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Post by Admin on Jun 19, 2020 19:59:50 GMT
Harford: I am not ready to abandon Wallace
JONATHAN RAMNANANSINGH 2 DAYS AGO newsday.co.tt/2020/06/18/harford-i-am-not-ready-to-abandon-wallace/AILING United TTFA member Anthony Harford admits there are many questions to be answered by ousted TT Football Association (TTFA) president William Wallace. However, he holds firm to his belief that FIFA is inherently wrong to remove a democratically elected leadership. Harford, alongside team members Keith Look Loy, Clynt Taylor, Susan Joseph-Warrick and Joseph Sam Phillip, was integral in carrying the now-defunct Wallace administration to the helm of local football, at the November 2019 TTFA general elections. Since January, the veteran football administrator has been medically unfit and was unable to voice his concern on the fraternity’s recent administrative blunders. However, the All Sport Promotions director, on Wednesday, threw his support behind Wallace’s legal battle against the sport’s global governing body who removed the executive in mid-March citing financial issues and massive debt. FIFA then installed a normalisation committee, headed by businessman Robert Hadad, to chart a way forward. The Northern Football Association (NFA) president also urged citizens to make a clear distinction between this legal matter and those which depict Wallace’s mismanagement by way of his signing off on three contracts without approval from board members. “They are separate issues. How can FIFA be considered to act legitimately by ousting a democratically elected leadership sanctioned by FIFA within a few months of them taking office? “You have 34 cases around the world of FIFA installing normalisation committees to work with the executive. But in TT, you’ve thrown out the executive. To me, something is inherently wrong with that. It is an indication that FIFA is colonising TT again. Why do that to us? I am fully in favour for us fighting for our sovereignty as a football nation,” Harford said. When asked to share his thoughts on the signing off on contracts to Avec Sport (uniforms), national coach Terry Fenwick and Ramesh Ramdhan without the board’s agreement, the NFA boss admitted these were a clear series of missteps by Wallace, who should also be accountable for his actions. Harford, though, maintains his support for Wallace and believes the former president must be responsible for his actions. “I am not ready to abandon William Wallace. I am concerned, like all other stakeholders, that a series of mistakes have been made. My hope is that they don’t become a dance routine. At some point he is going to have to give a complete and unequivocal explanation as to what has transpired, what he has signed and not signed for and behalf of the TTFA so there is clarity,” added Harford. In a press release Harford issued on Wednesday, he cited his medical challenges for his non-involvement in national football. He confirmed his zone supported the removed president for TTFA’s elections despite having to submarine the ambitions of its own members. He reaffirmed his concern at Wallace’s shady decisions during his short stint at the helm of local football. As a founding member of United TTFA, Harford also called on members to rally around their downtrodden partner. He said, “I believe Mr Wallace has made some mistakes, but not born out of malice, but rather in an effort to get the TTFA out of economic despair. I trust that the principles that gave birth to United TTFA still stand and that every member of this small group continue to support William Wallace. It is also my hope that Wallace gives the national community explanations for the missteps.”
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Post by Admin on Jun 19, 2020 20:03:44 GMT
guardian.co.tt/sports/campaign-on-to-oust-wallace-united-ttfa-group-6.2.1139641.cd197e2142CAMPAIGN ON TO OUST WALLACE, UNITED TTFA GROUP
Michael Awai Michael Awai, the AC Port-of-Spain Business Development Officer yesterday began a campaign to oust William Wallace, president of the United T&T Football Association and his vice presidents Clynt Taylor, Joseph Sam Phillip and Susan Joseph-Warrick, in a bid to save T&T football. Speaking to Guardian Media Sports on Thursday, Awai believes the group is detrimental to the future of football in T&T, particularly based on actions taken to challenge FIFA. He pointed to concerns about taking the FIFA to the High Court in T&T as well as major blunders being made with key contracts. Awai's action comes on the heels of Tuesday's release by Keith Look Loy, Anthony Harford, Taylor, Joseph-Warrick and Phillip to speak out on concerns that Wallace signed contracts for national coach Terry Fenwick, general secretary Ramesh Ramdhan, marketing representative Peter Miller and a $25 million sportswear deal with UK firm Avec Sports, all without their knowledge and also without the approval of the Board of Directors of the T&TFA. The group (United TTFA) is set to meet tomorrow (Saturday) to discuss Wallace's leadership future as well as the future of the group. However, Awai said he would persuade the 49 members (T&T Pro League, T&T Super League, Regional Associations, Primary and Secondary Schools, Referees Association, Futsal and Beach Soccer and the T&T American Youth Soccer Organisation) to write to the general secretary Ramdhan to call an extraordinary general meeting to stop the group from taking legal action against the FIFA. He said he will also seek to vote a new team in to manage the affairs of local football. This meeting would require at least 50 per cent of the membership to support the cause and another three-quarter majority of the votes for the group to be ousted. According to Awai: "It is the membership that will have to call the meeting, so if they don't have a president and a vice president, whoever is there can appoint a chairman for the meeting. In other words, FIFA removed the elected executive on March 17 and replaced it with a Normalisation Committee. Awai explained that he has indicated that the president and vice president are not there, but the membership, the 49 members or half of the 49 members, can write the general secretary, calling for a meeting and then appoint someone to chair the meeting. Now is a good time for the body membership to have a special general meeting. Once you can get more than 50 per cent, you can do that. That is in the constitution." He noted further: "If the TTFA wants to drown themselves by taking its case to the High Court, knowing fully well they can't win, then it appears that they are only trying to prove a point and they don't really have the interest of the country or the football at heart, and that is something very distressing to me." According to Article 29 of the TTFA constitution: Extraordinary General Meeting 1 The Board of Directors may convene an Extraordinary General Meeting at any time. 2 The Board of Directors shall convene an Extraordinary General Meeting if a majority (more than 50%) of the Members make such a request in writing. The request shall specify the items for the agenda. An Extraordinary General Meeting shall be held within 30 days of receipt of the request unless the agenda includes the election of members of the Board of Directors or the members of the Electoral Committee, in which case the Extraordinary General Meeting shall be held within 60 days of receipt of the request. If an Extraordinary General Meeting is not convened within the indicated time, the Members who requested it may convene the Extraordinary General Meeting themselves. As a last resort, the Members may request assistance from FIFA and CONCACAF. It is believed that the membership can move a vote of no-confidence against the United TTFA leader for the series of admitted