United TTFA Thread.

[Flex]

Inside United TTFA: Wallace’s rise, Miller’s influence and THAT Junior Sammy letter.
By Lasana Liburd (Wired868).

The following look into the short but eventful tenure of Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) president William Wallace was done through a series of interviews, on condition of anonymity, with five persons from the United TTFA slate and/or employed elsewhere within the local body:

In the final year of David John-Williams’ four year term as Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) president, the board of the local body was in open revolt.

John-Williams had the unstinting support of 10 from the 12 board members when he was elected in 2015. But by 2019, his control slipped to seven loyalists from an expanded board of 13.

‘DJW’ still had enough votes to generally get his way. But, typical of his leadership style, the W Connection football president appeared unwilling to put his ideas through probing board meetings once he could help it. Instead, he began using a smaller ‘emergency committee’, which comprised Ewing Davis, Selby Browne, Richard Quan Chan, Anthony Moore, Bandele Kamau and himself, to simply sidestep his colleagues and make decisions.

On at least one occasion, John-Williams could not even be bothered to inform his ‘cabal’—as fellow board member Keith Look Loy disparagingly referred to the group. Men’s National Senior Team players were photographed in Capelli Sport apparel a full two weeks before a decision to sign terms with the company was approved by the emergency committee.

Referees Association vice-president Osmond Downer, one of the framers of the TTFA Constitution, described John-Williams’ actions as an ‘abuse’ of the constitution. And, as the national team results plummeted in the men’s and women’s games, a fan’s online petition for the president to leave and take Soca Warriors head coach Dennis Lawrence with him got just over 1,600 signatures.

It was against this backdrop that a group which later called itself the ‘United TTFA’ began meeting to discuss removing DJW, as unhappy board members Susan Joseph-Warrick and Look Loy linked up with Northern FA president Anthony Harford, Secondary Schools Football League (SSFL) president William Wallace, Central FA general secretary Clynt Taylor and Club Sando director Eddie Dean.

The group would eventually include former Pro League chairman Sam Phillip, CFA president Shymdeo Gosine and Terminix La Horquetta Rangers director Richard Ferguson as well.

Arguably, the most influential person to the eventual direction of the slate attended less than a handful of meetings: late former TTFA president Raymond Tim Kee.

Tim Kee, who was replaced in office by John-Williams on 29 November 2015, was infinitely more charismatic than his successor and his own term in the office delivered far more joy on the field. But, off of it, Tim Kee was almost as dismissive of his board as DJW, and the lopsided contracts that he offered to his general secretary Sheldon Phillips and technical director Kendall Walkes were reminders of the commercial failures of his term.

“Tim Kee saw himself as the next TTFA president but I cannot say that others did,” said one anonymous United TTFA member.

Initially, Tim Kee offered Look Loy a job as his future general secretary while Harford and Wallace could have two of his three vice-presidential posts. Look Loy declined; and the group, unconvinced, stalled.

“He clearly wasn’t able—as events later showed,” said the source. “Not only his health but his history [as TTFA president] worked against him. His health was a major issue though.”

Sadly, Tim Kee passed away on 8 December 2019—just two weeks after the TTFA elections. But, in his final act as a football man, he invited Wallace to a private meeting in September.

The other persons present at that summit were English football coach Terry Fenwick and former World Cup referee Ramesh Ramdhan. And the trio told Wallace that they were sitting on a considerable war chest of over TT$40 million from foreign investors, which would be made available to the next football president.

“Wallace, if I cannot do it,” said Tim Kee. “I think you are the only other person who can…”

Wallace’s eyes were as wide as saucers and he could scarcely contain his excitement.

“If this is genuine, then it can take Trinidad and Tobago football out of the hole,” he said, “and I am willing to go with it…”

The architect of the financial rescue plan was Fenwick’s close friend, Peter Miller—a controversial English salesman with a long history of broken promises and unfulfilled deals in England, St Lucia and right here on the twin island republic.

Tim Kee was convinced that Miller could deliver. And Wallace was quickly seduced as well.

Barely two days later, Tim Kee phoned Wallace again.

“Wallace, I can’t make,” he said.

“Well Raymond, then I would go forward with the package,” Wallace replied.

By then, Wallace had already been identified as the most electable person in the United TTFA group. Look Loy ruled himself out of the running at the offset—but then, a divisive figure and once the technical ‘man of business’ for controversial ex-Fifa vice-president Jack Warner, he would have been an unpopular choice anyway.

Harford was still heavily indebted to local clubs and far from a fresh face while nobody else had a recognisable body of work in the game.

Wallace, as SSFL president, headed the only financially viable football organisation in the country—granted that he inherited a fairly well-tuned enterprise from his predecessor, Anthony Creed.

Even without Miller’s promises, Wallace was likely to get the nod. But the former Carapichaima East Secondary vice-principal was worried about the size of the challenge posed by the debt-ridden TTFA.

From all accounts, the United TTFA regarded Miller’s proposed commercial deals as the icing on the cake. For Wallace, the controversial Englishman’s promises were damn near the whole cake.

Still, although favourite, Wallace was not a unanimous choice to head the United TTFA.

“I am leaving!” Taylor exclaimed, once the group decided on its president-elect.

In 2015, Taylor challenged for the TTFA presidency and finished third behind John-Williams and Tim Kee. He wanted another shot at the helm; and was unhappy with the process, with Look Loy supposedly calling out the names of the administrators to face the polls and their respective positions without a group consensus.

Ferguson quit too. A director at Terminix Trinidad, his big spending and flamboyance at La Horquetta Rangers was turning heads in local circles. But, despite being a virtual newcomer, he was not satisfied with the offer of first vice-president.

He was not as dramatic as Taylor; but he was firm. Ferguson created his own slate with Gosine and Dean as two of his three vice-presidents. But Wallace managed to win over Taylor during a subsequent phone call.

“Clynt, I need your support. We can all do this together…”

With Taylor back on board, the group prepared for its media launch on 2 November and a comprehensive manifesto. Each member was given an area to flesh out. Look Loy took charge of the technical programme; Wallace had the commercial deals.

On the morning of the United TTFA launch at the Queen’s Park Oval, Look Loy and Wallace were already at the head table, going through their final tune-ups, when Fenwick arrived and motioned for their attention.

Look Loy walked over to the Englishman and returned to his seat with an envelope, which he handed to Wallace. The latter administrator opened it and broke into a broad smile.

“Hey Keith, look at this,” said Wallace.

It was a letter of commitment from the Junior Sammy Group of Companies, which read: ‘It is our pleasure to pledge our support to Mr William Wallace and the United TTFA slate in the upcoming TTFA Elections on the 24th of November 2019. We wish Mr Wallace all the very best of luck and look forward to giving support to the new administration of local football in 2020 and beyond.’

Wallace called Taylor, who was in charge of the power point presentation.

“Be sure to put this in the presentation,” said an excited Wallace. “If we can show we have local support from big companies like this and not just foreign companies, then that has to be a good thing.”

There was not a spare chair in the room as United TTFA laid out its roadmap for the presidency. Look Loy’s breakdown of the proposed technical structure for the TTFA was clear and impressive. Wallace, though not as eloquent, also came across as authoritative without being authoritarian.

John-Williams’ camp had trained its guns on Look Loy and warned voters that Wallace was no more than a puppet. The SSFL president tried to address the United TTFA’s potential liability at the launch.

“History is replete with people like Keith [Look Loy], people who single-handedly stood up for a cause, [who were] vilified but eventually absolved by history itself,” said Wallace. “You may not always agree with Keith’s approach. But when the story is written, let it show that it was Keith’s actions that galvanised others into action and fuelled the boat of Unified TTFA…”

In the Q&A, Wired868 asked Wallace how could he assure the public that he would not be another runaway president. Wallace pointed to his collaborative record as an administrator in the schools’ game and scoffed at any notion that he might become ‘power drunk’.

“I am not worried about that,” he said. “That doesn’t exist in me, so I don’t have to rein that in… The president after the 24th of November will not be a president to breach the constitution.”

Look Loy vowed too that a United TTFA triumph would end the days of ‘one personality dominating [the TTFA] and making decisions that quite often were unilateral’.

“Allyuh know I’m not sitting down as a board member […] and let William Wallace do what he want,” said Look Loy. “Within the United TTFA, we have to watchdog ourselves. I wasn’t born in Animal Farm.”

It prompted a light-hearted response from a member of the audience: “Keith, we have that on record!”

Wallace seemed content with the notion that Look Loy would be watching over his shoulder.

“I am happy we have people within the TTFA who can scrutinise us and scrutinise our actions,” said Wallace. “Keith, I hope your mouth doesn’t get quiet after November. I think Keith is a necessary—I won’t say the other word.”

Cue more laughter from the audience.

While everyone focused on the relationship between Wallace and Look Loy, there was less immediate scrutiny in the room of the promised sponsorships from several foreign companies that nobody had ever heard of—Nike apart.

Notably, the United TTFA manifesto had images of at least two companies, Currencies Direct and Groupe SEB, offering support to Tim Kee while, in the main document, the same organisations supposedly backed Wallace.

It was, at best, sloppy. Did those companies agree to switch their allegiance to Wallace; or did Miller and his team make that decision on their behalf?

Another question that nobody thought to ask at the time was: why, if the Junior Sammy Group of Companies was already a TTFA sponsor under John-Williams, had the body publicly thrown its support behind his rival?

The answer came within 48 hours, via a press release from the Junior Sammy Group: “The company wishes to advise that no such letter [of support] has been issued by the office of the chairman of our group of companies or authorised to be issued by any of our companies with the Group for that matter.

“We therefore call on the publishers of the presentation to immediately remove this false document from its releases and to issue a [suitably] worded retraction regarding such grave misrepresentation.”

On the same day, John-Williams, in a hastily convened press conference, described the United TTFA presentation as ‘fraudulent’.

“I call on [the TTPS] to investigate this matter seriously because it involves a forged document being used and a forged signature being appended to this document,” said John-Williams. “[…] This is not about an election statement. This is about protecting the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association and its corporate partners…”

The United TTFA had its first scandal.

“Nobody knew what to do when it came out,” said one group member. “Everybody was scrambling…”

It was, of course, Fenwick who brought the letter to the United TTFA team. And Look Loy was not the only person who felt they should tell the public exactly what happened and let the chips fall where they may.

But, even if Wallace was tempted by naked honesty, cutting ties with Fenwick could also jeopardise promised commercial deals from his pal, Miller. It was a conundrum.

For his part, Fenwick, according to a group member, allegedly blamed the letter on an ‘over-enthusiastic secretary’ who nobody else had seen or ever would meet.

Fenwick’s mystery secretary got so excited about Wallace’s campaign that she took it upon herself to forge a letter of support from the Junior Sammy Group?

Wallace decided to absorb the blows for the team.

“Just as we had people outside of Trinidad and Tobago working on our behalf, there were people here working too—and we received three letters of comfort from [local businessmen] on the morning of the presentation,” said Wallace. “There was no reason to believe there was anything wrong with any of them. They were on letterheads and one of the businessmen who pledged support was actually sitting in the room, which was Joe Pires. So it was surprising to me when I heard otherwise [about the Junior Sammy Group].

“Our own examinations revealed—I don’t want to say exuberance—but a member of the team sent out the letter to a person working on our behalf. From what I gather, there was discussion with the person named in the letter [from the Junior Sammy Group] but I’m not sure what led to that letter being sent out to us […] without proper authorisation.

“We expect an apology from the person to us and to the Junior Sammy Group of Companies. I don’t want to name and embarrass anyone who tried to help but probably made a mistake in their exuberance. We are humble enough to absorb that [criticism] for our supporters.”

Wallace promised that it would be their first and last such ‘administrative error’.

