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Post by Admin on Mar 19, 2020 2:55:59 GMT
Fifa appoints normalisation committee in T&T, Wallace and VPs removed after three months wired868.com/2020/03/17/fifa-appoints-normalisation-committee-in-tt-wallace-and-vps-removed-after-three-months/Fifa has disbanded the Board of the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) with immediate effect and will appoint a normalisation committee on the island. The decision was made today by the Bureau of the Fifa Council in accordance with article 8.2 of the Fifa Statutes. Article 8.2 states simply that: ‘Executive bodies of member associations may under exceptional circumstances be removed from office by the Council in consultation with the relevant confederation and replaced by a normalisation committee for a specific period of time.’ 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) According to the Fifa website, the decision to disband the TTFA’s Board ‘follows the recent FIFA/Concacaf fact-finding mission to Trinidad and Tobago to assess, together with an independent auditor, the financial situation of TTFA’. Fifa claimed that: ‘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.’ Ironically, TTFA president William Wallace previously stated that the fact-finding mission had gone well and Fifa and Concacaf officials expressed satisfaction with the financial structure that was about to be implemented by the local football body, on the guidance of auditor Robert Reis and financial consultant Kendall Tull. The Fifa Bureau emphatically disagreed with Wallace’s suggestion today. The normalisation committee, according to the Fifa statement, will be composed of an adequate number of members to be identified by the FIFA administration, in consultation with Concacaf. In line with the Fifa Governance Regulations, all members of the normalisation committee will be subject to an eligibility check. 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) The mandate of the normalisation committee is: to run the TTFA’s daily affairs; to establish a debt repayment plan that is implementable by the TTFA; to review and amend the TTFA Statutes (and other regulations where necessary) and to ensure their compliance with the Fifa Statutes and requirements before duly submitting them for approval to the TTFA Congress; to organise and to conduct elections of a new TTFA executive committee for a four-year mandate. The normalisation committee will act as an electoral committee, and none of its members will be eligible for any of the open positions at the upcoming TTFA elections under any circumstances. The specified period of time during which the normalisation committee will perform its functions will expire as soon as it has fulfilled all of its assigned tasks—but it has a limit of 24 months after the official appointment of members by Fifa. Trinidad and Tobago has never been subject to a normalisation committee before, even during the scandalous fall from grace of ex-Fifa vice-president and TTFA special advisor Jack Warner. Photo: FIFA president Gianni Infantino (right) and TTFA president David John-Williams at a press conference at the Ato Boldon Stadium in Couva on 10 April 2017. (Courtesy Sean Morrison/Wired868) The decision means that Wallace and his team of vice-presidents Clynt Taylor, Sharon Joseph-Warrick and Sam Phillip managed just over three months in office. Wallace and general secretary Ramesh Ramdhan did not respond for requests for comments on the unprecedented development. And technical committee chairman Keith Look Loy, who was an influential member of the United TTFA slate that won the last election, said he would only speak after the seemingly outgoing president. “I have taken a decision to let Wallace talk first,” said Look Loy. “He is the president [and] nobody has written to me. I will have a mouthful to say but I am letting the president of the TTFA speak first.” Ironically, the TTFA’s debts stood at TT$16 million at the end of the late Raymond Tim Kee’s term in office and were upwards of TT$50 million when David John-Williams was replaced at the helm last November. At present, the football body’s bank accounts are frozen. But that situation is due to change within days after the high court yesterday ruled that former TTFA employee Kendall Walkes can empty the accounts of his former employer. The TTFA will regain control of its accounts before the end of the week. Photo: TTFA finance officer Tyril Patrick (right) poses with Fifa president Gianni Infantino during the opening of the TTFA Home of Football on 18 November 2019. (Courtesy Allan V Crane/TTFA Media) Fifa president Gianni Infantino and Concacaf president Victor Montagliani were both supported by John-Williams en route to office and were regular visitors to Trinidad over the past four years. At a press conference two weeks ago, Wallace revealed that Montagliani admitted to attempting to help John-Williams win the last TTFA election. He wrote to sportswear giants, Nike, in a move that poked holes in a pre-election promise made by Wallace but the infamous Nike letter failed to sway voters who elected Wallace as president on 24 November 2019. Now Fifa and Concacaf have removed Wallace anyway. Editor’s Note: Fifa has placed TTFA finance manager, Tyril Patrick, in charge of the TTFA until a normalisation committee can be appointed. Patrick was the target of a board investigation for alleged ‘failure to abide by his fiduciary duties’ during the financial mismanagement of the David John-Williams era.