missteps, especially after his members described him as operating similar to David John-Williams, the former TTFA president. Meanwhile, TTFA constitutional expert Osmund Downer clarified the power of the membership to pursue change among the governors of the sport, saying in normal circumstances only the board can call a general meeting. However, he also explained: "There is also a provision in the constitution for the membership. More than 50 per cent of the membership can ask the board through the secretary to call an extraordinary general meeting to discuss specific items, and only those items can be discussed at the meeting and nothing else." "However, the 50 per cent can request a meeting from the secretary but the meeting will still have to be called by the board. According to the constitution, if 50 per cent request a meeting, it takes 30 days and if the board does not call the meeting, then the 50 per cent of the members can call the general meeting. Even at that meeting, the president can turn up and once he turns up, he has the right to chair the meeting. With the situation with the normalisation committee, at the moment the board has been replaced. So if the normalisation committee now wants to call an extraordinary general meeting they certainly can, but the chairman of the normalisation committee has to chair the meeting." Downer, a former referee also made it clear that FIFA has only replaced the board and not the various committees, saying there is a belief that nothing can go on because of the appointment of the normalisation committee. Tagged in:
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Post by Admin on Jun 19, 2020 20:08:47 GMT
Harford: Wallace not like his predecessors trinidadexpress.com/sports/local/harford-wallace-not-like-his-predecessors/article_f03fcd1c-b1d4-11ea-bd9a-a3ce3f0e6cb4.htmlTony Harford. Northern Football Association president Anthony Harford has come to the defence of the deposed and under pressure Trinidad and Tobago Football Association president, William Wallace. While expressing his concern with mis-steps that the Wallace may have made in his four month tenure, Harford remains convinced that Wallace is an honest man. “I believe Mr Wallace has made some mistakes but not borne out of malice, but rather in an effort to get the TTFA out of economic despair,” Harford stated in a release late Wednesday, “I thought it wrong for the statement to locate Mr Wallace in the same place as his predecessors,” Harford added. Harford has been facing serious medical challenges for the past five and a half months and has not been involved with the sport at national level. He said that while he agreed to Tuesday’s United TTFA release, calling for a meeting to discuss Wallace’s recent decisions, he was not in support of its content. Having read it after media publication, Harford had some reservations. “I thought we all understood the release from United TTFA, of which I am a founding member, would be one of concern initially and not condemnation,” the former radio and TV announcer continued. “Like with many other stakeholders, I am deeply concerned and hope that William Wallace will initially inform United TTFA of all the agreements he has reached outside the TTFA boardroom. “As is the case with many who supported Wallace’s elevation, I have become concerned with the series of allegations of decisions being made that he has signed contracts outside the boardroom on behalf of the TTFA.” Harford also called for Wallace to explain recent decisions. “I trust that the principles that gave birth to United TTFA still stand and that every member of this small group continue to support William Wallace. It is also my hope that Wallace gives the national community explanations for the missteps,” Harford added.
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Post by Admin on Jun 19, 2020 20:17:21 GMT
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Post by Admin on Jun 20, 2020 22:46:57 GMT
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Post by Admin on Jun 26, 2020 18:11:57 GMT
I MADE MISTAKESBut Wallace points fingers at Look Loy as wellIan Prescott 4 hrs ago 2 min to read WILLIAM WALLACE, the deposed and under-pressure Trinidad and Tobago Football Association president, has admitted making mistakes during his short term in office. “Mistakes are a fact of life. It is the response that counts,” stated Wallace in a release he promised to issue following evidence that he had signed at least four major contracts without final board approval. “Leadership is about being humble enough to admit your mistake,” he added. The multi-million dollar contracts, three with British interests, involved a deal with kit supplier AVEC Sport; Terry Fenwick’s appointment as national team coach; and that of his long-time associate Peter Miller—another Englishman —as TTFA marketing manager. Wallace was also said to have run afoul of his former United TTFA partners when doubling the tenure of general secretary Ramesh Ramdhan, again without Board approval. Wallace’s actions were first unveiled by a series of investigations on regional broadcaster SportsMax and followed up by local media. He maintains that his actions never involved corruption. “Since entering office, no action taken by me brought any personal benefits to me; my intentions were that TTFA would always be the beneficiary,” he said. “A major part of our relationship with Miller was the proposed project to finally eliminate the historic debt of the FA. Everyone would agree that this has to be addressed. A headline in Wired868 that said I lied, was unfortunate. When asked if Peter Miller had a contract with the TTFA, in an attempt to manage an ongoing situation, I answered no. Well, technically, the answer was correct but I do not want to hide behind any technicality and in retrospect, the answer could have been… I would respond to the question at a later date.” Further, Wallace distanced himself from the contract given to Terry Fenwick, indicating that the TTFA technical committee, led by Keith Look Loy, was responsible. “I played absolutely no role in the negotiation of Fenwick’s contract. This negotiation was left entirely in the hands of the Technical Committee,” said Wallace, who produced e-mail transcripts purportedly between Look Loy and Miller, indicating an adjustment to Fenwick’s salary. He added: “The second e-mail forwarded was from Peter Miller to Keith Look Loy. Details of the second e-mail are as follows; ‘Dear Keith, after much discussions a revised position 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. Kind regards.’ The attachment in this e-mail indicated a salary of USD 20,000.” Wallace then asked how he could be singled out as having acted unilaterally. “How could it then be concluded and supported by persons who are aware of the facts, that the President changed the terms of Terry Fenwick’s contract? “When a story broke on SportsMax that the salary signed off on Terry Fenwick’s contract is not what we agreed on. My initial thoughts were that Terry unilaterally changed the terms of his contract. In an attempt to get clarity on the situation, an easy solution was put forward; throw Terry under the bus. “Mistakes can be made, but to throw someone under the bus is deliberate and does not come naturally to me,” Wallace said. “I assumed that the final terms would have been sent by the negotiating team to the attorney to prepare the contract. When the contract came back to me and was handed over by my General Secretary for signing, there were no red flags. I signed the contract believing that the terms therein were agreed on with my negotiating team.” Wallace admitted similar mistakes of signing contracts thinking that all legal matters had been followed previously, and gave some explanation about them as well.
