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Author Topic: Football Wars : History of Football Administration in T&T 1981-1998  (Read 3699 times)

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Offline Midknight

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Episode 1 : The ASL Menace

Quote
Businessman Arthur Suite who owned the Aviation Services Limited (ASL) introduced ‘the professional footballer’ to Trinidad and Tobago, forming the ASL Sports Club which became the first organisation to pay its players, despite the fact they were campaigning in the lower division of the north zone.
Suite recruited the best players in the country including the national captain Leroy Spann, Ron La Forest, Noel Sammy LLewelyn, Vaughn Alexander, Earl Carter, John Granville and Trevor Fredericks. Inspired by good crowd support, Suite launched his league in March 1981, offering some $160,000 in prize money. The body was called the Trinidad and Tobago Premier Soccer League (TTPSL)

The TTPSL then applied to the TTFA for associate membership which was promptly denied.
(The Secretary of the TTFA) Warner suggested that the organisation was turning back the clock by centralizing the sport in Port of Spain. He stated that the League’s constitution was unacceptable and argued that under FIFA rules, it was a proprietary league and could not be entertained. He immediately banned all players, officials and others associated with the league from any relatiohsip with the governing body.

The following year, the TTPSL amended its constitution to come in line with the requirements of FIFA and were granted affiliate status by the TTFA.
And on December 8, 1983, an agreement was reached for one body - the Trinidad and Tobago Football league (TTFL) to replace the two rival leagues.


The TTFA’s constitution was changed to permit Suite to become first vice-president of the association.The agreement gave ASL Properties Limited a franchise to run the Trinidad and Tobago Football League (TTFL) on a day to day basis while the TTFA continued to run football in the lower divisions.
ASL won both the league and FA Trophy but the year proved to be disastrous as far as club football was concerned. Excessive rain disrupted the fixtures and attendences at matches were poor. By the year end, Suite announced the League was folding.

At the beginning of the year, Warner was appointed to the FIFA executive after Andre Kamperveen, the CFU representative was killed in Suriname during an uprising in that country.

But any smiles that came to his face as a result of his promotions, were wiped off his face by the end of the season in December when a group calling itself the ‘Interim Committee’ headed by St Elmo Gopaul called for an extra ordinary general meeting of the TAFA to debate a motion of noconfidence in the body.
Letters were sent to the President, the Minister of Sport and following an avalanche of letters which were published in the newspapers, the TTFA agreed to the meeting.
On February 12, 1984, at a seven-hour meeting in Central, Trinidad rejected the motion 70-43 with two abstentions.

Episode 2 : The Federation Wars

Quote
In spite of the folding of the joint league and the motion of no confidence in the Association Suite’s ASL was among the 12 teams in the National Football league for the 1984 seasonASL again won the league ... [and] were among qualifiers for the ‘Big Four’ series later in the year, a series that was expected to attract crowd support and therefore income for the Association.But Suite told the TTFA that the club was not be taking part.
However, after the Association found a replacement, Suite changed his mind and decided to play. But the TTFA refused to the change its position and ASL was not allowed in the series.
Suite promptly announced that ASL would not be taking part in the TTFA competition the
following season.

On January 14, 1985, Suite launched the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation (TTFF).
He had in his corner some of the top names in local football.
These included former national player and coach Alvin Corneal, Edgar Vidale, Ken Butcher, Ken Bartolo and Suite’s brother Cecil. The Association responded by declaring the organisers persona non grata with its president Peter O Connor stating: “They can do it but they will not be part of international football.’

The TTFF was a direct rival to the Association and attempted to compete with it by playing a zonal competition instead of the national league.
But the 1985 confrontation between the two bodies led to difficult times for the sport.
The game had already suffered from the PSL conflict, losing public confidence which ultimately had a negative effect on the revenues of the association.
With two organisation competing in a diminishing market, none could do well.
This TTFA incurred major debts, forcing the secretary to dip into his pocket to prop up the association financially. Despite this, the TTFA soldiered on.
They had the advantage of being the FIFA representatives where members could play international competition.

The Federation, however, thanks to Ken Butcher, a Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Sport whose team Ebonites was among its members, was able to get an investigation into the TTFA’s constitution.

