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Entertainment & Culture Discussion / Re: The fight to bring Lumina to light - Trinidad Guardian
« on: April 22, 2023, 03:48:36 PM »
ty brother
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“We reconsider…” TTFA members bend to Fifa, as Hadad’s reign continues
By Lasana Liburd (Wired868).
Less than six hours after threatening to refer the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) to the Gianni Infantino-led Bureau of the Fifa Council for daring to call an election in keeping with its constitution, the world governing body had its response.
Not for the first time, the TTFA’s members are unwilling to risk suspension from the international fold—so Fifa will have its way.
At an online meeting yesterday evening, the TTFA members, according to Eastern Football Association (EFATT) president Kieron Edwards, agreed to ask the Fifa-appointed Normalisation Committee to allow them to reverse an earlier decision meant to force out the Robert Hadad-led body.
It was not a unanimous decision but Edwards insisted that it was a majority view. Presumably, he would quickly support his letter to acting general secretary Amiel Mohammed with the requisite signatures to call an EGM.
The immediate repercussion is that the normalisation committee’s term will run until 31 March rather than, as members insisted, 18 March.
However, Fifa’s insistence that administrators in Zurich—rather than stakeholders in Trinidad and Tobago—would decide when the global body ends its occupation of the two island republic is likely to mean that Hadad will receive a second extension.
On 17 March 2020, the Bureau of the Fifa Council gave its normalisation committee two years to fulfill the following mandate:
- run the TTFA’s daily affairs;
- establish a debt repayment plan that is implementable by the TTFA administration;
- review and amend the TTFA Statutes (and other regulations where necessary) and ensure their compliance with the Fifa Statutes and requirements before duly submitting them for approval to the TTFA Congress;
- and organise and conduct elections of a new TTFA Executive Committee for a four-year mandate.
As of 21 January 2023, the three-member committee of Hadad, Nigel Romano and Trevor Nicholas Gomez has completed none of the above.
Concerned by the perceived lack of competence and consultation at the helm—presumably reflected too in poor results on the field and a complete absence of domestic senior football—the members were anxious to put the “Hadad era” behind them, despite the possible ramifications to creditors.
On Thursday, TTFA trustee Maria Daniel reiterated a threat to the local membership that they would be denied an interest-free US$3.5m loan from a still undeclared backer, believed to be Fifa, if they persisted with plans to remove Hadad.
Failure to secure the loan would put the TTFA at risk of bankruptcy. Still, the members hesitated to reverse their decision taken at last month’s EGM and insisted on time to consult with each other on Friday evening.
However, a despatch yesterday evening by Fifa Chief Member Associations officer Kenny Jean-Marie broke any lingering resolve.
“If the TTFA’s normalisation committee convenes the requested Extraordinary General Meeting [on 18 March], before all tasks assigned to them have been accordingly carried out,” stated the Fifa missive, “this would go against the mandate of the normalisation committee established by the Bureau of the Fifa Council.
“Please be advised that, should the elections be held before all other tasks are completed, we would be obliged to submit the matter to our relevant decision-making body for further consideration and possible decisions based on the Fifa Statutes.”
In keeping with Fifa’s recent relationship with the southern Caribbean island, Jean-Marie emailed only Hadad and left it for him to relay the governing body’s view to the membership.
The only football officials that Fifa recognises on the island are the ones directly in its employ. No direct communication is held with Trinidad and Tobago’s stakeholders—from whom a president will eventually emerge.
Jean-Marie’s email was issued barely half hour before yesterday’s membership meeting and, in keeping with the inefficiency of Fifa’s rule since March 2020, everyone did not have a copy when members sat down to discuss their possible response to Daniel’s threat.
Once Fifa’s position was properly relayed though—by Trinidad and Tobago Football Referees Association (TTFRA) vice-president Boni Bishop, rather than the Acting TTFA General Secretary—there was nothing else worth discussing.
Veteran Footballers Foundation of Trinidad and Tobago (VFFOTT) president Selby Browne suggested that members save face by forcing the normalisation committee to approach them with a plea for time.
At 9.18pm, Browne wrote Mohammed and requested deadlines for payment to creditors, completion of the NC’s mandate, and the name of the TTFA’s secret financial backer.