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Post by Admin on Mar 19, 2020 2:57:37 GMT
TTFA going to CAS for justice after FIFA takeover guardian.co.tt/sports/ttfa-going-to-cas-for-justice-after-fifa-takeover-6.2.1082152.6dae66407dDisappointed by what they considered to be an unjust, unfair and disrespectful act by the world governing body for football (FIFA), the T&T Football Association under the leadership of William Wallace has turned to the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) to overturn a decision by FIFA, which on Tuesday appointed a Normalisation Committee to run the affairs of T&T football. The TTFA has retained the services of attorneys Dr Emir Crowne and Mathew Gayle two prominenert sports lawyers. Ramesh Ramdhan, general secretary of the embattled football association, revealed on Wednesday that their attorneys would be writing to the FIFA to begin their fight against the decision. "We took a while to get over the shock, it was total disbelief. Since then we have pooled our resources together and have decided that this is injustice, it is disrespect, it shows some political play going on here to protect, I don't know who, but clearly, this is unprecedented when you look at what those committees are set up to do. It is in cases of political interference, political turmoil, democratic processes such as elections. Our elections were supervised by the FIFA and CONCACAF, so there were no issues with the elections, but now they are saying because of the same financial deficiency that we pointed out to them when they were here, they are now using that as a reason, but we have gone beyond that, we have put things in place." "What we are doing now, is using the same thing that they sent and petitioning the court of arbitration for sports to deal with this matter. Because to not do that, will be to allow injustice to prevail," Ramdhan explained. In a letter dated March 17 to the TTFA general secretary Randhan FIFA wrote: Under these serious circumstances, and in accordance with article 8 paragraph 2 of the Fifa statutes (which foresees that executive bodies of member associations may, under exceptional circumstances, be removed from office by the Fifa Council in consultation with the relevant confederation and replaced by a normalisation committee for a specific period of time), the Bureau of the Council decided, on 17 March 2020, to appoint a normalisation committee for the TTFA. On receiving the news on Tuesday President William Wallace told Andre Errol Baptiste on isports on i95.5fm radio programme that: "We are not going to roll over and die." According to the local football boss “There is still hope, we have written to FIFA and we are awaiting a response and we will take it from there. When Fifa arrived, we gave them a report from our finance professionals detailing what structures and areas need to be addressed in a report form and they told us great, that was half of their work done so now to read these statements on the financial structure, it's strange. Also, as it relates to the debt, we gave the team an MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) with one of our partners on how we planned to address the debt issue and as I have stated we will clear the debt in two years. So what I am saying, if they had questions on the documents, we presented, they could have called us to discuss, that is all and ask for more proof." Wallace said he is also awaiting a response from the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) in light of what had transpired. "Incidentally, I got a call from the president of the Union - Randy Harris, and he asked about the account being frozen and I mentioned how it was a court matter and we are working on it. He told me that 'T&T is very important to the Caribbean in football so we cannot allow FIFA to send a Normalisation Committee." and that 'Whatever support we can help with at the CFU, we will'. But of course, they do not have much funds but he also stated that when our conversation was finished he was going to call CONCACAF," said Wallace. Word of the normalisation committee had both men taken aback, particularly as it is felt the FIFA was contradicting its policy. According to Ramdhan "In summing up the visit by the FIFA/CONCACAF team over the days of activities here, they were quite pleased. As a matter of fact, they commended us for taking certain measures to rectify the financial issues we faced, and we had already done a paper to take to the Board for approval, therefore this decision runs contrary to what we were told." Ramdhan said his association was not informed of the decision and had to get it from the website. The FIFA correspondance continued: 'The specified period of time during which the normalisation committee will perform its functions will expire as soon as it has fulfilled all of its assigned tasks, but no later than 24 months after its members have been officially appointed by the FIFA administration. The exact date for the normalisation committee to complete its mandate will be communicated by the Fifa administration once its members have been appointed. In the interim and before the normalisation committee is fully operational, the TTFA administration’s management will be supervised by Mr Tyril Patrick, who will directly report to Fifa. The TTFA administration—in its entirety—will therefore report to Mr Patrick until the normalisation committee has been put in place.'
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Post by Admin on Mar 19, 2020 3:02:29 GMT
Just when you think TT Football can't get more FK'd up, this happens.
But then again if the net FA has their way some ppl might end up going to jail.