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Post by Admin on Jun 26, 2020 18:21:20 GMT
"Wallace: I had no role in Fenwick deal"
WILLIAM Wallace has broken his silence. Wallace, who was ousted as TT Football Association (TTFA) president in March when a normalisation committee was appointed by Fifa to run the TTFA, released a six-page response, on Wednesday, to the criticism of his leadership. He mainly addressed the contracts that were signed under his tenure, including those of national senior men’s coach Terry Fenwick, marketing executive Peter Miller and TTFA general secretary Ramesh Ramdhan. Fenwick’s contract Explaining the contract of national men’s senior football coach Fenwick, Wallace claims he was not the person responsible. In a press release, Wallace said, “I played absolutely no role in the negotiation of Fenwick’s contract. This negotiation was left entirely in the hands of the technical committee.” Fenwick was hired in December 2019 to replace Dennis Lawrence as head coach after the board voted 8-1 with the understanding that he would be paid US$17,500 per month with other bonuses. In the incentive package, Fenwick would start earning US$20,000 a month if the team qualified for the 2021 Concacaf Gold Cup. It was initially reported that the extra US$2,500 per month came through sponsorship (not revealed) as Fenwick was not satisfied with his contract. The US $2,500 extra was included in the main contract instead of a separate contract. It was then revealed that TTFA marketing executive Peter Miller agreed to donate US$2,500 of his salary to ensure Fenwick got the US$20,000. Wallace said e-mails were sent saying that Fenwick would get $20,000 and others agreed. “In one e-mail the general secretary (Ramesh Ramdhan) indicated that there was agreement on the final terms of the contract. The attachment in the e-mail indicated a salary of US$20,000.” The Wallace release then said a second e-mail sent was from Miller to chairman of the technical committee Keith Look Loy. The e-mail from Miller to Look Loy said, “After much discussions, a revised position has been arrived at which is attached for your information prior to our discussions...please feel free to give feedback in order to arrive at a firm position given the urgency of the matter.” Wallace said the attachment in the e-mail indicated a salary of US$20,000. Wallace said he just signed it. “I signed the contract believing that the terms therein were agreed on with my negotiating team.” In an interview,on Wednesday evening with Newsday, Look Loy remained adamant that the salary that was agreed was US$17,500. “Clearly this $20,000 business started with an e-mail that Wallace read and went with when Miller suggested the $20,000...that e-mail is from Miller to Wallace, not from me to Wallace. Wallace was the chairman of the meeting that agreed $17,500.” Look Loy said he is still unaware of the details of the contract. “I have not seen this contract to date, up to now...I deal with football, things on the field. I have asked different media to let me see the contract.” Look Loy said other conditions were signed in the contract that were never brought to the technical committee or the board including a car, a phone and paying Fenwick’s taxes. Miller’s contract Wallace said he did not give the best answer to a question concerning the contract of marketing executive Miller. “When asked if Peter Miller had a contract with the TTFA, in an attempt to manage an ongoing situation, I answered no. "Well, technically the answer was correct, but I do not want to hide behind any technicality and in retrospect, the answer could have been...I would respond to the question at a later date.” In Miller’s contract, seen by Newsday, the Englishman was contracted for 24 months at US$25,000 per month, with options for two one-year extensions. Also included in the deal, separate from Miller’s US$25,000 monthly salary, is a US$30,410.95 payment to him for services provided by Miller on or about November 25, 2019. Miller was instrumental in TTFA securing an apparel deal with Avec Sport. Wallace said he was initially unwilling to lead the United TTFA leading up to the November 2019 elections because of the $50 million debt faced by the TTFA. Wallace said after Raymond Tim Kee (now deceased), who was part of the United TTFA election campaign, shared with him a comprehensive plan to get of the debt, he agreed to work with Miller. “During this period, my deceased friend, Raymond Tim Kee shared with me a very impressive commercial package designed for the TTFA, that was negotiated on his behalf, and which would be implemented if he was elected president. In that package was a plan to deal with the historic debt of the FA, and of course, that piqued my interest. I was also introduced to the name, Peter Miller.” Wallace said Miller was instrumental in the United TTFA winning the elections. “I gave my word to Peter Miller that if I was elected president, I will honour the agreement that he had with Tim Kee. "The truth is Peter Miller’s package/presentation was responsible for us winning the elections, our campaign was based on its content and we were heavily dependent on its successful rolling out after November 24th.” Wallace decided to hire Miller, hoping that the latter would deliver on helping reduce the debt. “I took this decision as leader of the team and decided not to burden anyone else with it.” In terms of Miller’s contract, Wallace said, “Miller’s position was that no changes be made to the original agreement with Raymond Tim Kee, however my suggestion to Miller was that the flat rates quoted as a monthly salary would have to be reflected as a percentage of what was delivered and that there were no issues, if instead of lump sum payments the disbursement was done monthly. “It did not matter to me what the percentage was because the numbers were already agreed on with Raymond and I gave my word before the elections that I will honour the agreement. In