MERE HOURS after T&T Football Association (TTFA) legal representative, Matthew Gayle, issued a pre-action protocol letter to First Citizens’ general manager, Kinols Forde, declaring former president William Wallace and his executive members remain sole signatories of the fraternity’s bank accounts, a statement issued by FIFA’s secretary general, Fatma Samoura on Friday evening, debunked these claims.
According to Samoura, since the appointment of a normalisation committee by FIFA on March 17 after the world’s governing body found that extremely low overall financial management methods, combined with a massive debt, resulted in the TTFA facing a very real risk of insolvency and illiquidity, Robert Hadad, chairman of the committee, is “the only legitimate leadership of the TTFA, recognised by the FIFA and Concacaf.”
FIFA’s response on Friday came after receipt of a letter issued by Wallace one day prior, to Minister of National Security, Stuart Young, alleging that he (Wallace) and other former executive members – Clynt Taylor, Susan Joseph Warrick and Joseph Sam Phillip – continue to be members of the TTFA executive committee, even after a decision by FIFA disbanded the board on March 17.
The sport’s governing body issued a swift reply sternly denying Wallace’s claims that the normalisation committee had no legal or other standing in T&T.
Samoura’s letter to Hadad further stated, “On March 17 2020, the Bureau of the FIFA Council decided, in accordance to article 8 paragraph 2 of the FIFA Statutes, to appoint a normalisation committee at the TTFA. In this respect, we want to highlight that the only legitimate leadership of the TTFA…is the one led by Mr. Robert Hadad.”
“Having said this, any type of discussion regarding the use of the Home of Football or any other football-related topic should be handled with Hadad.”
Gayle’s letter to Forde, dated April 17, asserts that “person or persons may have attempted and/or be in the process of attempting to change the named signatories on the accounts held by the TTFA and First Citizens Bank.”
It also stated Wallace’s position as a signatory remains as is and, “person/s who purport to be acting in response to a directive from outside of T&T purportedly given in or around March 2020 have no standing whatsoever in respect of the TTFA.”
Gayle’s letter also stated that no unauthorised body (referring to normalisation committee), “with no legal standing in T&T could usurp the due authority of the TTFA’s board of directors and/or induce the bank the breach its contract with the TTFA.”
If, according to Gayle, the bank did in fact provide any confidential information to, or acted to make any changes in respect to TTFA’s accounts, the football fraternity’s legal team, which also consists of Dr. Emir Crowne, will, “without delay approach the High Court for urgent assistance in preventing and/or stopping any breach and/or unlawful interference.”
Additionally, TTFA’s attorney assured that his letter to the bank was sent in compliance with the relevant pre-action protocols as prescribed by the Chief Justice pursuant to Part 4 of the Civil Proceedings Rules 1998.
It concluded, “No further notice or warning shall be issued. I would be grateful if you would be kind enough to confirm the bank’s position by no later than 12 (noon) on Monday 20 April 2020.”
In response to the issues highlighted by Gayle to the bank and FIFA’s authorisation letter on Friday, Hadad questioned the tactics by the former executive but admitted that everyone has a right to voice their concerns in a professional manner.
Since their removal from the helm of local football, the sacked quartet filed an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) saying the move was fueled by unclear moves and done without legal authority.
Hadad explained, “FIFA’s letter is in response to them, the former executive, still sending out letters with the TTFA letterhead. At the end of the day, they’re not authorised and legally, FIFA has us (normalisation committee) there. I’m the man in charge and the bank would have to make a decision from its legal department.”
The newly-appointed football chief believes TT football is suffering and needs to be fixed. He also confirmed that he did in fact make contact with the bank to attain feedback on TTFA’s accounts.
“I sent a request to First Citizens to get a legal opinion from them. So I’m waiting on (First Citizens) to decide how we go from here and the legal procedure to have the changes made. (The former executive) have their hearing with CAS, so let CAS be the judge of that. In the meantime, people have salaries and bills to be paid and football to run,” Hadad continued.
“I would like to just get down to the business of football. If CAS wants to rule in their favour, alright, we’ll deal with that then. As it stands now, the letter from FIFA says everything. Hopefully they will follow what they read in that letter,” he closed.
