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 Browne. “The normalisation committee must now complete the job by doing what is their final responsibility —set the date for the elections.”
SOURCE: T&T Express