FIFA appoints normalisation committee for Trinidad and Tobago football

[Deeks]

Gary, please!!!!

[Flex]

FIFA's fiction created to distract, panic the public.
T&T Guardian Reports.

Dear Editor,

TTFA is currently locked in battle with FIFA for control of the Association. The world body refers to William Wallace and the democratically elected officers "former officers of the TTFA". Their supposed removal by FIFA under highly questionable circumstances related to TTFA Board approved corruption investigations into the mismanagement of the David John-Williams administration and the role of FIFA officials connected to the Home of Football project. This investigation and FIFA's action to block it were consistent with current Swiss criminal investigations of FIFA President, Gianni Infantino, for obstruction of investigation and justice.

To stifle the deepening investigation into its political allies in the John-Williams administration, FIFA expressly and forcefully declared that the Normalization Committee was implemented to:

A. Remove and replace those committed to oppose the behaviour of the old TTFA leadership;

B. Cease internal investigations into TTD 16 million in unaccounted expenditure in the Home of Football project from funds allocated by FIFA;

C. Punish the TTFA membership for removing FIFA leadership ally, David John-Williams, who FIFA and CONCACAF leadership unethically and openly campaigned for one week prior to the 2019 TTFA elections.

Furthermore, the recent threat by FIFA to take punitive action against TTFA has no merit and is a fiction created to distract and panic the public from the failure of Normalization Committee members to fulfill the mandate provided by FIFA to properly operate ALL components that make up a football association; including but not limited to:

1. Pay its office staff and coaches

2. Communicate with TTFA members

3. Communicate with the Trinidad and Tobago public about its so-called reformation plans.

It is for the above reasons United TTFA believe the process and rationale used for implementing a Normalization Committee in Trinidad and Tobago is not only illegitimate but may also very well follow the same pattern of criminality in which Switzerland authorities are currently investigating FIFA President, Gianni Infantino_.

The question must be asked: If FIFA claims to be in charge of TTFA via its so called Normalization Committee, and that the elected officers have been removed, is it then that FIFA will ban itself?

Keith Look Loy
President of the T&T Super League

[davyjenny1]

Gary, please!!!!

Agree!!!

[Trini _2026]

‘Total disrespect!’ Coaches locked out of stadium, while trying to deliver letters to Hadad


https://wired868.com/2020/08/25/total-disrespect-coaches-locked-out-of-stadium-while-trying-to-deliver-letters-to-hadad/

[Flex]

William Wallace writes FIFA.
T&T Guardian Reports.

While their case in the T&T High Court hurtles toward trial, the United TTFA faction of administrators has penned an open letter hoping to draw FIFA to resolution discussions.

In the letter, former TTFA Predident William Wallace underscores the group's unwillingness to accept and acknowledge FIFA's Normalisation Committee calling the measure "draconian".

Guardian Media Sports now publishes this letter in its entirety.

Gianni Infantino President
FIFA
Zurich Switzerland
By email
26th August 2020

Dear Mr. Infantino,

RE: Failure of Normalisation in Trinidad and Tobago

My Vice Presidents and I were elected to lead the TTFA in November 2019. For years before that FIFA had stood-by and watched as mismanagement and cronyism caused havoc for Football in Trinidad and Tobago, provoking notable public failures, including the botched Home of Football project in Balmain, Couva.

We were elected to bring transparency and financial probity. In this vein we approached FIFA early in my tenure, and opened the books for scrutiny in a way not done before when the joint FIFA-CONCACAF mission visited in early 2020.

Normalisation is a draconian and unfair act which seeks to undermine the independence of the TTFA and ride roughshod over the will of the electorate who voted for the United TTFA slate in November 2019. Added to this, the fact is, that in all the countries that were normalized, in all instances, it is clear that the incumbent executive was in breach of FIFA statues or acted in manner that justified FIFA’s intervention. In the case of Trinidad and Tobago the two reasons given by FIFA for their intervention clearly had nothing to do with the new executive.

That being said, together with my executive, I remain willing and ready to work with FIFA to resolve the outstanding issues in the interest of Football in Trinidad and Tobago. Normalisation should not have been an option in this instance, but rather, to allow the newly elected executive to work hand in hand with FIFA for and in the best interest of the TTFA.

By refusing to work together with us, and by repeatedly refusing to engage in mediation as we have called not less than six times for FIFA to do, you run the risk of irreparably damaging football in Trinidad and Tobago.

FIFA cannot continue to ignore our calls to mediate an agreement between the TTFA and FIFA and maintain any moral authority. FIFA must recognize and work with the duly elected Executive of the TTFA. Likewise, TTFA must recognize, and does, the need for financial assistance and guidance from FIFA in resolving TTFA’s current financial malaise.

If you will not talk and if no agreement is reached, the TTFA is left with no choice but to continue on the path FIFA has forced us down through the courts.

TTFA judgment day is September 16

FIFA has given the TTFA until September 16 to withdraw its matter from the Trinidad and Tobago High Court or risk being suspended from global football. This was revealed in a letter the world governing body sent to chairman of the Normalisation Committee dated August 26.

In the letter signed by FIFA Secretary General Fatima Samoura, FIFA insisted that the TTFA deals with the matter through the Court of Arbitration for Sport. The letter stated, "...we deem that a failure to comply with this directive would result in the commencement of suspension proceedings..."

RELATED NEWS

Wallace writes Infantino: Work with United TTFA, or we will continue in court.
Wired868.com).

“[…] Normalisation is a draconian and unfair act which seeks to undermine the independence of the TTFA and ride roughshod over the will of the electorate who voted for the United TTFA slate in November 2019.

“[…] By refusing to work together with us, and by repeatedly refusing to engage in mediation as we have called not less than six times for Fifa to do, you run the risk of irreparably damaging football in Trinidad and Tobago…”

The following is an email from Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) president William Wallace to Fifa president Gianni Infantino on 26 August 2020:

Dear Mr Infantino,

Re: Failure of Normalisation in Trinidad and Tobago

My vice presidents and I were elected to lead the TTFA in November 2019. For years before that Fifa had stood-by and watched as mismanagement and cronyism caused havoc for Football in Trinidad and Tobago, provoking notable public failures—including the botched Home of Football project in Balmain, Couva.

We were elected to bring transparency and financial probity. In this vein we approached Fifa early in my tenure, and opened the books for scrutiny in a way not done before when the joint Fifa-Concacaf mission visited in early 2020.

Normalisation is a draconian and unfair act which seeks to undermine the independence of the TTFA and ride roughshod over the will of the electorate who voted for the United TTFA slate in November 2019.

Added to this, the fact is, that in all the countries that were normalised, in all instances, it is clear that the incumbent executive was in breach of Fifa statues or acted in manner that justified Fifa’s intervention.

In the case of Trinidad and Tobago the two reasons given by Fifa for their intervention clearly had nothing to do with the new executive. That being said, together with my executive, I remain willing and ready to work with Fifa to resolve the outstanding issues in the interest of Football in Trinidad and Tobago.

Normalisation should not have been an option in this instance, but rather, to allow the newly elected executive to work hand in hand with Fifa for and in the best interest of the TTFA.

By refusing to work together with us, and by repeatedly refusing to engage in mediation as we have called not less than six times for Fifa to do, you run the risk of irreparably damaging football in Trinidad and Tobago.

Fifa cannot continue to ignore our calls to mediate an agreement between the TTFA and Fifa and maintain any moral authority. Fifa must recognise and work with the duly elected executive of the TTFA.

Likewise, TTFA must recognise, and does, the need for financial assistance and guidance from Fifa in resolving TTFA’s current financial malaise.

If you will not talk and if no agreement is reached, the TTFA is left with no choice but to continue on the path Fifa has forced us down through the courts.

United TTFA gets September 16 deadline before FIFA ban.
By Narissa Fraser (Newsday).

The world governing body of football, FIFA, has issued a final warning to the ousted TT Football Association (TTFA) executive to obey its statutes. FIFA said failure to comply "would result in the commencement of suspension proceedings via the relevant FIFA bodies."

On March 17, FIFA removed TTFA president William Wallace and his executive, who were elected in November 2019, instead appointing a normalisation committee led by businessman Robert Hadad to run TTFA's affairs.

Wallace and his executive appealed their removal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Switzerland. The team later indicated it did not believe CAS would give it a “fair hearing." Instead – on May 18 – they appealed to the local High Court.

Since then, the two bodies have been at loggerheads over which playing field their legal battle should kick off on. FIFA insists the matter can only and "must" be heard at CAS.

The most recent development was on August 12, when Justice Carol Gobin denied FIFA’s request to strike out the claim because its rules prevent member associations from starting proceedings against it in the local courts. FIFA has since appealed.

But in a letter to Hadad on Wednesday, FIFA reiterated the matter should be heard at CAS, adding that it is "very concerned regarding the decision of the claim and the argument used to dismiss FIFA's application.

"In this context, we draw your attention to article 58 of the FIFA statutes which expressly contains the prohibition of recourse to ordinary courts of law unless specifically provided for.

"FIFA takes such a principle with utmost seriousness and therefore considers that it is the responsibility of its member associations to ensure that this principle is implemented."

It said the ousted executive has until September 16 to withdraw its claim from the local High Court.

[Controversial]

Let them choose another country to sell out

Next time TT steps on that field it will be on our own terms and with a team that will beat all teams in concacaf

Or under another world football admin with Africa would be even better

[Flex]

‘The learned judge erred…’ Why Fifa is unhappy with Justice Gobin’s ruling.
By Lasana Liburd (Wired868).

