Home of Football Thread

[Tallman]

Selling Home of Football could halve TTFA's $98.5m debt
By Jonathan Ramnanansingh (T&T Newsday)

SELLING the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association’s (TTFA) most prized asset – the Home of Football (HoF) in Couva – could almost halve its disturbing $98.5 million debt.

The HoF has an estimated value of $42.5 million and is now considered an option for re-sale to assist the association in significantly reducing its hefty bill.

This was confirmed in a statement by the normalisation committee (NC) on Monday which revealed its decision to appoint chartered financial analyst Maria Daniel to manage the TTFA’s debt repayment proposal.

The NC said it notified the supervisor of insolvency of its intent to make a proposal under the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act which will enable a structured approach to the restructuring of the TTFA and the preparation of a fair, transparent and acceptable payment proposal to address the debt.

After outlining her detailed itinerary to meet with, review and verify the claims of TTFA’s creditors to then implement a payment proposal, the HoF remains a valuable asset on the bargaining table towards TTFA’s financial recovery.

The statement said an independent third-party valuation will be done to determine the total value of TTFA’s assets as it seeks to reduce its massive debt.

“At this stage, all options are on the table; the sale of the Home of Football is definitely an option,” it read.

An article on Inside World Football on October 8, said the deed for the ownership of the land on which the HoF is built (and which FIFA provided grant aid to build), had not been secured in the name of the TTFA from the government.

But Minister of Sport and Community Development Shamfa Cudjoe on Wednesday cleared the air on the land’s ownership.

“The land is state land which is being leased to TTFA. The lease has not been perfected as yet. The government, as committed, will perfect the lease for the land on which the Home of Football has been built in favour of TTFA. Once perfected the TTFA will be able treat with the asset as they consider appropriate,” Cudjoe said via WhatsApp.

In 2018, then-TTFA president David John-Williams said a US$2.5 million (TT$16.85 million) grant was given to the association to build football’s new home.

The HoF project, he said, was the first fully funded FIFA Forward project — the organisation’s initiative to provide 360-degree, tailor-made support for football development.

The T&T government, however, supplied the TTFA with the 17.5-acre parcel of land on which the facility stands.

With the fraternity’s most prized possession now possibly up for grabs to the highest bidder, Veteran Footballers Foundation president Selby Browne believes it would be a harsh decision to part ways with the association’s most valuable asset.

“I supported John-Williams with the Home of Football because he did it at his own peril. He was abused and labelled for mismanagement but his actions caused the TTFA to have a million-dollar facility, and in reality, the TTFA’s only prized asset more than its 100 years in existence,” Browne said.

Newsday also contacted John-Williams for a comment on the possible sale of the HoF but he respectfully declined to speak on any football-related matters.

Regarding Daniel’s surprise appointment, Browne and United Football Coaches of TT head Jefferson George shared the view that the TTFA’s membership is continually being left in the dark on the NC’s moves to somehow restore the association’s financial competence.

Daniel is also a trustee license-holder under the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act  and partner in Transaction Advisory Services of Ernst and Young Services Ltd.

While Browne and George are observing the steps being taken by the NC to begin TTFA’s financial recovery process, the pair of administrators pointed out that this is just the start of an arduous process that would more than likely continue on when the NC’s 24-month reign at the helm of local football comes to an end in March 2022.

The NC was appointed in March last year after TTFA president William Wallace and his executive were removed after a Fifa/Concacaf fact-finding mission revealed, “extremely low overall financial management methods, combined with a massive debt, have resulted in the TTFA facing a very real risk of insolvency and illiquidity.”

They were replaced by the NC, headed by businessman Robert Hadad, and were tasked with four mandates over the 24-month period.

The NC was now responsible for running TTFA’s daily affairs and establishing a debt repayment plan that is implementable by the TTFA.

They were also tasked with reviewing and amending TTFA’s statutes (and other regulations where necessary) and to ensure their compliance with the FIFA statutes and requirements before submitting them for approval to the TTFA congress.

Additionally, to organise and conduct elections of a new TTFA executive committee for a four-year mandate.

Nineteen months on, George said the NC has since only covered FIFA’s first mandate of running the association’s daily affairs. Daniel’s sudden inclusion, he says, maybe a bit tardy on the NC’s part.