“What we will have to do and the lesson learned from this is we will have a dedicated group of people who will have to vet anything that comes in for us,” he said. “In the future, we want to adhere to the [former US president Ronald] Reagan principle which is ‘trust but verify’.”

By the following day, Wallace tried to draw a line under the incident without offering more information.

“The true mark of leadership is the willingness to take responsibility for things that go wrong, to acknowledge your mistake, to learn from it, and to move on and remain focused at the job at hand,” said Wallace, in a press statement. “This is the brand of leadership that United TTFA is bringing to the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association.

“We are taking full responsibility for the error of sharing an unauthorised letter of support from the Junior Sammy Group at our presentation on Saturday 2 November.”

Wallace also addressed the letters of support, sourced by Miller, which appeared in his presentation with Tim Kee’s name.

“[…] The foreign commitments already secured by Raymond Tim Kee were transferred to William Wallace and United TTFA,” stated Wallace. “Unfortunately, two letters bearing Raymond Tim Kee’s name were inadvertently included in Saturday’s presentation by the person who prepared it, alongside revised letters of commitment bearing William Wallace’s name.

“United TTFA assures the football fraternity and the general public that since yesterday’s events we have reconfirmed the commitment of all foreign companies revealed in the presentation.”

By and large, football stakeholders gave Wallace the benefit of the doubt. But it would not be the last time that the administrator put his own reputation on the line to shield Miller and Fenwick.


Editor’s Note: Check Wired868 on 1 July for Part Two, as Wallace is elected TTFA president and attempts to deliver on promises to football stakeholders—in public with Look Loy; and in private with Miller.

[Flex]

Inside United TTFA: Fenwick, La Foucade flex, plus Wallace sneaks through Miller’s Avec deal.
By Lasana Liburd (Wired868).

The following is the second part of Wired868’s look into the short but eventful tenure of the William Wallace-led Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA); and was done through a series of interviews, on condition of anonymity, with five persons from the United TTFA slate and/or employed elsewhere within the local body:

It did not take Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) technical committee chairman Keith Look Loy long before he lost his notoriously paper-thin patience.

His high profile appointment insisted on doing what he wanted to do and refused to accept the chain of command that made him answerable to the committee.

“I must express my complete dissatisfaction with your disruptive behaviour, your poor response to the directives of the technical committee, and your evident failure to pursue your responsibilities to date,” stated a peeved Look Loy.

This was not a budding showdown between Look Loy and the equally combustible Englishman Terry Fenwick. Rather, his target was the supposedly mild-mannered technical director Dion La Foucade—a man who included his pastor, Doug White, among the list of references on his CV.

It was six days past La Foucade’s deadline to present a regional centres training syllabus and grassroots programme to the technical committee. And, reminded of that fact, La Foucade responded with requests of his own: ‘a professional TTFA contract’, a computer and printer, and ‘transportation or remuneration for same—as the job requires my physical presence at many venues for meetings or otherwise’.

“In order for me to operate with the degree of professionalism required and to meet all of the deadlines,” stated La Foucade, “I herein reiterate that I am still at the time of this reply in need of the following…”

La Foucade copied his email to TTFA president William Wallace, vice-presidents Clynt Taylor, Susan Joseph-Warrick and Sam Phillip and general secretary Ramesh Ramdhan.

Look Loy retorted that the office sourced for La Foucade, on the second floor of the Ato Boldon Stadium, had ‘all the basic furniture—desks and chairs—that anyone could reasonably require to begin work and to prepare the documents in question’; and that he should already have his letter of appointment.

And he gave short shrift to La Foucade’s perceived attempt to renegotiate perks for himself.

“I remind you that we had several conversations both prior to and after your appointment regarding the terms and conditions of your service for one year,” the technical committee chairman replied. “I further remind you that you accepted the position of TTFA technical director on the basis of a flat TT$20,000 monthly salary, with no allowances.

“[…] It is unethical for you to now demand ‘transportation or remuneration for same’ after the fact.”

The issues with La Foucade’s appointment went further than his belated demands, though. Under Look Loy’s guidance, the TTFA had reshaped its technical programme. Ostensibly, the idea was to create a system with more accountability for coaches and teams. But there was a significant twist.

In the previous set-up, the TTFA’s technical director ran all national football programmes outside of the Men’s National Senior Team, and reported to the technical committee—when there was a functioning one.

But under the Wallace-led administration, all national team programmes, including the Men’s National Team, were supervised, not by the technical director, but directly by the technical committee. And, by and large, the members of that committee were handpicked by its chairman, Look Loy.

In short, Look Loy was the cornerstone of the TTFA’s technical programme; and arguably the most powerful technical committee chairman in the football body’s history.

Look Loy could point to the Concacaf quarterfinal finish of the Women’s National Under-20 Team as justification for the new model. But La Foucade, whose authority was reduced to looking after the academies and grassroots game, paid the price for that.

Whether La Foucade would have even qualified for the job as it was previously interpreted is another matter. He never served as head coach in an international tournament at any level, while his only spell of competitive football were unremarkable stints at St Mary’s College and St Anthony’s College.

But, having accepted the brief, La Foucade pushed hard to broaden his powers. Look Loy pushed back.

“You could tell Derek King and Angus Eve anything?!” asked Look Loy, as La Foucade demanded oversight over the national teams. “What you going to tell them? Those men are immeasurably more experienced than you!”

Incidentally, La Foucade appeared to find even his diminished duties to be extremely challenging; and his first attempt to submit programmes to the technical committee was dismissed as plagiarism.

“The document you submitted is not only a cut and paste job from someone else’s work, it is also redundant,” stated Look Loy, when his technical director finally submitted the requested paperwork. “I may add that copyright issues undoubtedly arise. I find this to be an extremely intellectually lazy approach to the important work you have been charged with…”

Fenwick proved to be the biggest challenge to the technical committee’s authority, though, for reasons that were not fully understood at the time.

Unlike La Foucade, there was no doubting Fenwick’s know-how. But there was considerable baggage too.

Brash and blunt, the England 1986 World Cup defender was never shy to give his view on who the best coach on the island was. And controversy followed him on and off the field: from his cringeworthy forearm smash into the head of W Connection’s Brazilian playmaker Gefferson Goulart, to his business dealings with huckster Peter Miller—which once included hoovering up the island’s young talent from various clubs to a scouting agency, Pro Sports Caribbean Limited, headquartered in the tax haven of Anguilla.

Fenwick was not an official part of the United TTFA; but, privately, he had Wallace’s ear and more besides. And although the TTFA vice-presidents claimed to be uncertain about the extent of Wallace’s relationship with Miller, there was no doubt that one existed—and Fenwick was the latter’s proxy.

At the first board meeting of the new administration on 14 December, Look Loy recommended that Fenwick replace the floundering Dennis Lawrence as Soca Warriors head coach.

“Fenwick was the top candidate for the previous technical committee and he has confirmed his availability pending terms of his contract,” said Look Loy.

Fellow board member, Brent Sancho, who was Fenwick’s employer at Central FC, resisted. At present, Fenwick is suing for Sancho for unpaid bonuses.

“Who else was considered?” asked Sancho. “Why didn’t the technical committee give us a shortlist?”

Wallace backed Look Loy’s case for the Englishman—a Pro League champion coach with San Juan Jabloteh and Central. Fenwick, he said, was the best locally-based coach and a cheaper alternative than the foreign ones.

“You have to remember that [with] the foreign coaches it is not just about salary,” said Wallace. “Because you also have to factor in housing, vehicle and trips back home…”

Sancho suggested former international players Brian Haynes and Angus Eve as potential head coaches while Referees Association president Joseph Taylor pointed to current assistant coach Stuart Charles-Fevrier.

Eventually, they agreed to postpone the decision until Look Loy could present the board with not just a shortlist of coaches but the requested salaries of the contenders too.

“Remember to include the salary Fenwick is asking for,” Sancho stressed.

Miller, as Wallace later pointed out, made a ‘final offer’ of US$20,000 per month on Fenwick’s behalf in an email on 17 December, which was a significant concession from his starting point.

It was not an outlandish figure. Former head coach Stephen Hart started at US$20,000 per month before triggering a hike to US$25,000 per month after helping the Warriors to the 2018 Concacaf Hex. Russell Latapy was paid US$30,000 per month during his largely unsuccessful period at the helm.

However, Lawrence earned US$17,500 and, due to the TTFA’s financial constraints, Look Loy insisted that Fenwick would not get one cent more than that.

Even then, Fenwick was the most expensive coach on the technical committee’s shortlist; and he was not the most accomplished either.

On 19 December, when Look Loy emailed the board, the list of coaches included Peter Taylor—a one-time England Premier League Manager of the Month with Leicester City, whose CV included two years as England Men’s National Under-20 head coach and a solitary game as caretaker coach of the England National Senior Team.

Taylor (P) wanted US$15,000 per month net and was happy to work with a 12 month rolling contract. However, his demands included: free ‘quality accommodation’ in Trinidad, free business class tickets to Trinidad and six for his wife, a car, performance bonuses and working expenses for telephone calls and meetings.

Perhaps crucially, Taylor (P) was contracted to Dagenham & Redbridge—a National League club, below England’s four professional tiers—until June and was not willing to live in Trinidad, but proposed to fly across the Atlantic Ocean for national duty when necessary.

Fenwick, as Look Loy pointed out, was available to start right away, knew the players and did not need the expensive add-ons. But, privately, it was difficult work to drive Fenwick down to a manageable price.

On 17 December, Miller emailed Wallace and copied Look Loy:

“After much discussions, a revised position [of US$20,000] has been arrived at which is attached for your information prior to our discussions on Thursday. Please feel free to give feedback in order to arrive at a firm position given the urgency of the matter.”

The following day, Miller and Look Loy spoke on the phone.

“Terry is insisting on US$20,000,” said Miller.

“Well, let’s just forget it,” Look Loy replied.

The technical committee had anticipated this possibility and already had a second choice in mind. It was Simon McMenemy, who was sacked as Indonesia national coach on 6 November 2019 after just under one year in charge but was highly rated in south-east Asia.

McMenemy, a Scotsman who has never played or coached professionally in Britain, wanted US$10,000 per month with bonuses plus four return tickets per year—for him and his wife and infant son—his choice of accommodation and a car. He also wanted the TTFA to pay half of the fee for any football-related courses that he might take while on the job.

“Okay, okay, Terry will not take anything less than 20,” said Miller, “but I can get him the extra US$2,500 at the end of the month from a sponsor…”

“Fine, you can do that,” said Look Loy. “I don’t care. So long as we are not paying it. What I will put to the board is $17,500…”

On 19 December, Look Loy submitted five names with the technical committee’s recommendation.

“The technical committee strongly recommends Terence Fenwick,” stated Look Loy. “From both the technical and financial standpoint, this is the best option. Fenwick would also be a popular choice among the public.”

Fenwick got the job—but it would not be on terms that were recognisable to the board.

Enter attorney Ravi Rajcoomar SC.

Almost immediately after taking office, Wallace was besieged with requests from creditors. Former TTFA lawyer Anand Misir, as it turned out, was John-Williams’ personal attorney and, supposedly, did ‘not get permission’ to continue representing the local football body. The new president was up the proverbial murky creek without a paddle.

But Fenwick knew someone who could help for free: Rajcoomar.

On 14 December, even before the board decided to hire Fenwick, members voted 11 to 1 in favour of appointing Rajcoomar as legal counsel with immediate effect—‘with the proviso to put his offer in writing on a pro bono basis’.

Rajcoomar confirmed to Wired868 that he ‘appeared as counsel under the Wallace administration in several matters in the High Court and Court of Appeal’. However, he declined to say whether he was also the legal representative for Fenwick and/or Miller.

“Were you representing the Wallace administration or Fenwick/Miller in preparing their contracts,” Wired868 asked Rajcoomar.

Rajcoomar did not reply.