On 13 August 2020, Madame Justice Carol Gobin ruled comprehensively against Fifa in the Port of Spain High Court, as she dismissed six from the seven applications put forward by the Zurich-based global sporting behemoth against Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) president William Wallace and vice-presidents Clynt Taylor, Susan Joseph-Warrick and Sam Phillip.

Justice Gobin did not accept Fifa’s claim that it was not served properly by the TTFA’s legal team in its action against the normalisation committee on 18 May, or that Wallace did not have the authority to represent the local football body, the TTFA could not challenge Fifa in an ordinary court and was bound by an arbitration provision in its constitution.

Fifa, headed by president Gianni Infantino, is contesting each count in the Court of Appeal. The global body is represented in this action by local attorneys: Christopher Hamel-Smith SC, Jonathan Walker and Cherie Gopie while the TTFA officials are represented by Dr Emir Crowne, Matthew Gayle, Jason Jones and Crystal Paul.

Here are the main points that are on the table at the Court of Appeal:

Did TTFA properly serve Fifa in its application against the normalisation committee on 18 May?

Fifa leaned on the testimony of its in-house attorney Miguel Lietard who pointed out that: ‘under Swiss law, international service of process may only be performed […] by Swiss government officials, […] any other kind of service by a foreign entity, including service by email, is unlawful’.

Justice Gobin was unconvinced.

“[…] The expert evidence contained in Mr Lietard’s affidavit is in any case inadmissible hearsay opinion evidence and I consider it to be insufficient to establish what the law is on service of process in Switzerland.

“The opinion is attributed to an attorney within Fifa’s litigation department who failed to file an affidavit. In the circumstances, I find no irregularity in the manner in which service was effected…”

Fifa asserted that, among other things, Justice Gobin paid insufficient regard ‘for the provisions of foreign law’.

“The learned judge erred in law by concluding that there was no irregularity in the manner in which service was effected and/or no reasonable judge, properly directed as to the facts, could have come to that conclusion.”

Was Wallace duly authorised to take legal action as TTFA president?

Fifa contended that Wallace did not prove that the TTFA Board—which it sought to dismiss through the implementation of a normalisation committee on 13 March—had supported his decision to pursue legal action against Fifa.

“[…] They have failed to provide this Court with any evidence as to how that decision was made so as to enable the Court to confirm that the decision to commence these proceedings was made by the body that, under the TTFA Constitution, was the only body who had the authority to make such a decision…”

Justice Gobin pointed to Article 39 of the TTFA Constitution which stated that Wallace, as president, was the local football body’s ‘legal officer’. But, in any case, she asserted that the TTFA’s internal decision making process was not Fifa’s business.

“[…] The claim was signed and issued by the President who under Rule 39 is described as ‘the legal person’. Fifa has no locus to challenge the authority of persons within the TTFA organisational structure to bring an action, especially when it refuses to submit to the jurisdiction of the court.

“It can place no onus on TTFA to disclose its internal processes by asking a question in the grounds of its application. It cannot put the TTFA to proof of authority to bring an action to restore its duly elected Board of Directors. That is a matter for TTFA and its membership within this jurisdiction…”

Fifa disagreed.

“[…] The learned judge erred in law by concluding that [Fifa] had no locus to challenge the authority of the person who made the decision to commence these proceedings on behalf of the [TTFA]…”

Is the TTFA able to contest Fifa in an ordinary court?

Fifa pointed to its statutes, which insist that all disputes must be determined by CAS.

“[…] Not only does the TTFA’s own constitutional arrangements, which delimits the powers that the TTFA as an entity has, not empower the TTFA to commence proceedings before the courts of Trinidad and Tobago to challenge a final and binding decision of Fifa, but rather it expressly prohibits the taking of such action and mandates that a different form of dispute resolution be used…”

But Justice Gobin declared that an entity formed by an act of Parliament cannot simply ‘oust the jurisdiction of the courts by its rules’.

“[…] Had Parliament intended to enact Fifa Statutes so as to oust the jurisdiction of the courts and to effectively deprive the TTFA of access to the courts of this country it would have had to do so expressly in clear and unambiguous terms.

“[…] Further, the adoption of rules which seek to oust the jurisdiction of the courts breach a well-established policy of the law, which renders such rules void…”

Fifa disagreed with Justice Gobin’s interpretation.

“[…] The learned judge erred in law by failing to interpret Article 67 of the [TTFA’s] constitution as precluding [the TTFA officials] from commencing these proceedings before the ordinary courts of Trinidad and Tobago.

“The learned judge erred in law by concluding that it was outwith the jurisdiction of the [officials] to agree to submit to foreign law…”

Is CAS the correct forum for this disagreement?

Fifa noted that its statutes as well as the TTFA Constitution stipulate that CAS is the only available forum for legal resource. Hamel-Smith suggested that Wallace’s claim of ‘institutional bias’ was ‘flimsy’ and should be dismissed.

“[…] Given the varying legal systems in which Fifa members are based, it is more appropriate that issues that arise between Fifa and its members are determined by a singular body so as to ensure that all such issues are determined using the same, consistent legal bases and principles.

“To do otherwise would present a serious risk of inconsistent decisions and result in a lack of certainty, clarity and equality as between members…”

Justice Gobin noted that Fifa claimed that Wallace had no authority to challenge the global body before the court. If so, why was Fifa anxious to face the local officials at CAS?

“[…] The arbitration process cannot be triggered if there is a dispute as to the capacity of one of the parties to invoke the process and to bind TTFA to any outcome…”

Regardless, she disagreed that CAS was the best venue for the dispute.

“[…] This case goes well beyond TTFA’s alleged governance issues and the justifiability of Fifa’s purported action in appointing the Normalisation Committee. This is about the legitimacy of powers exercised under Article 8(2) of the Fifa Statutes and its consistency with a law passed by legislators in this country.

“This is a matter which falls squarely within the jurisdiction of the High Court of this country. This is not a matter for the Court of Arbitration for Sports…”

Fifa does not accept her conclusion.

“The learned judge erred in law by failing to have any or any sufficient regard to: the provisions of the [TTFA’s] own constitution; the provisions of the Fifa Statutes; the advantages of having issues between Fifa and its various member associations determined by a single entity such as the CAS, including the avoidance or minimisation of inconsistency and inequality of treatment…”

It is now the turn of the Court of Appeal to have its say.

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Wallace: Fifa is demonstrating ‘contempt’ for our courts, our people and our nation.
Wired868.com.

“Fifa has refused to engage in any discussions, forcing the TTFA as a last resort to turn to the courts. Not since 1962 have the people of Trinidad and Tobago allowed themselves to be forcibly subjugated in the manner that Fifa now seeks to do…”

The following is a press statement by Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) president William Wallace on the conduct of governing football body, Fifa, during the legal tussle between the two parties:

The TTFA notes that Fifa has appealed the ruling of the Honourable Madame Justice Gobin, but notes with some concern that Fifa has described this appeal as a mere ‘formal step’ and that FIFA has again threatened ‘potential further action’ against the TTFA.

This comes on the heels of their previous statement that: ‘Fifa does not, and will never, accept the jurisdiction of a local court in Trinidad and Tobago…’.

These statements suggest the contempt with which Fifa holds our courts, our people and our nation.

Fifa has wrongly sought to imply that the TTFA leadership have insisted in bringing the claim to the Trinidad and Tobago courts, when it was Fifa who refused to do all that was necessary to facilitate the CAS process, as the Honourable Madame Justice Gobin observed in her ruling:

‘In this case, not only has FIFA unequivocally refused to comply with the CAS 64(2) rule, thumbing its nose at its obligations to pay under the agreement, it further paralysed the arbitral process by obtaining an extension of time to answer the case until after TTFA paid its (Fifa’s) costs… [Fifa] rendered the arbitration inoperable.’

Contrary to Fifa’s statements, the TTFA has also tried not less than six times to formally engage FIFA in talks formal and/or informal, for the two parties to come together to resolve the issues in the interest of football in Trinidad and Tobago.

The latest effort came immediately after The Honourable Madame Justice Gobin’s ruling. Fifa has refused to engage in any discussions, forcing the TTFA as a last resort to turn to the courts.

Not since 1962 have the people of Trinidad and Tobago allowed themselves to be forcibly subjugated in the manner that Fifa now seeks to do. In the words of Justice Gobin, Fifa now threatens to ‘take its ball and go home’.

But by doing so however, Fifa would be accepting and confirming that the normalisation committee it claims to have appointed lacks not only moral legitimacy, but legal legitimacy too.

TTFA now looks to the hearing of the matter in the local Court of Appeal.

[Flex]

Minister Cudjoe: The future of athletes at stake.
By Walter Alibey (Guardian).

It was a show of total support for the future of T&T football yesterday at a Zoom meeting called by Minister of Sports and Youth Affairs Shamfa Cudjoe, as the sport's entire membership, with the exception of United T&T Football Association (TTFA) members William Wallace, Clynt Taylor, Susan Joseph-Warrick and Joseph Sam Philip, said they were not in support of the country being sanctioned by FIFA, the sport's governing body.

Cudjoe said in spite of repeated calls to Wallace's phone on Thursday to get his involvement, they received no response which was unfortunate. Wallace has been at the forefront of a battle with FIFA, to overturn a decision to appoint a Normalisation Committee to manage local football, back in March 27.

But after Justice Carol Gobin gave the ousted members a first-round victory on August 13 by ruling that the High Court in T&T will be the jurisdiction to settle the dispute, FIFA's secretary general Fatma Samoura, delivered a stern letter on Wednesday, warning the United TTFA if it did not comply with the organisation's Statutes, the country faced severe sanctions that could see all its national teams out of all FIFA-sanctioned tournaments, such as World Cup qualifiers, Club Championships, CONCACAF tournaments, etc.

