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Author Topic: De Minister of Sport doing everything but Sports !!!!  (Read 90489 times)

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Offline asylumseeker

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Re: De Minister of Sport doing everything but Sports !!!!
« Reply #420 on: March 09, 2021, 11:44:58 AM »
WATCH Sport Minister Cudjoe speaks about football's larger societal impact and World Cup qualification.

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/1MZ-9RFQdWk" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/1MZ-9RFQdWk</a>

Offline Deeks

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Re: De Minister of Sport doing everything but Sports !!!!
« Reply #421 on: March 09, 2021, 01:49:57 PM »
Shamfa, Shamfa, Shamfa!!!!

Offline Flex

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Re: De Minister of Sport doing everything but Sports !!!!
« Reply #422 on: March 10, 2021, 02:47:19 AM »
Shamfa excited over future of T&T football.
By Joel Bailey (T&T Newsday).


SHAMFA Cudjoe, Minister of Sports and Community Development, is excited over the future of T&T football.

Cudjoe was speaking during a video interview, issued by the TT Football Association (TTFA), on Monday.

The Sports Minister met with members of the T&T men’s football team, members of the TTFA and Commissioner of Police Gary Griffith on Saturday, after the TT squad defeated Orange XI of Tobago 8-0 in a warm-up match at the Police Barracks, St James.

The T&T squad are preparing for a pair of 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, against Guyana on March 25 and Puerto Rico three days later.

“I was invited by the Commissioner of Police Gary Griffith,” said Cudjoe. “I’m thankful for the opportunity to interact with the guys and hear how passionate they are about the game, how they want to see the sport restored to its former glory, about getting ready for the international games. Like I said to them, football is everybody’s game, whether you have played (or) never kicked a ball in your life.”

T&T football made the headlines for the wrong reasons in 2020, as FIFA removed the TTFA executive, led by William Wallace, in March and installed a normalisation committee, headed by Robert Hadad.

FIFA also suspended the TTFA from September to October after the Wallace executive challenged their removal in the local High Court, instead of the Switzerland-based Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

Cudjoe said, “There is a lot of rumbling taking place at this point, but I’m pleased to see that hope is still alive, that we have everybody on board, the stakeholders down to the Commissioner of Police, just trying to get in there and make the investment of their time and their talent.

“The Government continues to make its investment and support T&T football,” she continued. “We are going through a difficult time as it relates to covid. We look forward to all these new ideas towards the resurgence of football.”

The Minister recently held meetings with T&T coach Terry Fenwick, Griffith, Hadad and the Sports Company of T&T “to hear of some of their plans, what they are thinking about and the way forward for (T&T) football.”

Cudjoe added, “We can all move forward in a harmonious way. I’m excited and hopeful that we can get it together this time.”

Watch: Sport Minister Cudjoe talks about Football's Positive Impact; Anticipates upcoming W/Cup Qualifier

The real measure of a man's character is what he would do if he knew he would never be found out.

Offline Flex

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Re: De Minister of Sport doing everything but Sports !!!!
« Reply #423 on: May 25, 2021, 12:50:52 AM »
Cudjoe: No money to repay TTFA debt.
By Walter Alibey (T&T Newsday).


Minister of Sports and Community Development Shamfa Cudjoe has said her government’s focus right now is not to try and clear or repay any debt of the T&T Football Association.

Cudjoe in an interview on the I95.5FM Sports Programme with Andre Baptiste on Saturday made it clear that any money that will be put out by her government for football, will be for the development and upgrade of the athletes. The government last year, also took a very firm position to not assist the United TTFA under William Wallace in its fight to prevent the FIFA-appointed Normalisation Committee from replacing it as managers of the sport in T&T.

Then Cudjoe had said that if the normalization committee was coming to clear the existing debt, then it should be allowed, as her government was strapped for cash.

The COVID-19 pandemic has sought to make situations worse for sports and funding, but the inability of the normalization committee to clear the existing debt to date has created little concern for the minister.

She gave the assurance the Sport Company of T&T (SporTT) has been working alongside the TTFA and FIFA to come up with a plan to ensure the liquidation of a debt of $98.5 million which was released to the public by the normalisation committee, following an audit by Ernest and Young (EY) recently.

