Another start to football in T&T
By Andre E. Baptiste (T&T Guardian)
Football has experienced so many beginnings that one has to wonder how is it that for such a small country like ours with a population of just 1.3 million, there are so many occasions when the beginning and the end have almost existed simultaneously. If you are confused, then examine below some of the beginnings which have actually materialized in many cases to be the end of football or the end of an era. There is no specific order, although if you are intelligent as most of my accomplished readers are, you will be able to discern there is no correlation between any of the beginnings, except to say, that they all promised much but realized little.
In the beginning there was football as we know it in T&T. In the beginning there was football with Eric James in T&T. In the beginning there was football with Austin Jack Warner in T&T. In the beginning there was football with the 1974 team which was robbed of a place in the World Cup finals by Haiti. In the beginning there was the Strike Squad in Italy before November 19, 1989. In the beginning there was the Soca Warriors of Germany 2006. In the end, our football is yet to begin.
So as we look ahead to another new beginning without Jack Warner, several questions ring out in my head. How will the T&T Football Federation function without their special advisor? And will a new advisor be appointed? Will he/she be anointed by his predecessor? As we are all aware, not many decisions were made by the TTTF without some input from Warner. As a result, one must wonder what will happen now. Will Oliver Camps have the final say in all things football or will it be Richard Groden? Will either of them be able to do this after such dependency on Warner? It would appear that Keith look Loy is the new mouthpiece of the TTTF, whether this is by choice or circumstance, this country will hopefully know in the coming days.
It would appear that while football lovers in the country await answers on the future without Warner, nobody in TTTF has any ideas or could care less about the interest of the population whom they are represent. It is this disdain that continues to work against this administration. Let’s not make any bones about it, T&T’s football is at the crossroads - one of the greatest upheavals of modern time took place in the last few weeks. It is not the first time we find ourselves in this position.
From the days of Eric James to Jack Warner, we have witnessed an almost obsessive control of our football rights and culture. This is alien in most modern sport in the civilized world and while we cannot pretend that Warner’s overpowering control did not have positive results at times, his departure now would leave us in shambles since we are devoid of any back up plans. Perhaps the current executive will tell us that all of this caught them on the back foot and they will recover - the fact that nobody will believe that is not very important to them. It is possible they may still be muttering under their breaths about the way the American Chuck Blazer engineered Warner’s fall. But this is not Warner’s fault, he did not put himself there and all of them, including Blazer, were there for the ride with Warner as their pilot. But that is aside. Now comes the real test. People must do things without Warner’s wisdom and guile. So what can we expect? Hopefully Ollie Camps will tender his resignation. This would be the best thing for him and football. At his age 80 (born May 4, 1931), it is time for him to spend his coming years in peace and not be bothered by the incessant demands of being football president.
With Warner’s resignation, a lot of the benefits that would have accrued to him, will have most likely dissipated. It is also clear that Richard Groden needs to go. He may have a lot of information to pass on to his successor, but a new dispensation is needed to handle our football. All of this will be mute if these men do not resign voluntary, as they were elected for four years in 2010, so that if we are to change the dynamics of our football, somebody is going to have to make some waves and ensure this happens quickly, before the current team acquire a change of heart and start to believe they can continue in their current incarnations at the TTTF. The problem will be to find persons willing to be saddled with the responsibility of charting the course forward. It does not only mean ensuring that current coach Otto Pfister is paid by Government through the Ministry of Sports. It is much more than that. Perhaps a clear and definite explanation on the untimely removal of Lincoln “Tiger” Phillips as technical director would be a good way to start the healing. It is no secret that it was an over ambitious man who replaced Phillips and one in whom Warner had tremendous faith.
Will he now be able to do any of the things which Phillips so successfully did, now that there is no Warner? I doubt it. I am not sure how many within the current ranks of the Federation are deserving of their place there. Men who will stand for honesty and fair play and who would not be overcome by greed and power. Men who would not let personal privilege and rank interfere with their duty to their country. The requirement list gets longer and longer and I daresay I am not convinced there are (m)any. Of course, I can provide some names who are qualified to serve football but whose forthright attitude was not sanctioned by Warner over the years.
These include Richard Braithwaite, Mary Sui Butt, Kirk Waithe, Errol Arjune, Joseph Hadeed, Ken Butcher, Ruthven Smith, Charles Campbell, Ian Lee Sing, Stuart Young, Roger Williams, Peter Samuel, Fareez Hosein, Robert Hadad, Dr Iva Gloudon, Gerald Lee, Peter Gittens, Anthony Pierre, Kyle Rudden, Angela Lee Loy, Colin Wharfe and Nicholas Gomez.
Some of the above names will seem alien but these are all persons of integrity whose honesty cannot be faulted and in whom we can trust our football to improve. I am certain we will all be able to sleep better with this sort of leadership. We must ensure the Federation’s link with Concacaf is not affected by the change of leadership and it will be interesting to find out what will happen to the Centre of Excellence, Macoya. The future of former Pro League champions, Joe Public FC, will also have to be addressed, as too will several from this country who have FIFA appointments through the tireless work of Jack Warner. There is a lot to be sorted out. As for Warner, this must be a blessing for him as a Minister. He is now a free man in many ways. And still holds a tremendous amount of power. Can anyone imagine him not being in the limelight? As we look to the future, let us all hope that in the interest of football and country, we are served by a new dispensation that will advance our football. That, I am sure will be a relief to all of us!
