Tim Kee slams negative reporting of TTFA
By JOEL BAILEY (NEWSDAY).
Raymond Tim Kee yesterday slammed what he considers the negative reporting of the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) by the national media, as he sought to defend his nearly three-year-long tenure as president of the local governing body for football.
Tim Kee made his feelings known during a lengthy address at the VIP Lounge, Hasely Crawford Stadium, Mucurapo, during a media conference which announced the support of NGC CNG Company Limited to the National Super League.
Tim Kee, who took over from Lennox Watson as president of the TTFA in November 2012, has seen a number of debatable issues occur under his watch, including last week’s revelation that FIFA, the global governing body, has put a halt to their annual funding of the TTFA.
The halt arose as a result of the current FIFA investigation by the United States Department of Justice and auditing firm KPMG.
Focusing his attention on the media personnel gathered at the media conference, he noted, “the media plays an important part in anything where there are people and there are those who depend on the media for guidance and information.
“But the emphasis must be on truth,” he emphasised. “Truth and sincere interest in the discipline of the sport in which you report.” Commenting on who he called “a few media people who get ‘kicks’ out of misrepresenting facts,” Tim Kee said, “(they say) things that only infuriate possible sponsors, as I have been told by one or two corporate citizens.”
Tim Kee made it clear that “football does not belong to the TT A. The TTFA are facilitators. Football belongs to the people of this country and therefore there should be respect for all, by all and we pursue excellence in football.”
With regards to the FIFA funding scenario, Tim Kee related, “it was suggested that TT FA was the only Association who suffered that situation with FIFA.” He revealed that he met with one of the senior partners of KPMG who stressed, according to Tim Kee, “the TTFA has done nothing wrong. The TT FA has done all they were supposed to have done.
“TTFA was not the culprit,” he added.
“Nothing that happened was within our control. Accounts for the TTFA were not done since 2008.
“About three to four months ago, (the auditors) had completed 2008, 2009, 2010 and they had completed 2011, 2012 and they were going into 2013, exactly as we had promised the Minister (of Sport Brent Sancho).”
After commending the staff members of the TTFA, as well as technical staff members of the various national teams, for working under dire financial constraints, Tim Kee said, “I plead to you media people, please understand whenever you write something that is negative, the corporate citizens on the outside, who may otherwise be enticed or encouraged to assist, will hold and withdraw.” He continued, “it does not do me anything.
I am completely transient. It does our young people harm because we struggle literally with $5 million a year.” Despite his public feud with the Sports Minister, Tim Kee stated, “we have to give thanks to the Ministry of Sport and the Sports Company.”