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Offline FF

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Re: FIFA appoints normalisation committee for Trinidad and Tobago football
« Reply #690 on: September 18, 2020, 08:46:35 AM »
AGENDA ITEM NO. 4

#FIFACongress confirms that no member associations are suspended. All 211 member associations are present and eligible to vote at the 70th FIFA Congress.


 :rotfl:

Let me hear Sancho and dem now


FIFA President declares the 70th #FIFACongress CLOSED.

The 71st #FIFACongress is scheduled to take place in 2021 in Tokyo, Japan .
« Last Edit: September 18, 2020, 08:49:25 AM by FF »
THE BEATINGS WILL CONTINUE UNTIL MORALE IMPROVES

Offline Tallman

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TTFA escapes FIFA sanction for now
« Reply #691 on: September 18, 2020, 08:47:43 AM »
TTFA escapes FIFA sanction for now
By Mark Bassant (T&T Guardian)


No FIFA ban for the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association, at least for the time being.

When the 70th FIFA Congress convened at nine o'clock Friday morning, FIFA president Gianni Infantino said there was nothing to address under the agenda of expulsion and suspensions and moved on. This announcement came at approximately 9.17 am.

It put to rest concerns for many months that Trinidad and Tobago would be banned by FIFA following the court action taken by the ousted United TTFA executive led by William Wallace earlier this year - after they were given the boot and a FIFA Normalisation Committee implemented in March, headed by Robert Hadad, to oversee a restructuring of the association.

Well placed football insiders told Guardian Media earlier this morning that FIFA may only contemplate their next move after the October 9 court matter in Trinidad and Tobago

Wallace’s team refused to drop the local court action challenging the FIFA decision to send in the Normalisation Team by the deadline of Wednesday of this week given to them by the world governing body for the sport. This had prompted concerns that the TTFA could face a ban.

Addressing FIFA’s non-action during Friday’s congress, however, Wallace said the matter was far from over.

”We knew that Trinidad and Tobago was not on the agenda, but of course persons with their various agendas made public statements to the contrary. The matter is far from over and the ball is still in FIFA's court to act as they deem fit after the congress.” - With reporting by Gyasi Merrique.

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Look Loy, Downer don’t see FIFA action today
By Ian Prescott (Express).


Ban or not?

Will Trinidad and Tobago be suspended from world football today? United TTFA spokesman Keith Look Loy has his doubts, and so does a local football constitution expert.

Today the 70th Congress of world governing body FIFA will be held, where in theory, two-thirds of the 214 delegates can agree to a ban or suspension of the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association because of the current High Court action being undertaken by sidelined president William Wallace and his three vice-presidents, going under the United TTFA banner.

However, Keith Look Loy, chairman of the TTFA’s technical committee before FIFA instituted a Normalisation Committee on March 17, and part of the United TTFA group, does not believe that a ban will come today.

“I personally do not expect anything to happen at the Congress,” he said on TV6’s Morning Edition programme yesterday.

Giving weight to Look Loy’s contention is the absence of the matter of the TTFA’s suspension on the agenda of the FIFA Congress or the FIFA Council, which met yesterday.

Vice-president of the Trinidad and Tobago Referees Association and one of the framers of the TTFA’s revised constitution in 2015, Osmond Downer, told the Express yesterday that delegates going to the Congress must be informed beforehand of any matter to be discussed. He said while the matter of suspensions is a mandatory item on the agenda, the TTFA matter is not specifically there.

In addition, Downer said the TTFA issue was also not discussed at the meeting of the FIFA Council, which met yesterday. Explaining that the Council can put to the Congress any motion for expulsion or suspension, he said: “I saw the agenda for the Council meeting and it has on it ratification of matters coming from the Bureau. But there is no item ­regarding suspension for Trinidad and Tobago.”

The Bureau comprises president Gianni Infantino and the presidents of FIFA’s six confederations, which met within the last week.

Downer added: “Following ­normal procedure it (a suspension for the TTFA) would not be a matter to be discussed by the Congress because such a matter would have to be brought to the Congress by the Council. So unless some irregular way is found to bring it to the Congress for discussion, it will not be discussed, because the Council is not discussing it today (yesterday).”

Wallace and his United TTFA had been given until Wednesday by FIFA to withdraw its legal action in the High Court or face the possibility of a suspension or ban.

United TTFA has not withdrawn its case and on Monday was granted an injunction by Justice Carol Gobin which prevented the Normalisation Committee from sanctioning an Emergency General Meeting (EGM) that could have seen the TTFA dele­gates instructing the group to stop its action. And yesterday, Look Loy remained steadfast despite the ban threat.

Look Loy reasoned that even in the event of a ban: “In the real world of Covid, there is no football to be played until the second quarter of next year... There is no domestic football for the rest of this year... Concacaf has already put off all qualifying and international play until March of 2021. There is no football for the next six months. No boy or girl is going to get a scholarship to the United States until August of next year, that’s ­almost a year from now, so I’m saying if we are sanctioned, in the real world, what are we going to miss?”

He added: “This case is going to be settled within that period or long before... the end of that period. If the matter goes the way of FIFA, we have said publicly, then we walk away. I personally have no interest in pursuing this to the Privy Council and Appeal Court and all of that. If Justice Gobin decides in favour of FIFA, we walk away.

“If she decides that the Wallace administration is the legitimate administration then we address it, bring the membership together and we begin to deal with the solution together... I repeat, Trinidad and Tobago football is going to be missing nothing under a suspension until April of next year.”

« Last Edit: September 18, 2020, 09:38:38 AM by Flex »
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Offline Flex

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Re: FIFA appoints normalisation committee for Trinidad and Tobago football
« Reply #692 on: September 18, 2020, 09:36:51 AM »
Normalisation Committee questions TTFA decisions.
By Ian Prescott (Express).


Bad business

UNITED TTFA has been lumped with previous administrations for its work in the four months it was in charge of the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association.

“Whether it was under the David John-Williams administration or United TTFA, or before them with Ollie Camps and the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation, we have had successive leaderships failing and failing our country,” Normalisation Committee chairman Robert Hadad said on I95FM’s sports programme on Monday.

Hadad and committee member Nigel Romano spoke on the current state of affairs after being appointed in March as part of FIFA’s Normalisation Committee, with a mandate to clean up the TTFA’s dire financial position.

Based on what they have found, Romano said the TTFA is management-deficient in many areas.

Romano estimated the TTFA’s current debt stands at $100 million and claimed that it was made worse in the four months United TTFA took charge because it locked the Association into unfavourable but legal contracts with Englishmen Peter Miller and Terry Fenwick, AVEC Sports and others.

Wallace issued a release defending his name and explaining that he signed those deals based on the belief that marketer Miller would bring financial relief to the TTFA.

“Peter Miller and company promised us TT$9.5 million per year worth of sponsorship for four years. Along with a project that was proposed to eliminate the TTFA’s TT$50 million debt, this represented — or seemed to — an ideal platform for doing business with Miller,” the Wallace release had said.

Wallace’s explanation was: “Since the expected sponsorship dollars were to come directly to the TTFA, we agreed that commissions, salaries, payments, etc would have been paid by us. The amount to be paid to Miller was established before I accepted to go forward with the arrangement, so I honoured same.”

Wallace added:“Let me reiterate here that I didn’t think we had anything to lose by engaging Miller. If he were successful, I reasoned, the TTFA would also be successful; if he failed, then we would simply have remained in the hole that previous administrations had dug us into.”

Romano termed the decision-making in signing the deals as “strange” and said that for 2020 alone it would cost the Association TT $5 million.

Referring to the AVEC Sports deal, Romano said:“We could not understand why they were signing such a contract. In a kit agreement you go with Nike or adidas and they pay you to put their brand on your shirt.”

Hadad also raised the issue of senior men’s coach Terry Fenwick and general secretary Ramesh Ramdhan being given contracts not approved by the TTFA board.

He added:“There is also an issue with the Dennis Lawrence contract being ended and we have to pay him off and Stuart Charles Fevrier and Stephen De Four; contracts that were cancelled and we have to pay again all these people. We are paying two head coaches at the same time, Dennis Lawrence’s salary and Terry’s salary. That type of governance needs to be addressed.”

Hadad also referred to another decision by the Wallace-led TTFA.

“Let us not forget also that the United TTFA made a lot of promises in the run-up to the elections, the largest one being the Lavender deal for $12 million dollars annually for the TTFA, which was supposed to be built on land that the (Arima) mayor did not give anybody.”

In March, then Arima Mayor Lisa Morris-Julian distanced the borough from any partnership with either the TTFA and UK consultants or agreeing to any Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for a multi-billion-dollar residential and sporting facility in Arima. However, Wallace has spoken of this proposal as the TTFA’s saviour.