It is uncertain whether Wallace knew the answer to that question either. But what we do know is that Fenwick went to Rajcoomar to draw up his contract; and, by the time it got to the local football president, there were several significant and costly changes:

1. The starting salary went from US$17,500 to US$20,000;

2. Fenwick would get a two year extension for qualifying for the 2021 Gold Cup, achievable with one two-legged result over Guyana or Barbados, while the board wanted a quarterfinal finish to extend his deal;

3. Fenwick would get a salary increase to US$25,000 for his extension while the board capped any pay increase to US$20,000;

4. And, in a total departure from the board’s agreement, Fenwick wanted a motorcar within 30 days of agreeing his contract, with all expenses—including maintenance, insurance and fuel—borne by the TTFA, as well as a mobile phone, laptop, email address, two business class tickets and suitable accommodation whenever required for football business and private medical insurance for his daughter.

The TTFA was also responsible for ‘the payment of all local taxes, national insurance and health surcharge deductions’.

The contract was undated. Wallace remembered that he was in a meeting with a creditor when Ramdhan handed it to him. He claimed to browse through the 11 page document before signing.

“[…] Nothing jumped out at me because the figures I saw there were discussed; but they were discussed as two separate things,” Wallace later told Wired868, in reference to Miller’s offer to raise US$2,500 per month for the Warriors coach.

However, the contract made no mention of anyone but the TTFA being obliged to pay Fenwick, in full.

Wallace said he signed in good faith.

It was, remember, Fenwick and Ramdhan who talked Wallace into running for the presidency in the first place—along with the late ex-TTFA president Raymond Tim Kee—with the assurance that Miller would find the money needed to save the local game.

And Rajcoomar had been assisting Wallace’s administration without asking for a cent in return.

Ramdhan and Wallace later contradicted each other about who signed Fenwick’s contract first, with each saying they felt relatively comfortable to do so because the other had already signed and, presumably, vetted it.

Fenwick’s deal, exclusive of perks, would cost local football US$255,000 (TT$1.7 million) more than agreed to by the TTFA Board.

On 15 January, Look Loy returned to the board to appoint coaches for the remaining national teams. Once more, he gave the technical committee’s recommendations; but not a shortlist.

“How is this a choice when you’re giving me one name rather than two or three; and I can’t even understand how the decision was made?” asked Sancho.

“Well, it is the TTFA Board who appointed the technical committee and gave them the responsibility to vet the applications and make recommendations,” said Wallace. “So if you want to go over the applications again here, then what would be the point?”

Desmond Alfred, the Tobago Football Association (TFA) representative, agreed with Wallace.

“Mr Look Loy has explained the process and it was quite clear,” said Alfred.

Taylor (J) supported Sancho. Phillip backed Look Loy. Secondary Schools Football League (SSFL) first vice-president Phillip Fraser agreed with Sancho.

“Names are being proposed without any supporting information until we ask,” said Fraser, the former San Juan North Secondary principal. “I find that the committee should give the board a shortlist with a background for each person.”

Sancho was sore that the technical committee overlooked Taylor (P) for the Men’s National Senior Team job. Look Loy retorted that unlike Fenwick—or so he thought—Sancho’s recommended coaches had wanted plane tickets, houses and vehicles. La Foucade, Look Loy reiterated, was happy with just a flat salary.

As the debate raged, Alfred suggested a vote on whether they should proceed as is, or ask the technical committee to return with a more detailed shortlist. Seven members voted to get on with it while Sancho abstained.

There were five votes for La Foucade as technical director with four abstentions. It is worth noting that there were four United TTFA members at the meeting.

It was in that prickly atmosphere that Taylor (J), a former San Juan North principal, recommended Keith Jeffrey—a former San Juan school coach and the current technical director of San Juan Jabloteh—as Boys’ National Under-15 head coach ahead of the technical committee’s pick of Presentation College (San Fernando) coach Shawn Cooper.

Sancho and Fraser agreed.

And, in a referendum, Jeffrey got five votes, Cooper managed two and there were three abstentions.
News of the Cooper snub was the main public talking point from that board meeting. But it was not the most contentious issue.

Curiously, the minutes included just one line involving Avec Sport: ‘The chairman (Wallace) indicated that they should be getting TT$25,000,000 deal over four years to be announced soon with the company Avec. He indicated that a contract was received on the day before and was forwarded to their attorney to go through’.

It appeared to be a misrepresentation of the discussions around Avec.

The TTFA’s attorney was not going through the Avec deal—it had already been signed. And the board was livid.

“That wasn’t approved by the board!” Taylor (J) exclaimed. “This is the same kind of operation that people criticised under John-Williams!”

Look Loy concurred.

“This is unacceptable!” he said. “I objected to that unilateral approach under John-Williams and I object to it now!”

Wallace’s vice-presidents did not know a final contract was signed. But they did know something was happening with Avec.

“The position of Nike is they want things to quiet down before they do business with us because of the interference from John-Williams and Concacaf,” Wallace told his United TTFA colleagues, during a management meeting. “But we are getting a second clothing deal from a company called Avec, which is a subsidiary of Nike. The deal is worth TT$25 million; and then after about a year, Nike will take over the contract from Avec.

“[…] But any deal is contingent on us keeping info out of the public forum before anything is agreed upon. We know there are people in the board, like Sancho, who are taking copies of everything and leaking it to the media.”

The United TTFA members assumed—or chose to believe—that Wallace had spoken to Avec representatives. Just like they thought he had liaised directly with a representative from the Junior Sammy Group of Companies, before they realised that the letter of support from that company was a hoax.

But, in both cases, Wallace’s point of contact was Miller or his local proxy, Fenwick. And there was no proof that Avec was related to Nike at all—nor was there any provision in the contract that allowed the latter sportswear giants to step in at any stage.

Wallace, apparently, took the word of the two Englishmen.

Look Loy’s technical committee went to work trying to gauge their kit requirements for their pending sponsor.
At one point, Miller phoned him.

“When will the contract be signed?” asked Miller.

“Nothing can be signed unless the board approves it,” said Look Loy. “The president cannot just sign it by himself.”

“What are you talking about?” Miller replied. “Wallace is the president; so why can’t he sign it?!”

In the end, Wallace, to satisfy Miller’s request for secrecy, signed the TTFA to an arguably disadvantageous four-year clothing deal with an unheralded sport apparel company—without so much as feedback from the board, a lawyer or even an independent marketing official.

By then, Wallace effectively had two teams. One was his United TTFA allies that faced the polls with him; the other were the people that gave him the confidence and, he hoped, the financial support to run in the first place: Miller, Fenwick and Ramdhan.

“Mate, why are you listening to the board?” Fenwick allegedly told Wallace. “We are the ones who are bringing the money in. When has Sancho ever gotten a sponsor?!

“Who from the board has brought even a penny to the table?!”

Internally, the disharmony was starting to manifest within the United TTFA.

“Are you seeing Fenwick in a jacket and tie unveiling sponsorships?!” Look Loy growled to Taylor (C). “Like he thinks he is a blasted vice-president! The man doesn’t want to do his football work but he is up and down parading himself.

“The man is showing zero interest in footballing work; he only wants to be in front of the camera!”

In the next management meeting, Wallace was confronted by his colleagues about Fenwick’s apparent influence with TTFA affairs.

Wallace explained that Caribbean Chemicals director Joe Pires personally requested Fenwick’s presence while, in the case of Sports and Games, he was again asked to attend the sponsorship launch since it was attached to the Avec deal negotiated by Miller.

There was another TTFA Media interview with the president when, supposedly, Fenwick simply heard it was going to happen, showed up, and was obliged.

“Alright, alright—I wasn’t seeing that as a problem,” Wallace told his United TTFA comrades. “I will fix it.”

Editor’s Note: In part three, Wired868 will look at the Avec Sport, Ramesh Ramdhan and Peter Miller contracts and the opening cracks in the relationship between the Wallace-led administration and Fifa.

[Flex]

Awai: If we win we lose, and if we lose we lose.
By Walter Alibey (Guardian).

"If we win in the court, we lose and if we lose in the courts, we lose."

This is the position taken by Mike Awai, a former Business Development Officer at AC Port-of-Spain, towards the current situation where football's world governing body - FIFA, and the United T&T Football Association (TTFA) are locked in a battle for the right to manage the affairs of T&T football.

The United TTFA, which is headed by William Wallace, who was elected president on November 24, 2019, was just about four months in office when FIFA removed him and his three vice presidents Clynt Taylor, Susan Joseph-Warwick and Joseph Sam Phillip on March 17 and appointed a Normalisation Committee to manage the sport ten days later. FIFA's decision follows an audit visit in February which revealed a series of administrative flaws that showed the sport was on the verge of insolvency and illiquidity.

The FIFA-appointed Normalisation Committee comprises businessman Robert Hadad as its chairman, attorney Judy Daniel as his deputy and former banker Nigel Romano.

On Wednesday, Awai told Guardian Media Sports that there was never going to be any mediation between the parties as FIFA had already made that clear in a letter dated March 27, as it responded to an earlier request for mediation by Wallace.

In that letter, FIFA said: "While we understand that as the newly elected president you disagree with the FIFA Council Bureau’s decision to appoint a Normalisation Committee in the TTFA, let me highlight that FIFA is competent to replace Executive bodies of member associations by a normalisation committee for a specific period under exceptional circumstances (Art. 8.2 FIFA Statutes). Furthermore, FIFA can act based on its own assessment and in collaboration with the relevant confederation, consider the situation as exceptional enough to justify an application of this provision."

On July 7, media reports indicated that FIFA had expressed a willingness to mediate with the United TTFA, however, less than 24 hours later, in a surprise move, FIFA issed a release that stated it was no longer going to mediate based on the failure of the lawyers of the TTFA team to keep matters confidential.

"This mediation will not go ahead now in any event, owing to the failure of the lawyers of "United TTFA" to keep the matter confidential, in line with their professional and ethical obligations," FIFA said on Tuesday.

Awai said, "It's Wallace and Keith Look Loy who messed up the whole thing by talking too much to the media.

"If the TTFA wins, we are back to square one because we're still owing the $50 million and two, FIFA would either withhold or withdraw the funding for T&T. If the TTFA wins, we lose and if the TTFA loses, we lose."

On June 18, in response to the United TTFA filing the matter in the T&T High court after withdrawing from the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) in May, FIFA stated that: “The removal of the Normalisation Committee before appropriate controls, policies, and procedures are in place at the TTFA will not only jeopardise the achievements to date and reintroduce the threats to the solvency of the TTFA but it will be a disincentive to FIFA to provide any further funding to the TTFA given the absence of appropriate controls."

Awai jokingly said if that happens, "then Tobago will play Trinidad, north will play south, and east will play west". He believes it's only the delegates that can save T&T football now, noting that the delegates can call for a special general meeting to vote out Wallace and his team of vice presidents Taylor, Phillip and Joseph-Warrick.

The TTFA first challenged the FIFA through CAS in April but decided to take its fight to the High Court because of perceived bias by CAS. The High Court matter will be heard on July 29.

[Flex]

Inside United TTFA: Ramdhan pulls Fifa’s tail, Wallace rejects advice against exposing wrongdoings.
By Lasana Liburd (Wired868).

The following is the third part of Wired868’s look into the short but eventful tenure of the William Wallace-led Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA); and was done through a series of interviews, on condition of anonymity, with five persons from the United TTFA slate and/or employed elsewhere within the local body:

The first meeting of the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) Board under president William Wallace brought several thorny issues up for immediate review: the fate of Soca Warriors head coach Dennis Lawrence, controversial English coach Terry Fenwick, the radical organisational chart of new technical committee chairman Keith Look Loy, etc.

Few may have thought, beforehand, that the most divisive topic of the afternoon would be the hiring of Ramesh Ramdhan as general secretary.

In theory, the wording of the TTFA Constitution makes the appointment of a general secretary a straightforward piece of business.