VB
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Post by Admin on Mar 19, 2020 3:06:43 GMT
FIFA Normalisation Committee - The Final Nail in T&T Football’s Coffin? www.guardian.co.tt/sports/fifa-normalisation-committee--the-final-nail-in-tt-footballs-coffin-6.2.1082052.9314a30008Admittedly, I had written my column since last Sunday as with this Covid-19 pandemic, there are little to no sports to watch live on television and I am not venturing to see anything taking place locally because I try to stay away from crowds. Instead, I was looking back at the Liverpool versus Atletico Madrid game in the UEFA Champions League round of 16 and I was focusing on some interesting post-match comments by two managers whom I have the highest respect for - Jurgen Klopp and Diego Simeone. Simeone made the most telling contribution when he suggested that the tie was unfair to Liverpool as his team had 120 minutes in which to score an away goal (and we know how precious away goals are), while Liverpool only had 90 minutes to score that all-important away goal in the first leg of the tie. The away goals rule does indeed make the competition exciting but Simeone has a great point and I suppose we can all find ways to either support or disagree with him, but I am certain that it is something UEFA will look at going forward. I went back to the column-writing board and scrapped what I previously wrote as I am in a state of shock and disbelief - it has nothing to do with the devastation Covid-19 is causing worldwide, that is bad enough; but, is Fifa trying to finally put the nail in the coffin of T&T’s football? The headline read, “FIFA removes TTFA board, appoints normalisation committee”. Unbelievable yet true. Perhaps David Rudder has to compose a new song alluding to this could not be football here but rather, madness. Fifa has appointed this normalisation committee due to, according to them, TTFA’s low financial management methods and massive debt. Reading on, the mighty and untouchable Fifa says the decision follows the recent Fifa/Concacaf fact-finding mission to T&T which found that the TTFA was facing a “very real risk of insolvency and illiquidity”. This ‘normalisation’ committee now has four mandates: 1 To run TTFA’s daily affairs; 2 To establish a debt repayment plan that is implemented by the TTFA; 3 To review and amend the TTFA statutes (and other regulations where necessary) and to ensure their compliance with the Fifa statutes and requirements before duly submitting them for approval; 4 To conduct elections of a new TTFA executive committee for a four-year mandate. But the burning question remains: after four years, has Fifa finally woken up and now realised that T&T’s football has been in shambles? Well, FIFA, many examples render this sudden intervention as rather peculiar. Our debt rose from $15M to $50M, how come you didn’t investigate that? The ‘Home of Football’ project which you gave a neat sum of money for and your esteemed president came here and posed with the Prime Minister and it still can’t be operationalised, how come you didn’t investigate that? Stephen Hart was fired in bizarre circumstances, why didn’t you investigate that? How come you didn’t investigate the hiring of Belgian coach Tom Saintfiet following Hart’s dismissal and his subsequent resignation after just 35 days on the job? Fifa, how come you haven’t investigated the sharp decline in women’s football in T&T when in 2014, we played a playoff with Ecuador and were on the brink of World Cup qualification and two years later, we can’t even beat St. Kitts & Nevis? How come you haven’t investigated why the technical director was fired and hasn’t been paid multiple payments for rendered services? FIFA, why have you not investigated how coaches were appointed for various national teams and some have never been paid? How come, Fifa, you haven’t investigated why we didn’t field a team for the Olympic qualifiers? Going back to the ‘Home of Football’, Fifa, how come you didn’t know the building was uninsured and lacked statutory certifications from agencies such as the T&T Fire Service before having your president attend the ‘opening’ ceremony? How come you didn’t investigate rumours during the past year about late payments to suppliers and the non-payment of salaries to staff? How come you didn’t investigate the claim by the executive who invited your president (and only God knows why the Prime Minister was at the opening) that the debt inherited was reduced from $30M to $18M, when in fact after the new executive told you the debt is $50M, you suddenly agree to investigate? FIFA how can this debt jump from $18M to $50M in a mere few weeks? Fifa, can you please investigate why crowds don’t go to support T&T football anymore? At the same time, you may want to heap praise after investigating our phenomenal 15-0 win over Anguilla? Fifa, can you investigate why a committee was formed to start a proposed T-League, an intended merger between the Pro League and the Super League - the top two professional football leagues, the committee sent in a budget and all proposals to start the league and just like that, Fifa, it was stopped and the then TTFA administration organised a "League of Champions" and it is alleged that certain clubs received bounced cheques. Please, in local parlance, “ah begging!” you, Fifa, to investigate that. Fifa, when you investigate how the money was spent to build the ‘Home of Football’, the country would like to know how much more money is needed to complete the building to have it fully functional. Fifa, I have lots more for you to investigate but I figure it’s a good start for your normalisation committee, but did you know that the current executive of the TTFA was duly and democratically elected at an annual general meeting (AGM) of the Association by clubs and officials who were entitled to vote? This intervention reeks of something more, to say the least. According to one of your former vice-presidents: “Fifa is the most political organisation in the world”. I genuinely believe him. Editor’s note: The views expressed in this column are solely those of the writer and do not reflect the views of any organisation of which he is a stakeholder. Tagged in:
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Post by Admin on Mar 26, 2020 3:40:06 GMT
Trinidad Pro League supports Fifa takeover, vows to cooperate
