU signing and said the future of TT football is in good hands, after three years of the TTFA enduring an administrative “category-five hurricane.”

“The magnitude of this situation is quite overwhelming for me. It’s no secret that in three years in this role, it was very difficult to see the sky and sun. But today, peeping through the clouds I see a bright future for all of us, for sport and football in TT.

“Partnering with the UTT is going to be amazing, and the opportunities are endless. For us, it’s really what UTT has brought to us. We are very excited (about) what the future would bring. Working alongside UTT is going to be tremendous. Keep supporting football and this partnership.”

Chairman of UTT’s board of governors Clement Imbert said athlete rehabilitation remains top priority. UTT is in talks with other stakeholders to increase its reach in this department.

“One of the main pillars in the building of an athlete is the question of rehab. It’s very important because athletes are subject to injury, but also the stresses the muscles undergo. We can have specific programmes in that area at whatever level, whether post-grad or the certificate, that would train people in that specific area.

“That is one of the areas that I see that we need to broaden in terms of providing a holistic development for our athletes.”

Imbert confirmed that UTT will soon be offering, for all sporting disciplines, training for pre-participation assessors. This, he said, would identify, correct and reduce short- and long-term injuries, particularly in new athletes.

“What we have is a lot of young athletes entering sport without any pre-participation examination done, or any testing. We believe that leads to a lot of injury to our athletes, some of which are unable to be corrected later on.

“We would be training these people (assessors) so that (at) those first points of contact with athletes, we’d be able to do the testing and be able to tell if they are ready to participate; if not, what injuries they might be susceptible to. That’s another layer of support that the TTFA can tap into that’s being offered at the UTT.”

UTT president Prakash Persad believes technology also plays an integral role in helping improve TT’s footballers. He wants both the TTFA and UTT to begin working on technologically advanced equipment to aid their individual and overall progression as athletes.

“Can we develop some specific training equipment for footballers? Because we have done so for cricket. We are developing a fast-bowling machine and a variety of things. In terms of training, we can look at that.

“We’ll put a mixed team comprised of engineers and sporting people, where we can develop this equipment and test it. Hopefully it will be jointly marketed by UTT and TTFA worldwide. This is something we want to do and we look forward to it.”

Also at Tuesday’s MOU signing were TTFA normalisation committee general secretary Amiel Mohammed and technical director Anton Corneal, UTT’s cricket instructor and former West Indies bowler Tony Gray, 12-time national champion and table-tennis coach Aleena Edwards and another governor, Michael Cooper.

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on May 07, 2023, 01:33:36 AM
The benefits of FIFA+ Platform for T&T football.
By Shaun Fuentes (T&T Express).


Since the launch of the inaugural T&T Premier Football League last year, there’s been a lot of talk around town about the FIFA+ platform and what is it exactly. What makes the digital platform any good and what significance is it to our territory?

FIFA+ is a free streaming service dedicated to football fans around the world and available on all major app stores. It comes with live games, on-demand content, and comprehensive match data—making it a great companion app no matter which leagues across the world you are interested in following.

While major events such FIFA World Cup and FIFA Women’s World Cup are the big sellers, the scope of FIFA+ extends beyond the quadrennial tournaments.

And this is where the benefits to Trinidad and Tobago and the Caribbean come in. Now while FIFA+ boasts of live-streaming over 40,000 matches per year, not exactly all leagues are on display.

The TTFA would have had to satisfy some requirements of FIFA to get onto the platform and these discussions began almost a year before the start of the TTPFL.

But live games aren’t even the best part of FIFA+. The streaming service has many premium-quality series and documentaries, covering topics from grassroots stories to World Cup campaigns. Several great player profiles focus on some of the marquee players in world football.

In the time since the platform launched, documentary pieces, such as “Croatia: Defining a Nation” and “Ronaldinho: The Happiest Man in the World,” have already become favourites.

More significant for us is that matches in our TTPFL can be seen live or delayed from any corner of the globe. No longer do fans have to depend solely on online highlights on platforms such as Youtube or Facebook to see what’s happenings in T&T league football.

Football Scouts and other clubs can now get finger-tip access to players they may be interested in for potential transfers. FIFA+ provides an even bigger reach for the league than Sportsmax which has a viewership mainly from this region.

The TTFA has secured a relationship with the network to provide a product which is up to a standard that is satisfactory for FIFA+.

And with local football now reaching a global audience every week, it also provides a tremendous reach for potential commercial partners via on-field perimeter advertising boards.