Sports Minister Jennifer Johnson appointed former High Court judge Ralph Narine to review the constitution but Narine reported that contrary to allegations, clubs did have a controlling vote as there were 117 registered clubs whereas members of the general council constituted just 47 persons.This meant that clubs had the power to remove the general council.
Whereas Justice Narine’s report had no direct impact on the sport, it indirectly served as a stepping stone to constitutional reform.
In the face of unsurmountable odds, the TTFF realised that change could not come from outside and hence initiated talks with its opponents resulting in the reunification in 1988.
The eventual reconciliation between Suite’s group and the TTFA came on the eve of Trinidad and Tobago’s campaign in the World Cup of 1990 where the success of the team temporarily removed the focus from the constitutional question and also served to concretise the oligarchy’s position of dominance.

The aftershocks of Trinidad and Tobago’s failure to qualify for the World Cup in Italy 1990, were far and wide.The unrelenting pressure over the overcrowding of the stadium and the overselling of tickets, left Warner with no choice but to resign.Warner announced his resignation from the TTFA at the annual prize giving function in December and immediately started his campaign to head CONCACAF.
After a most volatile campaign and a hostile meeting in Guatemala City on April 28, 1990, he became the first Caribbean man to be elected president of the organisation, replacing Mexican Soria Joaquin Terrazzas.

Episode 3 : The Revenge of the Jack
Quote
Peter O’ Connor, the president since 1985, made way for Major Ralph Brown who lasted just one year before he was replaced by chief of Immigration Joe Bodkyn, who lasted even less time, before being replaced by Oliver Camps.

During Bodkyn’s term, a tripartite committee was set up to manage the sport.
This committee comprised Bodkyn, Terrence O Neal Lewis, Peter Rampersad, Lennox Sirjuesingh (TTFA), Richard Brathwaite, Sedley Joseph, Neville Chance and Alvin Henderson (Ministry of Sport) and Ken Attale, Anthony Salloum, Peter Knaggs, Dave Francois (business).

Their mission to save the country’s football started with the knowledge the that Association had a $2.65 million debt. Part of this was $55,000 Swiss Francs which was owed to FIFA and which had to be paid before the country could play football under FIFA.Another $100,000 was owed to Concacaf. The Association reported that it had accepted an offer from an anonymous ‘Godfather’ to pay the FIFA debt and Trinidad and Tobago resumed competition.

After a series of false starts, clubs and administrators came together and agreed on a plan in
November 1993. A new constitution expressed the ideals of one club, one vote which helped to ease much of the tension.And there were some developments in the early part of 1994 to offer some optimism. Richard Jackman, a reputable businessman who was appointed to head the TTFA’s finance committee announced that several creditors had agreed to write off their debts. This amounted to just around $1 million.

And later in the year, the Football Company of Trinidad and Tobago (FCOTT) was born.
This organisation included some of the top men in the business fraternity with Warner as technical advisor and Peter O Connor, manager.
The company was responsible for funding and administrating and was to have a judicious marriage with the TTFA which was responsible for the development and technical aspects of the game. FCOTT was further given the responsibility of managing and promoting the national team for the France World Cup in 1998 and the Olympic team for 1996.

As part of its restructuring process, the TTFA relieved all technical staff, including Everald Cummings who was on secondment from the Ministry of Sport, of their posts and a foreigner, Germany’s Jochem Figge was made technical director. But Figge’s stay did not last long. After four months, he packed his bags and left, claiming that his recommendation continuously got stuck on the desk of Dwight Day, the TTFA secretary.
He was replaced by Yugoslavian Zoran Vranes. Vranes would make way for Brazilian Sebastiao Perera de Arajuo in 1996.

But there was more controversy as the Association of Football Supporters (AFSOTT) and a group calling themselves the Concerned Clubs (CC) filed objections against FCOTT which had applied to the President to have the company declared a charitable and/or non profit organisation.
The objectors claimed that the aims and objectives of FCCOT were generally the same of the TTFA. The company later legitimized its status under the Companies Ordinance, Chapter 31, No. I, making it a limited liability company.
Some six months later, FCOTT would blame its failure to acquire charitable status which would have allowed contributors to gain tax concessions, as one of the reasons why it went broke and the organisation went dormant for sometime.