“[…] We look forward to your early action in keeping with the Fifa letter,” stated Browne, “and ensuring the early completion of the mandate of the Normalisation Committee for the TTFA to return to active administration and management of football as the Fifa member in good standing within the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago.”
His colleagues did not have the heart—or stomach—for such gamesmanship. At 11.45pm, Edwards wrote Mohammed, Browne and the TTFA Members and insisted he spoke “on behalf of the majority of the membership”.
“At tonight’s meeting, the email letter from Fifa to the TTFA […] was discussed and notice taken of its contents,” stated Edwards.
He further advised that the members now resolve that:
“In view of the contents of Fifa’s letter of 20 January 2023 to the TTFA, be it decided that a letter be sent to the TTFA’s Normalisation Committee advising that the Members would be pleased if the Normalisation Committee, pursuant to Article 29.1 of the TTFA’s Constitution, were to urgently convene an Extraordinary Meeting of the TTFA to consider an item to review the decision taken at the EGM of the TTFA of 10 December 2022.”
Ironically, Edwards’ boss at Pro League outfit, Terminix La Horquetta Rangers, Richard Ferguson, was the person whose letter assured Fifa of the TTFA’s “acquiescence” in the first place, on 25 October 2020—when, again under the threat of suspension, Members voted 33-0 (with five non-votes) to stop all legal action against Fifa, and to replace then president William Wallace with the Hadad-led committee.
“The TTFA must advise that its members have agreed to abide with the conditions of the normalisation committee and will co-operate fully to ensure that the mandate of the committee is realised,” Ferguson wrote to Fifa, via Hadad. “In addition, let me take this opportunity to humbly apologise to you, the other members of the normalisation committee, Fifa, Concacaf and CFU for any embarrassment and inconvenience caused by TTFA representatives over the last year.
“I also hope that a strong positive relationship can be re-established as we move forward for the betterment of football in Trinidad and Tobago. This information is conveyed to you for relay to Fifa, at your earliest convenience.”
In the interim, Ferguson’s influence within the domestic game soared as the Northern, Eastern, Eastern Counties, Tobago, Secondary Schools Football League (SSFL) and Women’s League of Football (WoLF) all either have sponsorship deals linked to Ferguson or have his employees or associates in elected posts.
Ferguson, a clever but controversial figure, would have been an early favourite with a March election. That appears unlikely to take place now.
Fifa will leave only when Fifa is ready to go.
Edwards, Ferguson and the local football membership accepted defeated on that score yesterday.
Hadad’s tenure—“the era of the Ice Cream Man”—is not over yet.
Yeah bredda, the "plus I am of the firm view that we have really talented people here..." gave me a good chuckle.No constitutional change needed for football
By Walter Alibey (T&T Guardian)
The idea of making amendments or changes to the T&T Constitution on its immigration laws, in the interest of strengthening the country’s chances of competing in world football, was quickly shot down by former Immigration Officer Charmaine Gandhi-Andrews on Tuesday.
Gandhi-Andrews responded to concerns by national football coach Angus Eve at a recent training session, that the country’s immigration laws are archaic and have been a stumbling block in their attempts to recruit players who live in other countries but have T&T parentage.
English-born Ryan Inniss, a professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for EFL League One club Charlton Athletic, has been on the radar of national coaches Terry Fenwick and Eve as one of many players who potentially can represent the Soca Warriors. Both have been prevented from securing his services because the citizenship laws only allow for one generation to have dual nationality.
On Tuesday she said, “Our citizenship laws only allow for one generation to have dual nationality. The only country that I am familiar with for the grandparents to pass down nationality is the UK, but our constitution only allows for citizenship to be passed down one generation. So for example, a citizen of T&T has a child abroad, that child will be a dual citizen and he can’t pass citizenship down to his child.”
Gandhi-Andrews assured that Eve can explore the “Citizens Act” route where he can find a solution to his concerns, but she scoffed at the idea of constitutional change, saying: “I don’t think that warrants us changing the constitution for a handful of people really, and that’s my personal opinion because it is really just a handful of people. Plus I am firm in the view that we have really talented people here who can be tapped into, who were born right here in T&T. And while they may not have had the experience of being trained in a foreign country or not, I do believe we have the talent here.”