The debt did not surprise Cudjoe, but she said she awaits the proposal coming to her desk from SporTT and the TTFA/NC to see how good it will be and what she plans to do.

“There are many lessons to be learnt from this TTFA experience for other NGBs, that relates to proper leadership, accountability, transparency, proper management and so on because this problem with the TTFA did not start today, yesterday or even two or five years ago, so there’s a lot of work to be done.

Rome was not built in a day, so TTFA has some significant work to be done. I don’t want to pre-empt the action or the proposal or the discussions they are having with FIFA.

I know they’re working on some sort of plan, so until I see their final plan or the different options they are considering, I can’t say how good it is just yet.”

Cudjoe also had some advice for the embattled football association, while commending people like Robert Hadad, chairman of the normalization committee, and others who have been working diligently on what has to be done to bring the sport back to a position of normalcy.

“TTFA needs to meet with all the different bodies, the different arms and units. No one group can do this alone, and of course, there is still a lot of issues still boiling and bubbling in the football fraternity in T&T.

For them to make any significant leap forward, conversations must take place and they must try and unite to at least get football back to some sort of normalcy. So, I commend those who are working diligently right now, and are trying to get that kind of work done, Hadad and his team at the TTFA to Douglas Camacho and his team at the SporTT, as well as all other stakeholders.”

Only last week the normalization committee revealed that Ernest and Young (EY) will also work with them to devise a proper plan to clear the existing debt.

The real measure of a man's character is what he would do if he knew he would never be found out.

Offline ABTrini

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Re: De Minister of Sport doing everything but Sports !!!!
« Reply #424 on: May 25, 2021, 01:20:50 AM »
TTFA- serves :
-A . development of football programs of TnT
B.   The pro league?
C:  act as the local football governance for FIFA
D-  FIFA's asset management and dispersal of funds

If any of these are indeed some aspect of truth where and why ought the government to be involved?

I recalleda prior government' attempt to create a sporting  e Tito - SPORTT(sic)  weallknow the story of how funds were channeled by one AR ministry.

Ent the Normalization committee was put in place to right the alleged wrongdoing bs and correct mismanagement? In TnT dat eh as easy as dey figured? Is ah.egacy of incompetence- so much so that it has become 'normal' so to even attempt to bring normalacy is only being swallowed by a web of further incompetencies. FIFA should know - if it e tbreak doh try to fix it !!! ( tongue in cheek)


Offline Flex

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Re: De Minister of Sport doing everything but Sports !!!!
« Reply #425 on: January 29, 2023, 01:29:13 PM »
Ex-sport minister Darryl Smith abandons tennis lawsuit.
By Jada Loutoo (T&T Newsday).


FORMER sport and community development minister Darryl Smith has abandoned his threat of legal action against the Tennis Association of TT over the non-selection of his children in the national junior tennis programme.

Notice of Smith’s abandoning his challenge came in a statement from the association.

Smith, the father of junior tennis players Yeshowah Campbell-Smith, 15, and Abba Campbell-Smith, 11, issued a pre-action protocol letter to the association challenging his children’s non-selection to train with the national teams.

The statement said they were told of Smith’s decision by his attorney.

The association said its executive continued to strive to be fair, transparent and equitable in dispensing its duties.

Last week, Smith's lawyer Amy Rajkumar sent a legal letter which also threatened to seek an injunction against the association unless it reversed its decision to exclude his children from the national junior development and performance programme for under 14s and under 16s.

The event was postponed to allow Smith to pursue the proposed legal action.

Rajkumar claimed the children's exclusion based on their relatively low rankings was due to TATT's failure to host local competitive tournaments over the past two years.

"The TATT cannot reasonably expect athletes to prepare for any regional/international (meet) without proper notice of when the event is likely to take place or even estimated to take place," Rajkumar said.

Despite Smith's younger children being excluded, his older daughter Em-Miryam Campbell-Smith was selected to participate in the programme.

Rajkumar had said the association would benefit as the best teams would be selected for World Junior Tennis Championships (Under 14 Team) and the Junior Davis Cup (Under 16 Team).