Following the failure to get past the first round for the France World Cup in 1996, the TTFA appointed an interim technical advisory committee (TAC) to help run the game in 1997.
This commitee comprised: Jimmy Blanc, Richard Brathwaite, Peter Granville, Sedley Joseph, Dr Alvin Henderson, Keith Look Loy and Ken Henry.
In addition, following a retreat in Mayaro which was attended by all TTFA officials, a task force was set up to draft a revise strategic plan for football. This group included Tim Nafziger, Rawle Jeffery, Robert Dumas, Edgar Vidale, Dwight Day and Trevor Murray.

In early January 1997, Warner was named as one of the FIFA Vice-presidents.
Almost immediately, he announced that a decision to give Trinidad and Tobago the rights to host the Junior World Cup in 2001 was being rescinded.
Warner had announced since 1994 that Trinidad and Tobago would host the tournament.
A pained Warner reported in 1997: “Although most countries are given four years in which to prepare for a World championships, Trinidad and Tobago was given seven. In a nutshell, nothing has been done, not a single thing, not a meeting nor a feasibility study conducted”
However, following a meeting with Government officials later in the year, Trinidad and Tobago went ahead with preparations for hosting its first World Cup tournament.

Warner’s FIFA affiliation had spin-off effects that could hardly have happened without his
influence.
For example, Warner announced that FIFA had approved $39 million for the Centre of Excellence in Macoya, east Trinidad, bringing the total funds for the massive sporting complex to $101 million.
Warner also gave the Association, which changed to the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation in 1998, its own home, complete with secretarial staff.
And the Concacaf headquarters was moved to Edward Street, Port of Spain.


Extracted from History of Football in Trinidad and Tobago by Valentino Singh
« Last Edit: April 16, 2008, 10:22:26 AM by Midknight »
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Offline trinbago

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Re: Football Wars : History of Football Administration in T&T 1981-1998
« Reply #1 on: April 16, 2008, 12:09:50 PM »
Great read !!
Warrior For Life !!

truetrini

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Re: Football Wars : History of Football Administration in T&T 1981-1998
« Reply #2 on: April 16, 2008, 12:37:54 PM »
been posted here before in various forms.  One point to note, the autor was paid by Jack Warner to chronicle this History of T&T's football.

Valentino Singh is a long term member of Harvard and played cricket for that club as well as savannah football.  He is close to Ollie Camps who at one time was President of Harvard.

I played Hockey for Harvard for 2 years we won second division the first year, got promoted to first division and subsequently were demoted for finishing last.  I then left Harvard for Notre Dame.

Tino as he is affectioanlly called is a decent enough fella, but as Sports editor for the T&T Guardian his paper somehow is often very sympathetic to Jack Warner and the TTFF.

Shaun Fuentes' articles/interviews and TTFF press releases appear as a regular feature in the Guardian.

Tino and myself remain friendly, but he is suspect as aJack Warner man.

Offline E-man

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Re: Football Wars : History of Football Administration in T&T 1981-1998
« Reply #3 on: April 16, 2008, 12:42:57 PM »
been posted here before in various forms.  One point to note, the autor was paid by Jack Warner to chronicle this History of T&T's football.

Valentino Singh is a long term member of Harvard and played cricket for that club as well as savannah football.  He is close to Ollie Camps who at one time was President of Harvard.

I played Hockey for Harvard for 2 years we won second division the first year, got promoted to first division and subsequently were demoted for finishing last.  I then left Harvard for Notre Dame.

Tino as he is affectioanlly called is a decent enough fella, but as Sports editor for the T&T Guardian his paper somehow is often very sympathetic to Jack Warner and the TTFF.

Shaun Fuentes' articles/interviews and TTFF press releases appear as a regular feature in the Guardian.

Tino and myself remain friendly, but he is suspect as aJack Warner man.

despite those caveats the above is a pretty good summary that I've only been able to piece together here and there from other sources, so thanks for posting it Midknight.

Wonder what happened with AFSOTT?

truetrini

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Re:Eman I doh have de time
« Reply #4 on: April 16, 2008, 02:00:21 PM »
But if yuh go here and search you may find what yuh looking for.  The entire history as told by Valentino Singh was posted on the TTFF site and removed later.

It was chocked full of dirt on Jack Warner..so the man must be move it..lol

http://web.archive.org/web/*/http://ttff.com

Offline Midknight

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Re: Football Wars : History of Football Administration in T&T 1981-1998
« Reply #5 on: April 16, 2008, 02:32:46 PM »
But if yuh go here and search you may find what yuh looking for.  The entire history as told by Valentino Singh was posted on the TTFF site and removed later.