“I was confident that we would have benefited from our arrangement with Miller. The Arima arrangement, for example, that spoke to clearing the debt got us to the point of signing an MOU. And even after the Normalisation Committee was set up, the company involved wrote to the Prime Minister indicating their continuing interest in the project.

“My position was — and still is — that, even if only 50 per cent of what was promised was delivered, whatever remained after payout would have been more than we originally had.

“It is only fair for people to be judged on their actions, past and present. However, unfortunately, sometimes we do not give people a chance to make amends for past mistakes,” said Wallace. “All I ask is that you not judge my choices without attempting to understand the reasons for my actions.”

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

Offline FF

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Re: FIFA appoints normalisation committee for Trinidad and Tobago football
« Reply #693 on: September 18, 2020, 10:56:15 AM »
New deadline to drop the case on the 23rd.

More bluff? More bark than bite?

Not enough time for TTFA members to call an EGM
So what is the play here? Bureau council secrecy?
THE BEATINGS WILL CONTINUE UNTIL MORALE IMPROVES

Offline davyjenny1

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Re: FIFA appoints normalisation committee for Trinidad and Tobago football
« Reply #694 on: September 18, 2020, 11:36:40 AM »
The new date is Sept 23rd. Letter sign by Fatma Samoura, Secretary General.
« Last Edit: September 18, 2020, 01:50:05 PM by davyjenny1 »
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Offline Anbrat

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Re: FIFA appoints normalisation committee for Trinidad and Tobago football
« Reply #695 on: September 18, 2020, 12:06:20 PM »
New deadline to drop the case on the 23rd.

More bluff? More bark than bite?

Not enough time for TTFA members to call an EGM
So what is the play here? Bureau council secrecy?
Have you been satisfied with the administration (financial & otherwise) of football in TT over the past 40 years?

Offline Tallman

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Re: FIFA appoints normalisation committee for Trinidad and Tobago football
« Reply #696 on: September 18, 2020, 01:12:29 PM »
WATCH: SportsMax Zone along with Alex Jordan and Trinidad and Tobago U-17 Head Coach Angus Eve discuss the TTFA vs FIFA saga

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/bAmkCAcqz2A" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/bAmkCAcqz2A</a>
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Offline Flex

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Re: FIFA appoints normalisation committee for Trinidad and Tobago football
« Reply #697 on: September 18, 2020, 04:11:26 PM »
United TTFA gets new FIFA deadline - September 23
By Walter Alibey (Guardian).


The T&T Football Association was today, given a revised deadline of September 23 to drop all matters in the court against the sport's world governing body-FIFA, or face suspension.

FIFA General Secretary Fatma Samoura in a letter addressed to the chairman of the Normalisation Committee Robert Hadad on Friday, stated: "Given the seriousness of the matter addressed therein, the FIFA Council has decided to give a final deadline to the relevant parties to withdraw all types of claims against FIFA before the T&T courts and comply with all their obligations under the FIFA Statutes, in particular art 57 et seqq of the FIFA Statutes, by September 23 at 15:00 AST (21:00 CET). Failure to comply with this directive within this revised deadline will result in the matter being brought to the attention of the relevant FIFA bodies to decide on the suspension of the TTFA."

Her letter comes in the heels after the T&T public was expecting the TTFA was going to be sanctioned at the FIFA Congress which is taking place at the FIFA headquarters in Switzerland.

However, the agenda for the Congress showed no suspensions or expulsions, which meant the TTFA, led by former president William Wallace and including vice presidents Clynt Taylor, Joseph Sam Phillip and Susan Joseph-Warrick, was given another opportunity to make things right with the FIFA.

On August 26th, Samoura issued a letter to Hadad, warning the TTFA they would be banned if they did not drop the court matter and accept the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) in Lausanne, Switzerland as the jurisdiction for the settlement of all disputes among Member Associations.

The TTFA has been challenging a decision by the FIFA to install a normalisation committee on March 17, thereby replacing them (TTFA) as the duly elected executive to run the affairs of TT football.

To date, Wallace and his team which is trading as the United TTFA, has had favourable fortunes with T&T High court judge Carol Gobin, who has ruled on August 13, that the local court can hear the matter involving both parties.

Both parties are now before the Court of Appeal with the matter to be heard on October 21. However, FIFA is expected to file their defence by today or the High court matter which starts on October 9.

Wallace and his executive were replaced by Hadad as chairman, attorney Judy Daniel (deputy chairman), and retired banker Nigel Romano as the administrators of T&T football through the Normalisation Committee.



RELATED NEWS

Fifa gives TTFA new ‘final deadline’ of 23 Sep, Hadad risks ‘contempt’ charge to relay it.
By Lasana Liburd (Wired868).


Fifa has given the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) a new ‘final deadline’ of 23 September to ensure the withdrawal of its High Court case against the governing body.

The latest threat was issued by Fifa secretary general Fatma Samoura to Fifa-appointed normalisation committee chairman Robert Hadad this morning and then relayed via a press release.

TTFA president William Wallace, who says he has support of roughly half of the local body’s delegates, has refused to back down and is supported by vice-presidents Clynt Taylor, Susan Joseph-Warrick and Sam Phillip, as well as ‘United TTFA’ colleagues Anthony Harford and Keith Look Loy—who helped get him elected.

On 26 August, Samoura ‘firmly requested’ that the ‘TTFA former leadership’ withdraw its claim from the local High Court ‘by 16 September 2020 at the latest’. She said then that ‘failure to comply with this directive would result in the commencement of suspension proceedings via the relevant Fifa bodies’.

Today, as Fifa’s 70th Congress passed without repercussions for the TTFA, Samoura offered a new deadline.

“We hereby follow up on our latest correspondence dated 26 August 2020 pertaining to the situation of the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association,” stated Samoura, via email. “Given the seriousness of the matter addressed therein, the Fifa Council has decided to give a final deadline to the relevant parties to withdraw all types of claims against Fifa before the Trinidad and Tobago courts and comply with all their obligations under the Fifa Statutes—in particular articles 57 et seqq—by 23 September at 15:00 AST (21:00 CET).

“Failure to comply with this directive within this revised deadline will result in the matter being brought to the attention of the relevant Fifa bodies to decide on the suspension of the TTFA.”

Samoura asked Hadad to ‘communicate the above mentioned to all relevant persons and to keep Fifa closely informed on all further developments regarding the matter’.

Hadad relayed Fifa’s missive to the Trinidad and Tobago public, via a press release. By so doing, Hadad, the Co-CEO of HadCo Limited, might be considered to have flouted an injunction by High Court Judge Carol Gobin, which was passed on Monday 14 September.

Justice Gobin ordered Fifa from ‘instructing and/or directing any person or persons to seek to withdraw the instant claim and/or in any way, manner or fashion from interfering with or seeking to undermine, the instant proceedings—except by way of lawful representations made by [Fifa’s] duly appointed Attorneys-at-Law or other lawful intervention’.

Hadad, along with normalisation committee members Judy Daniel and Nigel Romano, was specifically named by Justice Gobin.

Fifa president Gianni Infantino, as predicted by Trinidad and Tobago Football Referees Association (TTFRA) vice-president Osmond Downer last month, never intended to address the TTFA at today’s congress.

The TTFA imbroglio was not raised on the agenda of Fifa’s Congress or its Council meeting—the latter was held yesterday.

However, as Wired868 noted on 31 August, Infantino has the option of striking against the local administration via the seven-member Bureau of the Fifa Council, which is headed by Infantino.

It was the Bureau, which is Fifa’s version of an ‘emergency committee’, that ordered a normalisation committee for the twin island republic in the first place, on 13 March, rather than the 37-member Fifa Council or 211-member Fifa Congress.

Arguably, Fifa’s new deadline could be meant to justify a future declaration of the Trinidad and Tobago impasse as an emergency. If not, Infantino might feasibly have to explain why the TTFA’s failure to meet the initial cut-off point of 16 September was not considered urgent enough to raise before the Council’s meeting on 17 September or the Congress’ meeting on 18 September.

Infantino’s failure to act against the TTFA, thus far, might lend weight to those who suggested that Fifa was bluffing.

However, Samoura’s new five-day deadline is instructive.

If Fifa hoped that the TTFA’s football delegates would officially voice their opposition to its elected officers, the governing body would have given a deadline of at least 10 days—so as to be compatible with the TTFA Constitution.

If Fifa felt the delegates might suspend or expel Wallace, then the TTFA would have needed 30 days to do so, again in keeping with its constitution.

Five days is insufficient time for delegates concerned by the possible sanction to do anything more than pray. It is Infantino’s Bureau of the Fifa Council, not TTFA members, that will decide what happens now.

Hadad can be in the firing line, though. The local businessman could arguably be held in contempt of the High Court for interfering with an active case through his press release, issued by TTFA media manager Shaun Fuentes.

Wired868 contacted TTFA attorney Matthew Gayle for comment on Fifa’s latest threat, which was relayed to the local public by Hadad. However, he had not responded up to the time of publication.