addition, my own philosophy is that we had nothing so whatever came in would be more than we had.” Wallace said the board agreed in principle that marketing must be outsourced. Sponsorship was expected to start this month. “The roll-out of the sponsorship was carded for June. Once the successful roll-out commenced, a recommendation would have been taken to the board to officially contract Miller as the marketing person.” Concluding the press release, Wallace said, “Since entering office, no action taken by me brought any personal benefits to me, my intentions were that TTFA would always be the beneficiary.” Ramdhan’s contract Addressing the contract of Ramdhan, Wallace said he has the right to make decisions on Ramdhan’s contract on his own. “As one Senior Counsel puts it; ‘From reviewing the TTFA constitution it seems as though the general secretary is the sole responsibility of the president. The discussion with the board is merely a courtesy.’ “Nowhere in the constitution speaks to the board drawing up the terms and conditions of the general secretary.” Ramdhan was given a two-year contract, not the one-year contract agreed to. Wallace said because other people were given two-year contracts it made sense to give Ramdhan the same contract. “The reason for giving the general secretary a two-year contract was not shrouded in any conspiracy and is in fact more than reasonable. Factors such as the two-year contracts agreed on for the national senior team staff; the role the general secretary had to play in the role out of the activities of the FA; and average term given to previous secretaries, were all taken into consideration.”
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Post by Admin on Jun 26, 2020 18:24:18 GMT
Sancho on Wallace's statement: A list of poor excusesBrent Sancho FORMER board member of the TT Football Association (TTFA) Brent Sancho described the media release by former TTFA president William Wallace explaining the contracts signed under his tenure as poor and it led to more questions than answers. “It is a list of poor excuses and it has left more questions than answers really,” Sancho told Newsday, on Thursday. For the past few weeks, Wallace was criticised for some of the decisions he made under his tenure. The contracts signed under Wallace’s leadership that raised eyebrows included those of national senior men’s coach Terry Fenwick, marketing executive Peter Miller and TTFA general secretary Ramesh Ramdhan. Wallace was criticised for making decisions without board approval which included Fenwick’s deal. On Wednesday, in a six-page response, Wallace admitted he made mistakes, but also said other TTFA members were aware of the contracts that were signed under his leadership. Wallace said he had nothing to do with Fenwick’s contract and that was the responsibility of the TTFA Technical Committee, led by Look Loy. Look Loy has stated Wallace was involved in Fenwick’s contract. Sancho said he thinks the decisions by Wallace may have been kept hidden if these were not leaked. “It’s hard for me to get past the fact that if all of this did not come out into the public domain if they would have mentioned any of this to anyone. Whether it be the board members, the membership of the TTFA, the fans of the TTFA, the players, if anybody would have known.” The United TTFA, led by Wallace, defeated the David John-Williams administration in November 2019 and took over the running of the TTFA. Wallace led the TTFA until March 2019, before Fifa appointed a normalisation committee to run TT football. Fifa decided to take control of the TTFA because of low financial management methods and a massive debt facing the local football body, which is understood to be $50 million. The United TTFA is currently in a court battle against Fifa. The United TTFA says Fifa does not have the right to remove democratically elected officials.Sancho said it is time that the United TTFA give up on their case against Fifa. “I think it is mind-boggling that these guys have the audacity to even continue with this court case.” The former TT footballer said this is not strong leadership. “At the end of the day the membership and the stakeholders entrusted them with running the association and they have shown nothing but a lack of respect to the membership, a lack of respect to the board and total disdain to every moral fibre that is supposed to surround leadership.” Richard Quan Chan, president of the Southern Football Association, said the United TTFA seems disorganized. “The whole thing is too disjointed. I recognize these two people as two intelligent people. Keith has been involved in football for a long time (and) William is even president of the (Secondary) School (Football) League. They should understand what contracts are all about and…as they call themselves the United TTFA there should be some kind of conversation between them as to what is going on.” Look Loy said if the United TTFA wins the court battle against Fifa, Wallace’s future would depend on the membership of the TTFA at a meeting. “It is the membership that put him there and it is the membership that will determine his future,” Look Loy told Newsday on Wednesday. Members of the United TTFA, including Look Loy, are not pleased with some of the decisions made by Wallace, but as a group they are fighting Fifa on their decision. “We looking at this in two separate lenses. William Wallace as the president was elected and has undertaken some actions (and) he will face the consequences for that.” Look Loy continued, “Wallace remains part of United TTFA, we (United TTFA) remain part of TTFA. We (are) fighting the case, if we lose the case we walk away and Fifa could do what they want…but if we win the case our next and first immediate action after winning the case is to call a membership meeting to address all that has happened and to address the presidency of William Wallace and the Wallace administration. That is the position we are taking.”