“Most countries have shied away from citizenship going down generations but we do have provisions under the citizenship act. In Section 5 of the citizenship act, you will see who can be registered as a citizen of T&T, in terms of a minor child, where the child has to take the oath of allegiance before they become an adult between 18-19. The only way an adult can be a citizen of T&T is if they were born to a citizen of T&T,” Gandhi-Andrews explained.
However, Eve, who admitted he did not want to engage in a war of words with anyone, highlighted authentic statistics which showed that more than half of the Moroccan team was born in another country; 38 per cent of players on Tunisia’s team were born in France; and Uruguay, Iran, Belgium, Costa Rica, Denmark, England, Japan, Mexico and the Netherlands have four percent of foreign-based players.
The statistics were also followed by a note by Eve that said: “This is what those with power to change the Constitution don’t understand.”
Eve and the Soca Warriors are preparing for two more matches to secure the win in Group C of the CONCACAF Nations League which will see them being elevated to Group ‘A’ and ensure qualification to the CONCACAF Gold Cup next year.
The Soca Warriors will first take on the Bahamas on March 24 away before returning home to the Dwight Yorke Stadium in Bacolet, Tobago to face Nicaragua in their final match on March 27.
Not to cast aspersions, but talk about CLUELESS comment, smfh.
Most if not all other islands someone can get citizenship through grandparents . Is a fact we are missing out on players eve eh lying this article intention was to imply eve is saying them locals eh good enough . Look at what Suriname did just let them get their house in order.
Looking forward to doing the biopic on Jack in the coming year..
Who you go pick to play Jack?
Warriors Forum real dead, dreds. Imagine WC in 10 days and not a “boo “ in the forum. I am being a devil’s advocate and I saying Argentina to win. Maybe Messi’s last hurrah.
For the first time ever in a WC 4 of the 5 African teams will be coached by local Africans. Walid Regragu - Morocco, Rigobert Song - Cameroon, Otto Addo(German born Ghanian - Ghana, Jaleel Kadri - Tunisia, Aliou Cisse - Senegal.
As in the case of Addo, Regragui was also born in Europe. Other than that they have strong elements of an indigenous pedigree.
Addo delivered a really impressive, frank and fluid interview with the BBC some weeks ago. Piqued my attention. Well worth the listen.
Both Regragui and Cisse are on the current CAF Pro License course, which is ludicrously dominated by Moroccan candidates. Morocco is ramping up for some happenings. Watch de ride.
EL sal doin what we should be trying to do, make it difficult to move d ball
So he decided to park the bus in advance
He play Phillips and mostly defenders and was going for a draw?
We couldn't string together 7 to 10 passes and couldn't dribble out the back but it was pure boom kick and clearing from the back.. we were lucky we were not down 2 or 3 nil tbh
That is not a masterclass, thats cowardly.. purposely playing for a Draw with Mexico is not what I call good football... its like he already did not have confidence to win which sounds like classic eve weak mentality
There was nothing to enjoy about that match where tt was constantly on the back foot from the beginning.. the midfield was non existent
Lemme guess, draw with Mexico and go for wins against the other teams?
Eve just lost my vote of confidence with that BS he pull, I don't care if we drew with Mexico it was bad tactics
Teams play to win tournaments. Points are awarded as follows: Win - 3 points, Draw -1 point. Losses - 0 points. (I am sure you now that)
I don't know you but if you are upset because Eve played to get a point in a game where he was overmatched in quality, talent, and experience, then either you are a mad man, you must think this was a fete match, or you have some personal motive to be a critic of Angus Eve.
Are you telling me that Eve should have played an open game with a traditional 442 or 433 line up and get a 5-0 drubbing?
The result is all that matters, not foolish bravado. Live to fight another day, not how you get there.
Those criticising the tactics and comparing it to the back to back draws when SH was in charge are clueless about football.
We were coming up against a team that would have scouted us; lots of our players were unattached, lots in lower leagues; short of vital match fitness, and fatigued after the games vs FG Montserrat compared to Mexico.