FIFA gives new deadline, but United TTFA resolute.
By Jelani Beckles (Newsday).


UNITED TTFA has been given another deadline by FIFA to withdraw their case against the world football body. The new deadline is September 23.

FIFA, on August 26, gave the United TTFA a deadline of September 16 to withdraw their case from the High Court and have it heard at the Switzerland-based Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), or face disciplinary action (either a ban or suspension) at the FIFA Congress.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino did not mention T&T football when he spoke about the suspension or expulsion of a member at the 70th FIFA Congress, on Friday.

Infantino in his brief comment on the topic said, "There is nothing that falls into this agenda item which is obviously good news."

A letter dated September 18 by FIFA secretary general Fatma Samoura to Robert Hadad, chairman of the FIFA-appointed normalisation committee, said, “Given the seriousness of the matter addressed therein, the FIFA Council has decided to give a final deadline to the relevant parties to withdraw all types of claims against FIFA before the T&T courts and comply with all their obligations under the FIFA statutes, in particular arts 57 et seqq of the FIFA statutes by September 23 at 15:00 AST (21:00 CET). Failure to comply with this directive within this revised deadline will result in the matter being brought to the attention of the relevant FIFA bodies to decide on the suspension of the TTFA (TT Football Association).”

The letter continued, “Finally, we kindly request the TTFA to communicate the above mentioned to all relevant persons and to keep FIFA closely informed on all further developments regarding the matter.”

President of the TT Super League Keith Look Loy, who is a member of the United TTFA, said the new deadline date will not change the minds of the United TTFA members to withdraw the case.

“No, we are not going to change,” Look Loy told Newsday.

William Wallace is the leader of the United TTFA team that successfully challenged for leadership of the TTFA in November 2019.

Wallace and his vice-presidents Clynt Taylor, Susan Joseph-Warrick and Joseph Sam Phillip, are challenging FIFA’s decision, on March 17, to remove the TTFA executive from office and install a normalisation committee.

« Last Edit: September 22, 2020, 01:47:23 AM by Flex »
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Offline Tallman

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Re: FIFA appoints normalisation committee for Trinidad and Tobago football
« Reply #698 on: September 18, 2020, 07:06:30 PM »
WATCH: United TTFA member Keith Look Loy discusses the TTFA vs FIFA saga on SportsMax Zone.

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/KPFoUKx9Nfs" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/KPFoUKx9Nfs</a>
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Offline pull stones

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Re: FIFA appoints normalisation committee for Trinidad and Tobago football
« Reply #699 on: September 18, 2020, 10:31:07 PM »
I can’t take no more of this roller coaster ride, and the more i watch fifa operate it’s the more disgusted I’ve become with football, to the point where I’ve lost interest in the game altogether. I really believe that there’s no hope for TT football, first with camps and jack then on to this nasty fat bastard who wants to replace jack warner on football’s back.

 it seems to me that fifa has been the warden on our football for the past 30 yrs, first with jack warner being sheltered and shuttled by blatter to do with TT football as he saw fit, now it’s fat david who’s facilitated by infantino to be the sole proprietor of football in TT, I could only hope that the FBI has been alerted to stink david and his underhand operations, and has plans to take him to task, that in of itself would be poetic justice at its finest.

I’ve had enough, please wake me when it’s over.

Offline pull stones

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Re: FIFA appoints normalisation committee for Trinidad and Tobago football
« Reply #700 on: September 18, 2020, 10:33:01 PM »
The new date is Sept 23rd. Letter sign by Fatma Samoura, Secretary General.
ah wonder how that wicked witch could sleep at night, she has a real slave trader disposition.

Offline Deeks

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Re: FIFA appoints normalisation committee for Trinidad and Tobago football
« Reply #701 on: September 18, 2020, 11:50:43 PM »
our football for the past 30 yrs, first with jack warner being sheltered and shuttled by blatter

don't forget Havelange.

Offline Tiresais

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Re: FIFA appoints normalisation committee for Trinidad and Tobago football
« Reply #702 on: September 19, 2020, 01:25:32 AM »
Unpopular take: They're actually worried it would set a precedent, and need the matter withdrawn rather than a loss through the courts. The court's judgement made it clear the reliance on CAS is arbitrary and unfairly stacked in FIFA's favour, and if they lose the appeal it will become a bigger news story. That's why they had their patsy break the court order to put the letter out - they could have done it themselves, but that would make it bigger news and risk FIFA themselves breaching the order.

Offline Flex

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Re: FIFA appoints normalisation committee for Trinidad and Tobago football
« Reply #703 on: September 19, 2020, 02:18:10 AM »
Sancho: TTFA members don’t support Wallace.
By Sharlene Rampersad (Guardian).


Local football has been mismanaged for decades and the financial woes of the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) did not start under the David John-Williams administration. The current association members also no longer support the United TTFA executive led by William Wallace.

This was the view expressed by former national defender and Sports Minister Brent Sancho yesterday.

Speaking on CNC3’s The Morning Brew, Sancho said FIFA should have appointed a normalisation committee nearly three decades ago to stop the financial improprieties of the then TTFA executive.

“Every president that has come into power has fallen short when it comes to transparency and accountability, and hence the reason why the association is saddled with close to a $100 million in debt,” Sancho told host Natalee Legore.

Sancho’s comment came even as FIFA was meeting at its 70th Congress yesterday. Many were expecting the TTFA to face sanction during the event due to the United TTFA’s court action against FIFA in the local court. However, FIFA president Gianni Infantino said yesterday the matter was not on the agenda and it was not dealt with then.

Hours after the congress, however, FIFA secretary general Fatma Samoura sent a letter to FIFA Normalisation Committee chairman Robert Hadad advising that they were giving Wallace’s team a new deadline of September 23 to withdraw the legal action against FIFA. Barring this, Samoura said the relevant FIFA bodies will meet to decide on the suspension of the TTFA.

Sancho told Legore that the structures that should have been in place at the executive level of the association were not and over the years, successive presidents had been voted out of office because of it.

He said despite their campaign promises ahead of last November’s AGM, even the recently-elected Wallace administration was no different.

“We brought in the William Wallace administration to the floor because the membership felt that the platform that they placed, that they campaigned on, which was transparency, accountability, was the right one for us and of course we saw in the first four months of their operation where they would have ran up a debt of approximately $15 million, that they too were culpable in the culture that has destroyed football for so many years,” Sancho said.

He said the Normalisation Committee headed by Hadad was put in place to ensure the TTFA’s debts were paid and the decision by Wallace to challenge those appointments in the court does not reflect the views of the association’s membership.

“From a membership point of view in the TTFA, they feel as if we are being hijacked and kidnapped into this scenario - that the leadership of the TTFA has not shown the view of the membership. The mere fact is that four to five individuals are making decisions on behalf of not just the membership but T&T,” Sancho said.

Sancho said it was also “absolutely ridiculous” that the association is in so much debt.

“The membership has been let down so many times and it is startling to see that a lot of the administrators have been involved in the sport for 30-plus years,” he said.

“This is not a new behaviour, this is learnt behaviour and a pattern which has taken place for so many years. So many of them who are currently here now were part of FIFA, were part of the TTFA for so many years and continue to exemplify that type of behaviour.”

He said local football is in desperate need of change.

Sancho said if FIFA decides to place any sanctions on T&T, the young generation of footballers are the ones who will suffer the consequences as a suspension can lead to T&T being kicked out of the World Cup cycle.

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

Offline Flex

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Re: FIFA appoints normalisation committee for Trinidad and Tobago football
« Reply #704 on: September 19, 2020, 02:19:18 AM »
Wallace: Anything can happen between now and Sept 23.
By Walter Alibey (Guardian).


T&T's football could be spared being banned by the sport's world governing body - FIFA.

William Wallace, president of the T&T Football Association, which has found itself in a heated court battle with the FIFA over the appointment of a Normalisation Committee that has replaced he and his executive on March 27, as the administrators of football in T&T, for the first time, hinted at possibly dropping the court matter, as was requested by the FIFA on August 26.

His comment comes on the heels of a revised deadline of September 23 given by FIFA General Secretary Fatma Samoura in a letter to the chairman of the FIFA-appointed Normalisation Committee (NC) Robert Hadad on Friday, moments after word started spreading that there was no expulsion or suspension on the agenda for the FIFA Congress in Switzerland, thereby ruling out the possibility of T&T getting banned for violation of the FIFA Statutes.

Samoura in her letter said: "Given the seriousness of the matter addressed therein, the FIFA Council has decided to give a final deadline to the relevant parties to withdraw all types of claims against FIFA before the T&T courts and comply with all their obligations under the FIFA Statutes, in particular art 57 et seqq of the FIFA Statutes, by September 23 at 15:00 AST (21:00 CET). Failure to comply with this directive within this revised deadline will result in the matter being brought to the attention of the relevant FIFA bodies to decide on the suspension of the TTFA."