It was chocked full of dirt on Jack Warner..so the man must be move it..lol

http://web.archive.org/web/*/http://ttff.com

Which is why I had downloaded every single word of it. I posted it because as evidenced by the content of another thread, quite a few were ignorant about these particular episodes of our football history.

As far as I concerned, T&T would be a much better place if the older heads wrote down these things and disseminated them instead of simply keeping the knowledge to themselves and discussing it in the rumshops, or saying, I around longer than you and I know more than you could ever learn...
Go Black if you want Jack to Track Back! I support all Soca Warriors - Red, White and Blacklisted.

D baddest SW compilation ever

Offline Dutty

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Re: Football Wars : History of Football Administration in T&T 1981-1998
« Reply #6 on: April 16, 2008, 02:38:50 PM »
after readin dat..Warner is definitely Emperor Palpatine

Who is Darth Vader now?
Little known fact: The online transportation medium called Uber was pioneered in Trinidad & Tobago in the 1960's. It was originally called pullin bull.

truetrini

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Re: Football Wars : History of Football Administration in T&T 1981-1998
« Reply #7 on: April 16, 2008, 02:45:04 PM »
But if yuh go here and search you may find what yuh looking for.  The entire history as told by Valentino Singh was posted on the TTFF site and removed later.

It was chocked full of dirt on Jack Warner..so the man must be move it..lol

http://web.archive.org/web/*/http://ttff.com

Which is why I had downloaded every single word of it. I posted it because as evidenced by the content of another thread, quite a few were ignorant about these particular episodes of our football history.

As far as I concerned, T&T would be a much better place if the older heads wrote down these things and disseminated them instead of simply keeping the knowledge to themselves and discussing it in the rumshops, or saying, I around longer than you and I know more than you could ever learn...

now which of the older heads have said such a thing???

Sad person.  it has been posted here before..I will try to look for it.

Offline vb

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Re: Football Wars : History of Football Administration in T&T 1981-1998
« Reply #8 on: April 16, 2008, 03:24:03 PM »
been posted here before in various forms.  One point to note, the autor was paid by Jack Warner to chronicle this History of T&T's football.

Valentino Singh is a long term member of Harvard and played cricket for that club as well as savannah football.  He is close to Ollie Camps who at one time was President of Harvard.

I played Hockey for Harvard for 2 years we won second division the first year, got promoted to first division and subsequently were demoted for finishing last.  I then left Harvard for Notre Dame.

Tino as he is affectioanlly called is a decent enough fella, but as Sports editor for the T&T Guardian his paper somehow is often very sympathetic to Jack Warner and the TTFF.

Shaun Fuentes' articles/interviews and TTFF press releases appear as a regular feature in the Guardian.

Tino and myself remain friendly, but he is suspect as aJack Warner man.

If you read his articles, Valentino stop lickign Warner ass long time.

VB
VITAMIN V...KEEPS THE LADIES HEALTHY...:-)

truetrini

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Re: Football Wars : History of Football Administration in T&T 1981-1998
« Reply #9 on: April 16, 2008, 03:28:23 PM »
been posted here before in various forms.  One point to note, the autor was paid by Jack Warner to chronicle this History of T&T's football.

Valentino Singh is a long term member of Harvard and played cricket for that club as well as savannah football.  He is close to Ollie Camps who at one time was President of Harvard.

I played Hockey for Harvard for 2 years we won second division the first year, got promoted to first division and subsequently were demoted for finishing last.  I then left Harvard for Notre Dame.

Tino as he is affectioanlly called is a decent enough fella, but as Sports editor for the T&T Guardian his paper somehow is often very sympathetic to Jack Warner and the TTFF.

Shaun Fuentes' articles/interviews and TTFF press releases appear as a regular feature in the Guardian.

Tino and myself remain friendly, but he is suspect as aJack Warner man.

If you read his articles, Valentino stop lickign Warner ass long time.

VB

That is not true.

After the World Cup which journalist recommended warner for one of the country's highest awards?  Which paper fails to talk out on Lasana's ban bt the TTFF?

Which paper never tells the whole story on the TTFF and Jack warner.

Maybe my fren has extracted his nose from up Warner's ass, but that may be due to health issues rather than a lack of desire to kiss Jack ass.