Cudjoe reminded the stakeholders that there were far-reaching implications to come from a FIFA ban, that was more important than the cause being fought by the quartet who was removed from office on March 17 after claiming victory in the TTFA elections in November, last year.

The minister said the future of the athletes was at stake, noting that we cannot afford to shatter the dreams of many young men and women who may be carving out a life in the sport, also reminding the stakeholders that the real power lies in the hands of the general membership.

“This is more than proving a point, but rather what it would mean for the young people who are dependent on the sport. I was surprised that everyone here was not in support of Wallace and his team, but rather the normalisation committee, so now they are going to rally their troops,” said Minister Cudjoe.

It is understood that a petition is being circulated with an aim of getting signatures of the membership to stop the court battle of the Wallace team. The petition, Guardian Media Sports learnt is also set to receive the signature of the Women's Football League (WoLF), whose president Joseph-Warrick, is a vice president.

Cudjoe also revealed that should the country get banned by FIFA, the government would not put out as much of tax-payers money to fund it, as she made a stark difference to the country's pursuit of World Cup glory to anything else.

She also said it would be unfair for tax-payers funds to be put towards a football entity that is burdened by debt, and refuses FIFA financial help through the normalisation committee.

RELATED NEWS

TTFA - Oh the drama!
By Colin Murray (Guardian).

Turning my attention to the ongoing saga between the United TTFA (T&T Football Association) and FIFA, I must admit I am caught between the devil and the deep blue sea. Now, don’t for one moment think I don’t support the action taken by the United TTFA. I have always written that what FIFA did was high-handed and a total injustice to the renowned democratic society of T&T. The proper thing to do was to try and work with the TTFA executive and get them out of the hole that they were put into by former executives who should have no place in football in this country now and in the future.

Madam Justice Carol Gobin’s judgement in the High Court was profound. She did not accept many of FIFA’s claims inter alia the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) was the only jurisdiction to hear the case. The TTFA is enacted by an Act of Parliament and as such, T&T’s laws do in fact have merit. Based on the fact that FIFA lost its first legal hurdle against the United TTFA, the body has gone into panic mode.

FIFA will no longer have it’s way and cannot bully their way around this and since they may lose, the reality has hit home that T&T may be banned from all international football. If we are indeed banned, it will undoubtedly stifle the growth of many young footballers in the country and no right thinking patriot will wish that on our youths and some of our senior footballers, some of whom may have one final opportunity to qualify for the Gold and World Cups.

So, what can we do? I note the Commissioner of Police (CoP) is calling for mediation and while I am in complete agreement with him, when it comes to the almighty FIFA, there is no negotiation as it must be their way. Can the CoP get FIFA to change their minds and sit with a team of individuals in this country and plot an amicable way forward?

The United TTFA has called for dialogue on at least six occasions and have not had a response from FIFA. I understand the clubs are seeking a resolution to FIFA to not recognise the United TTFA. If that occurs, who are we to recognise? The normalisation committee that has and continues to do nothing?

I am all for trying to get FIFA to sit around a table but that’s just not their style. They are like a bunch of rogue politicians who cannot deal with some noisy, dissenting citizens and rather than try to understand the problem and explore ways to solve it, they take the easy way out and threaten to imprison them. How archaic, misguided and undemocratic. That being said, I suppose there is someone smiling through this all. Your guess as to who that person may be is as good as mine.

Editor’s note: The views expressed in this column are solely those of the writer and do not reflect the views of any organisation of which he is a stakeholder.

[FF]

I really feel I done with this country

How shamfa reach in this now? She wanted no part all along.

One man smiling in truth. 

[Flex]

Dear Editor: Wallace is causing Fifa ‘good trouble’; we should be proud.
Wired868.com.

“In little Trinidad and Tobago, with a bankrupt association, Mr Wallace and his team rightly challenged the motives of the Fifa, as well as the legality—to impose their own lieutenants who would bend to their will, while its own president makes his predecessor look like a church acolyte…”

In the following letter to the editor, Brian Ghent of Haleland Park, Maraval explains why he supports Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) officials in their legal struggle with Fifa:

‘Good Trouble’. Yes, the well respected late US Congressman John Lewis inspired many by encouraging all to stand up and do something when you see something is wrong.

This is what in effect Mr William Wallace and his team has done in challenging the legality, and more so the ‘rightness’ of Fifa’s decision to kick them out and impose a normalisation committee.

Justice Carol Gobin’s  judgement has articulated clearly what many an association has wanted to say for years, but have been silent because of their own inner collaborative corruption which members have benefitted from, or the mortal fear of being expelled from Fifa. (The latter being the one most referred to in T&T by football aficionados.)

In little Trinidad and Tobago, with a bankrupt association, Mr Wallace and his team rightly challenged the motives of the Fifa, as well as the legality—to impose their own lieutenants who would bend to their will, while its own president makes his predecessor look like a church acolyte. There are serious allegations of corruption and calls for his own suspension being reported internationally, but with only casual reference in the local media.

Every T&T citizen should be proud of the stance taken by Mr Wallace’s team. Every T&T citizen should be proud that Justice Gobin let these bunch of international scoundrels know that the laws of the country are supreme and that every citizen, person or incorporate body, has the right to seek redress in their own country.

Every citizen should follow Mr Wallace’s action and seek ‘Good Trouble’.

[Flex]

Minister Cudjoe calls on TTFA membership to act.
T&T Guardian Reports.

Sport and Community Development Minister Shamfa Cudjoe in an emergency virtual meeting of all major stakeholders of football on Thursday clearly articulated the Government’s expressed concern on implications of the debacle between the T&T ousted executive of the T&T Football Association (TTFA) and FIFA, the governing body for the sport.

Thirty-nine persons representing various clubs and interest groups attended the meeting which represented a wide spectrum of stakeholders and membership of the TTFA.

The invitation for the meeting was also extended to all members of the former TTFA executive including president William Wallace, however, neither he nor the other executive members which included vice-presidents Clynt Taylor, Susan Joseph-Warrick and Joseph Sam Phillip attended as was reported by Guardian Media Sports, yesterday.

Following the decision taken and subsequent communication by FIFA in a letter on Wednesday to Robert Hadad, chairman of the Normalisation Committee of the TTFA, the issue of the future development of football and the loss of return on years of investment in the sport is under severe threat.

In its letter, FIFA clearly outlined its position on the claim between TTFA and FIFA at the T&T High Courts and drew attention to Article 59 of the FIFA Statute, which expressly contains the prohibition of recourse to ordinary courts unless specifically provided for. In the letter, FIFA underlined that the failure to meet these obligations may, according to Article 14, paragraph 4, of the FIFA Statutes, “lead to sanctions as provided for in the FIFA Statutes, including a possible suspension.”

Such sanctions can and will have a devastating impact on football in T&T.

At the meeting, chairman of the Sport Company of T&T, Douglas Camacho shared his interpretation of the implications of a decision of suspension by FIFA, the most critical of which would be on local athletes.

Firstly, a decision to suspend T&T’s membership will mean youth national teams to senior national teams cannot participate in any international football competition including friendlies.

Players would not have the opportunity to compete in the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers forcing some players into retirement and the marketability of players will be affected with youth national players not being afforded the scouting opportunities at these qualifying matches.

According to Comacho, youth teams will not be able to travel to compete in sanctioned club tournaments outside of T&T, example the Dallas Cup. Scholarship opportunities will also be impacted as players who play at the CONCACAF Under-17 to U-20 tournaments are positioned to be seen by North American college scouts.

There will be a loss of investment from the private sector, resulting in TTFA's continued indebtedness.

Local clubs will not be allowed to compete in the CONCACAF Champions League, no opportunity for referee appointments, match commissioner appointments at any international tournament and T&T will not have access to development programmes from FIFA, CONCACAF, Caribbean Football Union (CFU) or any confederation or Member Association which will subsequently affect its FIFA rankings.

When the floor was opened to the members, those who spoke shared their concerns about the situation, indicating that the actions taken by the four individuals of the United TTFA were without the support of the membership and that they were not approached for their position before these legal proceedings began.

They expressed that this situation had to be looked at from the athlete’s position and it was their duty to support the FIFA Normalisation Committee and the sustained development of the sports sector.

The Sports Minister called on the members to “take action and let good sense prevail in the matter.” She reminded them “about the work and investment that the Government has and continues to make in football and the campaign for FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, the opportunities that will be lost for economic expansion through sports tourism and the loss in the potential, that sport and in particular football, has for addressing the ills in many communities”.

According to Minister Cudjoe, the situation that the TTFA now finds itself, with the appointment of the Normalisation Committee, is as a result of years of poor management in football administration, and the continued indebtedness that the association is now in, and that what was now required is vision, strategy, financial prudence, sound management and structure.

This is the purpose of the Normalisation Committee and FIFA's suspension and sanctions will push T&T’s position back decades to the detriment of all and especially the young ones.

Cudjoe said that it will be “ludicrous for the football fraternity to expect the government and hard-working taxpayers to bail out TTFA after years of mal management or for the private sector to continue to make an investment when there is no clear direction or opportunities for growth and prosperity.” She, therefore, called on the right-thinking stakeholders at the meeting “to step up; your action or inaction can shatter the dreams of our athletes and our youth.”

[Flex]

Footballers tell Wallace: Listen to TTFA members.
By Jonathan Ramnanansingh (Newsday).

If the majority of the TT Football Association’s (TTFA) 49-member delegation disagrees with the stance taken by its ousted president William Wallace and his executive to have the legal matter against FIFA heard at the High Court, they should withdraw the claim for the greater benefit of TT football.