“Debt repayment would have been one of the main reasons the NC was appointed in March last year. I know there were drawbacks but it’s very late. Now you are coming out at this point not with a solution to the problem but an action to now begin to address it.

“At this late stage, this action now begins a lengthy process and the NC is supposed to be in charge for just over four more months.

“What happens if the creditors do not accept the settlement? There are a lot of things that we still need to get to the bottom of. Nobody thinks this is an easy situation but that’s the job,” he said.

Daniel’s process includes meetings with and the submission of claims (and supporting documents) by all creditors, a review and verification of the claims, and the development of a proposal to deal with the valid outstanding liabilities.

Once the proposal is developed and approved by the creditors, it will be sanctioned by the courts and the NC will implement the proposal in accordance with its terms.

George and Browne, however, think the TTFA membership should at least have been made aware of the NC’s decision to hire Daniel before its public announcement on Monday.

[maxg]

Selling Home of Football could halve TTFA's $98.5m debt
By Jonathan Ramnanansingh (T&T Newsday)

Back to page 1.  Centre of Excellence, Home of Football..How about for the next funding throw way and mess  ahmm ahmm ......National Elite Xeric Training  Centre (united national tacticians and soccer schools)
Nextc**tss

smh.. Can barely maintain, but we can build. Spoke to the maintenance crew at CCCan last year. 4 ppl to do cleaning the whole pool building during and after events, 2 guys and 2 girls. They had to lift and carry the garbage over 500 yards away. I counted 8 administrators in the office, awaiting questions and to provide service. Build. how the Lara build going.
ps: the maintenance staff and security personnel did and wanted to say more, but asked me to keep things on the low, as they were afraid of losing their jobs. I already gave the story about the police checkpoint .

ref: http://www.socawarriors.net/forum/index.php?topic=1508.msg975722#msg975722

[Bourbon]

So.......given that its leased land...and the lease isnt perfected yet......somebody would buy the building and lease the land?
 

[Tallman]

Home of Football marks second anniversary
By Jelani Beckles (T&T Newsday)

THREE times in the past three decades, mid-November has marked a significant moment in the history of Trinidad and Tobago football.

On November 19, 1989, tears flowed at the Hasely Crawford Stadium in Port of Spain as the Strike Squad missed out on qualification for the 1990 Italy World Cup after losing to the US 1-0. The Strike Squad needed at least a draw.

Sixteen years later, on November 16, 2005, there were tears again, but on this occasion tears of joy, after a header from Dennis Lawrence gave the Soca Warriors a 1-0 win over Bahrain which clinched a spot for this country at the 2006 World Cup in Germany. It’s still the only time T&T have qualified for the World Cup.

Fast-forward 14 years to November 18, 2019, and the Home of Football in Couva was opened in what could be described as a lavish opening.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino, the Prime Minister, Concacaf president Victor Montagliani and then president of the T&T Football Association (TTFA) David John-Williams were all there.

The facility which was the first of its kind in T&T. The Home of Football, funded through FIFA’s Forward Programme, includes a 72-room hotel aimed to allow the T&TFA to become self-sustainable. It is also intended to develop the next generation of T&T’s footballers as it is equipped with multiple training fields.

FIFA pumped US$2.5 million into it, but it was a collaborative effort with the Government, Concacaf and the TTFA. The Government provided the land.

In the months before it opened the Home of Football was buzzing with site visits.

In January 2019, a team of UEFA officials visited to help guide the operations. The facility was opened just six days before the TTFA’s annual general meeting on November 24, 2019.

Despite the elaborate opening, John-Williams lost the elections to William Wallace.

Four months later, in March 2020, FIFA removed the TTFA and appointed a normalisation committee, led by businessman Robert Hadad, to run local football. The world governing body cited reasons why it took the decision to disband the local football association, naming a huge debt as one reason. Was the opening of the Home of Football a political move before the TTFA elections? When it opened, was FIFA already planning to disband the TTFA?

A wasted asset?

Since it opened, the Home of Football has been underutilised, for a number of reasons. A week after the opening, new TTFA president Wallace shut it down because approvals were still pending and the property had no insurance.