However, Wallace does not rule out a decision by the FIFA Bureau to sanction T&T at any time.

The bureau comprises seven members, being led by chairman Gianni Infantino of Switzerland, and includes Ahmad Ahmad (Madagascar), Salman Bin Ebrahim Shaikh Al Khalifa (Bahrain), Aleksander Ceferin (Slovenia), Alejandro Dominguez (Paraguay), Lambert Maltock (Vanuatu) and Vittorio Montagliani of Canada. This committee can meet at any time, once the occasion requires.

Wallace in an immediate response to the decision of the FIFA to not have expulsion and suspension at the Congress said he believes it was a strategic move.

"The intention was to allow the Bureau to make that decision and not bring it before the Congress, as members would have been apprised of all that was happening, which in turn, would have raised many questions. We have been keeping them apprised, and then there was the Mark Bassant investigative story which would have strengthened our case," Wallace explained to Guardian Media Sports on Friday.

Wallace said that his group which comprised vice presidents Clynt Taylor, Joseph Sam Phillip and Susan Joseph-Warrick and associates Keith Look Loy, the president of the T&T Super League (TTSL) and Anthony Harford, the president of the Northern Football Association (NFA), will consider the new deadline given and will keep an open door for mediation talks with FIFA at any time.

Quizzed on whether he was considering dropping the case, Wallace said: "Between now and the deadline date, all options will be considered."

To suspend a member, a 75 per cent majority would have been needed, an amount that Wallace and his team believe would have been difficult to achieve, believing they would have secured the support from CONMEBOL, Africa, Asia and Europe.

Wallace reiterated his belief that the decision to install a normalisation committee in T&T on March 17, was nothing but a cover-up, and not for the reasons given initially, which was due to extremely low overall financial management methods, combined with a massive debt, which have resulted in the TTFA facing a very real risk of insolvency and illiquidity.

The NC is Hadad as chairman, attorney Judy Daniel (deputy chairman), and retired banker Nigel Romano, the administrators of T&T football appointed by FIFA.

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Re: FIFA appoints normalisation committee for Trinidad and Tobago football
« Reply #705 on: September 19, 2020, 02:21:04 AM »
United TTFA: Suspension 'inevitable'
By Jelani Beckles (Newsday).


FIFA’s failure to discuss with its members its legal battle with the ousted TT Football Association (TTFA) executive at Friday's virtual FIFA Congress, has been described as “shady”.

The removed officials, from the United TTFA slate, believe if it was brought up, the Congress would have asked “difficult questions” of the world governing body.

FIFA, on August 26, gave the United TTFA a deadline of September 16 to withdraw its case from the High Court and instead have it heard at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), or face suspension proceedings.

However, FIFA president Gianni Infantino did not mention TT football when he spoke about the suspension or expulsion of a member at the Congress on Friday.

Infantino said, "There is nothing that falls into this agenda item, which is obviously good news."

Far from being shelved, the legal wrangling with TTFA remains on the front burner for football's governing body.

On Friday, FIFA gave TTFA's former executive until September 23 to withdraw the case from the High Court.

A letter from FIFA secretary general Fatma Samoura to normalisation committee chairman Robert Hadad said, “Given the seriousness of the matter addressed therein, the FIFA Council has decided to give a final deadline to the relevant parties to withdraw all types of claims against FIFA before the TT courts and comply with all their obligations under the FIFA statutes, in particular arts 57 et seqq of the FIFA statutes by September 23 at 15:00 AST (21:00 CET). Failure to comply with this directive within this revised deadline will result in the matter being brought to the attention of the relevant FIFA bodies to decide on the suspension of the TTFA.”

The letter ended by saying, “Finally, we kindly request the TTFA to communicate the above mentioned to all relevant persons and to keep FIFA closely informed on all further developments regarding the matter.”

The instruction to Hadad could land him in trouble as an injunction granted on September 14 specifically addressed "instructing and/or directing any person or persons to seek to withdraw the instant claim and/or in any way, manner or fashion from interfering with or seeking to undermine, the instant proceedings – except by way of lawful representations made by duly appointed Attorneys-at-Law or other lawful intervention."

United TTFA attorney Matthew Gayle said on Friday, "I think it is uncontroversial to say that quite clearly, any order of the High Court must be obeyed unless and until it is overturned by the Court of Appeal."

The United TTFA, led by William Wallace, won the TTFA elections in November 2019.

Wallace and his former vice-presidents Clynt Taylor, Susan Joseph-Warrick and Joseph Sam Phillip, are challenging FIFA’s decision, on March 17, to remove them from office and instal a normalisation committee.

In a reaction to the decision by FIFA to bypass item four (the suspension or expulsion of a member), the United TTFA said in a media release, “This is no surprise.”

The release was signed by Wallace, Taylor, Joseph-Warrick, Phillip, Anthony Harford and Keith Look Loy.

United TTFA believes FIFA will soon make an announcement concerning TTFA at the level of the Bureau of the Council, which can be called at any time, according to Look Loy.

“United TTFA is fully convinced that the FIFA leadership has decided to use the Bureau of the Council, which comprises seven persons, including FIFA president Infantino, to suspend TTFA. The Bureau is the same FIFA body that imposed the so-called normalisation committee.”

The FIFA congress included 211 delegates and United TTFA believes FIFA would have been faced with some tough questions if the topic of the TTFA was raised.

“FIFA’s leadership has chosen this shady route to suspension rather than submit a suspension recommendation to hundreds of Congress delegates…United TTFA knows that some of these delegates were primed to ask FIFA’s leadership some difficult questions. Such is the democracy and transparency of FIFA, and the end to corruption of which president Infantino spoke at length today.”

United TTFA said the fight for local football will continue.

“While the FIFA cover-up of its complicity in the sins of the last administration continues, so too will United TTFA continue its struggle in the long-term interest of our football.”

Look Loy, who is also president of the TT Super League, confirmed that the new deadline date will not change the minds of the United TTFA members to withdraw the case.

“No, we are not going to change,” Look Loy told Newsday.

The TT Super League president gave the example that because the new deadline date is September 23, the Bureau of Council could be held on September 24.

Several stakeholders have asked United TTFA to withdraw the case because TT football will suffer.

On the contrary, Look Loy believes now is the best time to fight for a cause because no major international football is taking place due to covid19.

“We believe that the suspension is inevitable, but it comes in the time of covid and there is no football to be played until the second quarter of next year, be it domestic or international football. If ever there is a time for us to be suspended it is now and we are holding firm in our position.”

He said the United TTFA is thinking of the “long-term benefits” of local football and want to “set an example for other countries in FIFA.”

RELATED NEWS

FIFA won’t file legal defence; T&T ban looks inevitable
Ian Prescott (T&T Express).


‘WHO BLINKS FIRST’

FIFA has rescinded legal proceedings in the local High Court — regarding the matter involving ousted TTFA executives William Wallace and his three vice-presidents — but still stands firmly behind its September 23 (tomorrow) deadline given for the United TTFA to withdraw any legal action before the local courts.

“Please be informed that FIFA did not file a defence in the case against the TTFA in the Trinidad High Court,” a spokesman from the Communications Division of the FIFA Media Department articulated in response to enquiries by the Express.

World football’s governing body also asserted that in line with its policies, it has chosen not to comply with Friday’s 4 p.m. deadline rendered by Madame Justice Carol Gobin to file a defence.

Further, FIFA related that it is sticking to the position that Wallace and the United TTFA faction has only a couple days to withdraw its action in the High Court, or the TTFA faces an international suspension from football.

“This follows the fact that FIFA has communicated a revised and final deadline to the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association for the relevant parties to withdraw their claim by 23 September 2020,” FIFA replied to our correspondence.

“FIFA’s position remains that we do not recognise the claim at the Trinidad court, and that the CAS is the only correct tribunal to consider this dispute,” the FIFA spokesperson added. The Express was informed that further comments would not be engaged at this stage.

Earlier attempts to get clarity on the matter saw FIFA local representative, attorney Jonathan Walker, indicate only “that enquiries should be directed to FIFA”. Meanwhile, TTFA attorney Matthew Gayle could not confirm whether FIFA would be in court on October 9, as directed by Justice Gobin, as start date for the case. “We have not been served. That I can tell you confidently,” stated Gayle.

In a landmark decision, Gobin gave Wallace and vice-presidents Clynt Taylor, Susan Joseph-Warrick and Sam Phillip, leave to challenge their March 2020 dismissal by the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), which came about when FIFA instituted its own Normalisation Committee to run the TTFA, which is said to be debt-burdened to the tune of about $100 million.

FIFA’s move toward suspension would be no surprise to United TTFA. Last Friday, FIFA General Secretary Fatma Samoura sent a letter giving Wallace and his three vice-presidents a week extension to her original September 16 deadline, for them to cease court action against FIFA.