This was the sentiment shared by several senior and aspiring national footballers who have called on Wallace's team to cease their legal battle against the sport’s global governing body, as the possibility of suspension for the local governing body looms.

Belgium-based national defender Sheldon Bateau, Under-23 player Jacques Poon-Lewis and two other locally-based players believe Wallace's United TTFA should “do the right thing” and approach its membership and hear their views on this crucial matter.

According to the quartet, the extension of this legal battle – which poses repercussions to the future of TT football – should not be decided by the actions of Wallace and his deputies Clynt Taylor, Susan Joseph-Warrick and Joseph Sam Phillip only.

In a phone interview on Friday, Bateau said, “The membership makes up the TTFA, their opinions matter and I believe those are the people you should listen to. Their opinions play an important role. If the votes are against them, I believe they should listen to the majority.

“It’s a big risk they’re taking. I believe in taking risks but when so much is at stake, it doesn’t make sense. They believe they’ve been done an injustice so I somewhat understand from their point of view also, but the risk is too great.”

FIFA gave Wallace's team until September 16 to withdraw the claim from the local court, insisting the Court of Arbitration for Sport is the only recognised body to hear matters involving FIFA and its members.

A FIFA ban could end TT's chances of qualifying for the 2022 World Cup, with qualification set to kick off soon.

When asked on the possibility of TT being unable to participate in World Cup qualifiers, Bateau said he would be irate if this becomes a reality.

“It’s difficult to say the type of feeling I would get if we’re not allowed to compete at the qualifiers (October). I’d be disappointed and maybe a bit angry. I can speak for all the other guys from my generation. The goal is to reach a senior World Cup and we have been working over the years with this in mind. Now, we more or less have a better chance, I would like for everything to work out in a positive way so we could focus on the games ahead,” he added.

YOUNG PLAYERS 'FRIGHTENED'

Poon-Lewis, 20, has also been following the legal see-saw battle and is a bit fearful of his football future. He hopes good sense can prevail, especially with the youth in mind.

“It can definitely jeopardise my future as a young footballer. I think it can be disastrous for any footballer who is aspiring to play for a national team at this point in time. If CAS is the official court for these matters, I think they should just drop the matter and stop being so selfish,” he said.

A national player who plies is trade in the TT Pro League, but who requested anonymity, said the uncertainty has local players frightened and concerned on their sporting future.

He said, “I think for local football, it's chaos. It not helping in no way to the World Cup schedule. We have (World Cup qualifying) football to play in October and they still fighting one another. We not sure how the court case is going to swing. It real tough being a footballer, knowing playing for the national team is your biggest dream and it does not lie in the hands of players but in a court room.”

The footballer said a FIFA ban would end the dreams of countless footballers whose goals are to play abroad. The uncertainty of what lies ahead as a sportsman is of his, and several others, greatest concern.

The fact that his World Cup dreams hangs in the balance of a courtroom decision, according to him, is “one of the worst things to happen to local football.”

“Guys frightened, panicking. We don't know what to expect in the court case. Some players don't have any government work so that's their bread and butter. That is 30 something to 40 families not knowing where their next meal is coming from. The club level we have, they (scouts) don't really rate it. Only time a player recognised is playing for national team and playing against big nations, you get to shine,” he stated.

The athlete said players are also being owed match fees for matches played about a year ago. He said players are grumbling as FIFA recently sent money to the normalisation committee but it was used to pay staff instead.

SPORTS MINISTER WEIGHS IN

Minister of Sport Shamfa Cudjoe hosted an emergency virtual meeting of major stakeholders of football on Thursday urging members to "take action and let good sense prevail."

According to a Ministry of Sport press release on Friday, the meeting attracted 39 people representing various clubs and interests groups. The ministry said all members of the TTFA executive were invited, including Wallace, Taylor, Joseph-Warrick and Phillip.

None of the TTFA executive members attended. However, In a radio interview, Wallace said he never received any invitation to the meeting.

The ministry said TTFA members shared their concerns and said the legal challenge of FIFA was undertaken without the support of the membership.

"They expressed that this situation had to be looked at from the athlete’s position and it was their duty to support the FIFA normalisation committee and the sustained development of the sport sector," the ministry said.

Cudjoe called on the right-thinking stakeholders at the meeting “to step up; your action or inaction can shatter the dreams of our athletes and our youth.”

Cudjoe made it clear the Government would not bail out the TTFA financially.

Sport Company chairman Douglas Camacho also outlined implications of a FIFA suspension, the most critical of which affect TT’s youths.

According to him, a decision to suspend TT’s membership means: youth and senior national teams would be unable to participate in any international football competition including friendlies; players would not have the opportunity to compete in the FIFA World Cup qualifiers, forcing some players into retirement; the marketability of players would be affected with youth national players not being afforded the scouting opportunities at these qualifying matches; youth teams would not be able to travel to compete in sanctioned club tournaments outside of TT; scholarship opportunities would be affected as players who play at the CONCACAF Under-17/Under-20 tournaments are positioned to have top college recruiters watching them; loss of investment from the private sector ; TTFA’s continued indebtedness.

[FF]

f**king shameful.

[Flex]

Look Loy: ‘Hadad is doing absolutely nothing!’ Fifa blamed for hurting T&T’s W/Cup dreams.
By Lasana Liburd (Wired868).

The biggest threat to the Soca Warriors’ dream of qualifying for the Qatar 2022 Fifa World Cup, according to Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) technical committee chairman Keith Look Loy and general secretary Ramesh Ramdhan, is not the ongoing legal tussle between the local football body and Fifa.

It is the supposedly hapless organisational skills of Fifa-appointed normalisation committee chairman Robert Hadad, coupled with the global body’s apparent unwillingness to fund the Men’s National Senior Team.

Yesterday, Commissioner of Police Gary Griffith criticised TTFA president William Wallace and his United TTFA slate for taking Fifa to court and potentially jeopardising the careers of national footballers. Griffith said the dispute between the two bodies can only be resolved through mediation.

Look Loy said he agreed only with Griffith’s conclusion.

“Griffith’s reasoning is circuitous and flawed but he arrives at the correct destination by the time he gets to his conclusion: mediation—that is the obvious and civilised way to go,” said Look Loy. “Now, the fact is that we have written six times to Fifa in this regard. The first time was immediately after they sought to impose the committee in March and the last immediately after we won in the High Court. Fifa has completely ignored us.

“The unreasonable and intransigent party here, the arrogant party, is Fifa. What they desire is complete and unconditional surrender by United TTFA. The public needs to know this, particularly those who are eager to see a decision of an independent court or our sovereign republic uphold a law of our sovereign Parliament.”

Look Loy said the United TTFA remains open to dialogue with Fifa and disagreed with the claim that Wallace and vice-presidents Clynt Taylor, Susan Joseph-Warrick and Sam Phillip were putting the local game at risk.

“We intend to write to Fifa yet again to seek talks,” he said. “Our intention is not to sacrifice Trinidad and Tobago football but to protect it from those who have traditionally abused and exploited it. And I invite the commissioner to also write Fifa, to propose talks as the way forward.”

At present, Fifa secretary general Fatma Samoura remains insistent that the TTFA executive has been removed and Wallace is merely the ‘former’ president—a claim not recognised by either the local High Court or the TTFA’s bankers, First Citizens Bank.

And if Fifa thinks Hadad is taking care of local football business, according to Ramdhan, it has not been paying attention.

Hadad and fellow committee members Judy Daniel and Nigel Romano were implemented as replacements for the TTFA board on 27 March, with Ramdhan continuing as general secretary—a job that puts him in control of the local body’s daily operations.

However, Ramdhan was suspended last month while Hadad rarely visits the TTFA headquarters in Couva and, according to the estranged general secretary, is more likely to hold football meetings at the compound of his family-owned business, HadCo Limited, in Barataria.

And in the absence of meaningful direction or supervision, the TTFA’s office staff supposedly show up and go through the motions each day. To compound the situation, the normalisation committee has not arranged for payment to its coaches, or addressed its debt to the national players.

The Soca Warriors are scheduled to start their World Cup qualifying campaign against Guyana on 8 October and Ramdhan said Soca Warriors head coach Terry Fenwick is panicking.

“There is nothing happening at all at the TTFA and everything is simply being left unattended,” said Ramdhan. “We had the World Cup qualifying draw and up to now, Hadad hasn’t pulled his staff together to try to formulate a strategy for preparing with Covid-19 restrictions, contacting players, finding funding or anything.

“Anytime he is asked, he says his hands are tied, but there is still plenty organising that needs to be done and he just does not seem to be interested. Terry asked me if I can help and I told him I am suspended because the man says he doesn’t need a general secretary.

“That’s what led to [Fenwick] breaking his silence and speaking to the press last week.”

Look Loy pointed out that Fifa has at least US$2 million already designated for the TTFA;  and, even without access to the latter’s bank account, can send the money directly to the relevant individuals—in the same way office staff was paid.

“If Fifa is as interested in Trinidad and Tobago football as it claims to be, well there is money sitting down in Zurich designated for us—including US$500,000 for Covid relief,” said Look Loy. “The same way they can find the money to pay the office staff, they can pay the coaches including the Men’s National Senior Team; although Fenwick should obviously be paid according to the conditions approved by the board and not based on his unapproved contract.”

Last week, national youth coaches Richard Hood and Angus Eve both shared their dissatisfaction with the ‘ridiculous situation’.

And, yesterday, Soca Warriors stand-outs Khaleem Hyland and Sheldon Bateau joined in, as they complained about owed match fees and a lack of communication from all sides.