Monday, March 23, 2020 PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad (CMC) — The local professional league Thursday gave its support to Fifa taking over responsibility for running the sport in the twin-island republic from the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA). The board of directors of the Trinidad and Tobago Pro League said in a statement that it “unanimously” accepted the decision by football's world governing body to establish a normalisation committee to steer the financial and statutory affairs of the TTFA. “As a football company that have invested over $200 million into the national economy over the last 18 years, the TT Pro League stand ready to work alongside the Ministry of Sports and the Fifa-appointed normalisation committee for the continued development of the game,” it stated. Acting T&T Pro League Chairman Brent Sancho, who is a TTFA Board member, has been instructed not to support any move by the former administration to engage in any legal battle against Fifa. The statement came a day after TTFA President William Wallace announced that the association was mounting a challenge to Fifa's decision at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). The Pro League was clear it wanted no part of that. “We have instructed our representative on the former TTFA Board, Mr Brent Sancho, that the TT Pro League will not support any move by the former administration to engage in any legal battle against Fifa over their removal from office,” it said in its statement. The Fifa takeover follows an assessment which it carried out in conjunction with continental governing body Concacaf that found extremely low overall financial management methods, combined with a massive debt that resulted in the TTFA facing “a very real risk of insolvency and illiquidity”. Fifa said the financial situation was putting the local association and development of football in the country at risk, and corrective measures needed to be taken urgently. The normalisation committee will have up to 24 months to carry out its work which would include creating a debt repayment plan, which the TTFA can implement, reviewing the local governing body's statutes and ensuring their adherence to Fifa regulations, and overseeing new elections. Now you can read the Jamaica Observer ePaper anytime, anywhere. The Jamaica Observer ePaper is available to you at home or at work, and is the same edition as the printed copy available at bit.ly/epaperlive
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Post by Admin on Mar 26, 2020 3:45:24 GMT
Patricks declines TTFA position, Wallace's attorney fires back at Fifa
JELANI BECKLES SATURDAY 21 MARCH 2020 In this Nov 24,2019 file photo, newly-elected president of the TT Football Association William Wallace speaks with the media after the TTFA’s elections. - Marvin Hamilton newsday.co.tt/2020/03/21/patricks-declines-ttfa-position-wallaces-attorney-fires-back-at-fifa/FIFA will be looking for someone else to lead the TT Football Association (TTFA), as Tyril Patrick has turned down the position of interim leader of the local football body. On Wednesday, the TTFA learnt that Patrick was hired to lead local football, one day after the William Wallace-led TTFA was disbanded by Fifa because of extremely low overall financial management methods and massive debt. Patrick has turned down the offer by Fifa, according to attorney Matthew Gayle who is representing Wallace and his team in the matter. Gayle, along with Dr Emir Crowne, initially took action against Patrick for asking the High Court to bar Patrick and other people from taking steps to interfere with the day-to-day operations of the TTFA. “We sent a pre-action protocol letter yesterday (Friday), warning Patrick that if he attempted to interfere with the operations of the TTFA and the operations of the executive then we would seek whatever assistance we believe we were entitled to in law from the courts to prevent him and any other persons from doing that,” Gayle said. Gayle said Patrick declined the offer by Fifa saying, “As it happens, he has this morning (Saturday) indicated that he does not intend to attempt interfering in the running of the duly elected executive, so there is no need for any court action to assist us in that respect because he indicated he intends to respect the rights of the duly elected executive to conduct the day-to-day business of the TTFA.” Gayle said they intend to fight Fifa for breaking up the TTFA based on the fact that Wallace and his team were elected and an external body has no right to take control of a local body. “Our position is that, in November 2019, there was an election that was a proper, fair, democratic election and the outcome of that was to elect Mr Wallace and his team of vice-presidents, along with the rest of the board were already there to run the TTFA. The TTFA is a body of which was created by a statute of TT’ Parliament for the interest of football in TT. Our position is no external body, even if it is Fifa, whatsoever has the right to interfere in that running of the TTFA. TTFA belongs to TT, not to Fifa.” Gayle added, “As far as we are concerned Mr Wallace and his team continue to be the executive of the TTFA and they are responsible solely for the day-to-day running of
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Post by Admin on Mar 26, 2020 3:52:15 GMT
CFU member: Dear TTFA, you broke the unwritten rule against ‘witch hunts’ wired868.com/2020/03/23/cfu-member-dear-ttfa-you-broke-the-unwritten-rule-against-witch-hunts/“Based on my experience as a president, nine years now, the parent bodies don’t like those witch hunts because they are considered counter-productive to football development. “[…] There’s an unwritten script that was set up by the parent bodies and it seems your member association didn’t follow that script…” The following is a letter written by the football president of a member association within the Caribbean Football Union (CFU)—in response to a request for support by Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) general secretary Ramesh Ramdhan: Photo: TTFA general secretary Ramesh Ramdhan (centre) accompanies president William Wallace (far right), office staff Sharon O’Brien (far left) and technical director Dion La Foucade (second from left) during a Women’s National U-20 Team practice session at the Ato Boldon Stadium training field in Couva on 7 February 2020. (Copyright Daniel Prentice/Wired868) Dear