ABOVE SOURCE: T&T Newsday
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Fifa: Hadad is ‘legitimate’ TTFA boss; Look Loy: Law is on our side and CAS will settle it.
By Lasana Liburd (Wired868).
World governing football body, Fifa, has dismissed William Wallace’s claim that he is still Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) president and reiterated its stance that businessman Robert Hadad, the head of a Fifa-appointed normalisation committee, is its man of business in the twin island republic.
Fifa’s missive, which was emailed by secretary general Fatma Samoura to Hadad and copied to Concacaf and the Ministry of National Security, was in response to Wallace’s letter yesterday.
Wallace, who was elected football president on 24 November 2019, expressed ‘concern’ that the government negotiated with Hadad rather than him for use of the TTFA’s Home of Football facility in Couva, to house Covid-19 patients.
Although Fifa declared that Wallace’s reign was over on 17 March—just four months into his four year term—due to the local body’s unwieldy debt, the TTFA constitution does not permit anyone but its own members to remove a sitting president.
The TTFA was formed by an act of Parliament in 1982 while its constitution was ratified by Fifa in July 2015.
At present, the TTFA and Fifa are due to take their dispute to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Lausanne, Switzerland. Fifa is based in Zurich, Switzerland.
However, Fifa made it clear that it does not recognise Wallace’s claim to the country’s top football post.
“It has come to our attention that a letter dated 16 April 2020 from Mr William Wallace was addressed to the Trinidad and Tobago Minister of National Security Mr Stewart (sic) Young,” stated Samoura. “The letter seems to allege that Mr William Wallace, Mr Clynt Taylor, Mrs Susan Joseph Warrick (sic) and Mr Joseph Sam Phillip continue to be members of the executive committee of the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) and that the normalisation committee led by Mr Robert Hadad has no legal or other standing in Trinidad and Tobago.
“In this context, we draw your attention to the fact that, on 17 March 2020, the Bureau of the Fifa Council decided, in accordance with article 8 paragraph 2 of the Fifa statutes to appoint a normalisation committee at the TTFA.”
Article 8.2 for the Fifa statutes states: ‘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’.
And, despite the will of the local football electorate, Fifa has opted to entrust the responsibility of the TTFA to Hadad, a 53-year-old businessman and co-CEO of family-owned company, Hadco. Hadad is also a member of the Queen’s Park Cricket Club (QPCC) and a board member of the International School in Port of Spain.
The remaining normalisation committee members named so far are Judy Daniel and Nigel L Romano.
The mandate of the committee is: to run the TTFA’s daily affairs; to establish a debt repayment plan that is implementable by the TTFA; to 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; to organise and to conduct elections of a new TTFA Executive Committee for a four-year mandate.
“We want to highlight that the only legitimate leadership of the TTFA, recognised by Fifa and Concacaf, is the one led by Mr Robert Hadad,” stated the Fifa secretary general. “Having said this, any type of discussion regarding the use of Home of Football or any other football-related topic should be handled with Mr Robert Hadad.”
Wired868 could not reach Wallace for comment. However, TTFA board member and technical committee chairman Keith Look Loy said he was not surprised by Fifa’s stance.
“That is expected [because] this is the position of the two parties to this case,” said Look Loy. “Wallace is saying according to the law and constitution of the TTFA, Fifa cannot remove it—nobody but the membership can remove that administration. The letter that [Wallace and his vice-presidents] sent [to the National Security Ministry] reflects that.
“The letter sent by Fifa reflects their fiction that they could remove whomever they want and put in who they want in place, never mind the laws of the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association; and CAS will settle it.”
Look Loy stressed that Wallace’s stance is a legal one, based on the constitution of the TTFA, which was approved by Fifa.
“Might I add again that the TTFA constitution was approved by Fifa,” said Look Loy, “and the only way you can become an officer of the TTFA is by vote of the general council; and that is the only way you can be removed.”
Hadad declined the opportunity to weigh in on the impasse.
“The [Fifa] letter speaks for itself,” he said.