Look Loy said Wallace did speak to Hyland but attributed the uncertainty caused by the normalisation committee, a lack of knowledge about the current senior team players, and Fenwick’s protectiveness of the squad for his own failure to reach out.

“It was simply not possible for Wallace (or me, and I have no official function in this regard) to communicate with players when the coach had not confirmed a squad before the one outing we had agreed against Canada,” said Look Loy. “Many of the players he wanted were unavailable and the outing was cancelled by Covid. To communicate with an unknown group—more so while the coach was shrieking that only he should communicate with players (another example of his nonsense)—would not have been sensible or possible.”

The Soca Warriors head Group F alongside Guyana, Puerto Rico, St Kitts and Nevis and Bahamas in the preliminary Concacaf World Cup qualifying phase. Only the winner will advance to a do-or-die play-off against the champions of Group A—El Salvador is the top seed—with a berth to the final Concacaf eight team group at stake.

Look Loy warned that Trinidad and Tobago’s group was not as straightforward as it seems.

“I think it is a tricky group because it appears to be an easy group but it is not,” said Look Loy. “In particular, we have a history with Guyana. The last time we played them at our home, we drew and they will be up for this game.

“[…] I don’t expect that playing Puerto Rico in Puerto Rico would be an easy match either, so it is not as straightforward as many seem to think. If we get past the group, we have a decent history against El Salvador; but I suspect it won’t be the El Salvador of past years because they have a good ranking in Concacaf right now.

“So while it is not a bad draw and one that we can look forward to, it is still one that we have to negotiate carefully.”

Another factor in the qualifying campaign, Look Loy suspects, might be Covid-19. At present, St Kitts and Nevis are the only scheduled opponent who are not reeling from the virus.

The Bahamas, a country of just over 385,000 people, has recorded 898 positives with 15 deaths. Guyana, who have 785,000 people, have 568 positives with 22 deaths and Puerto Rico, a country of 2.8 million, have just under 23,000 positive cases with 279 deaths.

Look Loy is perplexed as to why Concacaf didn’t follow the example of the Asian Football Confederation and postpone its qualifying campaign until 2021.

“I don’t know what Concacaf is seeing that I am not, because there are Covid restrictions in place all over the Caribbean right now,” he said. “How does football fit into governmental restrictions? That will be a serious issue.”

Look Loy does not anticipate that the suspension of the domestic game would have much impact on the Warriors, judging from Fenwick’s shortlist for their aborted friendly against Canada in March.

The English coach named 44 players divided equally into an ‘A’ and ‘B’ team for the friendlies. There were only six local-based names included: teenaged San Juan Jabloteh forward Justin Araujo-Wilson, versatile Defence Force defender Curtis Gonzales, electric Club Sando winger Shaqkeem Joseph and the Terminix La Horquetta Rangers trio of playmaker Keron ‘Ball Pest’ Cummings, attacker Isaiah Lee and midfielder Jamal Creighton.

Incidentally, Rangers director Richard Ferguson did not allow his players to train with the national team anyway.

“Based on Fenwick’s approach to the two Canada friendlies that didn’t come off, he doesn’t intend to use many local players, so Covid restrictions won’t be an issue,” said Look Loy. “We will rely on foreign-based players and foreign-born players, who will not have any opportunity to come together and prepare. They will have to jump straight into it and rely on their own experience to see them through.”

But Look Loy suggested that the management of the National Senior Team was also being affected by the current instability.

“I am looking on and seeing [Adrian] Romain, [Keon] Trim and [Keith Jeffrey] being described as National Senior Team assistant coaches and I’m wondering whether Fenwick has gone completely off the reservation,” said Look Loy. “Who appointed them? The technical director and director of national teams are employees, so they don’t have the authority to appoint team staff.

“[…] But that shows again the extent to which our football has descended into chaos. The normalisation committee has been in charge for five or six months and literally done nothing, so people are doing what they want.

“Fenwick is a person who needs managing, which would have been the job of the [TTFA] technical committee.”

Ramdhan credited Hadad with facilitating improvements at the Home of Football and fixing the team bus. But there were a string of more pressing issues left unattended, from insurance matters, to coordinating refereeing courses, and dealing with frustrated creditors.

Hadad, according to Ramdhan, held the general secretary partially responsible for controversial contracts agreed with Peter Miller and Avec Sport before they went to to the TTFA Board. Ramdhan has already served Hadad with a pre-action protocol letter and intends to fight his suspension in court.

“When Hadad started, he said he knew nothing about football and he would listen to advice,” said Ramdhan. “But it seems that the only people advising him are Brent Sancho and David John-Williams. He told me that he speaks to David everyday and while David might have done some foolishness, he has a lot to contribute to football.

“I said if you are willing to engage David, then why not Wallace who is the immediate past president? But he does whatever he wants.”

With the Qatar campaign set to kick off, local football stakeholders appear stuck between its besieged elected officers, a hapless normalisation committee and an uncaring governing body.

And things are likely to get worse still.

[asylumseeker]

Slapped back by Justice Gobin, FIFA's tactic is now fearmongering. Where are the people and their Nelson Mandela backbone? 

All this pressure on Wallace but not a sound during the reign of King David? 

Steups.

[FF]

Slapped back by Justice Gobin, FIFA's tactic is now fearmongering. Where are the people and their Nelson Mandela backbone? 

All this pressure on Wallace but not a sound during the reign of King David? 

Steups.

Exactly! I shame of my people but they only showing who they really were all along

[FF]

We might has well have been banned these past five years under DJW. There was no women's program. We did not compete in Olympic qualifying, we did not compete in Concacaf champions league because of licensing failures by DJW. We barely compete in youth competition.

But these jackasses braying now. Sancho and them only care about their own self interest. f**king shameful

[Cocorite]

Slapped back by Justice Gobin, FIFA's tactic is now fearmongering. Where are the people and their Nelson Mandela backbone? 

All this pressure on Wallace but not a sound during the reign of King David? 

Steups.

Do you know another group of people in the world who are so quick to accept this kinda thing from anyone else?
FIFA don't even have to try too hard. Let their own people condemn their own right to govern their affairs.
Shameful is too weak a concept to describe our people's attitude towards this unjust takeover. "Self-hate! Lack of belief in one's self while believing in others!" The abuser never just "shakes out of it" later and changes his ways, yuh know! This will continue in perpetuity. And they are empowered by the chorus of voices agreeing with their corrupt ways.

[Flex]

Football stakeholders to deliver petition on Monday.
By Nigel Simon (Guardian).

A petition which required the signatures of the membership with more than 50 per cent support of the 49 delegates, will be presented to the FIFA-appointed T&T Football Association (TTFA) Normalisation Committee (NC) headed by businessman Robert Hadad on Monday morning.

This was stated by Kieron Edwards, president of Eastern Football Association (EFA) as local football bodies that fall under the umbrella of the embattled T&TFA make a last-ditch attempt to get members of the William Wallace-led United T&T Football Association (TTFA) to drop its legal battle against football’s world governing body FIFA.

Hadad and the Normalisation Committee was appointed to govern the affairs of local football on March 27, after Wallace who won last November's T&TFA's election over the incumbent, David John-Williams was removed from office by FIFA on March 17, due to what FIFA said was the new executive poor planning and financial handling of the local body affairs.

Edwards told Guardian Media Sports on Saturday that, "So far we have already gathered more than half of the 49 signatures needed to make a presentation on behalf of the concerned local clubs to the normalisation Committee. We have received the backing of 30 clubs so far, as well as the support of the Central Football Association, and Eastern Counties Football Union."

Asked if there was confirmed support for the signing of the petition coming from the other zones, Edwards said, "We are awaiting replies from the Northern Football Association (NFA), Southern Football Association (SFA), Tobago Football Association (TFA) and the T&T Pro League, which has the given its full support minus Club Sando.

Concerning support coming from the Secondary Schools Football League’s (SSFL), its interim president Philip Fraser said he first has to request his membership before he can sign for or against.

Earlier this week, both Brent Sancho, chairman of the T&T Pro League and Mike Awai, a Business Development Officer at Pro League campaigners AC Port-of-Spain, said that with 51 per cent support of the membership, a request can be made to the chairman of the Normalisation Committee, Hadad to call an emergency general meeting, from which a decision can be made to seek the court’s approval to stop the action of the ousted TTFA executive members - inclusive of William Wallace and his three vice presidents - Clynt Taylor, Joseph-Warrick and Joseph Sam Phillip, which has put the country in a position to be sanctioned by FIFA.

Sancho said also that with 75 per cent of the support of the football membership, the United TTFA group can be stopped outrightly, as they would not be representing the wishes of the majority of the members.

Edwards said that with the signatures acquired they also intend on requesting an extraordinary meeting with the NC to have the United TTFA withdraw their matter at the courts and save T&T football from falling apart.

Only on Wednesday, a letter from FIFA’s secretary-general Fatma Samoura warned the United TTFA that if they did not comply with the FIFA Statutes, and accept the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) based in Zurich, Switzerland, as the jurisdiction for settling the dispute between the parties, then the country faces sanctions.

Samoura also gave the United TTFA executive a deadline date of September 16, to take its matter out of the T&T High Court in Port-of-Spain.

Meanwhile, CFA president Shymdeo Gosine said the three delegates who have represented the association have been instructed to support the petition.

"FIFA has rules and regulations and as a member of FIFA our association agreed to abide by those rules, and I really don't understand what they are trying to do at this point with us being on the brink of being ban.

"Those guys need to kill their ego-tripping because we will suffer a great deal in terms of our football if they don't withdraw the ban and FIFA then imposes sanctions on us," said Gosine.