Article 36(f): ‘[The TTFA Board] shall appoint or dismiss the general secretary on the proposal of the president’.

The word ‘shall’ remains a bugbear of Trinidad and Tobago Football Referees Association (TTFRA) vice-president Osmond Downer, one of the framers of the constitution.

Former president David John-Williams argued that shall meant the board was obliged to blindly accept the president’s recommendation. Downer retorted that, if that was the constitution’s wish, why bother to have the football president ask at all?

The spirit of the constitution, Downer insisted, was that the board could reject the president’s choice of general secretary and was not merely a rubber stamp. Downer tried, unsuccessfully, to amend article 36(f) in 2019 but was told by the general membership that it was not a priority at the time.

Still, having run a campaign on transparency and collective decision-making, Wallace was expected to be a president who listened to his board—and boy did they have a lot to say when he proposed Ramdhan.

“Honestly, I am not very happy with the suggestion of Ramdhan,” said one board member, as he referenced Ramdhan’s past spell as Referees Department head. “He is the person who made the Referees Department the mess it is now! All Ramdhan did was sit in office and let other people cover his responsibilities!”

Remarkably, the speaker was Wallace’s own first vice-president, Clynt Taylor.

In retrospect, Taylor’s firm disapproval of Wallace’s most important appointment—and the only selection within the president’s remit, according to the constitution—spoke not only about the president’s judgment, but also the poor communication within the United TTFA.

Taylor felt he had another reason to be wary of the would-be general secretary. Starved of information from their leader, Wallace’s vice-presidents assumed that Ramdhan was responsible for the ‘fraudulent’ letter of support from the Junior Sammy Group of Companies—which almost derailed their electoral campaign in its infancy.

In fact, the controversial letter was introduced to the United TTFA by Fenwick. But Wallace kept that detail to himself. Just as today, seven months after the besieged football president attended the 2019 Fifa Club World Cup Championship in Qatar, even his United TTFA colleagues do not know the identity of the mysterious ‘sponsor’ who paid for his trip to Doha.

At that maiden board meeting on 14 December, though, Look Loy came to Wallace’s rescue with a compromise.

“Failure in one aspect does not mean that Ramdhan will be a failure in this as well,” said Look Loy, “and the president must have some leeway, unless there is tangible evidence of wrongdoing that you can point to… I propose we give [Ramdhan] a one-year contract; that way we can always come back and review his performance.”

Despite expressed concerns by TTFRA president Joseph Taylor, interim Pro League chairman Brent Sancho and Southern FA president Richard Quan Chan about Ramdhan’s ‘work ethic’, ‘organisational skills’, ‘business acumen’ and ‘reliability’, the board grudgingly agreed to back the appointment—on the proviso that it was for just one year.

Ramdhan’s coronation was so unenthusiastic, in fact, that when it went to a vote: six members said ‘yes’, one still said ‘no’ and four abstained.

Wallace later claimed, after unilaterally deciding to give Ramdhan a two-year contract without informing his board or United TTFA colleagues, that he believed it was his right to do so according to the constitution.

It was a presumption he never shared with the board until after it was revealed by SportsMax.

Undoubtedly, Wallace and Ramdhan got off to a challenging start that largely was not of their making. Almost every day, a new creditor rang to speak to the football president.

Whatever shortcomings the TTFA president and general secretary might be accused of, a lack of inter-personal skills was not among them.

Creditors found an empathetic president and a general secretary who spoke with more reassuring authority than his predecessors. Likewise, the staff generally felt that, finally, a leadership was in place that cared for their wellbeing.

Look Loy favoured an immediate purge of elements of the TTFA staff—to supposedly be rid of ‘DJW’ spies and dead weight. Gary St Rose, the technical coordinator for the largely unsuccessful Elite Youth Programme, Tamara Thompson, an office worker and then fiancee of general secretary Camara David, and accountant Tyril Patrick topped the list. All were John-Williams appointees.

“Keith, no way that is happening,” said Wallace, as he resisted his irate United TTFA colleague.

Almost from the start, there were a stream of leaks from the TTFA’s office, inclusive of court matters and financial updates, which invariably surfaced in the press. Look Loy was not the only person who was concerned. But Wallace would not contemplate mass sackings.

“Listen Keith, I don’t think we have anything to hide,” Wallace insisted.

The TTFA office itself was a depressing array of cramped cubicles.

“Is this a call centre?” a visited Concacaf official once asked, tongue in cheek.

Taylor (C) was so appalled at the layout that he brought in a contractor, who produced a quote of TT$125,000 to redesign the office and stock room. The board agreed to the sum, once the money could be raised independently.

It was fair to say that there was a buzz about the place. Even when Fifa funding was late, Ramdhan found another ‘mystery sponsor’ to make a loan to the TTFA—so as to ensure that staff were paid for December, January and February.

But, facing a daunting workload, Wallace and Ramdhan were not quite as organised as they needed to be.

On Thursday 13 February 2020, the High Court froze the TTFA’s bank accounts after Wallace and Ramdhan dithered in responding to a request for payment by former technical director Kendall Walkes.

Walkes did not ask twice.

“Why wait for us to get a garnishee order before you present us with an offer?” asked his attorney, Melissa Roberts-John.

Ramdhan arguably created an even bigger problem for the local football body with his response to a Fifa request for information.

On Monday 13 January, Véron Mosengo-Omba, Fifa chief member associations officer, emailed from Zurich:

‘Dear general secretary, in light of the significant amount of outstanding debts the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) has had in the past with third party suppliers, the Fifa administration would like to follow up on the current status of those debts.

‘It is important to highlight that assets financed by the Fifa Forward Programme cannot be, under any circumstances, mortgaged. The Fifa Member Associations Division is fully committed and available to support your member association in every necessary aspect in order to achieve a positive outcome.

‘Yours sincerely.’

Ramdhan, a former World Cup referee, appeared to see Mosengo-Omba’s letter as a challenge to his authority. The Zurich missive was 90 words long; the response from Couva was well over 600 words:

‘Dear Mr Mosengo-Omba, I thank you for your mail of Monday 13 January. Your advice regarding the Home of Football (HOF) is duly noted. The new administration is fully aware of all the implications involved as we pursue the solutions to the problems we inherited. The significant debt you mentioned pose serious challenges for the TTFA and your offer to assist gives us hope.

‘During the visit of the development manager (DM) last week, as we perused the financial records of the TTFA, we discovered that funds intended for other areas were diverted to the HOF project resulting in the failure of the TTFA to meet its day to day financial obligations.

‘[…] The HOF project which is at the [centre] of this conversation was intended to bring an end to our financial woes which had plagued the TTFA for over a decade. It is now ironic that in 2020, it has become the source of our financial distress. A project which was opened with a lot of fanfare is now faced with issues which require additional funding to resolve.

‘These issues vary from design and construction to safety and lack of the requisite approvals from agencies. This situation denies the TTFA the opportunity to benefit from such a significant investment.

‘I know that you were a central figure during the construction phase of this project. I can also appreciate that the responsibility entrusted upon you in facilitating the process may have fallen outside the core area of competency required for such a project.

‘It is now incumbent upon FIFA, given this experience, to review the processes employed in their Forward Project programs in order to avoid reoccurrences of this nature which can compromise FIFA. I am of the view that FIFA has indeed been compromised in this scenario.

‘Having said that, based on what we have discovered during the recent visit of the DM and the assistant development manager (ADM) in the presence of the TTFA financial manager, the manner in which that project was being managed, should have raised red flags.

‘Given the revelations, it is curious and even suspicious, that the project continued uninterrupted. This has attracted speculation from several quarters of the society which has the potential of further damaging our already tainted image both locally and abroad.

‘A cursory glance of the paper trail suggests that there was a lack of proper oversight. The president of the TTFA appears to have been the project manager, the contractor as well as the purchaser. The current administration is in the process of engaging a quantity surveyor with a view to achieving two objectives.

‘The first objective is to produce a professional report and make public the findings so as to avoid speculation of vindictiveness on the part of the current administration. The second objective, which is of paramount importance, is to address all the issues with a view to resolving them and operationalise the building.

‘As we peruse the financial records of the TTFA, our preliminary findings suggest a lack of financial prudence on the part of the last administration. As a consequence, we have taken a decision to engage a forensic auditor to determine if any financial impropriety occurred as we are not prepared to carry that burden forward as we seek to reshape the association.

‘Yours sincerely.’

In essence, Ramdhan, less than a month in office at Couva, was informing Mosengo-Ombo of a supposed lack of competence for his Fifa portfolio and suggesting that the world governing body might be culpable in a financial scandal, which the TTFA administration had every intention of unearthing with the help of a forensic auditor.

Before he hit ‘send’, Ramdhan passed his draft email to Wallace.

“Are you sure you want to send that?” asked Wallace, with a nervous giggle.

“Of course,” Ramdhan replied.

“Okay,” said Wallace. “Go ahead.”

A day later, it occurred to Ramdhan that he had not answered Mosengo-Omba’s query  at all. So he dispatched a second letter:

‘Consequent to my previous letter of 22 January, I wish to further advise that Fifa Forward funding will not be used to satisfy any third party debts. It is our stated objective to use funds intended for development in those specific areas. We intend to avoid the pitfalls of the past where moneys were used contrary to purpose.

‘The current administration has a plan to deal with the debts inherited and we intend to meet and discuss this with our creditors… We have already signed a memorandum of understanding with a foreign company for a project in Trinidad that would factor in a debt of TT$50 million incorporated in the overall cost of the project to satisfy the debt.

‘[…] I do hope that this information will serve to address any concerns which Fifa may have and bring some level of comfort as I can discern some unease about our debt situation.

‘Rest assured we are up to the task of rebuilding our administration and restoring our image and look forward to cooperating with Fifa to achieve our collective objectives.’

Mosengo-Omba, a longtime friend and former university classmate of Fifa president Gianni Infantino, did not respond to either of Ramdhan’s letters. And, five months later, the global body still has not wired the Fifa Forward money to Trinidad.

Fifa secretary general Fatma Samoura would later announce that not a cent would go to the twin island republic, until the governing body was satisfied that the Wallace-led administration could not access it.

In January, though, Wallace had no reason to believe that Fifa’s delay in sending funding due to TTFA was anything more than an administrative hiccup.

In February, Fifa announced a fact-finding mission to Trinidad to look into its financial issues. The contingent comprised of: Fifa finance coordinator Mehmet Dirlik, Concacaf finance manager Alejandro Kesende, Concacaf finance department Dally Fuentes and Valeria Yepes, an independent auditor.

On the TTFA’s side was newly recruited finance committee head Kendall Tull and auditor Robert Reis.

Tull, a consultant with decades of financial management and audit experience, earned universal praise from TTFA Board members for his presentations on fiducial responsibility; and had already begun the process of ‘governance reform’ within the TTFA when the Fifa/Concacaf mission visited.

“This is the first time I have ever come here and found someone who can speak my language,” Kesende told Tull, as they discussed the body’s financial issues.

There were problems, of course. But, for once, the TTFA not only identified the shortcomings but appeared to have the know-how to address them.

The quality of Tull’s guidance would count for little if the Wallace-led administration was unwilling to take it, though. The finance committee head discovered, among other things, that Wallace’s predecessor, John-Williams, collectively deducted roughly TT$4 million from employees—over a two-year period—for NIS, PAYE and health surcharge. But the money was never paid to the relevant state bodies.

Wallace and Ramdhan, who were keen to show supporters what they were up to in their first 100 days at the job, immediately announced that they would make the findings public.

“Please, don’t do that yet,” said Tull. “I don’t have any difficulty with you saying what the current state of the TTFA is, but give us the chance to engage the authorities and see how we can work it out first.”