On FIFA+ you can also view past, present, and future games from your favourite leagues. The Match Centre feature is handy if you follow several leagues from various countries—including continental competitions like the UEFA Champions League. FIFA+ is available in ten languages—including English, French, German, Portuguese, and Spanish.

There are even more language options planned for the future, plus more inclusive features rolling out during every major FIFA+ tournament. Beyond video, FIFA+ also has exclusive news articles, match statistics, and interactive games. The free-to-play trivia and fantasy games are pretty cool.

And well, the Match Centre feature is a great way to score up-to-date info on your favourite teams while keeping tabs on upcoming matches.

While there are dedicated pages for the TTFA which showcase behind-the-scenes footage, news, features and images, and another page for the TT Premier League, general viewers on FIFA+ can also come across Trinidad and Tobago content through online promotions which highlights the T&T league and other TTFA related content.

This means that on particular days, the landing page which tends to focus on the bigger leagues and players around the world, will at times, feature TTPFL Goals of the Week or featured matches which can catch the eyes of fans who may not usually be following T&T football.

Because FIFA is free, you don’t have to worry about any account and streaming limitations like with Netflix or Hulu. Video on FIFA+ streams at a maximum 1080p resolution and comes paired with 2.0 stereo sound.

Those are standard qualities for a streaming service of this kind, like MLB.TV and NFL.

Though, we’ve noticed most live games on FIFA+ stream at 720p.

For the best streaming experience, you’ll want to ensure your internet connection speed is at least 5 Mbps. But you’ll want a more robust connection if you’re not the only device on the network.

In the discussions with FIFA+ in the early stages, then head of Member Associations Digital Services for FIFA Dave Roberts explored various options to promote Trinidad and Tobago football and current exchanges with Matt Reeder, who now holds the position of FIFA Head of Digital Services, indicating that further features are being developed to push the T&T brand including one which will highlight in advance, a featured TTPFL Match of the Week on FIFA’s+ social media platforms, placing it alongside the more popular leagues in world football.

As recently as last week, I had two agents from Asia reach out to me about interest in a couple of the top performers in the league with requests for video footage of their matches. Unlike the past where we would have had to secure videos from the club or a local station, which in most cases would have taken at least a week or more to obtain, I was now able to direct the agents to FIFA+.

There’s that old saying that “You never know who’s watching.” And now you better believe it especially when they can now be watching live from anywhere on the planet.

Editor’s note: Shaun Fuentes is the head of TTFA Media.

He was a FIFA Media Officer at the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa and the 2013 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Turkey. The views expressed are solely his and not a representation of any organisation. shaunfuentes@yahoo.com

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on September 11, 2023, 01:13:56 AM
Guaya challenges TTFA for 6th spot in Tier 2.
By Walter Alibey (T&T Guardian).


Guaya United FC is challenging the T&T Football Association's (TTFA) decision to put Harlem Strikers ahead of them in Tier 2 of the T&T Premier Football League as the sixth-placed team in the 11-team standings.

After Saturday's lone match between Guaya United FC and Bethel in Tobago, the men from southeast Trinidad got a hat-trick from Ricardo John and another item from Deron John in a convincing 4-2 victory, which should have earned them the sixth position on a head-to-head comparison.

The top six teams in the competition will be selected for the Big Six Play-Off starting on Wednesday.

The sixth-placed team will open their play-off campaign with a meeting against Police.

Yesterday coach Travis Mulraine confirmed that his manager Randy Hagley has officially written to the football association querying how Strikers were placed in the sixth spot ahead of them.

Before Saturday's encounter, the Strikers were on 13 points from 10 matches, with a goal difference of zero, with 11 goals scored and as many conceded.

Guaya, on the other hand, had 10 points from nine matches, with a goal difference of -2 from 11 goals scored and 13 received. However, their 4-2 victory turned the tide in their favour, despite the stats being almost identical. The win placed Guaya equal on 13 points, with an identical goal difference of zero (15 goals for and 15 against) to Strikers.

Mulraine pointed to the FIFA rule, which states that a head-to-head comparison should be used to determine the team that goes forward.

It states: "Goals Scored: This is the most simple tiebreaker. If teams have the same points, total, and goal difference, the team that scored more goals finishes higher.

"Head to Head results: If the teams can't be broken up on goal totals, FIFA zooms in on the game they played against each other."

The TTFA has already put the Strikers down to face the Lawmen on Wednesday.