He added, "Their actions to me have no real benefit as the United T&TFA does not have the resources to manage local football and they should end their battle, allow FIFA to step in and help put our football back on track," ended Gosine.

NFA president, Anthony Harford said he has taken the decision along with his executive to have the clubs of the association decide for themselves on the matter.

He stated, "The truth is as president of the NFA, I have taken the position that the clubs will have to make their own choice on whether to throw their support behind the petition or not.

"This is because their is this big perception that I am a William Wallace supporter and because of that I have not been in contact or been privy to any documentations with regards to the petition, but clubs of the NFA have informed me that they have been contacted and my response to them has been to make their own choice."

[Flex]

Fifa tells ‘new’ TTFA to inform ‘former’ TTFA of deadline to drop court case, in bizarre letter.
By Lasana Liburd (Wired868).

Fifa secretary general Fatma Samoura has asked ‘new’ Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) boss Robert Hadad—the head of its normalisation committee in the twin island republic—to tell ‘former’ TTFA president William Wallace to ignore the order of High Court Judge Carol Gobin and move its dispute with Fifa to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

And, Samoura stressed, the ‘former’ TTFA must not liaise directly with Fifa; but instead through the ‘new’ TTFA.

The missive was sent to Hadad this afternoon by the world governing body, although it was arguably the sort of exchange one might expect of two bickering form three students.

At present, Hadad has control over the TTFA office because it was essentially relinquished to him by Wallace. Otherwise, Hadad is not recognised as the head of the local football body by any legal entity in the country including the High Court. Samoura would be aware of this too, since she acknowledged Gobin’s judgment.

In effect, Fifa is asking Wallace to ignore an order by the Trinidad and Tobago High Court and, instead, face the Switzerland-based body at CAS instead. Fifa is headquartered in Zurich, CAS is based in Lausanne.

And Samoura is trying to lure Wallace into Switzerland while arguably ridiculing his standing within the TTFA, and by threatening to unleash wrath on the local game if he does not act as instructed.

“As you are aware, Fifa is extremely concerned regarding the decision of the claim and the arguments used to dismiss Fifa’s application,” stated Samoura’s dispatch. “In this context, we draw your attention to article 59 of the Fifa Statutes, which expressly contains the prohibition of recourse to ordinary courts of law unless specifically provided for.

“Fifa takes such a principle with the utmost seriousness and therefore considers that it is the responsibility of its member associations to ensure that this principle is implemented.

“We further wish to underline that the failure to meet these obligations may, according to article 14 par 4 of the Fifa Statutes, lead to sanctions as provided for in the Fifa Statutes, including a possible suspension.”

The Fifa Statutes, according to the Fifa website, was last updated in June 2019—and it does not include an ‘article 14 par 4’. However, article 13.3 reads:

“Violations of par 1 (i) may also lead to sanctions, even if the third-party influence was not the fault of the member association concerned. Each member association is responsible towards Fifa for any and all acts of the members of their bodies caused by the gross negligence or wilful misconduct of such members.”

So, Samoura intends to hold Hadad responsible for ‘any and all acts of the members of their bodies’. The problem with applying that to Wallace is, if Fifa does not recognise him as TTFA president, then how does it apply to him?

Wallace resigned as Secondary Schools Football League (SSFL) president last month and, as such, his only link to the TTFA is as president. If Fifa does not recognise him as TTFA president, then how can the local football body be responsible for his behaviour?

Of course, the High Court does view Wallace—and not Hadad—as the legitimate head of Trinidad and Tobago football. And, earlier today, Wallace used the TTFA letterhead to email Fifa president Gianni Infantino with a request for a meeting.

Wallace’s letter, which is supposedly the seventh such overture to the world governing body, was also forwarded to the local and international media.

It appeared to prompt Samoura’s letter, which opened with: “On 13 August 2020, it has come to our attention the decision of ‘the claim between the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) and the Federation Internationale of Football Association (Fifa)’ at the Trinidad and Tobago High Court…”

Justice Gobin’s judgment has ‘come to Fifa’s attention’? About a week after Fifa formally appealed the decision?

Infantino and Samoura ought to have already read Gobin’s ruling, which stated that:

“[…] This case goes well beyond TTFA’s alleged governance issues and the justifiability of Fifa’s purported action in appointing the Normalisation Committee. This is about the legitimacy of powers exercised under Article 8(2) of the FIFA Statutes and its consistency with a law passed by legislators in this country.

“This is a matter which falls squarely within the jurisdiction of the High Court of this country. This is not a matter for the Court of Arbitration for Sport…”

Fifa is then asking its appointee, Hadad, to persuade Wallace to ignore a High Court ruling—and threatening action if he doesn’t—while simultaneously appealing the said decision with the local Court of Appeal.

Wallace was given a deadline of 16 September to withdraw the case, which is 48 hours prior to the 2020 Fifa Congress. The fate of the TTFA is likely to be raised at that online Fifa meeting.

“We firmly request the TTFA to ask the TTFA former leadership for an immediate withdrawal of the claim at the Trinidad and Tobago High Court by 16 September 2020, at the latest,” stated Samoura. “In view of the above, we deem that that a failure to comply with this directive would result in the commencement of suspension proceedings via the relevant Fifa bodies.

“Finally, we kindly request that you communicate the foregoing to the relevant persons and keep us closely informed on further developments regarding the matter.”

Hadad had his assistant Amiel Mohammed forward the Fifa missive to Wallace by email, rather than contact the administrator himself. But then the HadCo Limited co-CEO has consistently taken a detached approach to his management of the TTFA.

Yesterday, over a dozen technical staff members turned up at the Ato Boldon Stadium in Couva to deliver their letters of appointment to the normalisation committee. Instead, the unpaid coaches—who included iconic past national footballers like Angus Eve, Clayton Morris and Stern John—found themselves locked out of the stadium for over an hour.

Hadad, even as he made Fifa’s threat public, did not offer an explanation for his treatment of the national coaches or address their grievances.

Fifa and Hadad, though, are trying to pin potential sanctions against the TTFA on Wallace, while simultaneously saying that Wallace has no position within the local game whatsoever.

It is a lingering bout of cognitive dissonance by Fifa that Justice Gobin addressed in her ruling on 13 August.

“There is an inherent contradiction in the Fifa’s purported appointment of a normalisation committee, the purpose of which has been to usurp the powers and functions of the executive of the TTFA on the one hand,” stated the High Court judge, “and its insistence on holding the TTFA to the arbitration agreement on the other. The claimant properly asks the question: ‘whom does FIFA hold to that agreement?’

“In other words, if Fifa disputes the authority of Mr Wallace and others to act on behalf of TTFA, and TTFA is under the control of the normalisation committee—how does it reconcile that with its insistence that these very persons who have no authority to file these court should commence arbitration proceedings in Switzerland.

“The [CAS] arbitration process cannot be triggered if there is a dispute as to the capacity of one of the parties to invoke the process and to bind TTFA to any outcome.

“[…] By its challenge to the authority of persons to bring this action, in which proceedings were signed by the President, Mr Wallace and the board of directors named in the arbitration proceedings, the arbitration was rendered inoperable.”

[Flex]

Hadad urges ‘previous administration’ to act for T&T’s benefit, a day after locking out national coaches.
Wired868.com.

“Fifa has been clear from the day of the appointment of the normalisation committee, and on several occasions since, that the committee alone has the mandate to run and manage the affairs of the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association.

“[…] Additionally, it makes clear the potentially devastating consequences for football in Trinidad and Tobago if members of the previous administration do not withdraw their claim in the Trinidad and Tobago High Court by 16 September 2020…”

The following is a letter from normalisation committee chairman Robert Hadad, which addresses a dispatch from Fifa today—but not his office staff’s decision to lock unpaid national football coaches out of the Ato Boldon Stadium in Couva yesterday:

Fifa has been clear from the day of the appointment of the normalisation committee, and on several occasions since, that the committee alone has the mandate to run and manage the affairs of the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association.

Fifa’s letter, received today, reaffirms this position. Additionally, it makes clear the potentially devastating consequences for football in Trinidad and Tobago if members of the previous administration do not withdraw their claim in the Trinidad and Tobago High Court by 16 September 2020.

Members of the previous administration know very well that Fifa statutes require all Fifa Member Associations to manage disputes through the Court of Arbitration for Sport. And members of the previous administration also know very well the consequences for any Member which disregards that key requirement for Fifa membership.

Ultimately, our teams and their coaches and players, and of course our fans, are the most important thing for the future of football in our country.

Respectfully,
Robert Hadad
Chairperson of the normalisation committee

[Controversial]

Slapped back by Justice Gobin, FIFA's tactic is now fearmongering. Where are the people and their Nelson Mandela backbone? 

All this pressure on Wallace but not a sound during the reign of King David? 

Steups.

Do you know another group of people in the world who are so quick to accept this kinda thing from anyone else?
FIFA don't even have to try too hard. Let their own people condemn their own right to govern their affairs.
Shameful is too weak a concept to describe our people's attitude towards this unjust takeover. "Self-hate! Lack of belief in one's self while believing in others!" The abuser never just "shakes out of it" later and changes his ways, yuh know! This will continue in perpetuity. And they are empowered by the chorus of voices agreeing with their corrupt ways.

I’m happy people are finally seeing what I saw all this time with the local population and the majority of the footballing community.

They only talk about massa day done and all this other garbage but are happy to be ruled, hence the elections and continual support of a two party system that divides..

Hence the bowing to fifa and not having the belly to deal with neo colonialism and undermining.

TT is truly gone through, how can you lead a revolution when the majority of TT don’t support each other, who believe anything foreign is better... its a fight down bc they are weak and brainwashed ...