He surprised them with his tactics, formation and personnel. You could see them trying to deliberately breakdown our right back Jones. Again the either saw him as a weak link based on their scouting or their strong side. We defended and they couldn't beat us to high balls over the top, we were taller than them, they play their balls on the pitch and try to break the lines. They couldn't get through the lines as if was so congested so the tried to pull it back and have a shot but MP was brilliant.
I was surprised in the 2nd half that they didn't try anything different and then Eve hit them by bringing in fresher legs and changed the system again to hit them on the counterattack. It almost worked too but Moore lost his composure.
Then guys executed the game plan brilliantly and played with pride and heart.
Big up allyuh self fellas. Well done!
Lincoln Phillips appointed Ambassador of TTFA’s North America Talent Identification Programme.
TTFA Media.
The Trinidad and Tobago Football Association is pleased to announce the appointment of Lincoln Phillips to the position of Ambassador of the North America Talent Identification and Player Pool Programme (TIPP).
Phillips is a former outstanding goalkeeper for Trinidad and Tobago and a past Technical Director of the TTFA.
As TIPP Ambassador Phillips’ duties will include:
– Improve public awareness and familiarity with the North America programme (TIPP) and it’s mission.
– Represent TIPP programme at events
– Assist recruitment of players to represent Trinidad and Tobago instead of another country.
– Communicate the value of the programme and what it means for a player to represent his/her national team.
– Work closely with the TIPP Directors.
– Build rapport with future scouts and assist in increasing TIPP’s scout pool.
– Maintain a positive image of the TTFA and TIPP programme at all times.
We are proud to have you once again formally associated with our country’s football and look forward to working with you.
In an immediate response to the appointment, Phillips commented, “I am delighted to be an ambassador for my country. I accept the offer and pledge to do my best to see Trinidad and Tobago get back on track.”
Phillips’ appointment follows that of Shaka Hislop as TTFA Ambassador which was announced in December.
“We are indeed pleased that Lincoln Phillips has accepted our offer to be appointed as an Ambassador for our Talent Identification and Player Pool programme,” TTFA President William Wallace said.
“He has a wealth of knowledge and experience and is highly regarded in the region, particularly North America where he continues to play an active role in the sport. We certainly look forward to his contributions and advice as we set out on discovering new talent and recruiting players to represent our country through this programme which has already begun to bring positives with the additions of a few players to our Under 20 Women’s Team.”
Keith Look Loy, chairman of the TTFA Technical Committee, added, “There could be no better ambassador for Trinidad and Tobago football and for TTFA’s scouting programme in North America than Lincoln Phillips. His personal and football history are rooted in both our country and in the USA. He exploits on and off the field over the course of his lifetime bring instant credibility and status to TIPP. And his willingness to associate with our initiative is further evidence that we are on the correct path.”
Phillips who played in the North American Soccer League (NASL) and was head coach of Howard University’s NCAA Championship teams of 1971 & 1974,was recently presented with the 2020 Walt Chyzowych Lifetime Achievement Award.
Phillips won a Bronze Medal in the 1967 Pan-American Games with T&T and was once named the “Most Outstanding Goalkeeper in the Caribbean” and Trinidad & Tobago’s “Goalkeeper of the Century”.
In the area of great soccer camps in America, “The Lincoln Phillips Soccer School” (1975-2004) produced many US National Youth Team players while others went on to receive scholarships and play at top Universities. Lincoln’s “Top- Flight Goalkeeping Academy” produced some of the nation’s top goalkeepers and goalkeeping coaches. Among those influenced by Phillip’s coaching include United Soccer Coaches Honor Award recipient Mike Curry, former MLS goalkeeper Zack Thornton and current US Military Academy Head Coach Russel Payne.
Phillips was also appointed a FIFA Goalkeeper Instructor (1995-96) conducting coaching clinics and workshops for FIFA in the Caribbean and Asia.
(Walt Chyzowych was the first U.S. Soccer Federation’s director of coaching, he designed the coaching and licensing programs, to educate and train aspiring coaches, which are still in use throughout the country.He coached the United States’ World Cup, Olympic and Pan American Games teams, a handful of the country’s national youth teams and was instrumental in bringing the 1994 World Cup to the United States.)