general secretary Ramdhan, Your email and its contents are well received and understood. I was waiting for 24 hours to pass to see if the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) president, executive committee or a member association (MA) would [have] responded to your email. Maybe they did privately. The CFU has changed over the years. Everything happens now in a vacuum and only a privileged few gets to know what’s happening. Sorry to tell you but every MA is on its own if it has an issue or problem. You have to report directly to Fifa or Concacaf appointed staff to bring your issue to light, then it will be resolved [based] on their findings. The CFU is non-existent when it comes to assisting in solving conflicts. There [have] been great strides made on the administrative side: [with] the hosting of youth and girls tournaments and adopting new statutes to be in-line with Fifa and Concacaf. But it’s not a political force, as it was in the past. The assistance and solidarity you are seeking would not be openly given by the majority of the countries, based on what has been put in place by the parent bodies and what line the CFU president and his executive committee is currently holding. Photo: Caribbean Football Union (CFU) president Randy Harris. Football administration is a tedious task and there is a fine line between development work and political [witch] hunts. Almost all presidents and new administrations in football go through a scenario of [having to decide] if the will devote time, money and resources on the past administrations’ dealings, or concentrate on the present and future. Based on my experience as a president, nine years now, the parent bodies don’t like those witch hunts because they are considered counter-productive to football development. After reviewing the documentation you presented, it seems that witch hunt was a part of your agenda. There’s an unwritten script that was set up by the parent bodies and it seems your MA didn’t follow that script. I’m not picking sides but what I saw in the media, it seems there was a lot of miscommunication between the parent bodies and your MA. The three entities saw the situation differently. Looking at it from far, it seems an injustice was done to your MA by removing a duly elected executive committee just under four months from being in office. I just wished cooler heads could [have] prevailed before it had reached this far. This kind of drastic action could [have] happened to any MA if there is miscommunication or misperception of the situation on the ground in a particular country. Photo: FIFA president Gianni Infantino (centre) and TTFA president David John-Williams (left) turn the sod at the Ato Boldon Stadium in Couva while then Sport Minister Darryl Smith pretends to help on 10 April 2017. (Courtesy Sean Morrison/Wired868) I wish you well in your fight and I hope the other Caribbean countries support you in your quest for information and reasoning as [you take] your case forward. Regards, Editor’s Note: Wired868 agreed to publish this letter from a CFU president anonymously.
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Post by Admin on Mar 26, 2020 3:53:53 GMT
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Post by Admin on Apr 5, 2020 3:13:44 GMT
FIFA appoints Hadad to lead normalisation committee trinidadexpress.com/sportsextra/fifa-appoints-hadad-to-lead-normalisation-committee/article_f6605ea4-705d-11ea-a6de-d7412e3c1969.htmlThe Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), the governing body for world football, today announced the composition of the normalisation committee tasked with running the daily affairs of the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA). This follows the March 17 announcement by FIFA that it will appoint a normalisation committee to spearhead the reversal of the fortunes of the football body, deemed to be on the brink of insolvency and illiquidity, being strapped with a $TT50m debt. While that move was opposed by recently-appointed TTFA president William Wallace, who launched a challenge at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), FIFA today appoint businessman Robert Hadad as the chair of the committee. Hadad will have Judy Daniels, and attorney-at-law and environmental specialist, as his deputy, and Nigel Romano as an ordinary member. Hadad is the chief executive officer of his family-owned business HADCO, while Romano, a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Trinidad &Tobago, is the chairman of Flour Mills. FIFA, in consultation with Concacaf, will appoint two more members in the days ahead. Among the tasks set out by FIFA for Hadad and his team are: • To run the TTFA'S daily affairs; • To establish a debt repayment plan that is implementable by the TTFA; • To review and amend the TTFA Statutes (and other regulations where necessary) and to ensure their compliance with the FIFA Statutes and requirements before duly submitting them for approval to the TTFA Congress; • To organise and to conduct elections of a new TTFA Executive Committee for a four-year mandate. The members of the normalisation committee will assume their duties with immediate effect and will have to pass an eligibility check. Their confirmation will be contingent upon the outcome of the eligibility check. In addition, the normalisation committee will act as an electoral committee, however, none of its members will be eligible for any of the open positions in the TTFA elections. The specified period of time during which the normalisation committee will perform its functions will expire as soon as it has fulfilled all of its assigned tasks, but no later than 24 months after its members have been officially appointed by FIFA. Facebook Twitter Email Print Save
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Post by Admin on Apr 5, 2020 3:16:06 GMT