Wallace needs to stand his ground, it’s time TT football face a ban and learn to stand up for what’s right, they have it too easy, time for the struggle and reality of who controls and how to gain self control and self rule...

The players are also sell outs, if they don’t push against this tyranny

[Flex]

Former T&TFA member sees petition as waste of time.
By Walter Alibey (Guardian).

"Don't waste your time," a former member of the William Wallace-led Board of Directors of the T&T Football Association who wished to remain anonymous said with regards to the Petition efforts by the membership of the TTFA, in its attempts to stop the United T&TFA from taking court action against the sport's governing body FIFA.

On Wednesday the members of the sport launched a campaign to signed petition to go to the court to stop former president William Wallace and his three vice presidents Clynt Taylor, Susan Joseph-Warrick and Joseph Sam Phillip, from pursuing legal action against FIFA appointed normalisation committee to manage the T&TFA.

The former board member pointed to reasons why the general membership, which Guardian Media Sports reported yesterday had acquired more than 51-percent of signatures needed so far, could be wasting their time.

The Board member told Guardian Media Sports yesterday that, the membership action is an unconstitutional act and it is practically impossible to take a matter out of the court unless it is done so by the people who are taking legal action themselves.

The former board member said, "It is not legally possible for the membership to get the matter removed from the court and the court knows this. Any information coming out about the case is sub judice."

The former board member pointed to the desperation of the membership and explained that the appointment of a normalisation committee meant there is no Board of Directors of the TTFA and certainly there's no TTFA, so the action of Wallace and his vice presidents Taylor, Joseph-Warrick and Phillip, was done by them as individuals, and not on behalf of the embattled football association.

"Those executive officers used their own money to go to court, they didn't use funds from the TTFA accounts. Also, the constitution gives power to the membership to remove a president but it must be done within 60 days and that has already passed, so it cannot happen. The removal of a president, in this case, requires a more than 60 per cent of the majority of members for the general secretary to convene a special meeting, but even if that is achieved it will not affect the court battle", the Board Director explained.

On Wednesday, the membership launched their campaign and with the support of Minister of Sports and Community Development Shamfa Cudjoe following a meeting she had with the stakeholders of the sport on Thursday, they began soliciting signatures via the petition to try and convince the High Court that the action of the four United TTFA members (Wallace and his vice presidents Taylor, Joseph-Warrick and Phillip) which FIFA removed from office on March 17, for what it claimed was due to the new executive poor planning and financial handling of the local body affairs, does not represent the membership of the TTFA.

On August 13, High Court Judge Justice Carol Gobin ruled in favour of the United TTFA to have their challenge of FIFA decision to remove them from office to be heard in the T&T High court, as opposed to the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) in Lausanne, Switzerland according to the FIFA's statutes, which is spelt out as the channels for aggrieved Member Associations to settle disputes. FIFA has since filed an appeal on August 20.

On August 26, FIFA’s secretary-general Fatma Samoura wrote Robert Hadad, the chairman of the Normalisation Committee warning the United TTFA that if they did not comply with the FIFA Statutes, and accept the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) as the jurisdiction for settling the dispute between the parties, then the country faces sanctions.

Samoura also gave the United TTFA executive a deadline date of September 16, to take its matter out of the T&T High Court in Port-of-Spain.

[Controversial]

Former T&TFA member sees petition as waste of time.
By Walter Alibey (Guardian).

"Don't waste your time," a former member of the William Wallace-led Board of Directors of the T&T Football Association who wished to remain anonymous said with regards to the Petition efforts by the membership of the TTFA, in its attempts to stop the United T&TFA from taking court action against the sport's governing body FIFA.

On Wednesday the members of the sport launched a campaign to signed petition to go to the court to stop former president William Wallace and his three vice presidents Clynt Taylor, Susan Joseph-Warrick and Joseph Sam Phillip, from pursuing legal action against FIFA appointed normalisation committee to manage the T&TFA.

The former board member pointed to reasons why the general membership, which Guardian Media Sports reported yesterday had acquired more than 51-percent of signatures needed so far, could be wasting their time.

The Board member told Guardian Media Sports yesterday that, the membership action is an unconstitutional act and it is practically impossible to take a matter out of the court unless it is done so by the people who are taking legal action themselves.

The former board member said, "It is not legally possible for the membership to get the matter removed from the court and the court knows this. Any information coming out about the case is sub judice."

The former board member pointed to the desperation of the membership and explained that the appointment of a normalisation committee meant there is no Board of Directors of the TTFA and certainly there's no TTFA, so the action of Wallace and his vice presidents Taylor, Joseph-Warrick and Phillip, was done by them as individuals, and not on behalf of the embattled football association.

"Those executive officers used their own money to go to court, they didn't use funds from the TTFA accounts. Also, the constitution gives power to the membership to remove a president but it must be done within 60 days and that has already passed, so it cannot happen. The removal of a president, in this case, requires a more than 60 per cent of the majority of members for the general secretary to convene a special meeting, but even if that is achieved it will not affect the court battle", the Board Director explained.

On Wednesday, the membership launched their campaign and with the support of Minister of Sports and Community Development Shamfa Cudjoe following a meeting she had with the stakeholders of the sport on Thursday, they began soliciting signatures via the petition to try and convince the High Court that the action of the four United TTFA members (Wallace and his vice presidents Taylor, Joseph-Warrick and Phillip) which FIFA removed from office on March 17, for what it claimed was due to the new executive poor planning and financial handling of the local body affairs, does not represent the membership of the TTFA.

On August 13, High Court Judge Justice Carol Gobin ruled in favour of the United TTFA to have their challenge of FIFA decision to remove them from office to be heard in the T&T High court, as opposed to the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) in Lausanne, Switzerland according to the FIFA's statutes, which is spelt out as the channels for aggrieved Member Associations to settle disputes. FIFA has since filed an appeal on August 20.

On August 26, FIFA’s secretary-general Fatma Samoura wrote Robert Hadad, the chairman of the Normalisation Committee warning the United TTFA that if they did not comply with the FIFA Statutes, and accept the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) as the jurisdiction for settling the dispute between the parties, then the country faces sanctions.

Samoura also gave the United TTFA executive a deadline date of September 16, to take its matter out of the T&T High Court in Port-of-Spain.

PNM and the govt are a bunch of sell outs, so the MOS is now supporting all the the people in massas house locally now...

They want to ensure they get that bribe and hush money and have no qualms with TT football being in the gutter, as long as they eat ah food..

That ban can’t come fast enough...

You notice that fifa could have issued this warning before they lost Andy it went trial in TT.. they hoped they would have won, so now that they have lost, they are threatening Wallace bc they know CAS is no time neutral and they don’t want rebellion and resistance, they want you to bow..

This also sets up resistance from other federations which could backfire on them.. Wallace needs to stand firm

[FF]

What killing me is we was basically on a ban the last five years

What kinda football we play at any level?
What kinda development was done at any level?

Look at all these louses now.

[asylumseeker]

In my view, the meeting called by the MoS,  for the purpose for which it was called was prejudicial and improper.

There have been moments in the past when the MoS should have been activist in her approach and declined to be activist.  This moment required waiting until there was clarity and certainty in outcome before entering as an activist or non-neutral. Instead, the MoS decided to participate in the internal politics of the federation and to act as a rallyer of opposing voices. Having won the election, I am happy to see the MoS maintain her sports portfolio, but that meeting should have been framed differently, had a narrower purpose or timed to occur after the FIFA vote.

In addition, there's a legal concept known as "standing". There was standing to bring the matter before the courts/CAS and no need for ratification by the membership as to whether standing existed. That standing is preserved throughout the life of the matter in dispute and it is the injured party to which it is attached ... so a vote that seeks to impose withdrawal of the matter does not necessarily withdraw "United TTFA's" standing to see this matter to its natural conclusion.

[Sam]

Slapped back by Justice Gobin, FIFA's tactic is now fearmongering. Where are the people and their Nelson Mandela backbone? 

All this pressure on Wallace but not a sound during the reign of King David? 

Steups.

Exactly! I shame of my people but they only showing who they really were all along

https://www.socawarriors.net/forum/index.php?topic=66646.msg994778#msg994778

Smoke that

[asylumseeker]

If FIFA cared about the staff and players' welfare, it would not have selectively decided who among staffers it would pay and who would suck salt.

Paying on schedule and providing the "Normalization Committee" with the disbursement that other federations have received would have contributed to "normalizing" and achieving a measure of normalcy, but FIFA opted not to take that path because the interim best interests of Trinidad and Tobago football are not FIFA's primary concern. Instead,  the organization directorate has opted to treat the matter as a hostage crisis and to attempt to smoke out the perceived hostage takers while recognizing that there will be collaterally damaged hostages who are victims of the smoke out.

Anyone who sees that as the best available benign approach for FIFA to have taken is missing a fundamental aspect of how this dispute has escalated.

Blaming Wallace for FIFA's non-payment of the staff and a prospect of retaliatory sanction is acquiescing in faulting the hostages for being held captive.

[Flex]

Downer: TTFA suspension not on FIFA congress agenda.
T&T Guardian Reports.

Osmond Downer, a vice president of the T&T Football Referees Association (TTFRA) has written to the the membership of the T&T Football in relationship to a petition to seek to have the court matter involving the former executive offices of the sports and the FIFA, the world governing body for the sport moved from the T&T high court to the the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) which is Switzerland.