Tobago giants FC Phoenix took the top spot on the standings with 24 points from 10 matches, with Queen's Park in second position with 23 points. Both teams sealed the top two qualifying Big Six places, with Police taking the third on 19 points.

However, Petit Valley Diego Martin United sealed the fourth-place position on the standing after beating Bethel 3-1 last week Wednesday at the Dwight Yorke Stadium, thereby leaving San Fernando Giants in the fifth spot on 14 points.

It meant that the Strikers (on 13 points) and Guaya (on 10 points then) were locked in a battle for the final spot.

Mulraine said he always knew that a victory by two clear goals would have been sufficient for them to secure the sixth spot.

"We got the win 4-2. We also scored more goals than the Harlem Strikers so should be rightfully placed ahead of them. I saw the TTFA put Harlem down as the sixth-placed team but we are going to query it and see what happens."

Guardian Media tried to reach out to TTFA general secretary Amiel Mohammed to shed light on the issue raised by Guaya United but calls went unanswered.

STANDINGS

Team*P*W*L*D*GF*GA*GD*Pts
1*FC Phoenix*10*7*0*3*23*9*14*24
2*QPCC FC*10*7*1*2*21*7*14*23
3*TT Police FC*10*5*1*4*19*8*11*19
4*PVDM UTD 2*10*5*4*1*20*20*0*16
5*San Fernando Giants FC*10*4*4*2*7*14*-7*14
6*Guaya United*10*3*3*4*15*15*0*13
7*Harlem Strikers FC*10*4*5*1*11*11*0*13
8*TT Defence Force FC*10*2*4*4*15*12*3*10
9*UTT Tier 2*10*1*5*4*15*22*-7*7
10*Matura Reunited*9*2*6*1*7*18*-11*7
11*Bethel SC*8*0*4*4*6*18*-12*4

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on September 11, 2023, 02:31:06 PM
This question was sent to me...

Quote
Good evening, how come Ricardo John and Derron John was eligible  to play for guaya in the tier2 ttpfl after playing in the tier1 ttpfl? we was told once you played in the tier1 you can't play in the tier2 .....is the rules for some clubs alone? - Kelvin Charles

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Deeks on September 11, 2023, 02:52:01 PM
They got transferred, I presumed.  I don't understand why they can't be eligible
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on September 14, 2023, 01:13:02 AM
TTFA needs to check its records – Hagley.
By Walter Alibey (T&T Guardian).


Guaya United FC was given by 1 pm yesterday afternoon to provide details and information about the transfer and approval of striker Derron John, who has been the subject of an ongoing battle between the southeast team and Harlem Strikers for the overall sixth position in Tier 2 of the T&T Premier Football League.

The teams were locked on the same points and goal difference after the final day of action in round one of the competition on Saturday, but Guaya got the edge for the sixth position on a head-to-head comparison, which put them among the six qualifiers for the Big Six Play Off that was scheduled to begin yesterday afternoon.

Coincidentally, Guaya was down to face Police at the Barracks on Long Circular Road in St James, before a protest by the Strikers forced the T&T Football Association to stop the contest until an investigation is done.

On Tuesday night, Amiel Mohammed, general secretary of the TTFA, issued a release in which he mistakenly said the Guaya player was successfully transferred instead of unsuccessfully transferred.

“The T&T Football Association (TTFA) and T&T Premier Football League (TTPFL) would like to draw the attention of Guaya United to a matter related to the eligibility of player, Derron John.”

“In accordance with the records available to the TTFA and TTPFL from the FIFA Connect, Mr John was successfully transferred to Guaya United from San Juan Jabloteh on 13 August 2023.”

“The initial request to facilitate this transfer is dated 11 August 2023. A correspondence to TTPFL Tier 1 and Tier 2 clubs dated 16 August 2023, indicated that a Domestic Registration Window will be opened from 17 July 2023 to 27 July 2023. We would like to invite Guaya United to kindly provide any details and further information related to Mr John by no later than 1 pm (AST) on 13 September 2023.”

When contacted by Guardian Media Sports yesterday, Hagley urged the football association to check the new computerised system for the registration of players that was adopted by FIFA.

According to Hagley: “I am the person who handles all registration for Guaya United, so let me respond. Let these people go back on their system and check that. We sent a transfer request to his previous club requesting him, and they approved him. Once the window is closed, you can’t do or approve any transfer requests. The system is designed to be fool-proof so that no one other than the TTFA Admin can do the final approval of a player after his club approves the transfer request.”

Hagley, the Guaya manager of Guaya team said their request for John was made between mid-June to early July which was well inside the transfer window.