“Well, remember we campaigned on a platform of transparency,” said Wallace. “So we owe it to our members to explain the true situation…”

“At least give us time to fix it first,” said Tull. “And then you can say: ‘we found this, and we fixed it by doing A, B and C’… If we go public now, it could be harder to fix things…”

A Fifa official in the region allegedly also sent advice to Ramdhan, which warned against adverse publicity that might involve the governing body.

“If there are any issues with the Home of Football, Fifa wants you to inform them first,” he said, “and then there will be a discussion with them before anything goes to the public…”

The United TTFA, in one of their weekly ‘management meetings’, rejected the advice.

“We are accountable to our members—not to Fifa,” said Wallace. “We don’t want to look like we are helping to cover up things, because then people would have something to hold against us, based on our campaign promises to be transparent…”

Wallace got board approval to speak out, which he did in a 50-minute press conference at the Queen’s Park Oval on Wednesday 4 March.

“I am not here to cast aspersions on anyone’s character,” he told the media. “I am not here to blame anyone for anything. I am not here to say anyone did anything.

“All I am saying to you, these are the facts as discovered…”

Within days, a BIR representative called the TTFA office. They wanted to do an audit. Fifa did not make a sound though—not yet, anyway.

By then, Trinidad and Tobago were well into the knockout round of the Concacaf Women’s Under-20 Championship in the Dominican Republic.

In their last two tilts at the competition, the Women Soca Warriors finished bottom of their group. Under coach Richard Hood and in Look Loy’s new technical set-up, they defeated St Kitts and Nevis and Puerto Rico en route to the quarterfinals—where they lost to the eventual tournament runners-up, Mexico.

Hood did have some luck. St Kitts and Nevis, who eliminated T&T’s Women’s Senior Team in the 2020 Olympic qualifying series, were not at full strength for the youth tournament—after prioritising the adult competition. And their triumph over Puerto Rico came via kicks from the penalty mark.

Still, after the startling decline of Trinidad and Tobago’s football fortunes under DJW, it seemed like a step in the right direction.

Team captain and Carapichaima East Secondary student Afiyah Cornwall led all scorers at one point too and looked to be a star in the making. There was pride in the ‘red, white and black’ again.

Look Loy’s technical organisational chart, which was approved by the board, took authority over national teams away from the technical director and placed it within the jurisdiction of the committee—that he ran.

La Foucade initially agreed to the reduced rule. But, once he got the job, began agitating for more power.

However, the biggest problem was posed by Fenwick, who clearly had no time for either Look Loy or his committee.

Look Loy gave all national head coaches deadlines to present technical, tactical and training programmes for their respective teams. They had until the end of January.

It was March; and yet Fenwick had still sent nothing—although he was appointed at least three weeks before anyone else.

Look Loy phoned each of the technical committee members.

“I don’t want it to seem as if I, Keith Look Loy, is asking,” he said. “I want to know if the committee is going to ask Mr Fenwick to come to a meeting and explain what is happening with his report…”

Fenwick accepted the technical committee’s offer to meet, face to face. La Foucade would be there as well.

And it was going to be seismic.


Editor’s Note: Wired868 will publish part four of the Inside TTFA series on Sunday 12 July.

[Flex]

Inside United TTFA: Fenwick/Look Loy clash, Ramdhan’s family affair, and Fifa makes its move.
By Lasana Liburd (Wired868).

The following is the fourth and final part of Wired868’s look into the short but eventful tenure of the William Wallace-led Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA); and was done through a series of interviews, on condition of anonymity, with five persons from the United TTFA slate and/or employed elsewhere within the local body:

The TTFA technical committee, chaired by Keith Look Loy, had it in their own heads that they had summoned Men’s National Senior Team head coach Terry Fenwick to a meeting—so as to bring him in line with the football body’s other coaches.

Fenwick, who was accompanied by technical director Dion La Foucade, had a different agenda altogether.

The combative Englishman, long thought to be the best coach on the island, had anticipated that the men’s programme would revolve around him. Not only would he head the senior team, but he would guide the youth sides as well.

Arguably, Look Loy’s technical plan initially hinted as much with the Senior National Team assistant coach also serving as Under-20 National Team head coach; and so on, straight down to Under-15 level.

Fenwick interpreted this to mean that the National Senior Team head coach would create the blueprint for the men’s game, which would trickle down to the youth sides. And he would have direct influence on them all. In essence, he would not only be the men’s head coach—but part-technical director too.

Look Loy’s organisational chart did take the overseeing of national youth teams away from the technical director. But, rather than hand it over to Fenwick, those duties went to his technical committee instead.

On top of that, it soon became evident that Fenwick did not even enjoy the same control over the hiring of his assistants as did his predecessors. And, as he tried to put a team together for his maiden international away to Canada, he felt he was not having his way with player selection either.

Look Loy and company were frustrated that Fenwick was more than a month past his deadline to present a technical, tactical and training programme for his team and was the only coach yet to get on to the training ground.

But Fenwick had his own grouses.

“Why you haven’t had your training programmes?!” Fenwick replied. “Because I am busy trying to organise a squad to play Canada for one!

“[…] Instead of trying to get in the way, why don’t you all do what you’re supposed to do and get me the players I want!”

Fenwick was particularly sore that, having wrung verbal commitments out of several talented foreign-born players such as Nick De Leon, Shaq Moore, John Bostock and Ryan Inniss, TTFA director of football Richard Piper said he could not process their paperwork to face Canada, in three months’ time.

“Nick’s sister has already played for Trinidad and yet Piper is saying he can’t process him by June!” said Fenwick. “So why is it taking so long!”

His angst with Piper ran deeper than that. The pair had a strained relationship that dated back to Fenwick’s unsuccessful attempt to buy out the St Ann’s Rangers Pro League club, which Piper managed.

Fenwick pulled out an email from Piper and passed it around to the technical committee members. It was the first official communication between the pair in their current TTFA roles.

The opening read: ‘Good day Terry, it is indeed to me unfortunate that it appears I am being drawn into what appears to be a battle of Testicular Fortitude…’

“Does that sound professional to you?” Fenwick asked the committee.

Look Loy was next on his agenda. Fenwick told his manager, Basil Thompson, to get Moore sorted for his international debut—only to be advised by the technical committee chairman that the player will not come.

The Warriors head coach then got a message from Moore’s agent which complained about being contacted by ‘other’ TTFA representatives.

“I need the administrative side doing their job but I am responsible for my squad and my players!” said Fenwick. “The only person to interact with my players is me!”

Ken Elie, a former soldier and national youth team coach, was aghast.

“What I am hearing here is an employee telling the employer what and how he is going to do his stuff,” said Elie. “No where in the world does that happen! It is the employer who says what he wants done. The employee’s job is only to suggest how he can get it done!”

Fenwick interrupted.

“Fellahs, I am happy to meet this committee anytime,” said Fenwick. “But I am not answerable to you. I am answerable to the board and the president!”

Look Loy was off his feet in a flash and slapped the table so fiercely that La Foucade, who sat between the chairman and the head coach, jumped.

“You will answer to this committee!” said Look Loy, as he jabbed his index finger towards Fenwick. “You and him (pointing to La Foucade) are answerable to me!”

“No, we are not!” Fenwick replied.

La Foucade repeated Fenwick’s refusal but he leaned so far away from Look Loy as he spoke that he was in danger of falling off his chair.

The shouting, from inside the TTFA’s board room, echoed throughout the office.

“You are out of control,” said Fenwick. “Look at your behaviour… I am not accustomed to this attitude at meetings.”

Look Loy was screaming about the efforts he made to give Fenwick his job as head coach. But, unlike La Foucade, the Englishman did not seem intimidated in the slightest. If anything, he needled the technical committee chairman even further.

“You damn well will report to this committee!” said Look Loy.

“Really? Well I will take that up with the president,” Fenwick replied.

In fact, article 10 of Fenwick’s contract said: ‘the coach shall comply with all directives and guidelines issued by the association and as directed by the president…’ And, in the 11 page document, the words ‘technical committee’ were not mentioned together even once.

But then the only TTFA officers who had ever seen Fenwick’s contract at that stage—an agreement that the head coach drew up himself with the help of his lawyer—were president William Wallace and general secretary Ramesh Ramdhan.

“When the chairman is on his feet, you cannot be talking!” Look Loy shouted, slamming the table again. “I am a member of the board; you are an employee of the TTFA…”

“The team doesn’t belong to you!” said Elie. “And you are responsible to the TTFA!”

“He feel nobody in Trinidad knows about football except him!” said Look Loy. “He thinks I will put up with this blasted disrespect!”

And, at that point, Fenwick pushed back his chair and stood up.

“Gentlemen, I have somewhere else to be,” he said.

And he walked right out of the door, as the rest of room looked on with mouths open.

“Where are you going?” asked committee member Dale Tony.

“Let him go!” said Look Loy. “Let him go!”

And as technical committee members discussed a suitable punishment for their maverick head coach, Fenwick posed alongside Wallace and Sports & Games director Omar Hadeed at a photo shoot which sealed a four-year deal with the latter company as the TTFA’s ‘exclusive retail partner’.

“Like [Fenwick] thinks he is a blasted vice-president!” Look Loy subsequently told first vice-president Clynt Taylor, as the remaining United TTFA members demanded that Wallace explain why the Englishman seemed to be marching to the beat of his own drum.

“I will fix it,” said Wallace.

Wallace was trying to keep everyone happy—but the task was getting more implausible every day.

When Peter Miller, a compatriot, friend and business partner of Fenwick’s, first spoke to Wallace during the latter’s campaign for the TTFA presidency, he urged the former Carapichaima East Secondary vice-principal to keep his involvement secret.

“I give you my word,” said Wallace.

Once Miller brought a few lucrative sponsorship deals to the table, Wallace thought, nobody would care about the Englishman’s chequered past as he triumphantly revealed him to the board.

But before the controversial Englishman delivered, he wanted something from the TTFA first.

“So do I stop everything?” asked Miller. “What do I get as my guarantee to move forward?”

Miller wanted TT$4 million over two years, split into monthly payments, with a renewal for another two years on the same terms—once the Englishmen met the parameters he set himself.

This, Miller allegedly said, was non-negotiable. It was supposedly the deal that was arranged with former president Raymond Tim Kee before he pulled out of the election race. And, since Wallace took his place, Miller said he was duty-bound to accept it.

Wallace protested about the payment schedule but the salesman insisted.

“I am not going to change one line of that contract,” he said.

“But I do not have a cent,” said Wallace, “so how am I going to pay you this?”

“Don’t worry,” Miller allegedly replied, “I will take it out of the sponsorship deals that I bring in.”

It sounded like a fair trade off to the TTFA president. But, in the end, the secret contract signed with his ‘marketing director’ stated only that Miller was to be paid US$25,000 (TT$169,000) every month, while there was also a separate payment of US$30,410.95 (TT$205,486) for ‘services provided by Miller on or about 25 November 2019’—which was the day after the TTFA election.

So Miller was due TT$205,486 for promising to bring over TT$50 million in sponsorship to the TTFA; and then another TT$4 million for trying to bring the money he promised to the table.

But, in the end, he could simply trouser all that cash and walk away, without the cash-strapped TTFA ever collecting a cent.

Wallace never took Miller’s contract to an independent attorney, his vice-presidents or the TTFA board before he signed; and he denied the deal existed for close to six months.

Similarly, he took Miller’s advice to sign a four-year deal with Avec Sport without any independent counsel whatsoever.

“[…] Any deal is contingent on us keeping info out of the public forum before anything is agreed upon,” Wallace told his vice-presidents. “We know there are people in the board, like [Brent] Sancho, who are taking copies of everything and leaking it to the media…”

In the end, the TTFA got a four-year deal in which it pays Avec Sport TT$10.2 million for replicas and gift items, so as to get TT$5.2 million worth of kit ‘free’.

“[The Avec Sport deal] is not a sponsorship at all,” said a sport administrator with experience of closing apparel deals with the likes of Adidas and Puma, who spoke on condition of anonymity. “It is a sales contract.”

