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Although the men and women’s teams have improved significantly and are both at their highest international ratings ever, the latest incident, in which the players threatened to boycott the Caribbean Football Union Finals in Jamaica, shows that in terms of management T&T football is still in the minor league. Clearly nothing has been learnt since the Soca Warriors were forced to go to court in 2006 for money owed to them since 2002.

The latest impasse involving the T&T Football Association and its failure to pay the coach, staff and the national team players shows that, despite the change in football administration, nothing much has changed in the shambolic operations of that sporting organisation.

Despite the millions, some even estimate billions, acquired under the auspices of former local, regional and international football supremo Jack Warner, as a result of his management of local football, the game has always remained at barely-above-mendicant level for players and other officials. The current administration, led by Port-of-Spain Mayor Raymond Tim Kee, attained office with the organisation having been declared bankrupt and the former players levying on its headquarters to enforce a High Court judgement for money owed to previous players.

There is nothing that has transpired thus far, however, to give the public any indication that it can repose any greater confidence in the Tim Kee administration of local football than any of its predecessors.

Although the men and women’s teams have improved significantly and are both at their highest international ratings ever, the latest incident, in which the players threatened to boycott the Caribbean Football Union Finals in Jamaica, shows that in terms of management T&T football is still in the minor league.

Clearly nothing has been learnt since the Soca Warriors were forced to go to court in 2006 for money owed to them since 2002.

No amount of public embarrassment appears to make a difference to those in charge of the management of local football. Whether or not you approve of footballers threatening to strike at the last minute and thus embarrassing not merely the association but the entire country, the fact is the TTFA should never have allowed the situation to reach that point.

It is still a mystery how the situation was allowed to deteriorate to create such a crisis, since both the Sport Company and Sport Minister Dr Rupert Griffith made it clear that they did their best to avert the strike and have been supplying the TTFA with funding. Why isn’t the money being used for the intended purposes? If the TTFA needs money for a specific purpose or event, why doesn’t it say so?

Worst of all is that this latest fiasco came so soon after the uproar caused when the unfortunate women’s team was sent to Texas and had to be rescued by strangers, having been sent with barely enough money to buy them all hot dogs.

That episode also caused international embarrassment to both the country and its football image. Did the TTFA only discover that morning that the women’s team was about to fly out to play in their biggest international tournament? Has it learned nothing since then?

No adequate explanations have been forthcoming, and the current executive has now lost all credibility. The only bright spot is that, despite the clear incompetence of the football managers of the TTFA, the players have continued to shine and to fly the national flag with pride. We need to ensure that they continue to be given the resources, including good management, to do so.