It was later approved by Jabloteh and put into the system for TTFA approval within the July 27 deadline, Hagley said yesterday. However, the player was only registered on August 6 when the team played against FC Phoenix at the Guaya Recreation Ground in a match that ended 2-2. In that match, he could not play, as there was a grace period to submit names for the game.

Gregory McSween, manager of Harlem Strikers, on Tuesday night said it was not their concern whether there was a blunder in the registration or not, saying the fact there John was not registered in time was all that mattered to them.

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Deeks on September 14, 2023, 01:32:28 PM
 :busshead:
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Tallman on December 31, 2023, 10:26:13 AM
Better TTFA: Ex-players have high expectations for Soca Warriors, local football
By Ian Prescott (T&T Express)


Two former national players hope that with better governance, everything else will fall into place for local football in 2024.

The progress of the Trinidad and Tobago men’s national team has given cause for optimism going into the new year, but Brian Williams and Brent Sancho also want to see a stronger domestic league; greater corporate and Government input into local football and most of all, a properly-run Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) after power is handed over, as expected, by the Normalisation Committee, which the world body FIFA appointed to run local football on March 17, 2020.

The recent growth of the national team has given both Sancho and Williams hope for continued growth in the coming year.

After being promoted, the Soca Warriors had an encouraging 2023 CONCACAF Nations League A campaign, reaching the quarter-finals for the first time, and bouncing back from a disappointing CONCACAF Gold Cup in mid-year where they suffered huge 4-1 and 6-0 defeats to Jamaica and the United States.

Coached by Angus eve, the former national midfielder, the Soca Warriors picked up a string of good results in the second half of 2023, preserved their Nations League A status for 2024, and also still have a chance to qualify for Conmebol Copa American via a playoff against Canada on March 23, 2024.

“We have had some terrific results. It’s really a credit to the coaching staff. The players, they deserve a lot, a lot of credit, because they have been tremendous,” stated Sancho yesterday. “I just hope they continue along that same line of playing for the badge, and playing for the country. I’m really, really proud of what they have been able to achieve in the last five or so games.”

Likewise, Williams has seen signs of positive growth within the national team, which won nine of 15 matches played in 2023; played unbeaten at home; also picked up competition victories over higher-ranked Curacao, El Salvador and United States and also, twice defeated Guatemala.

“I have to give kudos to Angus. He’s trying hard. I think Angus is doing a pretty decent job under the circumstances, of holding the national team together. It will be difficult for a man to say he’s not seeing a little growth.”

Williams added: “We know there will be a little challenge because of our resources, and who we have to choose from is still limited. But I am seeing some positive signs and improvement.”

Sancho recalled: “We had a disastrous Gold Cup. But we have been able to turn things around. You only good as your last game, but what they (Soca Warriors) have done so far, has been a good testament, and they deserve the credit.”

Following almost four years of governance by a FIFA-imposed Normalisation Committee, Trinidad and Tobago expect to have a new TTFA executive elected in early 2024 to run football. Following TTFA elections, Sancho is hoping for a change in leadership style.

“What will make the TTFA good after the Normalisation Committee (is gone) is good governance,” Sancho stated. “I’m hoping that whoever takes the helm is transparent and pays close attention to proper governance and puts the country first.”

Williams also wants to see the 12 or so entities comprising the TTFA functioning properly. He estimates that 50% of them are dormant.

“We need to put our house in place in terms of the TTFA which is the governing body,” he noted. “We are under watch of the Normalisation Committee, so we are still not running our own business. Our Football Association has to be in place to govern our affairs”

TTFA members have been given until the end of the year to consider amendments to the Constitution, in order for the new document to be approved in January, paving the way for elections.

Domestically, Williams wants to see competitively-run local national senior and youth leagues. He commented that the years when the national team has done well, have been the times when the domestic league has been well-run and competitive.”

“I will want us to have a proper structured league, where we can keep the level of interest high by having promotion and demotion,” he said. “I’ll also like to see a proper structured youth league where we can see a proper transition, with the major goal being the national team.”

He added: “We have to structure ourselves as we see in the bigger countries, where the league is run on time and games are played on time, according to fixtures.”

Both men also agreed on the need for greater financial input into football.

“In everything that we do today, the dollar is important. You have to have that to get players to take the game seriously these days. Your prize money or what you are offering, must be able to help,” said Williams.

And Sancho, a former club owner of Central FC, the former TT Pro League and Caribbean champions concluded: “In most clubs, players are paid below the minimum wage. That needs to be addressed.