To date, the Soca Warriors are yet to play in Avec Sport—but the company did send some uniforms for the Women’s National Under-20 Team, as they prepared to jet to the Dominican Republic for Concacaf battle.

The TTFA office staff were so concerned when they received the goods from Avec Sport that they phoned Look Loy. The uniforms were men’s sizes, there were shirts and shorts but not socks, there was no warm-up gear or hotel wear, and the jerseys were white with a sky blue slash.

Ramdhan suggested that the young women play in the Avec Sport gear but use existing Joma kit to train, travel and use at the hotel.

“Ramesh, my country is not playing in white and blue!” said Look Loy. “Which part of my flag is blue?!”

Fifa, by then, were already sniffing around. On 25 February, Fifa finance coordinator Mehmet Dirlik, Concacaf finance manager Alejandro Kesende, Concacaf finance department official Dally Fuentes and Valeria Yepes, an independent auditor, landed in Piarco for a ‘fact finding mission’.

“Perhaps declaring bankruptcy is the only way forward in dealing with this debt,” said Kesende.

“To be honest, I’m not in favour of that,” said Wallace. “And we do have a plan to deal with the debt and I think you will be pleasantly surprised.”

Wallace showed the visitors a memorandum of understanding between the TTFA and Lavender Consultants—an unknown British sports project development company, sourced by Miller, which had no proof of prior work. Lavender promised to give TT$50 million to the local football body to act as middle men in a real estate deal involving the Arima Velodrome.

“The delegation expressed some concerns about the nature of the deal,” TTFA finance committee chairman Kendall Tull later swore in an affidavit.

Fifa chief members association officer Véron Mosengo-Omba later said that the fact-finding team had ‘serious concern over the absence of proper diligence prior to the signing of this agreement with Lavender’.

On 29 February, at the TTFA’s last board meeting under the current administration, the word ‘normalisation’ was raised for the first time at that level. The football body’s bank account had been frozen since 13 February, due to a garnishee order by former technical director Kendall Walkes—a rite of passage that has happened under every football president since Oliver Camps.

“No, no, no; normalisation was never an option,” said Ramdhan. “In fact, Fifa is very pleased with the current administration.”

Tull had precisely targeted the issues within the local football body’s internal set-up and pointed Fifa to his plans to address them.

There was never any doubt that Wallace and his board publicly supported Tull. As such, the board began training sessions on corporate governance, while a human resource audit, payment plans for creditors and budget projections were scheduled.

Wallace inherited a body that operated for decades without any proper corporate structure and safeguards. And Fifa audited the TTFA on an annual basis throughout that period.

If anyone was at fault for the TTFA’s sorry state, how was it Wallace and his team? Was Fifa itself not more culpable?

On the other hand, even as Wallace lauded Tull’s input, the football president was secretly signing million dollar contracts without the approval of the board or anyone else. And, ironically, he was utilising the same internal shortcomings to do so that Tull was trying to close.

Once out of public view, it seemed to be Miller—not Tull—who was setting the TTFA’s corporate agenda.

On 3 March, Ramdhan wrote to a director of D&D Auto World and requested a loan of TT$99,405 to pay the TTFA’s office staff: ‘[…] This represents the net amount payable and will be repaid in US currency based on the exchange rate on the particular day…’

The D&D Auto World director was Ramdhan’s relative.

“[The request for a loan from a relative] betrayed a lack of appreciation of good governance and integrity in financial matters,” said Mosengo-Omba, “and raised serious doubts as to the ability of the TTFA executive to govern, far less to come up with a workable solution and plan for rescuing the association.”

Ironically, Ramdhan only sought out the loan in the first place because Fifa was stalling on making its first payment from the US$1.5 million due to the TTFA in 2020.

But then the TTFA general secretary, remember, promised Mosengo-Omba that as soon as the local body could afford, it would do a forensic audit of the Home of Football and publish its findings—even if it implicated the Fifa official and the world governing body itself.

It was, perhaps, not the greatest incentive for Fifa to wire money to Couva.

On 16 March, the High Court gave Walkes permission to empty the football body’s bank account. The local football had roughly TT$300,000 at First Citizens Bank but owed Walkes roughly TT$5 million—a debt that was due to a flawed contract offered by Tim Kee and an inhumane sacking, against Fifa advice, by Wallace’s predecessor, David John-Williams.

The court action meant another embarrassing headline for the TTFA. But, in reality, things were getting better.

Once Walkes emptied its coffers, control of the TTFA’s bank account returned to Wallace and the local football body was open for business again.

If Fifa sent its first payment now, Walkes could not touch it. He would need to re-open negotiations with Wallace instead; and, failing that, return to the High Court to go through the garnishee process all over again.

Even Look Loy and Fenwick had long made up.

“When big men enter in a meeting with differences and everyone leave smiling,” said Elie, after the technical committee’s combustible first meeting with Fenwick, “somebody’s bullshitting somebody…”

Yet, the second meeting between Fenwick and Look Loy, which was meant to clear the air, lasted barely five minutes.

“So are we okay to work together?” asked a smiling Fenwick.

“Of course!” said Look Loy, with matching enthusiasm.

Neither man looked the other in the eye throughout their ‘make-up’ session.

Maybe Fifa and TTFA would also call ‘truce’. The first Fifa Forward programme tranche was three months late and there was nothing to stop it being paid now. With that money, Wallace could finally start paying his coaches and the new administration would get going in earnest.

On 17 March, Fifa did reach out to Wallace and his team—but it was not the greeting they had anticipated.

‘The Bureau of the FIFA Council has today decided to appoint a normalisation committee for the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) in accordance with article 8 paragraph 2 of the FIFA Statutes.

‘The decision follows the recent FIFA/Concacaf fact-finding mission to Trinidad and Tobago to assess, together with an independent auditor, the financial situation of TTFA. The mission found that extremely low overall financial management methods, combined with a massive debt, have resulted in the TTFA facing a very real risk of insolvency and illiquidity.

‘Such a situation is putting at risk the organisation and development of football in the country and corrective measures need to be applied urgently…’

And to cap the irony, Fifa then appointed the TTFA’s finance manager Tyril Patrick—arguably the most culpable person left at its headquarters where its ‘extremely low overall financial management methods’ was concerned—to run the local body.

At the time, the TTFA board had already taken a decision to suspend Patrick, for an internal investigation, as a direct result of his stewardship under John-Williams.

The TTFA suffered through the bogus ticket fiasco of 1989, the 2006 World Cup bonus dispute and the Mohamed Bin Hammam bribery scandal of 2011 and the free-fall of football standards under John-Williams.

Wallace promised a bright new future.

“The democratically elected TTFA officers reject this Fifa game and reject the concept of Fifa dependency,” said Wallace, as he vowed to legally resist Fifa president Gianni Infantino in the High Court in May. “[…] United TTFA assures the football community and the people of Trinidad and Tobago that we have carefully considered the options, the potential risks and the beneficial outcomes of this struggle to defend the sovereignty of our country and our football.

“[…] We shall prevail.”

By 18 June, the mood around United TTFA had changed considerably, as Wallace’s secret deals tumbled out of the closet.

There was no hint of personal profit for the football president. But it was just as clear that the business he signed off on did not benefit the organisation entrusted to his care.

“I cannot support Wallace any further,” said Look Loy. “I support the vice-presidents. I support the case. We need to remember why Fifa did what they did…”

Will Fifa prevail through legal means or brute force? Would Wallace force the governing body back to the table and negotiate his own survival?

Or will the TTFA’s membership solve the issue itself by changing its leadership, via the local constitution, and having Taylor or the normalisation committee steady the ship until another election can be called?

Eventually, one suspects that the tale of the United TTFA will be written by the winner of this bloody battle.

But, as best as Wired868 could tell, this was their story.

[Flex]

United TTFA accuses FIFA of cover-up
T&T Guardian Reports.

Following the "TTFA's Secret Panama Trail" investigation into the alleged dealing of former president David John-Williams during his term of office from 2015 to 2019, and the construction of the controversial Home of Football in Couva on Thursday night, the members of the United TTFA team which were removed by FIFA from office on March 17, are now calling for Robert Hadad, the Chairman of the Normalisation Committee (NC) must resign and for FIFA to remove the NC and recognise the elected TTFA officers William Wallace - TTFA president, Clynt Taylor, first vice president, Susan Joseph-Warrick, second vice president and Joseph Sam Phillip, the third vice president.

Also, the United TTFA is calling for the Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley and Minister of Sport and Community Development Shamfa Cudjoe to approach FIFA in support of TTFA.

According to yesterday's release, "The unexpected, grave and shocking revelations of Mark Bassant's investigative report, 'TTFA's Secret Panama Trail' have not only confirmed what was already known by United TTFA and others, but have added new facts and allegations to the long file of financial mismanagement and malfeasance of the David John-Williams administration.

"No one knew the full extent of the financial disaster provoked by the former president's actions, but this was the central issue in TTFA under John-Williams. Ultimately, United TTFA, and others, acted on November 24, 2019 to remove the former president and his enablers from power, despite FIFA president (Gianni) Infantino's open support for John-Williams.

"The necessary assessment of TTFA finances in the immediate aftermath of our election victory brought facts to light that some wished to remain under cover of darkness. The revelation of these facts, some of them financial concern under T&T law, provoked an oppressive reaction by FIFA - the imposition of a so called Normalization Committee on 17 March 2020."

<FIFA was 'satisfied'>

The release also stated: "On several occasions prior to the November 2019 election, United TTFA and TTFA Board members brought dubious practices in TTFA's general financial management, and in the management of the Home of Football project, in particular, to the attention of FIFA's head official for Africa and the Caribbean and project supervisor, Veron Mosengo-Omba, this during his visits to Couva. Mr MosengoOmba's stock response was, 'That is internal TTFA business. FlFA is satisfied'.

"FIFA 'was satisfied' despite the fact that it conducts an annual audit of TTFA finances and despite the glaring contravention of its project management regulations. In all of this malfeasance, FIFA was either guilty of gross ignorance of its own regulations and, therefore, gross mismanagement, or it was guilty of gross negligence and complicity in the actions of David John-Williams. In any event, United TTFA concluded from the outset that FIFA imposed its Normalisation Committee to prevent the forensic investigation that had been ordered by the TTFA board, and to cover up all of John-Williams financial shenanigans."

<Normalisation Committee>

United TTFA said: "In April, FIFA's Normalisation Committee chairman, Robert Hadad, made it amply clear to the media he was "not here to play a blame game", i.e. to examine TTFA's immediate past under John-Williams. Since that time, TTFA's general secretary Ramesh Ramdhan has stated that 1) Hadad advised him that he knew he had been appointed to shield John-Williams, and 2) John-Williams is a key Hadad adviser who speaks with Hadad regularly.

"During the August 27, 2020 meeting of selected TTFA members hosted by the Minister of Sport, Shamfa Cudjoe, John-Williams featured and supported the Normalisation Committee. In that meeting, Hadad claimed John-Williams 'did nothing wrong' during his tenure and further, that one United TTFA member was 'lying on him'. In Mark Bassant's film, national football icon and ESPN commentator, Shaka Hislop has described Hadad's behaviour as 'dereliction of duty'.

"United TTFA has long described the Normalisation Committee as illegal. That is the basis of our court case against FIFA. However, given the long-standing record of complaints by TTFA Board members against John-Williams' financial mismanagement and malfeasance, and given Mark Bassant's film, Hadad's stout defence of John-Williams clearly demonstrates the lack of independent judgment, integrity and credibility one would rightfully expect from a FIFA representative and from FIFA itself."

