Businessman saves day for footballers
The Ministry of Sport dropped the ball yesterday, as it failed to fulfill a promise to fund a sports trip for 81 young people to take part in a charity football tournament in Barbados. The tournament, which is hosted by former Barbadian MP Hamilton Lashley, will start today and end next Friday.
But after most of the children spent hours on the pavement in front of the ministry’s Abercromby Street, Port-of-Spain, headquarters yesterday, businessman Dino Kalloo, of Kallco Ltd, ensured they got an early Christmas gift by coming in at the last minute to fund 24 of the 81 athletes. The ministry eventually agreed to fund the other 57, after haggling over numbers for most of the day.
Two months earlier, on October 27, coach Cedric Hazelwood contacted the ministry to arrange funding for 120 players to participate in the Caribbean Children’s Charity Shield Classic (CCCC) Tournament in Barbados. The ministry, at the time, noted that some of the 120 players did not have passports and asked him to resubmit a list.
Parents applied for passports, some paying $550 to expedite the process so their children would be able to participate. Parents also contributed $2,000 per child for food and board as well as additional expenses. Parents arranged passports and a finalised list was sent to the ministry on December 8. Yesterday morning, however, a plane with their supplies and equipment left for Barbados without the children.
The disappointed children, from Morvant Element, Laventille United and Belmont Boys’ RC Secondary Football Academy, and their coach later congregated outside the ministry, some sitting on the sidewalk, as they sought answers from the ministry. They were initially told the ministry could only fund 20 of 81 tickets. Tearful and frustrated, the athletes, whose ages ranged from 10 to 17, remained on the sidewalk but were ignored for the most part by ministry officials.
“They told us up to yesterday that everything was fine. How could they tell us that yesterday and then tell us we have to choose 20 children to go? How do we choose 20 children," asked parent Marcia Charles. A security guard attached to the ministry could be heard complaining about the children’s noise and asking why they did not move.
Parents expressed their frustration silently, pacing back and forth as they compared the situation to the lack of funding for the T&T National Women’s team which caused significant embarrassment to the country in November.
SoS call
The story is not a new one, as athletes have continuously complained about shoddy treatment from the ministry. As the day progressed, the children, restless and hungry, patiently waited. A policeman who had helped transport them donated $300 to purchase lunch. The coach attended meeting after meeting, and former MP Lashley called from Barbados to ask the ministry to provide assistance to the team. By 6 pm, most of the children piled into a waiting bus and went home.
The ministry had confirmed that it would pay for 40 children, SPORTT agreed to pay for an additional 17. Less than an hour later, businessman Kalloo, who was called by a radio station and told of the situation, said he would purchase the remaining 24 tickets. Kalloo confirmed this when contacted by the Guardian. “I was asked to help out so I said that I would pay the difference. It’s Christmas and they shouldn’t have to be disappointed like that,” he said in a telephone interview.
Parents expressed gratitude to Kalloo but complained about the ministry’s treatment.
Ministry’s response
In a late press release, the Ministry of Sport blamed the inconsistency regarding the number of tickets promised on the organisers not providing the list of names of attendees in a timely manner.
“The current situation arose because of the late submission of pertinent information to the ministry by the requesting organisation. Negotiations have resulted in the Ministry and SPORTT rendering assistance to 57 persons for travel to Barbados to participate in the tournament
“The list was revised from 120 to 81 persons to attend, representing three teams,” the release said. The release said there were also issues concerning travel arrangements as there was no cover letter for the request and no permission letters for travel from parents.
SWO rumor mill
Last month, The Government of Trinidad and Tobago via a 13 November Cabinet decision, has agreed, through the Ministry of Sport, to provide financial assistance in the amount of $9,964,368.00 to the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA).
The SWO heard from one of its close source that the T&T Government never handed over the full $9,964,368.00 to the TTFA or its players/staffs.
The ministry promised it and delivered the outstanding payment to players and staff for only up to 3 million (or less)?
Still not everyone has gotten paid and the Government still have outstanding payments for the senior team men's Jamaica CFU tournament participation.
They ministry continues to play games and lie to our sportsmen and women.
Only yesterday the TTFA had to pull the plug on the men's U-20 team proposed training camp in Mexico because the T&T government did not provide any funding for them.
It is also rumored that head coach Stephen Hart and a few other staff members still haven't gotten all of their money owed to them that they were promised by the T&T government as well.
Stay tuned for further details.