I will hope to see more corporate buy-in.”
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on January 09, 2024, 12:34:03 AM
Brian Williams looks to TTFA future: Show Fifa our competence.
By Roneil Walcott (T&T Newsday).


AS the Fifa-appointed normalisation committee gets set to release its control of the TT Football Association's (TTFA) on March 31, 2024, former Strike Squad player Brian Williams hopes the incoming governing body can handle its own affairs and show competence once a new board is installed.

Appointed in March 2020, the normalisation committee received its second extension in February 2023 as Fifa said its mandate had not been fulfilled. On Thursday, the Robert Hadad-led normalisation committee made arguably one of its biggest calls since being in office, as they extended the contract of men's football team coach Angus Eve well past its own expiry date, with a deal until December 31, 2025.

Williams is in agreement with the extension as he said the team has made improvements with Eve, who "took over under difficult circumstances from Terry Fenwick'' in 2021.

Asked about the normalisation committee's decision to award a two-year contract despite their impending departure from office, Williams said, "This is the business of the normalisation committee and the TTFA. They will have that responsibility to put things in place as best as possible to be able to satisfy the TTFA membership.

"As much as I am an advocate for us running our own business and putting the TTFA in place, we have to be realistic," Williams told Newsday.

Under the normalisation committee, Williams said T&T have been able to compete in "most of our international competitions" and have been able to meet other requirements.

"In order for us to put the football in our own hands, we must be able to do that efficiently. If not, we might want the normalisation committee to continue. If (Fifa) puts the affairs of football back in our hands and we are not competent enough to run our football in the right way, it does not make no sense because we have seen the nosedive of how low our football reached in the past."

Williams said the national senior team is not solely about Eve or the TTFA, and he said the various aspects of administration, facilities management, coaching and player development must be of the highest possible standard for the on-field product to flourish.

"(The national team) cannot be (about) Angus Eve alone. There must be a collective approach within corporate T&T and throughout T&T as a whole.

"We have to be realistic about our work and not let football go in that direction as we have experienced in the past few years. Our football must have some meaning and purpose so people could be willing to put their time into it and take it very seriously. Sport is a serious approach. It can no longer be about recreation or whatever."

The normalisation committee had been mandated to establish a debt repayment plan implementable by the TTFA, review and amend the TTFA statutes (and other regulations where necessary) and to conduct elections of a new TTFA executive committee for a four-year mandate.

In September 2022 Justice Devindra Rampersad approved a debt repayment proposal filed by Maria Daniel, the trustee acting on behalf of the TTFA’s FIFA-appointed normalisation committee.

According to the TTFA, there were 299 creditors listed in the trustee’s repayment proposal with a total unsecured debt of TT$84.5 million.

The normalisation committee has had its share of detractors though with the major complaint being the lack of transparency and communication with stakeholders, including players.

RESULTS ON THE PITCH

Like Williams, veteran T&T defender Radanfah Abu Bakr said Eve deserved his contract extension. Abu Bakr said the team showed grit and determination in the 2023/24 Concacaf Nations League A campaign and he believes the contract was justified based on the Soca Warriors' results in that competition, which led to a maiden journey to the quarter-final and the upcoming Copa America 2024 play-in game versus Canada on March 23.

In August 2023, the TTFA extended Eve's contract with the Soca Warriors to March 2024. With the latest extension, the T&T head coach is currently set to lead the Soca Warriors through their Fifa 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign.

The 36-year-old Abu Bakr featured for T&T at the 2021 Concacaf Gold Cup when Eve initially took charge of the team on an interim basis.

"We got to the quarter-finals of the (Nations League) and we are one game away from the Copa America. The only thing bigger than that is the World Cup. That is huge," Abu Bakr told Newsday.

"This is obviously on the back of an under par – to put it mildly – (2023) Gold Cup campaign. I think (Eve) will admit it was very disappointing. His job was on the line for sure, but to bounce back in the manner he did to get the results the team managed was phenomenal really. You can see an upwards trajectory from the team and that is really heartening."

Abu Bakr said T&T were fortunate to avoid playing eventual group-winners Panama in the Nations League due to an unusual Swiss-style format and he also said T&T played Curacao during a period where they were experiencing internal issues. However, he said the Warriors earned their keep with respective 3-2 wins against El Salvador and Guatemala.

"That resolve to go out there and battle and fight for the flag has been a feature of the team post-Gold Cup," Abu Bakr said.

Abu Bakr said the "football has not been pretty all the time," but he praised the fighting spirit and character of the squad.