<We will not bow>

The release pointed out that: "United TTFA refuses to bow to FIFA and its discredited Normalisation Committee in its effort to remove the Wallace administration, which is actually a victim of David John-Williams' actions. United TTFA refuses to allow FIFA to 'normalise' what the entire country saw laid bare by Mark Bassant's documentary. United TTFA refuses to allow FIFA to continue turning a blind eye to the victimisation of our country's youth and its football development."

<What next>

The release ended: "'TTFA's Secret Panama Trail' has amply demonstrated that FIFA has no moral authority to remove the Wallace administration and that FIFA has many questions to answer itself.

"In light of what is now in the public record regarding the past administration, the Normalisation Committee's public support for David John-Williams and John-Williams' key role as advisor to said Committee, United TTFA now calls for the following:

- The Chairman of the Normalisation Committee must resign immediately.

- FIFA must remove the Normalisation Committee and must recognise the elected TTFA officers.

- FIFA must begin talks with said officers to devise a joint approach to existing issues.

- The Prime Minister and Minister of Sport should approach FIFA in support of TTFA in this initiative.

- The appropriate State authorities should access and examine Mark Bassant's documentary file on the Home of Football project These measures would immediately set the stage for the resolution of all issues and facilitate the stabilization and progress of T&T football.

"Finally, we call on our Caribbean brothers and sisters to unite in our support in this our gravest hour. It is the Caribbean that brought leadership change to FIFA once before. And it is the united Caribbean that can make FIFA a more humane organisation; one that is guided by global Democracy, global Equality, and Global Justice."

The United TTFA team comprises Wallace and Taylor, Joseph-Warrick, Phillip, Anthony Harford, the Northern FA president and Keith Look Loy, T&T Super League president.

[gawd on pitch]

 According to Bassant, there is more to come. We will see what other evidence pops up.

Wallace and Look Loy kept it cool and did not bow to FIFA. They knew about the findings in the documentary and how it could lead to another FIFA scandal. This is the perfect leverage.

I guess that's why Hadad called the EGM. FIFA wanted Hadad and company to vote Wallace out so they would not have to suspend the TTFA. If FIFa suspended the TTFA, then they will look even more guilty. Hence voting Wallace out was the only way in their eyes to save face and sweep this issue under the rug.

This is what I will think will happen:

- FIFA agrees to negotiate with Wallace (Wallace wont accept anything more than removal of the NC)
- FIFA removes the NC
- FIFA throws DJW under the bus and continues to fight with Wallace

One thing is certain, DJW is quivering in his boots. He's supposed to release a statement today. I dont know what he can really say at this point. He'll probably say the evidence is fabricated and/or it was obtained illegally. He might probably say that he got permission from FIFA and that they knew about the dealings. If he's stupid enough to say this, FIFA wont hesitate to throw his butt under the bus. This week is going to be interesting. Grab your popcorn

[ABTrini]

According to Bassant, there is more to come. We will see what other evidence pops up.

Wallace and Look Loy kept it cool and did not bow to FIFA. They knew about the findings in the documentary and how it could lead to another FIFA scandal. This is the perfect leverage.

I guess that's why Hadad called the EGM. FIFA wanted Hadad and company to vote Wallace out so they would not have to suspend the TTFA. If FIFa suspended the TTFA, then they will look even more guilty. Hence voting Wallace out was the only way in their eyes to save face and sweep this issue under the rug.

This is what I will think will happen:



- FIFA agrees to negotiate with Wallace (Wallace wont accept anything more than removal of the NC)
- FIFA removes the NC
- FIFA throws DJW under the bus and continues to fight with Wallace

One thing is certain, DJW is quivering in his boots. He's supposed to release a statement today. I dont know what he can really say at this point. He'll probably say the evidence is fabricated and/or it was obtained illegally. He might probably say that he got permission from FIFA and that they knew about the dealings. If he's stupid enough to say this, FIFA wont hesitate to throw his butt under the bus. This week is going to be interesting. Grab your popcorn

Some legal mind help me with this -Even if the evidence was obtained illegally  and if the allegations are proven to be factual
Then how can one be  absolved from of wrong doing?  They may elude a lawful conviction but the fact will remain that they were party to what transpired - is this not the case?

[Deeks]

So today is the DAY OF RECKONING for TT. A day before meh bird-day. I got one present today already. The doctor say meh colon clean. I and We gettting a present or a bomb in we arse ?

[gawd on pitch]

So today is the DAY OF RECKONING for TT. A day before meh bird-day. I got one present today already. The doctor say meh colon clean. I and We gettting a present or a bomb in we arse ?

You mean the illegal EGM ? The NC made a mistake when they called the meeting. So even if it was held and they removed Wallace, it will be illegal under the TTFA constitution.

FIFA wants the Hadad led group to remove Wallace, because they don't want to suspend the TTFA. Reason being is that this will draw attention to FIFA. And the details of this story will show that DJW racked up the TTFA debt by "paying himself". This was all done under FIFA's watch.

The praises from Infantino to DJW, for his work with the HoF, is well documented. Also Keith Lok Loy informed Mosengo Omba of what might be happening. Mosengo Omba did not look into it. In fact he said something along the lines .. "that is confidential TTFA business".

FIFA also "conducted" audits of the TTFA and they found no reason to make an issue. They only made the issue after DJW was dethroned, and Wallace and Lok Loy began the forensic audit.

[socalion]

Breaking news ! Judge grants United ttfa  team of William Wallace injunction to stop EGM carded for tomorrow . 

[Deeks]

Gary go lock up Wallace you know.

[gawd on pitch]

Gary go lock up Wallace you know.

There's only one man that deserves the handcuffs.

[asylumseeker]

Breaking news ! Judge grants United ttfa  team of William Wallace injunction to stop EGM carded for tomorrow . 

Too easy.

[asylumseeker]

Gary go lock up Wallace you know.

There's only one man that deserves the handcuffs.

Not so fast grasshopper. 

[Tallman]

Joseph-Warrick resigns from TTFA, Wolf
By Keith Clement (T&T Guardian)

Susan Joseph-Warrick, the second vice president of the T&T Football Association (TTFA) and president of the Women's Football League (Wolf), has announced her resignation from all football in T&T and has become the first casualty of the legal battle between the TTFA and FIFA on Friday. Joseph-Warrick's announcement to her executive comes less than 24 hours after FIFA officially suspended the T&TFA as a member of the world governing body FIFA with immediate effect and until further notice.

The ruling means that T&T cannot participate in any FIFA tournaments, events or programme anywhere in the world until the suspension is lifted.

T&T was looking forward to participating in next year's Gold Cup tournament in the United States and the upcoming World Cup qualifiers in March 2021.

The ruling follows a decision by the former TTFA executive to challenge in court, FIFA’s right to appoint a Normalisation Committee to manage the affairs of football in T&T.

Joseph-Warrick, who was elected as WoLF president in April 2019 on a two-year term, was the lone woman on the United TTFA slate that contested the TTFA November 24, 2019 elections to form the executive and serve alongside former president William Wallace and vice presidents — Clynt Taylor and Joseph Sam Phillips.

Joseph-Warrick's resignation letter reads:

Dear Gentlemen,

"I wish to advise of my Resignation from The United TTFA, Trinidad and Tobago Women's League Football(TT WoLF) and my Elected post of 2nd Vice President of the TTFA.

Today I look back to almost two(2) years ago, when I became a TTFA Board member and decided to fight for Accountability, Honesty and Good Governance, to fight for our young women who were always a footnote, to fight for the development of football.

That was against the previous administration that had sunk our football into depths of Despair.

We Won that fight.

Six months ago, a New Bigger battle emerged.

This time against FIFA, the rulers of World Football.

This was a fight for Principle, and Justice and I felt we were Well supported in our actions by the football lovers in Trinidad and Tobago.

Within recent times it has become clear to me, that we are also fighting against those that we represent; The Associations, The Clubs, The Teams, Supporters and Sadly....the Players.

In my Heart, I felt hurt by the actions of FIFA.....there was so much to do, but So little time given.

We were making Huge strides, and Yes we made some mistakes.

I believe that the end must justify the means and that our present course of actions against FIFA would not redound to the benefit of Trinidad and Tobago and to the dreams and aspirations of our present and future generations of footballers.

Having consulted with our membership, we took the decision to give up our principled struggle for the future of Trinidad and Tobago Football and moved for the withdrawal of court proceedings against FIFA.

How and why these papers were filed after the 3 pm deadline is beyond me, and I am saddened and disappointed at the turn of events.

Hopefully, this suspension will be short-lived as the membership, executive and Normalization Committee do what is beneficial for our future generations of players, clubs, coach and administrators.

As for me, I am Done."

Yours in Sport,

Susan Joseph-Warrick

2nd Vice President TTFA

President TT WoLF.

Vice President United TTFA.

The quartet was removed from office by FIFA on March 17 and FIFA -appointed a Normalisation Committee on March 27 to manage the sport which led them to mount a legal challenge of FIFA's decision at the Court for Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Switzerland in April, withdraw it in May as they could not pay the 40,000 Swiss francs (TT$276,000) in associated costs claiming institutional bias in favour of FIFA. The matter was then lodged in the T&T High Court and FIFA objected claiming the TTFA has breached its statutes.

FIFA had called on the TTFA to withdraw the matter from the High Court but although a decision was taken to do so late Tuesday night, the withdrawal did not come in time to meet FIFA’s ultimatum of September 23 and by the 3:0 pm (TT Time) set.

In Thursday’s letter of suspension signed by FIFA’s general secretary Fatma Samoura read in part:

“We inform you that, based on the decision taken by the Bureau of the FIFA Council on 24 September 2020, the T&T Football Association (TTFA) has been suspended with immediate effect and until further notice, in accordance with article 16 of the FIFA statutes.

The decision was as a result after the TTFA failed to meet Wednesday’s 3 pm deadline which set by FIFA on September 18, for the United TTFA team to withdraw their legal matter from the T&T High court.

However, the embattled Wallace and team withdrawal application was made and stamped at 15:23.57 (3:23 pm) on Wednesday which was after the deadline of 15:00 AST (21:00 CET) time as outlined in the FIFA letter.

Guardian Media Sports understands that while the group’s legal team filed an eight-page notice of the application to withdraw the case, in an attempt to beat FIFA’s revised ultimatum, the matter will not be actually be withdrawn until the application is dealt with by Justice Carol Gobin, who is presiding over the case. The matter is still awaiting a hearing date.

Following FIFA's decision Hadad wrote:

"Following today’s (Thursday) decision by FIFA to suspend the TTFA I want to reach out to the football family in Trinidad and Tobago;

These are extremely challenging times for everyone with the current pandemic, and my thoughts are with those impacted in our communities.

Unfortunately, the TTFA again finds itself in a very negative situation. The Normalisation Committee made every effort to prevent this suspension.

On several occasions, we managed to have deadlines extended, and we appealed to the few individuals from the previous regime to drop their legal action and do the right thing. Unfortunately, those few individuals have put their own interests before the TTFA’s. They knew very well this approach would have serious consequences for football in our country and yet they still pressed ahead with their own agenda. Their actions have had no regard for the coaches, the players and the fans in our country. Like the vast majority of stakeholders in our game, I am tired of the legal wrangling, the disputes and the constant focus on off-field problems in our football. The FIFA appointed Normalization Committee is the only way forward; it still the only recognized body by FIFA and the football family needs to work with us so we can put everything into getting this suspension lifted.it is incumbent on us to come together and fix the TTFA for the good of future generations."

[Tallman]

Look Loy: Ramdhan is not TTFA spokesman
By Walter Alibey (T&T Guardian)

Founding United T&T Football Association (TTFA) member Keith Look Loy has refuted a newspaper report by former TTFA general secretary Ramesh Ramdhan, that his group was set to resume talks with marketing representative Peter Miller, as well as continue discussions for collaboration between UK firm Lavender, the Arima Borough Corporation and the Government for the construction of a multi-purpose facility above the Arima Velodrome.