“The FIFA Council has decided to give a final deadline to the relevant parties to withdraw all types of claim against FIFA before the Trinidad and Tobago courts and comply with all their obligations under the FIFA Statutes, in particular arts 57 et seqq of the FIFA Statutes, by 23 September,” Samoura wrote.

“Failure to comply with this directive within this revised deadline will result in the matter being brought to the attention of the relevant FIFA bodies to decide on the suspension of the TTFA.”

Wallace initially argued that there was no risk of the TTFA getting banned and that the risk of United TTFA’s action was only to himself and his executive. However, following Samoura’s release, United TTFA appears to have accepted the inevitable — that of a T&T ban, though still determined in their pursuit of court action.

« Last Edit: September 22, 2020, 12:53:35 AM by Flex »
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Re: FIFA appoints normalisation committee for Trinidad and Tobago football
« Reply #706 on: September 21, 2020, 02:51:02 PM »
Spotlight on TTFA v FIFA — Part 3 -  ‘And the winner is…’
Sushilla Y Jadoonanan and Christophe Brathwaite (T&T Express).


“You can’t shake hands with a clenched fist” —Indira Gandhi.

You may be hard-pressed to find a better suited quote to describe the impasse between FIFA and the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association over the legitimacy of a FIFA installed Normalisation Committee to replace the recently elected TTFA Board.

In Part II, we promised to reveal one of the best kept secrets in sport, one where everyone emerges a winner. We bring to you a magical concept called “mediation”. While sport is competitive by nature, disputes off the field may better be left to the peace-makers. No other Alternate Dispute Resolution (ADR) method achieves this quite like mediation.

In mediation, the parties appoint a neutral third party to act as a moderator in the proceedings. The mediator remains independent and helps the parties find common ground as they negotiate a resolution. This is unlike arbitration proceedings where the parties appoint an arbitrator or arbitrators who arrive at a final binding decision, usually resulting in a winner and a loser. Today, we focus on mediation, where a tie-game is the goal.

For mediation to work, both parties must walk onto the field with unclenched fists and be willing to play by the rules to which they agree. They must faithfully commit to the process in good faith, and for the good of the game; they must come with clean hands. If they do so, they are likely to reap the benefits of choosing this approach. Naturally the time and expense of lengthy court proceedings will be avoided, the parties may arrive at a more expeditious resolution, the chosen mediator can be an expert in the field of sport, the rights of both parties and the good of the sport are all considered and both parties have a better chance of having their reputations intact at the blow of the final whistle.

Last week we saw that FIFA’s rules are unequivocal. FIFA statutes provide explicitly that “recourse to ordinary courts of law is prohibited unless specifically provided for in the FIFA regulations.” FIFA has its own judicial bodies (Disciplinary Committee, Ethics Committee, and Appeals Committee). FIFA goes a step further in obliging all member associations to submit to the jurisdiction of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) for appeals against final decisions made by FIFA’s legal bodies and against decisions passed by confederations, member associations or leagues. It is within FIFA’s powers to penalise a member for breach of its statutes.

The plot thickens.

What happens when FIFA seeks to oust the jurisdiction of the courts of the member association and refuses to attend mediation? Can mediation still be considered?

Of utmost importance in mediation is confidentiality. We have seen numerous times how breaches of this obligation have frustrated the ADR process and grounded proceedings to a sudden halt. The instant impasse is no exception and we can’t help but get feelings of déjà vu as we remember the failed ADR proceedings for alleged breach of confidentiality when the World Cup 2006 Soca Warriors squad when the Trinidad and Tobago players sought to enforce an alleged promise made by the then TTFA Special Advisor Austin Jack Warner.

In this instance, FIFA has repeatedly refused to re-join the mediation table as they claimed breach of the confidentiality obligation by the lawyers of the TTFA. The United TTFA on the other hand held steadfast in its battle with its governing body, eager to resume the administration of football in Trinidad and Tobago, in defiance of FIFA’s appointment of the Normalisation Committee.

Such a perceived breach has now indefinitely stymied any reconciliation between the parties. While we witness the seemingly immovable positions of these two bodies, one undoubtedly mightier than that other, we see how important good faith discussions come into play, for the preservation of the reputation of those involved, and for the integrity of the sport. We have a case where both sides are challenging the validity of each other’s actions, with one having the power to penalise the other.

On Friday September 18th 2020 at the 70th FIFA Congress, the world governing body did not address the question on whether the TTFA would be sanctioned by way of suspension. At the Congress, FIFA boss Gianni Infantino said: “There is nothing that falls into this agenda item which is obviously good news.” Instead, FIFA, with clenched fists, issued a final ultimatum to the TTFA to “withdraw all types of claims against FIFA before the Trinidad & Tobago courts and comply with all their obligations under the FIFA statutes…by September 23 at 15:00 AST.” FIFA cautioned that failure to comply with this directive will result in the matter being brought to the attention of the relevant FIFA bodies to decide on the suspension of the TTFA.

The United TTFA swiftly responded indicating that they have no intention of withdrawing the case.

We seem to have gone into extra time on this one with both sides on the offence and no one willing to create an opening. Oh, how things have changed since we drew 0-0 with Sweden back in June 2006! With mediation also having been shown a red card, we must now ask ourselves, soberly, if this battle could ever have a real winner.

Has this fight already caused irreparable damage to football in our twin island? What good can result from the manner in which this entire scenario has been handled? If we could turn back the clock and have a re-look at the first half of this saga, what would we say could have been done differently…better? Perhaps indeed, successful mediation would have stopped a penalty from being conceded.

—Sushilla Y Jadoonanan is the general secretary and Christophe Brathwaite is chairperson of the Constitutional Committee of the Trinidad and Tobago Association for Sport and Law.

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Re: FIFA appoints normalisation committee for Trinidad and Tobago football
« Reply #707 on: September 21, 2020, 02:54:30 PM »
Wallace defends decision to stay in court.
By Ian Prescott (Express).


RIGHT STAND

It is time to stop flip-flopping and stand on principle.

Sidelined Trinidad and Tobago Football Association president William Wallace says this is one of the issues the local football fraternity must face as time ticks away towards a ban from international football.

On Friday, Fatma Samoura, general secretary of world governing body, FIFA, wrote to the chairman of its local Normalisation Committee Robert Hadad, informing that Wallace and his United TTFA group had been given more time to reconsider their decision or the country would face serious consequences.

“The FIFA Council has decided to give a final deadline to the relevant parties to withdraw all types of claims against FIFA before the Trinidad and Tobago courts and comply with all their obligations under the FIFA Statutes, in particular arts 57 et seqq of the FIFA Statutes, by 23 September,” Samoura wrote.

“Failure to comply with this directive within this revised deadline will result in the matter being brought to the attention of the relevant FIFA bodies to decide on the suspension of the TTFA.”

United TTFA are currently challenging the legitimacy of FIFA’s Normalisation Committee in the Trinidad and Tobago High Court, a move which has brought resistance from some members of the local association who attempted to hold and Emergency General Meeting (EGM) to vote on the matter, a move which United TTFA blocked via an injunction granted by Justice Carol Gobin.

But responding again to criticism of his group’s stance, Wallace insisted that the TTFA had to take a stand. “If I put my tail between my legs I’m supporting something that is totally wrong. I’m supporting injustice, and more than that, as the facts present themselves now, I’m supporting corruption,” Wallace said on TV6’s Morning Edition programme on Friday.

However, the TTFA’s elected president went further and addressed the question of what impact his group’s action could have on the future of the country’s youth.

“We are talking about children and football and they somehow are going to be affected by this. They would also be affected off the field of play if we continue to accept and teach the wrong things, that bullying is right, that supporting something for the sake of expediency is also right,” Wallace said.

“People supported this, and the only time people came out against this is when they realised that Trinidad and Tobago might be sanctioned. So it was correct up front, we got full support and then suddenly it dawned on us that you know what...we may be sanctioned, so hear what, expediency steps in, let us pull back now and ask that the matter be removed.”

And asked whether he was prepared to deal with the backlash that could come with suspension from FIFA, Wallace was steadfast. “That is one of the things that we would have considered...Based on the issue, it is so important to us, that if those are the consequences we have to face at the end of the day we are willing to face them,” he said.

But also speaking on the programme, Technical Committee chairman under the Wallace administration, Keith Look Loy, did not accept that the majority of TTFA members are now against United TTFA’s action.

“We have support across the board in Trinidad and Tobago football,” Look Loy said. “There is at least one Pro League club...Steve David, the boss in that club, a football icon in this country, authorised me to say that (Point Fortin) Civic stands with United TTFA in this, do not back down...We have Super League clubs, we have regional level clubs, and across the board we have support.”

However, he stressed: “The issue is not what people think, the issue is not (to) be judged in the media. A Justice of the High Court of this country forbade any discussion of this matter because it is under her consideration and it’s before her court and that’s the end of the matter.”