FIFA NC chairman Hadad: No partiality for anyone www.guardian.co.tt/sports/fifa-nc-chairman-hadad-no-partiality-for-anyone-6.2.1091726.cdc153c797Businessman Robert Hadas, the chairman of FIFA’s normalisation committee for Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA), says he has no vested interest in the local game and stakeholders should not expect any partiality. In particular, Hadad stressed, neither the recently removed William Wallace administration nor their predecessors, the David John- Williams regime, will receive any special treatment. “I have a lot of respect for everybody … [but] you will always have the naysayers. I know that I’m never going to please everybody,” said Hadad. “But I will need to be in touch with both parties because there are a lot of questions unanswered especially under the David John-Williams administration … so I want to have a proper working relationship with everybody.” He added: “I can’t tell you I know one [administration] more than the other. I really only spoke to Mr Wallace [recently]. I’ve spoken to David a few times but nothing in depth, nothing to say he’s my buddy or my partner. “I’m a very independent person and I would like to think everybody on my committee is in the same place.” Hadad was last week named by football’s world governing body to oversee the committee which has been given charge of the T&T Football Association for the next two years. The committee also comprises attorney Judy Daniel who will serve as deputy chairperson along with retired banker Nigel Romano as an ordinary member, with FIFA expected to name a further two members after consultation with continental governing body, CONCACAF. FIFA controversially disbanded the TTFA board on Marc h 17 after concluding the local governing body was “facing a very real risk of insolvency and illiquidity” after a visit in T&T in February examining the organisation's financial books and operatioins. Their move means that Wallace, who defeated John-Williams 26-20 in elections last November, was forced to step aside after just over three months in charge. But with the country currently under a ‘stay at home policy’ in the face of 89 recorded cases of the coronavirus and five deaths, Hadad said the normalisation’s work was in a “holding pattern”. “We’re trying as much as possible, Nigel and myself and Judy also, sharing a lot of information and as much as we can to come up with our own plans,” Hadad said, adding he had liaised with Clinton Urling in Guyana, who had chaired a similar FIFA committee there six years ago. “He has a lot of good information and we can probably reach out to him and get some information in the meantime. I’m planning to spend a lot of time on Skype and Zoom and have online discussions with these people but definitely we’re not going to be going to the office because it’s illegal and we’ve got to respect that, so we’re going to be in a holding pattern for a couple weeks.” (CMC)
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Post by Admin on Apr 6, 2020 2:19:31 GMT
newsday.co.tt/2020/04/02/wallace-seeks-funds-for-fifa-fight/Wallace seeks funds for FIFA fightJOEL BAILEY THURSDAY 2 APRIL 2020 FORMER president of the TT Football Association (TTFA) William Wallace and his executive, who were removed by FIFA a fortnight ago, when the global govening football body decided to implement a normalisation committee, are seeking funds for their legal battle through the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). Wallace, through a media release on Monday, said, “The legitimately elected officers of the TT Football Association, democratically elected by the electorate in the presence of both FIFA and Concacaf officials on 24 November 2019, wish to assure the (TT public) of our continuing rejection of FIFA’s unwarranted and illegal intervention into football in TT.” The media release continued, “FIFA’s injustice is made all the more transparent by the fact that it failed, consistently, to intervene against the (David) John-Williams administration that operated and generated massive debt for four years—with FIFA’s knowledge and supervision through their annual audit. “It is ironic that after we assumed office and generated a report which pointed out the absence of any financial internal structures, that the report was sent back verbatim as one of the two reasons given for FIFA’s action. “Moreover, based on recent information we are aware that FIFA’s intervention was premeditated and the implementation of this action commenced since we won the elections.” Wallace and the former executive members (vice-presidents Clynt Taylor, Susan Joseph-Warrick and Joseph Sam Phillip) stressed that they will pursue the matter at the CAS in Lausanne, Switzerland. “We need to be heard and that right is enshrined in the FIFA statutes that govern all Member Associations,” the media release mentioned. “Human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable; every step towards the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering and struggle. The expense of this legal challenge is a tremendous obstacle but we are determined to fight for what is right, to defend democracy and the sovereign right of our people to determine our own affairs. “To that end, we have created a ‘go fund me’ campaign and are calling on all patriots to contribute to our national cause as generously as they can. Please visit (https://www.gofundme.com/f/TTFA-Fights).”
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Post by Admin on Apr 6, 2020 2:24:00 GMT
Ramdhan, Look Loy lock horns over FIFA's NC
WALTER ALIBEY
walter.alibey@guardian.co.tt
Ramesh Ramdhan, general secretary of the T&T Football Association (TTFA), has said he will not be drawn into an unnecessary fight with Keith Look Loy, the former chairman of the TTFA technical committee, over alleged information being leaked to the new FIFA-appointed normalisation committee, which has taken control of T&T football.
Look Loy, "I had no issue with Ramdhan giving information to Hadad because he is an employee of the TTFA."
Ramdhan, a former World Cup referee now turned football administrator has been providing requested information to the Normalisation committee which was installed last week, is being led by businessman Robert Hadad, and include Attorney Judy Daniel and retired banker Nigel Romano, a director and partner of Moore T&T.
The controversial former TTFA technical committee chairman, who is also a member of the board of directors of TTFA by virtue of being the T&T Super League’s President said if Ramdhan wanted to take a political position, he would have to resign because he (Look Loy) recognises Wallace as the president of the TTFA.
Contacted on Friday, Ramdhan made it clear that when he received a letter from football’s world governing body, FIFA, requesting that he stay on to help the normalisation committee last Thursday, he immediately telephoned William Wallace, the former president TTFA, to inform him.