“We found out some of the approvals are not in place, for example, fire approvals. You can’t have people in a building without fire approval,” Wallace told Newsday in November 2019. Wallace was contacted for a comment but he declined. The building is now fit to use. Though deemed unfit at the time, it was able successfully to host the Caribbean Football Union Girls Under-14 Challenge series at the end of October 2019, just weeks before the official opening. Approximately 150 girls stayed there for the tournament.

Two weeks later, the Anguilla men’s senior football team stayed there for a match against the Soca Warriors on November 10.

When the normalisation committee took over in March 2020, the covid19 pandemic started to affect T&T, bringing sport to a halt. The Home of Football was used during the pandemic, but not for footballers to battle on the field. It was used as a step-down facility for recovering patients. Hadad was happy that local football could do its part to battle the virus.

The original vision

The ribbon was cut on November 18, 2019 to open the Home of Football, but planning for a similar facility kicked off in 2015.

Brent Sancho, former minister of sport and youth affairs under the PP government, said former president of the TTFA Raymond Tim Kee approached him with the idea.

“A lot of people would not know that this idea and concept was under (the) deceased Raymond Tim Kee.”

Sancho said discussions were held and building the facility in Marabella was the target.

Shortly after preliminary talks were held the PNM won the general election in September 2015 and Sancho was no longer Minister of Sport.

In November, 2015 John-Williams replaced Tim Kee and a new vision was established.

“From where that (facility) was from inception and the idea for it to where it ended up being, I think that is where the travesty is in it. I don’t want to just look at it as the two-year anniversary of a deplorable building. I think we have to understand the entire context of what it is and where it came from,” Sancho said.

During the project, TTFA board members called on John-Williams and the TTFA executive to be open and transparent about the details of the project, including contracts.

“I think at the end of the day, for the T&T Football Association to own something is extremely important and it goes well within FIFA’s aim, it goes well within football’s aim,” Sancho said.

Home of Football for sale?

Now the FIFA-appointed normalisation committee is considering selling the Home of Football to help reduce a huge debt of $98.5 million, which has increased over past administrations. It has an estimated value of $42.5 million.

Sancho does not think the Home of Football can be sold without dialogue with the TTFA membership.

“First of all, it is a very unfortunate statement (that they are thinking of selling it) and a surprising one as well. I am not an accountant and certainly not a legal expert, but I do know that within our constitution, these things have to pass by the membership, and from where I sit, as being a member, of course you would not want that to happen.”

Sancho, a member of T&T’s 2006 World Cup team, said the problems in T&T football are everyone’s problems.

“However, let me be very clear that at the end of the day the problems in football have been caused by football. There is no one in football should look at it and think it’s ‘their’ problem, or a ‘he’ problem or a ‘she’ problem.”

Sancho said the debt was caused by “horrific decisions” spanning several years.

The Home of Football is a crucial pillar in developing football in T&T, he said.

“I do hope that the selling of the Home of Football is not an option, and other means and ways can be found to solve this problem (of debt).”

‘Most significant vision in T&T football’

TTFA member Selby Browne is an advocate for the Home of Football.

“It’s the most significant vision and investment in the history of T&T football,” Browne said.

Browne said in the 110-year history of the TTFA there has been no such asset or facility. He praised John-Williams for pursuing the venture of developing the facility.

Reflecting on what John-Williams had to endure, Browne said he was “severely criticised” over the project. But Browne said John-Williams aimed to create revenue for the TTFA, which was struggling financially.

“Before coming into office in November 2015 the total assets of the TTFA was approximately $180,000. At the AGM in November, 2019 the assets were estimated at $100 million.”

Browne recalled the opening of the Home of Football, which John-Williams worked to get off the ground.

“Two years ago that facility was opened by no less a person than the Prime Minister of T&T, the president of FIFA and the president of the Concacaf. It demonstrated to all the membership that the full support of these three gentlemen was in place for the well-being and further development of the TTFA.”

Couva has become a hub for sport in T&T, as multiple venues, many of international standard, have been built in the community. The National Cycling Velodrome, the National Aquatic Centre, the National Cricket Centre and the Home of Football, which includes the Ato Boldon Stadium, are all in walking distance.

Browne said all national athletes could stay at the Home of Football and train at any of the nearby facilities.

Revenue can also be earned through Carnival events.

“If people don’t understand the value of that property I wish them well…that is the sporting campus of T&T. All national teams could come there and train.”