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Post by Admin on Jul 5, 2020 2:15:21 GMT
Dear editor: Fenwick pegged Wallace as a ‘sucker’—TTFA scandal unearths key internal flaws wired868.com/2020/07/04/dear-editor-fenwick-pegged-wallace-as-a-sucker-ttfa-scandal-unearths-key-internal-flaws/Letters to the Editor Saturday 4 July 2020 Global Football, Local Football, National Football, Volley 1 Comment “[…] Forget however one might feel about [Terry] Fenwick on a personal basis, the simple fact that he has allegedly encouraged [William] Wallace to bypass the TTFA Executive Board and sign off on ‘secret’ contracts demonstrates that Fenwick was not concerned with proper administrative process, protocols or practices, but rather his own selfish interests. “Right or wrong he pegged Wallace as a sucker and proceeded to abuse the latter’s trust in him…” In the following letter to the editor, attorney Nigel S Scott shares his disappointment in recent revelations regarding Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) president William Wallace and Men’s National Senior Team head coach Terry Fenwick and governance of the local football body: Photo: Trinidad and Tobago Men’s National Senior Team head coach Terry Fenwick gestures to the media after training at the Police Barracks in St James on 3 July 2020. (Copyright Allan V Crane/CA-Images/Wired868) The recent Wired868 series of articles on sidelined Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) president William Wallace’s truncated reign atop local football, represents investigative journalism of the highest order. That being said, the revelations in those articles cast a very negative and unflattering light on everyone involved. From a personal perspective, I am most disappointed by Men’s Senior National Team head coach Terry Fenwick, first, and with Wallace himself coming a close second. Forget however one might feel about Fenwick on a personal basis, the simple fact that he has allegedly encouraged Wallace to bypass the TTFA Executive Board and sign off on ‘secret’ contracts demonstrates that Fenwick was not concerned with proper administrative process, protocols or practices, but rather his own selfish interests. Right or wrong he pegged Wallace as a sucker and proceeded to abuse the latter’s trust in him—the goal seemingly to get as much as he could from the TTFA, the best interest of the organisation be damned. This apparently was not an opportunity to contribute to and improve local football, but rather an opportunity to contribute to his pockets and improve the circumstances of his family and himself. Photo: (From left to right) Trinidad and Tobago Men’s National Senior Team head coach Terry Fenwick, Caribbean Chemicals chairman Joe Pires and TTFA president William Wallace. (Courtesy TTFA Media) Wallace meanwhile, comes across as incredibly naive, bordering on dunce. And I say that with no malice on my part—the evidence speaks for itself. He has unilaterally committed the TTFA to an arguably onerous sponsorship contract with Avec Sport, a relatively obscure UK company, swayed in part by representations made to him that the company is owned by Nike. A simple Google search reveals rather that the company, along with another sportswear supplier, Just Sports ProClub, are subsidiaries of the Just Sport Group. Rather than Avec Sport, it is the Just Sport ProClub that operates in partnership with Nike. What efforts did Wallace make to independently verify that information, or anything else told to him by Fenwick or Fenwick’s cohort, Peter Miller? For that matter, what makes Wallace think that he did not need board approval for contracts as he stated recently? He has the authority to sign off on contracts, but signatory authority is not the same as decision-making authority. There will be one, usually two signatures on any financial instrument (as designated in a company’s Articles or Bylaws), but decisions are made only upon agreement by the board. This is basic corporate governance, and to not adhere to that demonstrates either wilful ignorance or gross incompetence—either of which is disqualifying and incompatible with the position with which he was entrusted. Photo: TTFA president William Wallace poses during at a photoshoot on 9 January 2020. (Copyright Allan V Crane/TTFA Media/CA-images) But all long talk aside, this episode is just the latest chapter in a sad and shameful saga of chronic mismanagement at the highest levels of local football. The TTFA’s Constitution requires that candidates to its executive board must have been active in a managerial or similar position in football within Trinidad and Tobago, for at least three of the five years preceding the election. As recently as last week I have seen others bemoan this restriction and I dismissed the gripes then, as I always have. I did not have any issue with the limitation before, because I understood the rationale as insurance that office holders would have some vested interest in the proper running of the body—aka, some ‘skin’ in the game. But now I’m not so sure. Why is it that we perennially keep getting this wrong? Why is it that we can’t seem to find honest, capable, competent and committed individuals to steer the ship? The answer has to be because the selection/vetting process is flawed. That, and once in power those elected to office seemingly place more trust in relationships (right or wrong) and intuition, rather than in processes and best practices. And ‘best practices’ as used here is not some filler language tossed in without forethought or meaning. This is no secret—there are thousands of models and examples that are already proven, and which are not just theoretical assertions untested by real world application. Photo: TTFA president William Wallace (far right), general secretary Ramesh Ramdhan (second from right) and technical director Dion La Foucade (second from left) talk to Women’s U-20 Team manager Maylee Attin-Johnson during practice at the Ato Boldon Stadium training field in Couva on 7 February 2020. (Copyright Daniel Prentice/Wired868) We know what we should be doing, we just refuse to do it. This sad episode just confirms to the objective onlooker how intrinsically broken football in Trinidad and Tobago has been, and continues to be. We need a total tear down and rebuild, and until then we just wasting people’s time.