He said Wallace told him to do what he had to do and noted that the sport should not be allowed to suffer at any time.
Ramdhan, who made it clear he was not beholden to the persons who appointed him as general secretary as his position was an independent one, is directing Look Loy to the TTFA’s constitution which gives him the right to share info, being the go-to man from FIFA, the Caribbean Football Union (CFU), the Confederation of North Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF), as well as all other football-related bodies on matters.
According to the TTFA constitution, the general secretariat shall carry out all the administrative work of TTFA under the direction of the general secretary. The members of the general secretariat are bound by the Internal Organisation Regulations and shall fulfil the given tasks in good faith:
1 The general secretary is the chief executive officer of the general secretariat;
2 He shall be appointed on the basis of an agreement governed by private law and shall have the necessary professional qualifications;
3 He shall be responsible for: a) implementing decisions passed by the general meeting and board of directors in compliance with the president’s directives; b) attending the general meeting and meetings of the board of directors, emergency committee and the standing and ad-hoc committees; c) organising the general meeting and meetings of the board of directors and other bodies; d) compiling the minutes for the meetings of the general meeting, board of directors, emergency committee and standing and ad-hoc committees; e) ensuring that the accounts of TTFA are properly managed and up to date; f) the correspondence of TTFA; g) relations with the members, committees, FIFA, CONCACAF and CFU; h) organising the general secretariat; i) the appointment and dismissal of staff working in the general secretariat upon approval of the president; j) the appointment and dismissal of managerial staff, upon approval of the president and the board of directors.
4 The general secretary may not be a delegate at the general meeting or a member of any body of TTFA.
Ramdhan, who has not been paid salaries for four months and was the one who borrowed monies to ensure staff members were paid their February wages, has dismissed calls by the former chairman of the technical committee Look Loy for him to resign as general secretary if he wants to get into the politics of football.
“I came into the United TTFA to serve football and to date, I still want to serve the sport. I have been liaising with Hadad and sharing information with respect to football,” said Ramdhan, telling Guardian Media Sports that he has spoken to Hadad about the non-payment of TTFA staff for the month of March.
Contacted yesterday, Wallace, did not see any problems with Ramdhan’s commitment as secretary.
“If he is the secretary of the normalisation committee then he has to act as such and that is it. I do not see anything that points to Ramdhan getting into the politics of the game. Ramdhan has also taken the position to be secretary, which is fine for me,” Wallace said.
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Post by Admin on Apr 6, 2020 2:26:44 GMT
Ramdhan seeking FIFA's help to pay TTFA staff
General secretary of the T&T Football Association (TTFA) Ramesh Ramdhan is championing the cause for staff members to be paid salaries for March.
Members of staff did not get paid last month because of a court order that allowed former technical director Kendall Walkes the opportunity to liquidate the accounts of the embattled football association for monies owed to him for wrongful dismissal back in 2016.
Walkes who was recruited under the Raymond Tim Kee-led TTFA for $93,000 a month, won a judgement for $5.2 million by the local court last December. Walkes' action also led to the TTFA accounts being garnishee on February 13.
However, on Thursday, Ramdhan who was asked to stay on to help the recently FIFA-appointed normalisation committee of businessmen Robert Hadad (chairman), retired banker Nigel Romano and Attorney Judy Daniel (deputy chairman) as well as two others who will be appointed soon, said he has been in constant communication with Hadad, a director of the HADCO Group of Companies, for salaries to be paid to the workers, among other things which will kick-off the work of the committee with its mandate of governing the sport locally.
Ramdhan, head of the secretariat at the football association, said after wages were paid for December and January, he had to borrow money to pay workers for February, because monies expected from the world governing body for football, FIFA, did not come in time.
“And I was prepared to borrow money again to ensure that workers can pay their bills and live like everyone else, but the offices were shut down on March 15 due to the outbreak of the coronavirus. But not because the office is closed means workers don’t deserve to be paid,” Ramdhan said.
Meanwhile, Hadad told Guardian Media Sports on Friday that his first assignment will be to pay salaries for March when monies become available by FIFA. He stayed clear of the battles taking place inside and outside the Football association, saying his committee has taken a job to bring back the confidence and trust by corporate T&T, government etc into T&T football.
“I need to hear from all stakeholders to chart a way forward. I am not into pointing fingers and playing the blame game, I just want to get the job done,” said Hadad, a director of the HADCO Group of Companies, who added that he believes with the coronavirus pandemic taking place, the payment of salaries could take a few months as he is unsure of whether work will begin for him and his committee members.
The bill for monthly wages at TTFA is $100,000 which excludes the salary for the general secretary, who in addition to his willingness to go out and search for the same amount to pay staff, will also have to find money to repay the lender.
The hard-working general secretary has been making sacrifices of his own, having not received a single cent in wages since assuming the role of general secretary on December 16.
“I realised that there was hardly any money in the TTFA’s account so I chose to have the monies owed to me, used to pay staff,” Ramdhan told Guardian Media Sports when contacted.