Asked how he feels that the Home of Football may be sold, Browne said, “If there is any decision to sell the Home of Football there are those of us among the membership of the TTFA who would purchase that property.”

Unanswered questions

When Newsday contacted John-Williams, he chose not to comment on the record.

In multiple interviews over the years, John-Williams has repeatedly spoken about ensuring the TTFA has assets.

In an interview on TV6 back in 2018, John-Williams said the TTFA has to “create a business model that is going to allow T&T football to be self-sustainable.”

Newsday was not successful in contacting Dr Rowley or Minister of Health Terrence Deyalsingh for a comment. The health minister was contacted because the Home of Football was used in the battle against covid19 – one of the few times the facility was used. Deyalsingh was asked in a WhatsApp message what he thought of its quality .

On Monday, Newsday sent questions to FIFA about the Home of Football’s lack of use over the past two years. However, up to press time, FIFA had not responded to any of Newsday’s questions. The following are the questions sent to FIFA:

“As a contributor how does it feel to see the facility underutilised during the past two years? (I am aware the covid19 pandemic has greatly affected TT since March 2020).

“The normalisation committee (now in charge of TT football) is considering selling the Home of Football to help reduce the TT Football Association (TTFA) debt. Are you concerned that all the money FIFA invested will go to waste?”

Newsday also asked, “Do you hope that the TTFA will be able to use the facility in the future to become self-sufficient? How important is it for footballing nations to become self-sufficient and not depend on FIFA?”

[Deeks]

Sell it to who? And on the cheap?

[socalion]

Selling the home of football should not even be mentioned as a consideration for the current debt crisis facing the ttfa ........ Exclude that idea , let NC  find other means in order to address the current debt .... The home of football must be kept  for the purposes it was meant for full stop !

[Tallman]

In recent months, Trinidad and Tobago, and the Cycling Federation in particular, has made significant steps toward finally realising a future that includes sport tourism.

But at least one administrator holds the view that it requires a more cohesive approach – one that focuses on the needs of the collective rather than the individual ambitions of any one National Sporting Organisation.

To this end, Mr. Lewis says the Home of Football and its 72-room hotel should be considered integral to making the Couva facility cluster the centre of this country’s Sport Tourism ambitions.

The facility has been mired in controversy since its construction, but Lewis hopes that, alongside transparency, good sense will prevail.

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/19VoyHSkiuA" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/19VoyHSkiuA</a>

[Tallman]

Olympic Committee head Lewis: TTFA should hold on to Home of Football
By Jonathan Ramnanansingh (T&T Newsday)

NATIONAL Olympic Committee president Brian Lewis disagrees that the Home of Football (HoF) in Couva should be sold to offset a large chunk of the T&T Football Association’s (TTFA) harrowing $98.5 million debt.

A statement issued by the normalisation committee last week confirmed selling the HoF remains a possible option to aid TTFA’s financial recovery.

Lewis, however, thinks auctioning off the organisation’s most prized asset is a detrimental move. The HoF has an estimated value of over $42 million, but the land it was built on belongs to the government.

Selling the facility could almost halve the TTFA’s massive debt.

Lewis though, believes the HoF should not be used as payment as a result of years of financial mismanagement of the local football administration.

“When you look at it from a medium- to long-term perspective, I think every effort should be made for the TTFA to hold on to that asset.

“At the end of the day, owning assets is important. In this regard, every effort should be made. It’s a bit concerning, the talk about the sale of the HoF,” he said.

The HoF is surrounded by four of Trinidad’s major sporting facilities – the Ato Boldon Stadium, National Cricket Centre, National Aquatic Centre and National Cycling Centre.

The cycling arena is in the process of transitioning into a satellite centre – a special training hub for athletes coming from developing countries that will host training camps to nurture young athletes and help develop cycling in the region.

Sessions, athletes and coaches involved will follow a UCI-sanctioned programme. Cyclists will benefit from modern training schedules and tactics to help them reach world-class standards.

Both the cycling and swimming facilities were also constructed for foreign-based athletes to come to Trinidad to train and compete and by extension, to become self-sustainable.

Additionally, T&T was set to host the 2021 Commonwealth Youth Games in August, but owing to the pandemic, the event has been postponed to a date yet to be announced. It remains uncertain if T&T will retain its rights to host it.

Lewis added, “When we were having conversations with the Commonwealth Youth Games, the HoF, as an accommodation option, was factored in.