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Post by Admin on Jul 9, 2020 6:15:08 GMT
FIFA agrees to mediation with TTFA newsday.co.tt/2020/07/06/fifa-agree-to-mediation-with/FIFA agreed, on Monday, to settle its dispute with the former TT Football Association (TTFA) executive led by ousted president William Wallace out of court. Wallace and his executive (deputies Clynt Taylor, Susan Joseph-Warrick and Joseph Sam Phillip), as well as United TTFA members Keith Look Loy and Anthony Harford, are challenging FIFA’s decision on March 17 to remove the TTFA executive and implement a normalisation committee (comprising head Robert Hadad, Judy Daniel and Nigel Romano). On May 18, the former TTFA executive decided to take the matter to the TT High Court, instead of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), since they felt they would not get a fair hearing at the Switzerland-based CAS. FIFA challenged the ousted TTFA executive’s move to have the case heard at the High Court, and the court set a date of July 29 to decide on the matter. But Look Loy said, “On June 22, our lawyers (Matthew Gayle, Dr Emir Crowne, Jason Jones and Crystal Paul) wrote to theirs (Christopher Hamel-Smith, Jonathan Walker and Cherie Gopie) proposing mediation. He said on the fourth approach, on Monday, the other side agreed. Look Loy said, “This is a potentially positive development. It implicitly offers recognition by FIFA of the democratically elected TTFA leadership, and it potentially opens the way for productive talks between equals. “The lawyers will thrash out the mechanics of the process over the next (few) days, and we very much anticipate the talks themselves.”
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Post by Admin on Jul 9, 2020 6:21:32 GMT
FIFA cancels mediation with TTFA JELANI BECKLES YESTERDAY
THE matter concerning the TT Football Association (TTFA) and FIFA has taken another twist, as FIFA has stated that the mediation it agreed to previously had nothing to do with the legality of the appointment of the normalisation committee.
On Monday, it was revealed that FIFA would consider mediation to resolve the matter regarding their decision to appoint a normalisation committee on March 17 to run TT football, replacing the TTFA executive.
However, a statement by FIFA on Tuesday said, “For the sake of completeness, it should be noted that the mediation FIFA previously agreed to with United TTFA would never have dealt with the legality of the appointment of the normalisation committee and would only have covered some costs related issues. 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.”
The former TTFA executive is being represented by Dr Emir Crowne, Matthew Gayle, Jason Jones and Crystal Paul. Dr Crowne said on Monday, "I can indeed confirm that FIFA has indicated a willingness to pursue mediation. The logistics of the mediation are still being worked out, but it is a welcome sign, especially in a dispute with so much at stake and where maintaining relationships is key."
FIFA removed TTFA president William Wallace and executive members Clynt Taylor, Susan Joseph-Warrick and Joseph Sam Phillip, along with United TTFA members Keith Look Loy and Anthony Harford.
On May 18, the former TTFA executive decided to take the matter to the TT High Court, instead of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), since they felt they would not get a fair hearing at the Switzerland-based CAS.
FIFA challenged the ousted TTFA executive’s move to have the case heard at the High Court, and the court set a date of July 29 to decide on the matter.
This was followed by the mediation announcement on Monday.
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Post by Admin on Jul 11, 2020 22:23:45 GMT
Fifa blames Crowne for withdrawing from TTFA mediation talks, Look Loy: Fifa is petrified wired868.com/2020/07/07/fifa-blames-crowne-for-withdrawing-from-ttfa-mediation-talks-look-loy-fifa-is-petrified/?fbclid=IwAR1XYA4hv7F79GP98L_tMIVQrphfJeAEjlPoMfaQp7T4wOtkiEnwZOe35xAFifa announced today that it has withdrawn from proposed mediation talks with the ‘United TTFA’ and blamed its decision on the ‘failure’ of the latter’s attorneys ‘to keep the matter confidential’. Yesterday, Fifa, for the first time since 17 March, suggested that it was ready to talk to besieged TTFA president William Wallace and his vice-presidents Clynt Taylor, Susan Joseph-Warrick and Sam Philip. Photo: Sport attorney Dr Emir Crowne. The move followed repeated requests for mediation from Wallace’s team and a recent public appeal for the same by Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley. Within hours, TTFA attorney Dr Emir Crowne was on TV6 to share the update with the public. And, barely a day later, Fifa said it was again walking away from the negotiating table. “This mediation will not go ahead now in any event,” stated a release from Fifa, “owing to the failure of the lawyers of ‘United TTFA’ to keep the matter confidential—in line with their professional and ethical obligations.” The TTFA is represented legally by Matthew Gayle, Crystal Paul and Crowne of the New City Chambers while Fifa retained attorneys Christopher Hamel-Smith SC, Jonathan Walker and Cherie Gopie from M Hamel-Smith and Co. Fifa is headed by president Gianni Infantino, who also leads the Bureau of the Fifa Council. On 17 March, the Bureau voted to replace Wallace and other elected officials with a normalisation committee, led by businessman Robert Hadad. Photo: Fifa president Gianni Infantino. Wallace and his vice-presidents have resisted Infantino in the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) and, subsequently, in the local High Court. Wired868 did not receive a response from Crowne or Gayle on Fifa’s decision to scupper talks up to the time of publication. A Trinidad Newsday article last night quoted United TTFA member Keith Look Loy as suggesting that Fifa’s agreement to talk ‘implicitly offers recognition by Fifa of the democratically elected TTFA leadership, and it potentially opens the way for productive talk between equals’. However, the Fifa statement today, which was unsigned, insisted that the governing body still does not recognise Wallace as TTFA president and had no intention of disbanding its own normalisation committee. “For the sake of completeness, it should be noted that the mediation Fifa previously agreed to with ‘United TTFA’ would never have dealt with the legality of the appointment of the normalisation committee,” stated Fifa, “and would only have covered some costs related issues.” Look Loy, who is a member of the TTFA Board and president of the Trinidad and Tobago Super League (TTSL), fired back that if Fifa really wanted to talk about costs, then the United TTFA is happy not to have wasted its time. Photo: TTFA president William Wallace (far right), general secretary Ramesh Ramdhan (second from right) and technical director Dion La Foucade (second from left) talk to Women’s U-20 Team manager Maylee Attin-Johnson during practice at the Ato Boldon Stadium training field in Couva on 7 February 2020. (Copyright Daniel Prentice/Wired868) “If that is their approach, then Fifa is just playing a game and they are saving us time and additional expense,” Look Loy told Wired868. “When our lawyers wrote to them, we thought we were