"Credit to (Eve), the staff and the players. There is still a lot to improve on obviously, but it is a results-oriented game and we got some really fantastic results in the Nations League."

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on February 06, 2024, 06:31:55 AM
TTFA presidential candidate Selby Browne wants to 'put football first'.
By Jonathan Ramnanansingh (T&T Newsday).


Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) presidential candidate Selby Browne wants to meet with members of other two contesting slates to bounce their ideas around in a combined effort to chart the best way forward for T&T football.

Browne, president of the Veterans Football Foundation of TT (VFFoTT), threw his hat into the presidential race after the penultimate goal of the FIFA-installed normalisation committee – to bring the TTFA’s statutes in line with FIFA’s – was achieved at an emergency general meeting on January 28.

Joining him in the pursuit of the TTFA executive are Eastern Football Association president Kieron Edwards and Southern Football Association president Dennis Latiff.

Browne confirmed that he has already formed his nine-member slate for the election and will launch their campaign and manifesto after a meeting with the VFFoTT executive, post-Carnival.

He said sharing potential ideas with other presidential candidates and their candidatures should bring the best out of each team as they all aim to wrestle the four-year reign away from the normalisation committee, and return the association’s daily operations to the membership.

“I have a full slate, and we are prepared to meet with the two other slates to come up with one slate to see who is best, and in the position, to take T&T football forward. That same quorum will review the plans.

“So I am proposing that we meet on a day for open discussions and disclosures, release our manifestos and then we determine a path. We don’t need an elections for that. It must be about putting football first, not individuals and finding what’s best to put T&T football forward,” he said.

Browne’s project name is called TTFA Reset 2024. He told Newsday that it’s taken four long years for the membership to come within reach of regaining control of the TTFA.

The election was suggested, by FIFA Director of Strategic Projects Nodar Akhalkatsi, to be held on April 13. The normalisation committee agreed and issued a statement on Saturday, informing members of the set election date.

Despite the normalisation committee’s tenure set to conclude on March 31, a decision will be facilitated for a short extension of their mandate, until April 13, to ensure the elective congress is held on the set date. The normalisation committee acts as the electoral committee for these elections.

Browne’s team has been burning the midnight oil in the lead up to elections.

He added, “We’ve been planning this for a long time, the restructuring of TT football. Having our own seminars, quorums and open discussions. We’ve already have identified a path forward for the restructure and development of TTFA.”

“We waited too late, in my view, because we’ve wasted four years when it should have been tackled and dealt with during that four-year period in preparation for 2026 FIFA World Cup.”

The national senior team’s first major test this year kicks off three weeks before the election, when the Soca Warriors play Canada in a single-match play-in, for one of two available spots for the Jun 20 to July 14 Copa America.

After that, the 2026 Concacaf World Cup Qualifiers kick off in June. T&T are in Group B alongside Costa Rica, St Kitts and Nevis, Grenada and the Bahamas.

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Tallman on February 14, 2024, 04:03:44 PM
Football poker: Candidates cautious about TTFA slates; NC to go April 30
By Garth Wattley (T&T Express)


The time for declaring slates for the upcoming Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) elections has arrived, but potential presidential candidates are keeping their cards close to their chests when it comes to their slates.

April 13, has been set as the date for the Extraordinary Congress at which TTFA members will elect a new nine-person executive according to the revised constitution, thus ending the tenure of the FIFA-appointed Normalisation Committee (NC) headed by businessman Robert Hadad.

Yesterday, the TTFA gave formal notice to members of the convening of the Extraordinary Congress on April 13.

In addition, a TTFA release yesterday, also stated that according to correspondence from FIFA, the NC’s tenure has been extended to “30 April 2024, at the latest to facilitate the appropriate timeline for an election in accordance with the TTFA Statutes.”

In a letter announcing the election date to members on February 3, the TTFA said the process, “will be facilitated by a short extension of the NC’s mandate.” The previous extension given to the NC had it going on March 31.

In giving a timeline of events leading up to the elections, the release yesterday stated that at or before 11.59 p.m. on February 28, “candidatures for any of the nine executive committee positions must be submitted to the TTFA General Secretariat by recorded post, by email with delivery notification, or delivered by hand in exchange for confirmation of receipt in accordance with Article 8 par. 2 of the TTFA Electoral Code.”

The period for submitting nominations and slates of candidates is now in effect.

On the weekend, three men who have publicly indicated their desire to run for president—Kieron Edwards, Dennis Latiff and Selby Browne—were busy sorting out their teams. And none were yet willing to publicly name members of their slates.