Guardian Media Sports has been reporting since Friday that the membership intention is to stop FIFA from taking action against the TTFA if former president William Wallace and his three vice presidents - Clynt Taylor, Joseph-Warrick and Joseph Sam Phillip, refuse to comply with FIFA's directive issued on Wednesday for them to withdraw their legal matter from the T&T High Court in Port-of-Spain against FIFA by September 16. The petition is also to remove the officers.

FIFA removed the TTFA executive on March 17 and appointed a Normalisation committee to manage the TTFA on March 27. The dismissed officers who were elected on November 24, 2019 at the TTFA annual general meeting (AGM) decided to challenged FIFA's decision to remove them from office. However, during a meeting on Thursday between stakeholders of the sport and Shamfa Cudjoe, the Minister of Sports and Community Development, the Minister called on the members to take action and let good sense prevail in the matter.

Here's Downer, one of the framers of the TTFA Constitution letter to the membership on Monday:

Dear Colleagues in Football,

Please allow me to comment on certain statements emanating from some stakeholders in football in the Country concerning the request for an Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) of the TTFA to consider the removal of the Officers of the TTFA who were duly elected at the November 2019 AGM of the TTFA, and who are also expressing concerns about a possible suspension or expelling of the TTFA by FIFA, especially in light of FIFA's recent letter calling on the elected Officers to withdraw their matter from the local High Courts by September 16th, with the pending meeting of the FIFA Annual Congress on September 18.

The stipulations for requesting an EGM are clearly stated in Article 29 of the TTFA's Constitution. "More than 50% of the accredited delegates to the General Meeting (not of the members) must make the request in writing”. Of course, with each Member Association or League submitting an official letter supporting the request with the names of its allotted delegates supporting the request. Of course, also, all Member Associations or Leagues must be provided with a copy of the entire motion and its proposers which is to be debated at the EGM.

<Voting by secret ballot in Covid-19>

The composition of the General Meeting of the TTFA is stated in Article 22 of the Constitution. Note that the total number of delegates allotted is 47; therefore, a number of at least 24 of the accredited Delegates is needed to request a valid EGM.

Now, let us deal with the requested dismissal of the elected officers. Again Article 38 of the TTFA's Constitution is clear on this. Note para. 2: “The motion for dismissal must be justified. It will be sent to the Members of the BOD and/or to the Members along with the agenda”. Note also para. 3:” The person or body in question has the right to defend him/herself”. Also para.4: “The motion for dismissal shall be decided by means of secret ballot. For the motion to be passed a majority of three-quarters of the valid notes is required”. How are we to achieve secret balloting in a virtual meeting in these COVID-19 times?

Finally, note that the FIFA letter installing the Normalization Committee has removed only the Executive (Board of Directors) of the TTFA and replaced it with the Normalization Committee. FIFA has not suspended the Constitution of the TTFA. Also, FIFA has not abolished the Standing Committees that were constitutionally created by the BOD before the advent of the Normalization Committee. Also to my knowledge, FIFA has not removed the General Secretary (GS) from his post. I have been reliably informed that FIFA wrote to the GS, after the establishment of the Normalization Committee, requesting that the GS cooperate with the NC.

I shall not deal here with the merits or demerits of FIFA's removal of the TTFA's Executive and its replacement with the Normalization Committee. This matter is now before the highest Courts of the Country and may very well be sub judice.

(TTFA suspension not on FIFA congress agenda)

Now, a look at the hysteria surrounding the possible suspension or expulsion of the TTFA at the upcoming FIFA Annual Ordinary Congress on September 18.

First, look at the Agenda for the Annual Congress. Yes, there is an item (f) on the Agenda- Suspension or expulsion of a member (if applicable). This item is standard for all Annual Congresses. Contact has been made with Caribbean Colleagues who will be attending the September 18 Congress and I have been informed that the mandatory agenda and accompanying documents sent to them have all made no mention whatsoever of any motion to suspend or expel the TTFA.

The motion to suspend or expel a member can be put before the Annual Congress only by the Council of FIFA, by no other body or person. I have made inquiries about the deliberations of the last FIFA Council Meeting of about three weeks ago, and I have been reliably informed that the only matter that came up concerning the TTFA was the ratification of the Bureau's decision to install the Normalization Committee. No decision was taken to recommend the expulsion or suspension of the TTFA to the Congress.

Article 29 Extraordinary General Meeting

1. The Board of Directors may convene an Extraordinary General Meeting at any time.

2. The Board of Directors shall convene an Extraordinary General Meeting if a majority (more than 50%) of the accredited delegates to the general Meeting make such a request in writing. The request shall specify the items for the agenda. An Extraordinary General Meeting shall be held within 30 days of receipt of the request unless the agenda includes the election of members of the Board of Directors or the members of the Electoral Committee, in which case the Extraordinary General Meeting shall be held within 60 days of receipt of the request. If an Extraordinary General Meeting is not convened within the indicated time, the delegates who requested it may convene the Extraordinary General Meeting themselves. As a last resort, the Members may request assistance from FIFA and CONCACAF.

3. The Members shall be notified of the place, date and agenda at least 10 days before the date of an Extraordinary General Meeting.

4. When an Extraordinary General Meeting is convened on the initiative of the Board of Directors, the Board of Directors shall draw up the agenda. When an Extraordinary General Meeting is convened upon the request of Members, the agenda shall contain the points raised by those Members.

5. If one of the items in the agenda of the Extraordinary General Meeting includes the election of members of the Board of Directors or members of the Electoral Committee, the Board of Directors shall notify the Members at least 55 days before the date of the Extraordinary General Meeting about the upcoming elections.

6. The agenda of an Extraordinary General Meeting may not be altered.

Article 22 Delegates and votes (TTFA constitution)

1 The General Meeting is composed of 47 Delegates. The number of Delegates is allocated as follows:

a) TT Pro League clubs —10 delegates

b) Trinidad and Tobago Super League Clubs—8 delegates

c) For the Regional Associations

*Central FA—3 delegates

*Eastern FA—3 delegates

*Eastern Counties Football Union—3 delegates

*Northern FA—3 delegates

*Southern FA—3 delegates

*Tobago FA —3 delegates

d) Women Association —2 delegates

e) Trinidad and Tobago Football Referees Association —2 delegates

f) Futsal Association of T&T (FATT) —2 delegates

g) Primary Schools League—1 delegate

h) Secondary School Football League —1 delegate

i) TTAYSO —1 delegate

j) T&T Beach Soccer Association—1 delegate

k) Veteran Footballers Foundation of Trinidad and Tobago—1 delegate

2 Each Delegate shall have one (1) vote in the General Meeting. Only the Delegates present are entitled to vote. Voting by proxy or by letter is not permitted.

RELATED NEWS

Downer questions whether FIFA will act on Sept 18.
T&T Express Reports.

SUSPENSION ‘HYSTERIA’

A local football constitution expert has raised questions over whether the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) will indeed be suspended by world governing body, FIFA, if it doesn’t end its High Court action against FIFA by September 16.

Last week, through general secretary Fatma Samoura, FIFA communicated in a letter to Robert Hadad, chairman of the Normalisation Committee it set up to run football in T&T on March 17, that: “We firmly request the TTFA to ask to the TTFA former leadership for an immediate withdrawal of the claim at the Trinidad and Tobago High Court by 16 September 2020, at the latest. We deem that a failure to comply with this directive would result in the commencement of suspension proceedings via the relevant FIFA bodies.”

In a letter yesterday, Osmond Downer, also a former Trinidad and Tobago and FIFA refereeing official, described talk of a suspension for the TTFA as “hysteria.”

He said of the agenda for the FIFA Annual Congress on September 18: “Yes, there is an item (f) on the agenda — Suspension or expulsion of a member (if applicable).” However, he said, “this item is standard for all Annual Congresses.”

He added: “Contact has been made with Caribbean colleagues who will be attending the September 18 Congress and I have been informed that the mandatory agenda and accompanying documents sent to them have all made no mention whatsoever of any motion to suspend or expel the TTFA.

“The motion to suspend or expel a Member can be put before the Annual Congress only by the Council of FIFA, by no other body or person. I have made enquiries about the deliberations of the last FIFA Council Meeting of about three weeks ago, and I have been reliably informed that the only matter that came up concerning the TTFA was the ratification of the Bureau’s decision to install the Normalisation Committee. No decision was taken to recommend the expulsion or suspension of the TTFA to the Congress.”

For a suspension against the TTFA to be implemented, 75 per cent of the 211 FIFA member associations — at least 160 — must agree to it.

Meanwhile, members of the TTFA have been attempting to put together a petition in a effort to get the “United TTFA” faction headed by president William Wallace to withdraw its case in the High Court or even force a removal of the executive.

In his letter, Downer pointed out exactly what it would take to remove elected officers.

Below are the stipulations:

1. The General Meeting may dismiss a person or a member of a body. The Board of Directors may place the dismissal of a person or a member of a body on the agenda for the General Meeting. The Board of Directors may also dismiss a person or a member of a body provisionally. Any Board of Directors member may submit a proposal to place such a motion for dismissal on the agenda of the Board of Directors or General Meeting.

2. The motion for dismissal must be justified. It will be sent to the Members of the Board of Directors and/or to the Members along with the agenda.

3. The person or body in question has the right to defend him--or herself.

4. The motion for dismissal shall be decided by means of secret ballot. For the motion to be passed, a majority of three quarters of the valid votes is required.

5. The person or body dismissed (provisionally) is relieved of his or its functions with immediate effect.

The constitution expert then asked the question: “How are we to achieve secret balloting in a virtual meeting in these Covid 19-times?”

Related Link - Downer: Sancho used local courts—so why not Wallace? And Look Loy was not removed

[Deeks]

How old is Downer ? This man must be 100 you know.