Ramdhan was attempting to highlight earlier discussions the group had with the Board of the TTFA and other stakeholders, as part of an overall plan to develop and structure T&T football, and Miller and the Lavender deal were just part of it.

The overall plan entailed ways in which funds were to be generated by the group, ranging from sponsors to endorsement, to the sale of items, to tv rights from football initiative, among many others.

Ramdhan believed the sport’s membership needed to be aware of these plans ahead of and after today’s ruling by the local court on the decision of FIFA to appoint a Normalisation Committee to replace the United TTFA as the legitimate managers of local football.

United TTFA head William Wallace has already said in a letter that if the court rules in their favour, they will convene an Emergency General Meeting (EGM) among the membership to decide on the way forward.

He noted also that if the court rules against them, they will drop the case against FIFA and allow the normalisation committee led by businessman Robert Hadad to govern the affairs of local football.

FIFA has already suspended the TTFA for violation of the Statutes and Ramdhan believes it could be a blessing in disguise, as his group would get the opportunity to implement their plans which will be for the betterment of the sport.

On Wednesday, however, Look Loy said that Ramdhan was not speaking on his behalf or on the behalf of any member of the TTFA, which was recently reduced to five following the resignation of vice president Susan Joseph-Warrick. She also stepped down from the her post as president of the Women’s League Football (WoLF).

Look Loy said: “One, the TTFA Board never approved, knowingly or unknowingly, the contracts held by Ramdhan, Fenwick and Miller; Two, I, and other United TTFA members, have always held that these contracts should be challenged in law; Three, the debt reduction proposal advanced by United TTFA never progressed because, although the Arima Mayor was open to a discussion, the government failed to respond to approaches from Lavender.

“There was no contract for Lavender to do anything. By the way, Hadad’s proposal for debt reduction, as stated on television, is to ask the government and FIFA to pay it; Four, I don’t know who Ramdhan is speaking to or on behalf of but he is not my spokesman or that of other United TTFA members who I have spoken to regarding this article.”

Contacted Ramdhan, who has been suspended by normalisation committee chairman Hadad and is currently challenging the decision in the local court, told Guardian Media Sports he did not want to comment further on the matter.

Ramdhan was given a controversial two-year contract which was not approved by the Board of Directors of the TTFA , but by president William Wallace, who claimed he was acting according to the TTFA’s constitution.

[Flex]

De Four to sue Wallace, United TTFA.
By Walter Alibey (T&T Guardian).

William Wallace and the United T&T Football Association (TTFA) team of Clynt Taylor, Joseph Sam Phillip, Keith Look Loy and Anthony Harford, are facing a second lawsuit.

Within 24 hours after T&T Pro League team Cunupia FC announced that it will be suing the association, former national coach Stephan De Four who was given a two-year contract to coach the T&T women’s team back in 2019, said he has instructed his Attorneys to pursue legal action against the United TTFA for breach of contract.

This comes, only a day after the group's battle against football’s world governing body, FIFA, which was expected to end in the T&T High Court, in Port-of-Spain, yesterday. However, High Court Judge Carol Gobin reserved her decision in the case to Tuesday at 3 pm, after hearing submissions from lawyers representing Wallace and his team.

Less than a year after De Four had been given the job, TTFA president Wallace sent him a letter terminating his position as coach of the team, De Four said. At that time, Wallace had been out of the country and therefore the letter was sent via email, De Four told Guardian Media Sports.

De Four said his contract was scheduled to expire in July 2021, but a hasty move by Wallace only days after his executive assumed the leadership position on November 24, De Four said he received the letter terminating him on December 17, following which a pre-action protocol letter from his attorney, was sent to Wallace and his team.

The United TTFA never responded to the pre-action protocol letter that was sent.

De Four described the United TTFA as heartless and disrespectful, saying not once did they respond to his attorney.

“With all that was taking place with the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, I decided to wait until this situation blows over, so now I am ready to proceed,” said the former national women’s coach, who also assured that his contract was a good one, since it was approved by the Board of Directors of the TTFA.

He lashed out at Wallace for his lack of respect in dealing with the situation, saying the same lack of respect shown by not even responding to his attorney’s pre-action protocol letter, is the same lack of respect that is being exhibited in the way he and the United TTFA have been managing the affairs of the sport, showing no heart or concern for people who depend on the sport as a way of making a living.

The United TTFA has come under fire for its decision to challenge the appointment of a Normalisation Committee which replaced them as the managers of local football. Due to this challenge, FIFA has suspended the United TTFA for its failure to adhere to the FIFA Statutes regarding the jurisdiction for disputes.

Quizzed as to whether he wanted to receive a lump-sum payment of his wages or return to work, De Four said he can never work under Wallace and his administration again.

It is uncertain exactly when court proceedings will begin but De Four said it is all in his lawyer’s hands right now.

Attempts to reach Wallace for a comment yesterday were unsuccessful.

RELATED NEWS

Cunupia FC coach slams Wallace on promised meeting.
By Jonathan Ramnanansingh (Newsday).

CUNUPIA FC coach Michael De Four is unamused by ousted TTFA president William Wallace's promise to convene a meeting of TTFA members if Justice Carol Gobin rules in his favour in their High Court battle against FIFA.

The TTFA will know on Tuesday, at 3 pm, if FIFA’s decision to remove Wallace and his executive from the helm of the local football body in March, and appoint a normalisation committee, was justified or in violation of local laws.

Justice Gobin said at a virtual hearing on Friday that she will give her decision by e-mail. FIFA suspended the TTFA on September 24 for persisting with the legal battle in the local court.

On Friday, Wallace vowed, if successful, to stick to his word and immediately convene a meeting with the TTFA members to chart a way forward.

In an immediate response, De Four expressed scepticism about Wallace's sincerity given United TTFA's failure to pull their legal challenge against FIFA from the local court before FIFA's deadline.

He said, “They’re playing games with people. He said he would call another meeting? But didn’t he call a meeting sometime aback? Did he follow through with what was agreed upon at that meeting? How would members be certain that he would stick to his word this time around? Leaders don’t think subjectively.

“I have issues with the level of objectivity he has displayed. Every single football club and footballer in T&T is subject to lose because of this. That idea (another meeting) doesn’t sound very much as if you’re functioning like a person who has an idea of how to run the business of football. Because that incorporates strategic management with a specific plan, goal and aim.”

Cunupia FC recently filed an affidavit in the local court challenging William Wallace’s failure to meet FIFA’s September 23 (3 pm) deadline to withdraw the matter against the sport’s governing body.

De Four believes Wallace reneged on his word, after an informal meeting of the TTFA membership on September 22, when the removed president gave assurance that he would withdraw the legal claim to ensure T&T did not face sanctions.

Wallace and his executive did in fact submit the withdrawal, but two minutes past the deadline.

Initially, Wallace was given until September 16 to withdraw the case but failed to do so. This deadline was then extended until September 23.

De Four believes T&T's football suspension has cost the club an approximate $4.5 million of investment. It is on this grounds that the club has begun legal proceedings against Wallace and vice-presidents Clynt Taylor and Joseph Sam Phillips.

“We’ve filed an affidavit and we’re in the process of having the matter brought before the court. This matter is presently in its embryonic stage. The club feels disenfranchised and the actions that led up to T&T being suspended were reckless. A lot of people have been affected negatively and as such, these are the consequences,” said De Four.

The club has retained the services of attorney Peter Taylor to handle this legal matter.

Taylor said on Friday, “This was more like a shot across the bow to express their (club) consternation at the position taken by the leadership of the TTFA. I still have to take instructions from them going forward.”

At the informal meeting, held virtually on the night before FIFA’s deadline, the majority of TTFA members voted to end United TTFA’s court action against FIFA.

[Flex]

Quan Chan wants action against previous TTFA executive.
By Walter Alibey (T&T Guardian).

The Southern Football Association (SFA) president and member of the Board of Directors of the then T&T Football Association (TTFA) Richard Quan Chan said that he will lead a charge for action to be taken against the members of the previous TTFA administration which FIFA removed from office in March.

Quan Chan has his eyes set on former president William Wallace and his three vice presidents Clynt Taylor, Susan Joseph-Warrick and Joseph Sam Phillip, as well as anyone else who may be found culpable in the mismanagement of the embattled football association, which led to the accumulation of a huge debt which FIFA has estimated as $50 million before it suspended the TTFA.  

Guardian Media Sports was reliably informed recently that the amount had been increased by another $700,000 for payment of legal costs which was occurred when the TTFA challenged FIFA and lost in the T&T courts in October.  

According to Quan Chan, he will be lobbying the members of the board of directors to approach the FIFA-appointed Normalisation Committee for an audience to discuss the missteps of the Wallace-led administration.

Apart from a failed contract with sportswear giants Nike just before the beginning of their short tenure, the Wallace administration had been accused of signing contracts with national coach Terry Fenwick, marketing representative Peter Miller, general secretary Ramesh Ramdhan and other deals such as the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with UK architectural firm Lavender, to transform the Arima Velodrome into a multipurpose complex, all which were done without the approval of the board.

Quan Chan said: "One of my concern is when were those contracts signed because up to when FIFA appointed the normalisation committee, I was not aware that any of the coaches had signed contracts. So, I think it is important that we look at those contracts, when they were signed and who signed them because if they were signed after the 17th of March, they are null and void. This is because Wallace and they had no authority to sign anything after the 17th of March

"He added: "It is important that we look at when they were signed because, in the case of Fenwick, Wallace said he signed the contract but he didn't read the contract because the terms of that contract weren't agreed with by anybody but possibly Keith Look Loy and Fenwick, and in some cases, it looks like Keith wasn't even aware of what it was, so I would like someone to look at contracts when they were signed, who signed them etc before we talk about owing people."    

Quan Chan also said the Sheldon Phillips matter for wrongful dismissal which is supposed to be before the courts could cost the association some $15 million, hinting that he does not believe the current debt stems from legitimate contracts.

Under the Wallace-led administration which was elected into office on November 24 last year, the TTFA found itself in a legal battle with the sport's world governing body (FIFA) after FIFA replaced them with a normalisation committee on March 27, on the basis that the sport had been on the brink of insolvency under it.

This led to a legal challenge for the right to manage the affairs of the sport which was illegally contested in the local courts, a violation of the FIFA Statutes. Due to this breach, FIFA on September 24 suspended the TTFA.

Quan Chan told Guardian Media Sports that Wallace refused to answer questions about the contracts, saying: "Hadad is the person now responsible for paying bills, is he just going to accept that $700,000 as legal cost or would he seek the support of people who were there before? How can one meet Hadad and have a discussion with him? Can we confirm how much of the $60 million is a legitimate cost?"

He made it clear saying: "Once we find this out then we will know what actions to take against the administration."

[soccerman]

Am I missing something here? Wasn't most of the mismanagement (a key reason for our piss poor performances) done by the Williams led administration? Why don't they go after them as well?

[asylumseeker]

Curious as to why GC qualification was financially incentivized for NT coach Fenwick whereas WC qualification seems not to have been. Possibly an inherently distorted recipe for taking one's eyes off the ball.

[pull stones]

Curious as to why GC qualification was financially incentivized for NT coach Fenwick whereas WC qualification seems not to have been. Possibly an inherently distorted recipe for taking one's eyes off the ball.

you must remember that the World Cup qualification was postponed and restructured twice, so I guess there wasn’t enough time in that position to conclude on a contractual condition, but the gold cup was scheduled later on and exceeded World Cup qualification.

[asylumseeker]

Curious as to why GC qualification was financially incentivized for NT coach Fenwick whereas WC qualification seems not to have been. Possibly an inherently distorted recipe for taking one's eyes off the ball.

you must remember that the World Cup qualification was postponed and restructured twice, so I guess there wasn’t enough time in the position to conclude on a contractual condition, but the gold cup was scheduled later on and exceeded World Cup qualification.