However, Eastern Football Association (EFA) president Edwards expressed confidence in his group. “I think it’s one of, if not the best,” he told the Express. “It would be a mix of members representing the membership in the widest way, as well as professionals that could lend to football and have a sense of football too, not just an account for an accountant’s sake.”

Edwards explained, “It would be an accountant that has some ties to football. If it’s a lawyer, it would be a lawyer with some ties to football. It would be a professional with expertise but still understanding football.”

Southern Football Association (SFA) boss Dennis Latiff had been trying to get potential rivals to join his slate, but he said this won’t happen now. “Most people want to have their own slate. We can’t agree on some things,” he said.

However, according to Latiff, he is still spoiled for choice. “More and more people want to come in and join up...I kinda overwhelmed right now...I’m talking about the quality of people that want to come in,” he said.

Meanwhile, Browne, head of the Veteran Footballers Foundation of Trinidad and Tobago (VFFTT) is looking to settle his team by this weekend. “We have the names for all the nine posts,” he declared.

“Actually we have more than one name (for some positions) but the final (selections) will be determined at our meeting on Saturday,” Browne intimated.

And he, too, is pleased with the people willing to work with him. “We have a good pool. A mix of experience and youth, competent in their respective fields,” he said.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: kounty on February 14, 2024, 07:27:55 PM
can we update the names on the poll for this thread?
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Flex on February 21, 2024, 01:42:32 AM
TTFA pleased with response on revised Safeguarding Framework and Policy.
By Jonathan Ramnanansingh (T&T Newsday).


THE Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) continued its stride towards the protection of children and the vulnerable with the launching of its revised Safeguarding Framework and Policy, at a function held at the Trinidad Hilton on February 2.

FIFA head of Safeguarding and Child Protection Marie-Laure Lemineur was the feature speaker at the launch. She lauded the efforts made by the TTFA and its stakeholders in adopting and enforcing detailed mechanisms to monitor and protect those at risk within the football ecosystem.

“Not long ago the leadership of the TTFA took a very courageous decision to embark on their safeguarding journey. Twenty-four months later, the TTFA has produced one of the most elaborative and complete safeguarding frameworks that I know of,” said Lemineur.

A TTFA statement on Monday said that as of February 16, 139 Academies have been successfully registered and over 1,400 individuals have completed their level one TTFA safeguarding certification.

A further 200 individuals have completed level two certification and 24 individuals have been level three and four TTFA safeguarding licensed.“A key component of the academy registration was the fulfillment of all safeguarding criteria by the club and its officials, coaches and other personnel,” the statement read.

Safeguarding is the action taken to ensure that all vulnerable persons are safe from harm when involved in football. It means proactively doing everything possible to minimize risk and prevent poor practices and abuse.

“This framework ticks all the boxes,” Lemineur added. “It has the interest of the victims and the children at its heart, it defines clear mechanisms in case of incidents, it defines clear procedural rules and sanctions in case of non-compliance, it establishes licensing requirements for clubs, teams and academies and it promotes a culture of transparency and accountability.”

In August 2022, the TTFA signed off on its first version of its Safeguarding Policy and throughout the latter quarter of 2022, the association announced that there would now be a process and system to register academies throughout TT.

The number of registered academies “are a testament to the support of the initiatives and the development of a safeguarding culture throughout the football landscape under the guidance of the TTFA Safeguarding, Player Care and Wellbeing Department,” the statement continued.

The TTFA has been working closely with the FIFA, Concacaf, regional associations (zones), the Secondary School’s Football League, TTFA refereeing department, the Children’s Authority and other stakeholders to ensure that trained and certified safeguarding officers are assigned to the various avenues of the football pathway under a collective approach.

“Our job is to be prepared to address the situation with a victim-centred focus. We can’t do it all alone, we need all of you; football federations, professional clubs, governmental institutions, grassroots, athletes, parents, children, players and other sports organizations, not only football, to create a stronger institutional safeguarding culture,” Lemineur said.

These sentiments were echoed by David Roberts, acting permanent secretary in the Ministry of Sport and Community Development as he complimented the efforts of the TTFA and other national governing bodies (NGB) for taking an active approach towards safeguarding.

Roberts said he was pleased to see representatives from the Tennis Association of TT, TT Golf Association, TT Hockey Board and the TT Karate Association for working with the TTFA to become safeguarding licensed.The revised TTFA Safeguarding Framework and Policy is available via the TTFA website and outlines criteria for the operation of academies, leagues and individuals.

