Major TTFF changes afoot; Muhammad tipped for managerial return
By Lasana Liburd (Wired868.com)
Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation (TTFF) president Raymond Tim Kee told Wired868.com on the weekend that the local football fraternity should expect “major changes” in February.
However, Tim Kee stopped short of saying whether general secretary Richard Groden would be replaced or if, as rumoured, ex-national team manager David Muhammad will return to his former post.
“I think (Muhammad) was unceremoniously replaced,” Tim Kee told Wired868, “and anyone who was replaced for no reason, we will put that right. And that will be part of our discussions in the next management committee meeting…
“I have observed certain things (within our present managerial structure) where changes have to be effected. But it must first be shared with the executive committee before it can be implemented.
“What I can say is, by the end of this month, there will be some major changes.”
The national senior team is managed by former Secondary School Cricket League (SSCL) president William Wallace at present.
“I ended the year as national team manager and noone has told me anything since,” said Williams. “If a new management is in stream, then all I would expect is the courtesy to be told what is happening. I don’t think I own this position or anyone owes me anything. I would just expect some courtesy.”
Ironically, Wallace’s own appointment was also controversial as he replaced then national under-23 team manager Norris Ferguson, who felt he was being victimised by then interim TTFF president Lennox Watson.
Tim Kee was coy when asked if Groden had a future within the TTFF under his leadership.
“The entire administrative arm of the operation has and continues to be seriously analysed,” he said, “and adjustments are expected to be made.”
Muhammad, who is head of the Louis Farrakhan-inspired “Black Agenda Project” and a motivational speaker, was reserved when asked whether he was approached to return to football or if he had proposed himself. But he made it clear that he would welcome his old job.
“I will welcome the opportunity to once again serve my country doing a job that I dearly loved,” said Muhammad. “I most certainly do have a passion towards the job… If reappointed I will do my best to manage, organise, communicate with, network, inform and motivate the players and staff to continue to strive for excellence and also seek to reintroduce some earlier standards.
“My knowledge and experience in the field of Human Resource Management shall also once again be applied to my tasks.”
Muhammad served as national team manager under Colombian Francisco Maturana and local icon Russell Latapy and his tenure was not without controversy.
During his first stint, Trinidad and Tobago’s record scorer Stern John was informed of his non-selection for one game via text message, a bewildered Densill Theobald was left out of the team for close to a year after not taking up the captain’s armband for a friendly match and Maturana once claimed that a squad was selected and relayed to the media without his knowledge.
It is not known whether Muhammad had any role in any those incidents though and he insisted that his work was above reproach.
“I was the national team manager for 76 matches, traveling to 22 countries,” he said. “As far as I am aware, no one has questioned my output as manager before. I have always been available 24/7… I never allowed any impediment to become too much of an obstacle (to the national team) in the past.”
Tim Kee is expected to meet FIFA president Sepp Blatter in Zurich, Switzerland today and promised to petition the global body for funds that might allow him to reach a settlement with the 2006 World Cup players.
More than six years after the Germany-based tournament, Trinidad and Tobago’s World Cup players still do not know what they are owed as they have never been privy to credible accounting documents.
But Tim Kee does not blame KPMG for the fiasco and said the TTFF will continue to work with the accounting firm.
“KPMG are also FIFA’s auditors,” he said. “They are top draw.”
One change that Tim Kee does plan to implement is the hiring of a finance department and an internal compliance auditor so as to improve the TTFF’s ability to manage its money.
He also claimed that a constitutional review committee was already in place and almost finished with recommendations to address the abnormal balance of power within the local game. The TTFF constitution, at present, ensures that zonal administrators and not football clubs have the ability to choose and remove the TTFF executive body.
In all the aforementioned matters, Tim Kee insisted that he would provide more details after his next executive committee meeting.