Midknight:

 I did not write down the History of the ttff me eh have time...
besides I have rum and I going under a coconut tree to lime...
And Jack eh pay me ah cent not one damn thing
he give hundreds ah thousands to Valentino Singh
So he do de honours and write everyting down
he say Warner wasnt easy but Jack was hardly ever wrong

He write about how Warner did much to destroy de elite clubs
How under he, Malvern Colts and Maple get de almighty snub
He also mentioned in ah paragraph or two somewhere in he book
How Warner rose to power and gave de TTFA ah new look
De constitution get change and Warner power get consolidated
And how he put Camps, yuh know de fella who always look constipated?
In Charge of de Football and appoint heself special advisor
and how Jack make sure he son was de TTFA treasurer

He mention a little about de failed Strike Squad Campaign
and how Warner oversell de stadium and about de nation's pain
he tell about how warner did have to mortgage off he real estate
tuh finance the TTFA and put ah little ka ka dah on dey collection plate
and how Warner did skull FIFA big general council to get he fren Blatter to be FIFA Prezie
How de Haitians was absent so he make ah Jakan vote in Haiti place and shout out oui

Tino book, while not always full of Jack's Praise was generally good
I feel he make Jack out to be some kind ah robbing Hood
But the truth is dat Jack is ah vindictive so and so and he create mayhem
he ban good players from repping we like Sammy Llewellyn
And coaches he remove from doing a damn good on dey vocation
jes because dem eh pick warner floopy ears son
Warner did look pretty good when we qualify and went World Cup in Germany
But ah broken clock is right twice in ah day meh good fren Observer did remind me.

« Last Edit: April 16, 2008, 04:30:16 PM by truetrini »

Offline asylumseeker

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Re: Football Wars : History of Football Administration in T&T 1981-1998
« Reply #10 on: April 16, 2008, 04:19:33 PM »
TT, ah could commission yuh to drop ah iambic pentameter or ah haiku?

truetrini

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Re: Football Wars : History of Football Administration in T&T 1981-1998
« Reply #11 on: April 16, 2008, 04:31:07 PM »
TT, ah could commission yuh to drop ah iambic pentameter or ah haiku?

sorry ah busy with de Hillary Campaign.

check back after August!

Offline Midknight

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Re: Football Wars : History of Football Administration in T&T 1981-1998
« Reply #12 on: April 16, 2008, 04:31:29 PM »
Midknight:

 I did not write down the History of the ttff me eh have time...
besides I have rum and I going under a coconut tree to lime...

I wasn't calling you or anyone else on the board and I wasn't referring specifically to football.

It is an attitude I have come across with my interaction with a certain number of older people, generally older men with a certain experience that has embittered them.
As we have developped and we have become less generous and trusting, those that can relate the stories have become close minded and closed mouthed
As a people we have an oral tradition which usually means that history and experiences disappear with the people that lived them.

I'm deploring, and trying to counter a historical process, don't take it as a personal attack of any kind.

Cheers
Go Black if you want Jack to Track Back! I support all Soca Warriors - Red, White and Blacklisted.

D baddest SW compilation ever

truetrini

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Re: Football Wars : History of Football Administration in T&T 1981-1998
« Reply #13 on: April 16, 2008, 04:33:05 PM »
Midknight:

 I did not write down the History of the ttff me eh have time...
besides I have rum and I going under a coconut tree to lime...

I wasn't calling you or anyone else on the board and I wasn't referring specifically to football.

It is an attitude I have come across with my interaction with a certain number of older people, generally older men with a certain experience that has embittered them.
As we have developped and we have become less generous and trusting, those that can relate the stories have become close minded and closed mouthed
As a people we have an oral tradition which usually means that history and experiences disappear with the people that lived them.

I'm deploring, and trying to counter a historical process, don't take it as a personal attack of any kind.

Cheers
Wasn't really, jes taking ah jab at Wim I was.

Offline asylumseeker

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Re: Football Wars : History of Football Administration in T&T 1981-1998
« Reply #14 on: April 16, 2008, 04:42:07 PM »
TT, ah could commission yuh to drop ah iambic pentameter or ah haiku?

sorry ah busy with de Hillary Campaign.

check back after August!

Yuh writing swansongs too?  :rotfl:

 

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