In accordance with the policy, unlicensed clubs, academies, and youth teams are not allowed to work with children, youth players or vulnerable groups on behalf of or under the scope of the TTFA or to participate in TTFA-organised or endorsed tournaments, competitions, or events.

It further states that all persons or organisations that propose to organise any football-related activity involving the training or playing of football matches either recreationally, competitively or for the purpose of scouting, that involves working with children, youth players or vulnerable groups are required to acquire a TTFA event license and or event endorsement. Unlicensed or unendorsed football activities and festivals are not allowed to work with children, youth players, or vulnerable groups on behalf of or under the scope of the TTFA.

“These and other actions in contravention of the Policy are subject to sanctioning by the TTFA,” the statement said.

They also encouraged parents and guardians to utilise only licensed academies/clubs have been vetted by the TTFA to work with children and youth players and have the rights to operate under the TTFA Safeguarding Framework and Policy.

Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Tallman on March 21, 2024, 12:07:47 PM
Wharfe promises to take T&T football 15 places up FIFA rankings
By Walter Alibey (T&T Guardian)


The thought of a rise for T&T on the FIFA world rankings to 81st or 80th may seem a bit far-fetched to date, but Colin Wharfe, one of two presidential candidates for the coming T&T Football Association Elections on April 13, is promising this.

The current chief executive officer (CEO) of the T&T Premier Football League told listeners and viewers during last Thursday’s CNC3 Morning Shot programme that he had in-depth discussions with the sport’s stakeholders after the first season of the TT Premier Football League, which features a Tier 1 and Tier 2 football leagues.

The discussion was aimed at highlighting the shortfalls and determining how to strengthen the leagues. Among those discussions were officials from the sport’s world governing body FIFA, the government, and the clubs, among others, and apart from just strengthening the leagues, Wharfe said of critical focus was the country’s senior men’s national football team, which defeated the United States in a crucial CONCACAF Nations League quarterfinal at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, but still barely had any movement up the world rankings.

“After the end of the first season in the TTPFL, we sat with FIFA and all of the stakeholders, the clubs, the private sector, the government, and so on, and the specific marker with respect to the performance on the field for the senior men’s national team was to move over the next four years, 15 places from where they are now, that’s the marker.

“I interrogated the senior men’s national coach and said this thing looks very serious because you’ve just beaten the United States, and you almost didn’t move. So I jokingly said, to get to 15 places you’ve got to beat Brazil.

“And he, Angus Eve, was very comfortable taking up the challenge, that’s the first thing. The second thing is that the absolute priority in terms of football is to ensure that after the March 23 game, the Canada game, is to ensure that the senior men’s coach has all the tools and requirements that they need to be successful in qualifying for the FIFA World Cup, that is priority number one.”

He noted further, “And you would have seen from the last season, the team that beat the USA, well half of that team came from the TTPFL. The other thing I would say in terms of priority is that the statutes required us to institute article 80 of the Constitution, which is essential, in addition to making ourselves compliant, to make every member and the members of those members compliant also.”

Wharfe will be going up against Kieron Edwards for the post of president when the elections are held. Both men will be attempting to take the reigns of local football management when the FIFA-installed Normalisation Committee makes its exit soon.

However, Wharfe has had to deal with rumours that he will be the voice and representation of FIFA if he is elected into office. Yesterday he sought to clear the air on this assumption, saying neither Robert Hadad, the chairman of the normalisation committee nor FIFA was responsible for his contesting the elections.

He made it clear that anyone who is elected into office will be required to report to FIFA. Wharfe attempted to lay it all on the table by saying he was asked by member clubs to go up.

Wharfe was the brainchild of the Tiger Tanks Under-20 Tournament two years ago, and due to the successes he had, he was again asked to take on the role of running a new top-flight local league, which had been unsuccessful in previous years as stakeholders failed to agree unanimously on a common path.

He said he was then asked to submit a resume which went straight to the FIFA and the rest was history.

He jokingly said the thought of him being the man on the ground for FIFA was flattering, but assured that anyone elected into office after April 13 will have to operate under the framework of FIFA.
Title: Re: TTFA News Thread.
Post by: Controversial on March 21, 2024, 07:02:20 PM
Only 15 places????

 :D :D :D :D :D

Try get us in the top 40 and now you are talking, I don't believe his lies about FIFA and not being beholden to them, who's paying him?

FIFA.....

Ask him if he is going to resign? lol big liar
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