“(In) any conversation we’re having about sport tourism, and even conversations taking place with the local cycling federation, International Cycling Union, Sport Company of T&T and the T&T Olympic Committee, the HoF serves to provide accommodation for athletes using these facilities during competition. So the HoF is well placed.

“In that area, you will not only have a top-notch cycling centre but also a world-class swimming centre, and efforts can also be made to get that certified as a regional or continental centre of excellence.”

Lewis said the location of the HoF is important and believes it can generate income through sport tourism.

“Football should hold on to this asset, which, down the road, can generate sustainable revenue and income.

“Notwithstanding the TTFA’s current challenges and difficulties, people have to see it in the bigger picture.”

The HoF has 72 rooms, including double rooms and suites each fully equipped with Wi-Fi and television, as well as a conference room, cafeteria, medical room and team dining rooms.

A secondary building houses two dormitories, a main kitchen, dining room, changing rooms, laundry room and additional sleeping quarters for coaches. There are also three full-sized natural grass pitches.

On November 19, 2019, the HoF was opened by then-TTFA president David John-Williams.

Guests included the Prime Minister, FIFA president Gianni Infantino, Concacaf president Victor Montagliani and former French international Youri Djorkaeff.

[Tallman]

Veteran administrator Sirjuesingh against HOF sale
By Walter Alibey (T&T Guardian)

General secretary of Central Football Association (CFA) Lennox Sirjuesingh is vehemently against the sale of the Home of Football in Balmain, Couva and described it as short-sightedness.

Robert Hadad, chairman of the FIFA-appointed Normalisation Committee, has said on several occasions that the sale of the Home of Football is an option to clear a debt, which has crippled T&T football for the past years.

The debt now stands at $98.5 million, according to Sirjuesingh in a release: "The suggestion and availability for sale of the HOF as a means of liquidating the TTFA reported $ 98.5 million debt is certainly short-sighted and of serious concern to me. Efforts must be made to save the HOF for its original purpose.

"It is to be seen as an achievement and legacy, something of possibly first, certainly for a small country. "

The veteran administrator knows the sport of football and its administration very well, having served in football since 1964 as an administrator. Later in 1967, Sirjuesingh became a T&T referee and from 1973-1978 served as the secretary of the Football Referees Association.

Sirjuesingh later became a FIFA referee in 1977 before serving as assistant secretary of the T&T Football Association under then general secretary Richard Groden. Having held the position of secretary of the CFA from 2005- 2010, Sirjuesingh is now back at the CFA as general secretary.

He believes consultation can be the solution to liquidating the TTFA debt.

"The purported sale, if it were to become reality, will satisfy an immediate need no doubt. Looking down the road and the well-established viability of real estate, one is led to think serious thinking is needed here.

"An evaluation of the prospective price of that property in a few years, I am certain, will see selling it off today as having been bad business which we will live to regret when in a few years the area shall be converted to its potential via its strategic position."

He noted further: "The quite obvious question is - What does the TTFA do in the short or immediate term?" Brainstorming is likely to produce a solution. I do have a suggestion and I'm willing to discuss it with the relevant authorities. Likewise, others will come up with ideas that are attainable and advisable.

"For now, please T&T let us see HOF as an achievement to be appreciated, preserved, monitored, improved and become a legacy."

[Tallman]

Senior footballers oppose possible Home of Football sale
By Jonathan Ramnanansingh (T&T Newsday)

Senior national footballers have expressed grave concern about the potential sale of the Home of Football (HoF) to help offset the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association’s (TTFA) $98.5 million debt.

Defender Daneil Cyrus, midfielder Keron “Ball Pest” Cummings and another seasoned senior men’s player who requested anonymity questioned the feasibility of such a sale, considering the HoF is the local association’s most prized asset, valued at over $42 million.

These three players have all stayed or overnighted there in preparation for national duty, and were able to use the HoF’s amenities and accommodations on several occasions.

Two weeks ago, however, the normalisation committee – appointed by FIFA in March 2020 to run TTFA’s daily affairs and establish a debt-repayment plan – said the potential sale of the HoF is a viable option to reduce its arrears.

This idea has been shunned by several sportsmen and women and administrators, including TT Olympic Committee president Brian Lewis, who believe the HoF serves to benefit all sports and is an integral part of Couva’s hub of elite sporting venues.