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Sancho upset as Wallace calls TTFA meeting
« Reply #708 on: September 22, 2020, 11:50:07 AM »
Sancho upset as Wallace calls TTFA meeting
By Joel Bailey (T&T Newsday)


ACTING chairman of the T&T Pro League and T&T Football Association (TTFA) board member Brent Sancho has slammed as “disrespectful” and “a slap to the face” the decision by ousted TTFA president William Wallace to call a virtual membership meeting on the eve of FIFA's deadline. The meeting will be held at 7pm tonight.

The unsigned invitation letter was issued by Wallace to the TTFA member delegates on Monday and "TTFA vs FIFA case" was listed as the agenda.

The United TTFA team of Wallace, his vice-presidents Clynt Taylor, Susan Joseph-Warrick and Joseph Sam Phillip, Northern Football Association (NFA) president Anthony Harford and Super League president Keith Look Loy are challenging FIFA’s decision, on March 17, to remove the TTFA executive from office and instal a normalisation committee, led by businessman Robert Hadad.

FIFA said the decision was owing to TTFA’s mounting debt and "very real risk of insolvency and illiquidity."

Wallace's executive has called FIFA's rationale as unfair, claiming they were not given a chance to implement their plan after just four months in charge. Their fight against their removal has become a legal one.

But FIFA, on August 26, gave the United TTFA a deadline of September 16 to withdraw their case from the High Court and have it heard instead at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), or face suspension proceedings. FIFA insists CAS is the sole authority to hear disputes between FIFA and its Member Associations.

At last Friday's FIFA Congress, TTFA's battle with FIFA was not discussed but FIFA later extended the deadline to the United TTFA team to Wednesday. FIFA reiterated that TTFA faces suspension if the case is not dropped from the local court.

Wallace’s letter to TTFA delegates on Tuesday read, “The meeting would be hosted by the president and elected officers of the TTFA. Members are asked to join the meeting with their video and volume on.

“Only members on the list of delegates would be allowed into the meeting and we ask all to be respectful to the chair and the meeting as we discuss the business of the association.”

Wallace's convening of a meeting to discuss the TTFA-FIFA legal battle has raised eyebrows as the United TTFA vehemently opposed a similar meeting scheduled for September 15.

On September 14, Justice Carol Gobin, in the Port of Spain High Court, granted an injunction to the United TTFA to stop last Tuesday’s proposed Emergency General Meeting (EGM), which was called by the normalisation committee to discuss United TTFA’s legal battle against FIFA.

Look Loy sought to clarify why tonight's meeting is different from last Tuesday's.

“That was a court injunction on the normalisation committee, on Hadad,” Look Loy said. “The court also ordered Hadad not to use the (TTFA) letterhead. The court is saying they don’t have the authority to call a meeting.”

He continued, “Wallace is the president, he could call a meeting. This is not an official meeting under the constitution because the minimum (time frame to call it) is ten days. It is an informal meeting to discuss matters with the membership.”

Sancho, who has been a vocal critic against the United TTFA’s challenge to FIFA, countered, “We’ve received no correspondence of a meeting. Most of the members read it through an online publication but (nothing) was sent which, again, was a slap in the face to the membership.”

The former TT defender and owner of Pro League club Central FC added, “I think it’s a complete disrespect to the footballing community in Trinidad. The continued disrespect to the membership and the executive board is being shown. Here we are, approximately six months into this situation and (the United TTFA) continue to show high levels of disrespect.”

RELATED NEWS

Wallace's United TTFA seeks unofficial membership vote.
By Walter Alibey (Guardian).


The elected executive officers of the T&T Football Association (TTFA) on Tuesday at 7 pm, has called a crucial meeting among the sport's membership to discuss the way forward in the sport in T&T. But Brent Sancho, the outspoken chairman of the T&T Pro League believes the meeting is an attempt to fool the population by garnering the support of illegitimate member delegates and not those who represent the organisations as legitimate delegates.

The TTFA, which comprises elected president William Wallace and his vice presidents - Clynt Taylor, Joseph Sam Phillip and Susan Joseph-Warrick, has until today (September 23) to drop their court battle against the FIFA or else face sanctions.

The invitations appeared to have been sent out to certain delegates, as it specifically called only for invited members on the list of delegates to tune in to the virtual session in which their video and volume on, where a decision to drop the legal battle with the FIFA is expected to be discussed.

Guardian Media Sports was reliably informed on Tuesday that delegates from some T&T Pro League clubs, which has been represented by Sancho, were not invited, while the T&T Super League and the Secondary Schools Football League (SSFL) were among the United TTFA invitees.

However, a Facebook post from Keith Look Loy on Tuesday confirmed that invitations to 11 delegates were sent out by him, and they include - the Eastern Counties Football Union (ECFU), Tobago Football Association, T&T Super League, three T&T Pro League clubs, Futsal, T&T Football Referees Association, Women's Football League (WoLF), T&T American Youth Soccer Organisation (TTAYSO), Secondary Schools Football League (SSFL), Northern Football Association and the Central Football Association. Invitations to the other delegates were to be sent by Taylor, who had been designated to reach out to all members.

On September 11, Wallace and his team filed an injunction to block the membership for holding an Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) of the association's members, which was scheduled for Tuesday 15, after High Court Judge Carol Gobin granted the injunction on September 14 which stopped the meeting from being convened.

In a statement on Tuesday, Wallace assured letters will be sent out to all delegates, saying the invitations started going out yesterday (Monday) and will be completed today (Tuesday) via an online delegate chat, or by email. "Whoever did not collect invitations as yet will receive them later today, but invitations will be sent to all. We need to hear what the members think and how they propose we move forward with the sport," Wallace explained.

Meanwhile, Osmond Downer, a vice president of the T&T Football Referees Association, which is one of the invited entities to the meeting explained to Guardian Media Sports on Tuesday that: "It is not a General Meeting. A General Meeting can only be called by the Board of Directors or 50-per cent of the membership. At present, there is no Board of Directors because that has been replaced by the Normalisation Committee and the membership did not call the meeting. The membership must also be given at least 10 days notice."

Downer, who was one of the architects of the TTFA amended constitution in 2015 said, "What has appended is the elected President Mr William Wallace has called a meeting of the Delegates of the TTFA and that meeting is only for information, discussion and or opinions. No binding decisions on anybody or anything can happen."

The TTFA was given an initial deadline of September 16th by FIFA General Secretary Fatma Samoura on August 26th, however, two days before the FIFA Congress on September 18th, which they (TTFA) failed to honour FIFA's request.

Last Friday, FIFA's Samoura issued another warning with a revised date of September 23 to drop the court case or have the matter brought to the attention of the relevant FIFA bodies to decide on the suspension of the TTFA.

Wallace in a comment after the Congress said he will consider all options moving forward, and yesterday he reiterated that view by saying he will be going into tonight's meeting with an open mind.

After the FIFA congress Wallace said he will consider all options moving forward, and yesterday he reiterated that view by saying he will be going into tonight's meeting with an open mind.

However, he told Guardian Media Sports, that consideration will be given to what's happening with the FIFA internationally.

Meanwhile, Sancho said the TTFA has reached out to members who do not have the voting power of the organisation, such as Steve David, the former national striker who was invited instead of Garthorn Craig of the Point Fortin Civic FC. He said this was also the case with WoLF, the TFA, the TTSL and the NFA, which had reportedly switched their support from the membership two weeks ago to Wallace and his team.

Guardian Media Sports reported recently a unanimous-decision and support from more than 51 per cent of the membership for an EGM to vote for Wallace and his team to forgo litigation in local courts against FIFA and move the matter to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), which like FIFA is based in Switzerland, and also recognise the March 27 FIFA-appointed Normalisation Committee which is led by businessman Robert Hadad and comprise attorney Daniel (deputy chairman) and member Nigel Romano as the administrators of the sport.

Sancho said he will wait to see how genuine the United TTFA is about finding a solution to the problems the TTFA. He said, at the end of the day, a decision has to be made.

« Last Edit: September 23, 2020, 12:00:58 AM by Flex »
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Re: FIFA appoints normalisation committee for Trinidad and Tobago football
« Reply #709 on: September 22, 2020, 01:20:44 PM »
Calling the meeting is a bit provocative. A lil drop of kerosene on a gassy wound.  On this point I get where Sancho is coming from. Of course after FIFA renders a decision it could be difficult for Wallace to convene a meeting. Hence this. 

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Re: FIFA appoints normalisation committee for Trinidad and Tobago football
« Reply #710 on: September 22, 2020, 11:54:12 PM »
TTFA to drop FIFA case in local court.
T&T Guardian Reports.


After several months of legal wrangling between the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) and FIFA, the local body has now decided to withdraw its court matter against the world body following an informal virtual meeting on Tuesday night convened by ousted TTFA president William Wallace and his executives.

