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Thu, Mar

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After all the complexities of problems within the football fraternity, the listed date for the season is carded for June 1.

Not much has been divulged by the Pro League about their shaky financial situation over the past few months.

We must now await the promise of financial aid to the league which may well have put the teams in place of the details.

Venues for their matches, players who may now have been settled in their terms for salaries and bonuses are to be registered on the rosters.

While silence has been the role for the Pro League administration, the Super League has been demonstrating their vigilance in getting their act together.

Already clubs have been kicked out of that league because they have not paid their $50,000 franchise fee. This may bring sudden but joyful news for some of the unknown clubs who can be accepted from their zones into what some will call huge promotions.

Together with this positive move by the leagues, the next step for all the clubs will be their search for new players to strengthen their performances on the field exercise.

This means that player transfers from club to club and the conditions which will be placed on departing players from their club to another have actually rigorously started.

Strangely enough, the method of the transfer process will provide much confusion to the clubs.

Even in the zonal competitions, the clubs who fought to finance their team registrations, paid their players’ expenses vis a vis uniforms, their training equipment, supplying some of their players with boots, transport, and in the case of my own club, lending financial support when our team travels on tour, all these forms of expenditure, referees payments, when accumulated, without any help of gate receipts.

Thanks to sponsors Malta Carib, our club and some others may have gained financial help; The task is enormous, though.

I am aware of three clubs seeking to gain transfers for players from the zones, but they do not expect to have to pay transfer fees of any kind.

The T&T Football Association (TTFA) has rules for transfers and must protect the lesser financially capable clubs. It will be interesting to see whether these (financially equipped professional clubs) will be allowed to just take players from the minority organisations, without going through the confirmation of the transfer forms to be given from the TTFA.

Funny enough, seeing that both Pro Leagues are conducting their affairs autonomously and may assume that they are working on issues like transfers and almost anything else.

It is still my opinion that the management of the TTFA must pull every team that falls under their jurisdiction to discuss the grey areas among players, clubs, referees, disciplinary committees, technical committees for the purpose of which players are eligible to be considered for national selection of all age-groups.

These discussions should take place before the start of any league, and the grey areas must be cleared.

It will also be a positive move if the financial statement concerning the activities of conducting all the affairs can be placed in the hands of the clubs, a factor which should be a regular practice at the start of every year.

We shall all await these happenings. I wish all the leagues and clubs, good luck for the upcoming season.


SOURCE: Trinidad and Tobago Guardian