Cyrus, who is in Thailand playing for club Chainat Hornbill, said, “I think it’s a bad idea because if the HoF is sold, the TTFA would have to pay hotels for the teams (foreign and local) to stay in. From my experience, that’s a bad idea because hotels complained in the past that TTFA owed them money and so on.

“If they cannot pay, then why go into more debt? That’s a no-no. But that’s my point of view, I could be wrong.”

Cyrus said the rooms were good but the facility was still “missing a few things” which made the structure somewhat incomplete.

If the only venue equipped to house footballers without charge is sold, then hoteliers would inevitably reap the benefits of TTFA’s financial mismanagement and possible HoF sale, he added.

“It was good to be honest, the rooms were ok. I think it’s good to hold onto it, and it's saving money, I think.

“So much money was spent to build it and now players would still have to use hotels? And even if you sell ,how much debt that money could cover?”

Cummings shared similar sentiments and does not believe putting the HoF up for sale is a progressive move.

While he understands TTFA’s financial detriment, the former North East Stars, San Juan Jabloteh and W Connection player, like Lewis, believes the facility can also be used to house foreign athletes who come to train at the nearby National Cycling Centre and National Aquatic Centre.

Both the swimming and cycling centres, the Ato Boldon Stadium and National Cricket Centre were built in the same area. Altogether, these respective locations make up a nexus of elite sporting venues for athletics, football, swimming, cycling and cricket.

Cummings said, “It shows you how the people in charge of football have been mismanaging.

“How could the option be to sell something that was built to develop the sport and young players? I don’t see it. It’s a backward step because now players would have to go to hotels.”

During his stay at the HoF, Cummings, said there was little in-house maintenance, and it is in need of regular upkeep if it is to maintain a high standard to house both local and international athletes and staff.

The 33-year-old added, “If the HoF is not maintained, it will run itself into the ground. If we sell the HoF, then we might just go back to using excuses that we cannot prepare for tournaments properly because we have no headquarters.

“Everyone who comes into power (TTFA) comes with a different eye for the whole sport and it keeps going downhill. In the past, when wehad no facility, we owed the majority of hotels. Do we want to go back to that? How can you sell your house and then stay outside? It just doesn’t make sense.”

The senior national who chose to remain anonymous said the facility could be used to benefit not only senior players, but the upcoming generation of national footballers.

He said, “The structure itself certainly has some curious design features and the workmanship is shoddy. It seems like they were in a rush to complete it.

“But overall, whilst the amenities aren't super-luxurious, they are fit for purposes such as hosting a football-camp-type scenario.

"As with any facility, maintenance is key. It’s clearly an administrative and financial matter, and I’m just a player. But it’s obvious the HoF would benefit players and TT football if such a facility is fully utilised.”

[asylumseeker]

Senior footballers oppose possible Home of Football sale
By Jonathan Ramnanansingh (T&T Newsday)

Senior national footballers have expressed grave concern about the potential sale of the Home of Football (HoF) to help offset the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association’s (TTFA) $98.5 million debt.

Defender Daneil Cyrus, midfielder Keron “Ball Pest” Cummings and another seasoned senior men’s player who requested anonymity questioned the feasibility of such a sale, considering the HoF is the local association’s most prized asset, valued at over $42 million.

These three players have all stayed or overnighted there in preparation for national duty, and were able to use the HoF’s amenities and accommodations on several occasions.

Two weeks ago, however, the normalisation committee – appointed by FIFA in March 2020 to run TTFA’s daily affairs and establish a debt-repayment plan – said the potential sale of the HoF is a viable option to reduce its arrears.

This idea has been shunned by several sportsmen and women and administrators, including TT Olympic Committee president Brian Lewis, who believe the HoF serves to benefit all sports and is an integral part of Couva’s hub of elite sporting venues.

Cyrus, who is in Thailand playing for club Chainat Hornbill, said, “I think it’s a bad idea because if the HoF is sold, the TTFA would have to pay hotels for the teams (foreign and local) to stay in. From my experience, that’s a bad idea because hotels complained in the past that TTFA owed them money and so on.

“If they cannot pay, then why go into more debt? That’s a no-no. But that’s my point of view, I could be wrong.”