Sources who were part of the two-hour online Zoom meeting attended by 32 of the 47 TTFA delegates, said a vote on the issue saw 21 delegates voting to drop the case, eight wanted it to continue while three abstained from voting.

This means that Wallace and his team will now withdraw the matter from the High Court.

"There was a popular consensus not to go down a particular road. It would have been morally wrong for anyone to ignore that matter," one source who attended the meeting, which started at 7 pm, told Guardian Media.

Another source said the vote by many delegates was made out of fear of a possible FIFA sanction and hinged on the upcoming of the 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup in which T&T was listed as one of the six pre-seeded teams along with Cuba, Haiti, Guatemala, Bermuda and Guadeloupe.

As the vote suggests, not all were happy with the decision.

"We came so far and now this. Why did we fold to FIFA?" said one disappointed delegate who voted to continue the court action.

The meeting reportedly started with some controversy as some delegates claimed they were not invited, believing the United TTFA team had initially invited mostly their supporters.

Brent Sancho, the acting chairman of T&T Pro League, told the meeting the TTFA had reached out to some members who did not have the voting power and named some of them.

Wallace and his vice presidents - Clynt Taylor, Sam Phillip and Susan Joseph-Warrick – had challenged FIFA's decision to implement a Normalisation Committee to replace their executive just four months after they had been elected into office over then-president David John-Williams’ team.

On September 11, Wallace’s team filed an injunction to block the membership from the Extraordinary General Meeting where the same issue was to be discussed and were successful in getting the injunction.

Guardian Media Sports recently reported that there had been support from more than 51 per cent of the TTFA membership for an EGM to vote for Wallace and his team to drop litigation in local courts against FIFA and move the matter to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), which like FIFA is based in Switzerland, and also recognise the Normalisation Committee headed by businessman Robert Hadad.

At the same time, High Court Judge Carol Gobin had also ruled that its case against FIFA could be held in the T&T courts and not at the Court of Arbitration (CAS), as according to FIFA regulations.

The TTFA was initially given an initial deadline of September 16 to withdraw the local court matter by FIFA General Secretary Fatma Samoura.

Last Friday, however, after the matter of a possible ban on the TTFA was not raised at the FIFA Congress, Samoura issued another warning with a revised September 23 date to drop the court case or the matter would have been sent to the relevant FIFA bodies to decide on suspension of the TTFA.

Afterward, Sancho said he will now wait to see how genuine the United TTFA is about finding a solution to the problems within the organisation. He said at the end of the day, a decision has to be made.

RELATED NEWS

United TTFA prepared to back down.
By Stephon Nicholas & Joel Bailey (Newsday).


OUSTED TT Football Association (TTFA) president William Wallace has softened his stance and will consider acquiescing to FIFA's demand to drop its case from the High Court, if TTFA members so desire. Earlier today, Wallace called an informal TTFA meeting for 7pm tonight, a day before FIFA's "final deadline" to withdraw its legal challenge.

Wallace told Newsday on Tuesday, the change in approach was not influenced by the pleas of the local football community but rather a seemingly strong-arm tactic by the world governing body.

FIFA remove Wallace's executive, on March 17, after just four months in office owing to TTFA’s mounting debt and "very real risk of insolvency and illiquidity."

A normalisation committee, led by businessman Robert Hadad, was put to run the TTFA affairs, a decision Wallace's executive had previously refused to accept.

Wallace's United TTFA had remained defiant amid an earlier September 16 deadline given by FIFA to withdraw the matter from the local court. FIFA insists the Court of Arbitration for Sport is the sole authority to hear disputes between FIFA and its Member Associations.

At last Friday's FIFA Congress, TTFA's battle with FIFA was not discussed but FIFA later extended the deadline to Wednesday. FIFA reiterated that TTFA faces suspension if the case is not dropped from the local court.

United TTFA member Keith Look Loy previously told Newsday suspension was inevitable.

He said, “We believe that the suspension is inevitable, but it comes in the time of covid and there is no football to be played until the second quarter of next year, be it domestic or international football. If ever there is a time for us to be suspended it is now and we are holding firm in our position.”

FIFA has seemingly countered that position with the draw for the 2021 Concacaf Gold Cup on September 28. If the United TTFA does not comply, FIFA could ban TT through FIFA's seven-member Bureau of the Council and T&T's Gold Cup dreams could be shattered.

Wallace said, "We are at a serious crossroads and the dynamics have changed. Where we would not have had any activity for 2020 and now they have this draw, this has changed the dynamics. This has changed how we see things. Whatever decision we make will benefit Trinidad and Tobago football."

He said TTFA members have the chance later today to air their views.

"Whatever comes out of the meeting today, we would take into consideration in terms of making a decision. I'm not saying if the membership say drop the case we will drop the case, I'm saying whatever is discussed with the membership today would affect how we move forward."

Majority of TTFA members vote to end FIFA battle.
By Jelani Beckles (Newsday).


THE majority of the TT Football Association (TTFA) members voted on Tuesday to end United TTFA’s court action against FIFA.

A virtual meeting ended at 9.30 pm. Earlier on Tuesday, ousted TTFA president William Wallace told Newsday he was willing to hear the views of the TTFA membership and called the informal meeting, a day before FIFA’s September 23 deadline given to TTFA to withdraw the matter from the High Court.

After the meeting, TT Pro League acting chairman and TTFA board member Brent Sancho told Newsday, “The majority (voted) against the court matter.”

Sancho is hopeful that Wallace and the United TTFA listen to the TTFA members.

“At the end of the day, I suspect good sense will prevail tomorrow (Wednesday) and the matter should be taken out of court and more importantly, I think this group was looking for a reason to step aside and they knew the writing was on the wall.”

Sancho said the number of people who wanted to withdraw the court matter was approximately three times more than those who were in favour of continuing the court battle against FIFA.

FIFA removed Wallace's executive, on March 17, after just four months in office owing to TTFA’s mounting debt and "very real risk of insolvency and illiquidity."

A normalisation committee, led by businessman Robert Hadad, was put to run the TTFA affairs, a decision Wallace's executive had previously refused to accept.

The United TTFA, led by Wallace, did not seem willing to have a change of heart before the previous deadline by FIFA of September 16 to withdraw the matter.

FIFA insists the Court of Arbitration for Sport is the sole authority to hear disputes between FIFA and its member associations.

At last Friday's FIFA Congress, TTFA's battle with FIFA was not discussed but FIFA later extended the deadline to Wednesday. FIFA reiterated that TTFA faces suspension if the case is not dropped.

Before the meeting on Tuesday night, Wallace said he was willing to listen to the opinions of the TTFA members.

"Whatever comes out of the meeting today, we would take into consideration in terms of making a decision. I'm not saying if the membership say drop the case we will drop the case, I'm saying whatever is discussed with the membership today would affect how we move forward."

With the draw for the 2021 Concacaf Gold Cup on September 28 FIFA could ban T&T through FIFA's seven-member Bureau of the Council and T&T's Gold Cup dreams could be dashed if the United TTFA does not comply.

« Last Edit: September 23, 2020, 12:06:02 AM by Flex »
The real measure of a man's character is what he would do if he knew he would never be found out.

Offline Tiresais

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Re: FIFA appoints normalisation committee for Trinidad and Tobago football
« Reply #711 on: September 23, 2020, 02:11:52 AM »
Cowardice of the highest order, a disgrace against their name

Offline pull stones

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Re: FIFA appoints normalisation committee for Trinidad and Tobago football
« Reply #712 on: September 23, 2020, 02:54:28 AM »
Cowardice of the highest order, a disgrace against their name
thats easy for you to say not having all the information available, or not knowing the inside scoop as to what is what. maybe if they continued fifa could have banned the executive and left the federation to continue on, and just maybe the United ttfa were hoping for the issue to be brought up at the congress on friday, but infantino and his henchmen found it prudent to use the confederation puppets instead, which ultimately foiled the plans of the United ttfa to have their case heard in front the congress.

you have to give it to knob head gianni, he is as shrude as any mafioso don, but then again the longest rope has an end, I’m hoping the next time he comes up for the fifa presidency that he loses by one single vote, and I hope wallace would be around to be the one vote he loses by. that would be sweet justice.

Offline asylumseeker

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Re: FIFA appoints normalisation committee for Trinidad and Tobago football
« Reply #713 on: September 23, 2020, 05:45:39 AM »
Notwithstanding all of that, we could still be "banned".

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Re: FIFA appoints normalisation committee for Trinidad and Tobago football
« Reply #714 on: September 23, 2020, 05:58:01 AM »
Cowardice of the highest order, a disgrace against their name

And a pox on their houses?

Offline Tiresais

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Re: FIFA appoints normalisation committee for Trinidad and Tobago football
« Reply #715 on: September 23, 2020, 07:10:16 AM »
Cowardice of the highest order, a disgrace against their name

And a pox on their houses?