"Excluding two world-ranking athletes from the selection playoff will only be to the detriment of the TATT team being selected to represent TT," she said.

In response to the threat of legal action, the association’s attorney Clay Hackett said neither child was eligible for participation in the training programme having regard to the operation and conjoint effect of the junior selection policy, the national junior ranking system policy and the related rules and guidelines.

He also said Yeshowa, having turned 15, could no longer be ranked in the under-14 category where he ranked fifth. He is now at the 19th spot in the under-16 category and only participated in one under-16 tournament, gaining ten points,

Hackett also said Abba needed to be 11 to be eligible for under-14 regional and international tournaments and she only attained the age on December 8, last year.

He said she only participated in under-12 events which would not have assisted her in the under-14 rankings.

Hackett also denied that his client acted unreasonably in not hosting the tournaments during the pandemic due to public health regulations that were in place at the time.

The real measure of a man's character is what he would do if he knew he would never be found out.

Offline Flex

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Re: De Minister of Sport doing everything but Sports !!!!
« Reply #426 on: April 24, 2023, 12:23:41 AM »
Sport & Culture Fund blank for community youth group but....
By Ian Prescott (T&T Express).


No explanation

THE DREAM of playing in Sweden’s Gothia Cup this summer seem to have ended for young footballers of the Powerful United Football Academy (PUFA) after their application for additional funding was denied by the Sport and Culture Fund.

Should a generous corporate sponsor not come forth, or a successful late application to the Ministry of Sport and Community Development not materialise, it looks like the party will not be heading to Europe.

Through numerous barbecues, fund-raising initiatives, and the effort of parents, the Academy had on its own raised a substantial portion of the funding needed, and was anticipating Sport & Culture Fund assistance to get the 46-member party to Sweden, to participate at what is regarded as the biggest youth tournament in the world.

The main disappointment for Academy director Nyron Jones is the manner of the denial, given PUFA’s mandate to create opportunities for children in at-risk communities. “We applied to the Sport and Culture Fund in the Office of the Prime Minister, and our request was denied without explanation,” Jones informed.

At a recent funding ceremony, held at the National Aquatic Centre, Sport and Community Development Minister, Shamfa Cudjoe, announced a commitment to give priority assistance to groups such as PUFA, which operate in at-risk communities.

So, why didn’t PUFA apply to the Sport Ministry then? “As of this morning we will do just that,” stated Jones, who explained that from past experience they would have been directed to the Sport and Culture Fund. “So, we decided to apply directly to them,” he said.

Jones was disappointed, given the work his organisation is doing in the community, which includes offering remedial classes to the youths.

On any given Saturday, and in the early hours when many might still be asleep, young footballers attached to the PUFA Academy are gathering to train at the Phase 6 ground, which is located in the country’s largest housing project of La Horquetta, in East Trinidad.

It was the very same playing field that was highlighted after the Christmas Day murder of 20-year-old Isaiah Commissiong, the related shooting of a female police officer and the subsequent police shooting of a resident, all resulting from a disagreement among young men in the area. Days later, PUFA was back on the same field and working.

Powerful United had hoped to carry three teams to Sweden, with players representing La Horquetta and other Eastern communities, as well as Tobago. On its website, the Swedish organisers are anticipating that Trinidad and Tobago will be represented in the Gothia Cup, between July 16-22.

“Trinidad and Tobago will be represented in Gothia Cup for the very first time. Powerful United Football Academy will bring three teams to Gothia Cup this summer. The players are very excited,” Gothia Cup stated on its website.

Additionally, PUFA manager Jodi Goodridge was quoted as stating: “It feels great for us to have three teams registered as we aim on giving all our players the opportunity to display their talents and the experience to travel.”

A previous Powerful Academy tour to Canada represented the first time most of the young footballers ever went on an airplane or travelled out of T&T and the Caribbean. Jones believes Gothia Cup 2023 was both an opportunity at broadening the horizon of his young charges, offering opportunities for others to look to, and also exposing Trinidad and Tobago’s football talent.

“It’s really heartbreaking,” stated Jones. “Especially as we are providing a pathway for youth to move away from crime.”

The real measure of a man's character is what he would do if he knew he would never be found out.

 

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