discussing mediation on the substantiative issue, which is the appointment of the normalisation committee. We were willing to compromise and find a way to work with them, once they recognised our jurisdiction. “But in their usual arrogant, high handed manner, they are saying they were only ever going to talk about costs. So onward to the court!” Had the leaking of Fifa’s inclination to talk to Wallace and his vice-presidents embarrassed the governing body and put its own normalisation committee, headed by businessman Robert Hadad, in an awkward position? Was Fifa indulging in time wasting? Or did Fifa believe that Wallace’s resolve had weakened and he would be willing to drop the case and walk—once there was no financial loss attached to doing so? Wired868 can confirm that Crowne reached out to the Fifa attorneys for help in ‘resolving the matter through mediation’. At no time did either party suggest that discussions would be limited to costs or anything else. Photo: Fifa president Gianni Infantino struts at the Ato Boldon Stadium in Couva during an exhibition match on 10 April 2017. (Courtesy Sean Morrison/Wired868) There was also an informal agreement that both sides would request an adjournment to their legal case so as to further pursue mediation, once necessary. The two parties are due to meet in the High Court on 29 July, when Fifa will push for the case to be moved from Trinidad and back to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Lausanne, Switzerland. Fifa itself is headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland. Look Loy said Fifa is terrified of their court date, which he feels can strike a blow at the governing body’s ability to unilaterally unseat properly elected officials. “I believe Fifa is petrified about the possibility of the local court upholding this case, which will undermine the Fifa/CAS normalisation committee system and culture,” said Look Loy. “Every national association across the globe would be taking note of that decision and it will undermine Fifa’s untrammelled power to implement a committee with no set guidelines, which allows it to do whatever Fifa wants for how long it wants; that is an arbitrary use of power. “At the moment, there are no definite conditions under which a normalisation committee could and should be imposed, or time limits on its exercise of authority. But onwards to the court—no problem.” Photo: FC Santa Rosa president and technical director Keith Look Loy (far right) looks on during Ascension Invitational action against Guaya Utd at the Arima Velodrome on 23 August 2019. Look Loy is also the TTSL president and the TTFA technical committee chairman. (Copyright Nicholas Bhajan/CA-Images/Wired868) Fifa, the largest single sport body in the world, insisted that, although the TTFA is formed by an Act of Parliament, it would not accept the direction of the Trinidad and Tobago courts in its handling of the local association. “Fifa does not, and will never, accept the jurisdiction of a local court in Trinidad and Tobago to decide on the legality of the appointment of the normalisation committee currently appointed to run football in the territory,” stated the Fifa statement. “For the avoidance of doubt, Fifa only recognises the authority and jurisdiction of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in these matters. “Any dispute regarding the appointment of a normalisation committee falls squarely within the jurisdiction of the CAS—and CAS alone. ‘United TTFA’ itself previously went to CAS and then unilaterally withdrew from the CAS process.” Fifa’s insistence on referring to its case as a matter against the ‘United TTFA’ rather than the TTFA was itself pointed. Once more, the tussle between Wallace and Infantino is heading for court.
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Post by Admin on Jul 25, 2020 5:18:54 GMT
DJW doesn't advise me — Hadad guardian.co.tt/sports/djw-doesnt-advise-me--hadad-6.2.1161494.074d7b9a86Walter Alibey Robert Hadad, chairman of the FIFA-appointed Normalisation Committee has dismissed accusations that he has been taking advice from former T&T Football Association president David John-Williams during his management of the football association. The claims were made during an interview with Ramesh Ramdhan, the football association general secretary on Monday, who accused Hadad of unfair treatment as he attempts to receive outstanding salaries from the normalisation committee for the past six months. The former T&T and FIFA referee appears to have been the only member of the T&TFA administrative staff who is yet to receive his wages while the other staff members have been paid. Ramdhan said, apart from not paid his salaries, he did not get a reason for the delay. Ramdhan has since threatened to write to the FIFA to inform them about the situation, as well as take legal action against Hadad, a director of the HADCO Group of Companies, and the normalisation committee, which also comprises former banker Nigel Romano and attorney Judy Daniel. However, during an interview with Guardian Media Sports on Tuesday, Hadad, the chairman of the normalsiastion committee which is responsible for the governance of T&T football since March 27 with a mandate to: Run the TTFA'S daily affairs; to establish a debt repayment plan that is implementable by the TTFA, and to organise and conduct elections of a new TTFA Executive Committee for a four-year, has made it clear that he was not being taking advice from John-Williams but was conducting his investigation into the state of football in the country. "I am speaking to David and William (former president William Wallace) because a lot of the decision they made when I am investigating I need to speak to them. I need to ask them questions on the Home of Football. David specifically, has a lot of questions to answer. So to say I am taking advice from him, that's not true." The T&T football boss also responded to concerns by Ramdhan that he is not being paid, Haded responded by saying that he has to ensure that every claim is legal and legitimate. A concern that was raised by the Board of Directors of the T&TFA which did not approve the two-year contract that was arranged by then TTFA president William Wallace. According to Hadad, Ramdhan is one of many asking for monies he believes is owed to him. Everybody who is owed money, has a legitimate claim and I am bombarded by a lot of people in the payables, so a lot of people have been asking about the money we owe them and he (Ramdhan) is one of them. We have to investigate the legality and legitimacy of every claim, and until I verify every one individually. So, coaches, we are in the process right now. Just like I said with the admin staff, we were in the process and we are in the process. But this is not an overnight process. It takes a while to verify it. You need to interview people one by one and unfortunately, even part of that interview process we have to go through the legitimacy of it." Ramdhan said, "The United TTFA administration was also bombarded by people, but I am not in that category. I gave my service of self secretary for the performance of a duty, a constitutional duty, and I belong to the staff, I am the head of the secretariat. I have never bombarded you. In fact, I have never even asked about my salary."