Cyrus said the rooms were good but the facility was still “missing a few things” which made the structure somewhat incomplete.

If the only venue equipped to house footballers without charge is sold, then hoteliers would inevitably reap the benefits of TTFA’s financial mismanagement and possible HoF sale, he added.

“It was good to be honest, the rooms were ok. I think it’s good to hold onto it, and it's saving money, I think.

“So much money was spent to build it and now players would still have to use hotels? And even if you sell ,how much debt that money could cover?”

Cummings shared similar sentiments and does not believe putting the HoF up for sale is a progressive move.

While he understands TTFA’s financial detriment, the former North East Stars, San Juan Jabloteh and W Connection player, like Lewis, believes the facility can also be used to house foreign athletes who come to train at the nearby National Cycling Centre and National Aquatic Centre.

Both the swimming and cycling centres, the Ato Boldon Stadium and National Cricket Centre were built in the same area. Altogether, these respective locations make up a nexus of elite sporting venues for athletics, football, swimming, cycling and cricket.

Cummings said, “It shows you how the people in charge of football have been mismanaging.

“How could the option be to sell something that was built to develop the sport and young players? I don’t see it. It’s a backward step because now players would have to go to hotels.”

During his stay at the HoF, Cummings, said there was little in-house maintenance, and it is in need of regular upkeep if it is to maintain a high standard to house both local and international athletes and staff.

The 33-year-old added, “If the HoF is not maintained, it will run itself into the ground. If we sell the HoF, then we might just go back to using excuses that we cannot prepare for tournaments properly because we have no headquarters.

“Everyone who comes into power (TTFA) comes with a different eye for the whole sport and it keeps going downhill. In the past, when we had no facility, we owed the majority of hotels. Do we want to go back to that? How can you sell your house and then stay outside? It just doesn’t make sense.”

The senior national who chose to remain anonymous said the facility could be used to benefit not only senior players, but the upcoming generation of national footballers.

He said, “The structure itself certainly has some curious design features and the workmanship is shoddy. It seems like they were in a rush to complete it.

“But overall, whilst the amenities aren't super-luxurious, they are fit for purposes such as hosting a football-camp-type scenario.[/b]

"As with any facility, maintenance is key. It’s clearly an administrative and financial matter, and I’m just a player. But it’s obvious the HoF would benefit players and TT football if such a facility is fully utilised.”

Rushed out of self-serving convenience. Doh bite yuh tongue.

The HoF is about as integral to T&T's football prospects as the allegedly corrupt construction of the Piarco airport has been instructive or determinative in generating a well-conceived tourism product in Trinidad and Tobago. Both are shoddy ventures with shoddy outcomes.

However, the public purse bit the bullet on the airport and looks set to take a bite of the HoF bullet if sentiment is the prevailing logic. Same outcome as when we make policy out of nostalgia.

It's curious that all these articles about the HoF are generating comment from all and sundry but none I have seen have solicited the opinion of the guru who ploughed ahead with its construction, hellbent on progress.

Here we are at the gates of hell, insufficiently progressed and bawling doh touch the incomplete ode to incompetence. Just like the airport, the HoF had a lowest common denominator in mind: get across the finish line.

Stuff of a Paradise Lost Never Found.

[Deeks]

but none I have seen have solicited the opinion of the guru who ploughed ahead with its construction, hellbent on progress.

Do you expect DJW to talk to anyone now on the construction of the HOF?

[asylumseeker]

but none I have seen have solicited the opinion of the guru who ploughed ahead with its construction, hellbent on progress.

Do you expect DJW to talk to anyone now on the construction of the HOF?

Isn't he proud of the product? And ent he touted it as a legacy project? And ent selling it runs up against the legacy ... I figure he would want to deliver a 'fullness' regarding the NC's proposed interruption of that legacy and the sweat put in.

By the way, where Mark Bassant? Since he made the big golf course unveil and ambush, like he lost his way? After de big guffaw, must be fake news?

Ah know what yuh mean doh. He doh have much incentive to speak publicly on the matter.

[ABTrini]

What does it profit ah man if he going thr HoF? It appears each TTFA  believes that a monument to their legacy could also fill gaps in their lockets-

Please let's not see the HoF follow the same fate as the Centre of Excellence - these should be public institutions  not private ventures  for those seeking to profit from football in TnT