It seemed a bit below the belt during Covid times to wish that.

Offline Tiresais

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Re: FIFA appoints normalisation committee for Trinidad and Tobago football
« Reply #716 on: September 23, 2020, 07:14:04 AM »
Cowardice of the highest order, a disgrace against their name
thats easy for you to say not having all the information available, or not knowing the inside scoop as to what is what. maybe if they continued fifa could have banned the executive and left the federation to continue on, and just maybe the United ttfa were hoping for the issue to be brought up at the congress on friday, but infantino and his henchmen found it prudent to use the confederation puppets instead, which ultimately foiled the plans of the United ttfa to have their case heard in front the congress.

you have to give it to knob head gianni, he is as shrude as any mafioso don, but then again the longest rope has an end, I’m hoping the next time he comes up for the fifa presidency that he loses by one single vote, and I hope wallace would be around to be the one vote he loses by. that would be sweet justice.

Banned from what? A chance to fail at qualification? We already cannot afford to send our youth teams - DJW was pulling us out left and right to fund his vanity projects.

Who is exactly missing out from a ban? If DJW and his spineless, self-serving, scumbag friends get their hands in the cookie jar again, how would it be better than a ban? The humanoid presided over the worst period in TTFA history - worst both on and off the pitch.

Hadad is an embarrassment - I wouldn't leave him running a kitchen for the anorexic let alone an FA with more debt than blood cells.

Offline gawd on pitch

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Re: FIFA appoints normalisation committee for Trinidad and Tobago football
« Reply #717 on: September 23, 2020, 08:02:26 AM »
Wishful thinking.. but this is what I honestly believe.

Step 1 - withdraw the case (let them think we accept defeat)

Step 2 - wait/hope DJW gets charged (Bassant should be releasing more information soon)

Step 3 - go to CAS (United TTFA might have a better chance arguing their case after DJW gets charged)

Maybe this is the strategy. Withdrawing the court case avoids suspension. This means that we can still play. But once the evidence about DJW comes up, then that will be the right time to go to the CAS and argue. CAS wont side with FIFA if there is clear evidence of corruption.
« Last Edit: September 23, 2020, 08:13:34 AM by gawd on pitch »

Offline Flex

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Re: FIFA appoints normalisation committee for Trinidad and Tobago football
« Reply #718 on: September 23, 2020, 04:33:23 PM »
Wallace's team shows remarkable fighting spirit
By Colin Murray (Guardian).


Happy Republic Day to all!

It is a great time for our sportsmen and sportswomen to reflect on all of their achievements both from a national team level and an individual level over the last year.

By the time you read this column, our football fate could have already been sealed. I am referring to the matter between FIFA and the T&T Football Association ( TTFA). I have gone off the boil on this issue although it continues to make headlines as the Caribbean Premier League had most, if not all of my attention.

To be banned or not to be banned? This has been the question plaguing the entire footballing fraternity and I am not just speaking about the regional associations - Pro and Super League clubs, match officials, etc but also included are all football-loving fans. FIFA has been flexing its muscles recently and making veiled threats to the United TTFA - or should I say to the relevant parties - to withdraw all types of claims against it before the T&T courts.


FIFA has explicitly stated that under its statutes that all members agreed to abide by, in particular, Article 57 (1) states, “FIFA recognises the independent Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) with headquarters in Lausanne (Switzerland) to resolve disputes between FIFA, member associations, confederations, leagues, clubs, players, officials, intermediaries and licensed match agents.”

In other words, there is no other avenue available to challenge any dispute but CAS. FIFA further went on to warn the relevant parties that should they fail to comply with this ‘do as I say’ directive within its revised deadline, the matter will be brought to the attention of the relevant FIFA bodies to decide on the suspension of the TTFA.

Fighting words indeed and if you fear FIFA as many do, several stakeholders of T&T football would be running around hoping and praying that FIFA is pulling a bluff or perhaps wishing that the United TTFA would withdraw their principled stance in the matter and simply walk away.

Admittedly, although I admire the stance taken by United TTFA, I would hate to see our country banned from international football. But something was brought to my attention by Osmond “Mr Constitution” Downer which I never gave thought to.

Exactly who will FIFA ban? TTFA or United TTFA members? FIFA themselves have said ad infinitum that they do not recognise Wallace and company and as far as they are concerned, the members of the imposed normalisation committee are the only ones they recognise. So, if they are being taken to court by these six “outcasts” who, according to them, have no standing in T&T football, how could you suspend TTFA? Yes, this is all conjecture because we all know FIFA can do what they want, how they want and to whom they please.

United TTFA continuously speaks about the injustice meted out to them and yes, they are fully justified to feel this way. The feeling of whether they walk away from this if they will be complicit in turning a blind eye to wrongdoing is also very real. I presume this notion is even more ignited with Mark Bassant’s fantastic piece of investigative journalism on the ‘Home of Football’. The chickens came home to roost for the United TTFA with the findings of Bassant and his team as the project was shrouded in secrecy throughout its life cycle.

The executive of the United TTFA is worthy of credit. When they were elected to office, they immediately shut down the ‘Home of Football’ and indicated that all was not above board. But Gianni Infantino, who smiled, drank cocktails and hobnobbed with our Prime Minister at the opening, and his right hand Fatma Samoura refused to investigate the serious concerns by the then TTFA executive with the project. They did nothing and in just three months set up a normalisation committee.

As they say, something ain’t cooking with gas there. The only logical conclusion that objective people are led to is that FIFA, William Wallace’s predecessor and the ‘Home of Football’ were inextricably linked in an eccentric way.

Undoubtedly, we are all concerned about being banned. But why didn’t we make a big stink when our Under-23 Olympic footballers were denied the opportunity to represent the country at the Olympic qualifiers due to “financial difficulties”? What about our women footballers who were not properly funded for a CONCACAF tournament and were in tears on social media? What about our ranking going from 50 to 104? Curacao is ranked higher than T&T. Let that sink in.

Further, when this injustice took place against the TTFA executive, I remember many members within football supported this colonial style of imposition that was being inflicted by FIFA to a democratically elected executive voted in by the authorised personnel with the said FIFA delegates in attendance. It was full support for TTFA to go to CAS for justice as what FIFA was doing was (and still is) unacceptable.

Unfortunately, the tune changed when the parties decided that CAS was not the way to go for various reasons including the odds were stacked too much in FIFA’s favour and the fight would be taken to the local courts. This was when all hell broke loose and the former executive, as far as some clubs were concerned, should have come back to them for clearance to go to the local courts.

But to be frank, Wallace and company may have thought that if they had the backing to go to CAS and FIFA was fighting them, then the same would have applied to the local courts. The problem was FIFA lost round one in the local court and the only way for them to actually win is to threaten our democratically elected officers with the threat of being sanctioned. Sad indeed.

What to me is also sad, but not mind-boggling, is why haven’t all other Caribbean countries formed some sort of solidarity with T&T and say if you ban one you ban all? So much for Caribbean unity! It should be noted that FIFA’s US two million dollars that the countries get hold sway in issues like this. Where is Jack Warner when you need him?

By now, we would have known if Wallace and his team had bowed to the pressure and dropped the case or if we have been sanctioned by FIFA. Whatever the outcome, my admiration for the determination and grit of Wallace and company in the face of blatant wrongdoing against them remains steadfast.

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.

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

Offline Flex

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Re: FIFA appoints normalisation committee for Trinidad and Tobago football
« Reply #719 on: September 23, 2020, 04:34:32 PM »
Wallace: I was not mentally ready to sign.
By Jelani Beckles (Newsday).


FORMER president of the TT Football Association (TTFA) and leader of the United TTFA William Wallace said he was not “mentally ready” to include his name on a media release saying that United TTFA decided to withdraw its legal matter against FIFA.

In an interview with Newsday, Wallace said, “I took a decision that I was not ready to sign any document, but if the team wanted to send one out that it (must) go out but I was not ready mentally to sign the document.”

A media release was sent by the United TTFA, at 1 pm, on Wednesday.

Wednesday was the United TTFA's deadline to withdraw their matter from the High Court.

The United TTFA release did not include the names of Wallace and Clynt Taylor. The release was issued by second vice-president Susan Joseph-Warrick, third vice-president Joseph Sam Phillip, Anthony Harford and Keith Look Loy.

The United TTFA is not considering taking the matter to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Pressed more about why he was not ready to include his name, Wallace said, “When you say you are not ready mentally that is sometimes what you can’t explain because it is a mental thing. It is a sense of readiness you know.”

United TTFA was fighting FIFA’s decision to remove the executive of the United TTFA in March and appoint a normalisation committee to run local football. The normalisation committee is led by local businessman Robert Hadad.

FIFA was threatening to suspend T&T if the United TTFA continued their fight against them.

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

 

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