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Post by Admin on Jul 31, 2020 6:01:45 GMT
Comment: In a world (cup) of their own. Will Trinidad be left playing Tobago?
30th July 2020 By Paul Nicholson www.insideworldfootball.com/2020/07/30/comment-world-cup-will-trinidad-left-playing-tobago/The fate of Trinidad and Tobago’s 2020 World Cup qualifying campaign currently looks to be lieing in the hands of a Port of Spain High Court judge rather than at the feet of a team on the pitch. Yesterday Judge Carol Gobin conducted a four-hour virtual hearing that will decide whether a case brought by the former Trinidad and Tobago FA board saw them illegally removed from office by a FIFA Normalisation committee. FIFA argue that the complaint should be either dismissed or referred back to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). In essence it is a pretty clear case of who has jurisdiction over football on the islands. The one thing that former president William Wallace (pictured) and his former vice-presidents Clynt Taylor, Susan Joseph-Warrick and Sam Phillip – all replaced by the Normalisation Committee – can guarantee is that FIFA will not back down. One wonders if they fully understand this and what will happen should they win their case. Well, it isn’t difficult to work out. FIFA would likely suspend the TTFA, and that would mean no team in 2022 World Cup qualification that starts in three months. After all, if you refuse to recognise the governing body’s role of governing the game, how can you expect to play in its competition? Would they respect those rules even? As one person put it, at this rate Trinidad will be playing Tobago… FIFA removed Wallace and his crew – and it extends beyond the named parties in the court case – following real concern about the financial management of what was already a financially beleaguered TTFA. After three months Wallace had no believable plan, no bank account (the court froze it), and no money. Staff were unpaid, few teams were playing, and one of his first acts had been to close the only asset the TTFA had, the newly opened House of Football. More importantly, Wallace had no relationship with the governing body nor seemed to make any attempt to create one. The view of Wallace and his people seemed to be that the FIFA grants were handouts that came with no strings attached and were their birthright. Wallace had fastracked the TTFA into financial oblivion. What Wallace did have was a series of highly dubious and in some cases fabricated sponsorship promises that propelled his team and their buddies through the election and to power. He also had the prospect of a cut of a land development deal around the Arima Velodrome – property developer or football federation? The Arima questions remain unanswered but point towards the type of personal enrichment scam that Trinidad knows only too well (Football’s Most Wanted, former Concacaf president Jack Warner, still owns the FIFA financed Concacaf Centre of Excellence complex – allegedly a gift to Warner). All these issues have been covered in Insideworldfootball in recent months – neither Wallace nor his cohorts have responded to questions or answered them adequately in their preferred and unequivocably supportive local media. It is a sad – some might say dishonest – indictment of both. Dishonest is a word that has been used to describe Insideworldfootball when it broke many of these stories, but really, who is the dishonest media here? The Wallace contracts have been there to see, from forged letters of support, to dodgy kit deals, to dubious and untransparent contracts for land development. Wallace, his TTFA board and his national team coach Terry Fenwick had become a gift that keep on giving for media. And then there is always the spectre of Warner in a country whose judicial system has steadfastedly protected him from extradition to the US to face multiple corruption charges from bribery to embezzlement to money laundering. One wonders if it is that example that motivated Wallace’s team. After all, Warner got away with filching millions upon millions and members of Wallace’s team and backroom string pullers like Keith Look Loy are closely linked to Warner. The one thing about Warner that does give him credit was that he genuinely loved football and wanted his islands to do well. However, it does bring to mind the judge’s comment in the Harry Rednapp case when he learned that he had a dog with a £250K Monaco bank account. He said (paraphrased): “You say you loved your dog Mr Rednapp. I would love my dog too if it had a bank account in Monaco.” Jack appears to have accounts all over the Caribbean and perhaps it will take his removal from the Caribbean for football associations like the TTFA to understand that the football world has changed since 2015. Wallace and co’s legacy for football in Trinidad and Tobago could turn out to be no football. But for them, was it ever really about football? Who knows, they never answer the big questions. Paul Nicholson is editor of Insideworldfootball. Contact him at moc.llabtoofdlrowedisni@noslohcin.luap
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Post by Admin on Jul 31, 2020 6:10:21 GMT
Badly written article by Nicholson. You have to wonder if this is FIFA PR.
Even if the TTFA refused to answer his questions it does not take a genius to understand that Wallace inherited 99 percent of this mess from the previous Admin.
VB
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