Meanwhile, there has been a slow trickle of funds coming into the TTFA’s ‘go fund me’ initiative from the general public to the former TTFA executive of William Wallace (former president), and he also ousted vice presidents Clynt Taylor, Susan Joseph-Warrick and Sam Phillip, to challenge FIFA for the implementation of the normalisation committee, through the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) in Lausanne, Switzerland.
Less than a week since the launch of the initiative, there is an amount of $1,905 to date.
Wallace said the outbreak of COVID-19 has been a major setback as individuals are trying to hold on to every penny they have because of the unpredictable nature of the virus. He noted that because of the coronavirus, people have also lost their jobs and are unable to donate.
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Post by Admin on Apr 13, 2020 21:56:05 GMT
Wallace, sacked TTFA executive file CAS appealJADA LOUTOO WEDNESDAY 8 APRIL 2020 newsday.co.tt/2020/04/08/wallace-sacked-ttfa-executive-file-cas-appeal/JADA LOUTOO TT Football Association president William Wallace and his deputies Clynt Taylor, Susan Joseph-Warrick and Joseph Sam Phillip – have filed their appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) saying the move was fuelled by oblique moves and done without legal authority. The appeal, filed by attorneys Dr Emir Crowne and Matthew Gayle, seeks to have FIFA’s decision to appoint a normalisation committee to run the local governing body set aside. They have nominated sports attorney Mark Hovell to be the sole arbitrator of its appeal filed on Monday. Hovell is an arbitrator at the CAS and has heard over 200 cases.He was also selected to the CAS ad-hoc committee for the 2010 and 2014 Commonwealth Games and was one of 12 arbitrators for the 2016 Olympics. He is also on the UK sports resolutions tribunal panel and is accredited to the UK’s national anti-doping panel. Wallace and his team asked that the appeal be expedited because of its importance to TT football. They want it heard in-person in TT after June 1, because of the ban on international flights entering TT – a measure put in place by the Government to combat the spread of covid19. In the alternative, if TT’s borders remain closed beyond June 1, they have suggested it be heard by video-conferencing. Whatever means the appeal is heard, the local governing body has asked that it be open to the public. TTFA, Wallace and the others have already paid the relevant fees – 1,000 Swiss francs or TT$7,000 - for the appeal in which they say the appointment of the normalisation committee was “exclusively disciplinary in nature” since it had the effect of removing them from their duly elected offices. FIFA implemented a normalisation committee, headed by local businessman Robert Hadad, on March 17 and replaced the TTFA’s board, based on mounting debts and financial mismanagement. Wallace took over from David John-Williams as TTFA president on November 24, 2019. It is the contention of the TTFA and its ousted executive that the decision by FIFA was not binding on them as the body’s constitution makes no allowance for anyone to “oversee the day to day affairs” of it. Wallace and the others also insist that the debts complained of by FIFA were accrued by the former TTFA administration and insist that any attempt to hold football in TT to ransom will be met with forceful resistance. In a March 17 letter to TTFA general secretary Ramesh Ramdhan, secretary general for the world governing body for football Fatma Samoura advised that the joint FIFA-Concacaf mission which visited TT evaluated the financial controls and processes in place at the TTFA and its general financial position since its bank accounts were frozen. The letter said the joint mission was to make suggestions for improvements where needed. “The mission found that the overall condition of financial management and financial governance is extremely low or non-existent at the TTFA. There are currently no formal internal policies and internal controls in place, such as procurement, delegation of financial authorities, financial planning and budgeting, effective oversight of funding and management reporting, which are necessary to meet the TTFA’s objectives. “Moreover, there is also a lack of: documented policies and procedures, financial planning and management of statutory liabilities. Finally, there is no short- or long-term plan to address the situation, which would require urgent, strong and efficient measures. “Indeed, the combination of the above situation and an existing debt of at least US$5.5 million means that the TTFA faces a very real risk of both insolvency and illiquidity if corrective measures are not applied urgently. “Such a situation would, amongst other unwanted consequences, put FIFA’s development investments in the TTFA at risk of being seized by creditors. Another important finding is a potential liability on the TTFA for several years of unpaid payroll taxes to the government,” Samoura said. He advised that the Bureau of the Council of FIFA had decided, in accordance with article 8.2 of FIFA Statutes, to appoint the normalisation committee. The committee was mandated to run the TTFA’s daily affairs; establish a debt repayment plant and review; amend the TTFA statutes where necessary and ensure they follow FIFA’s before submitting them for approval to the TTFA congress and organise and conduct elections of a new TTFA executive for a four-year mandate. In a subsequent letter, Wallace and the others were told that the normalisation committee will act as an electoral committee whose decisions are final and binding but will not be eligible for any open positions in the elections, even if their appointment was revoked or they resign. The normalisation committee’s mandate is for no more than 24 months or when it has fulfilled all of its tasks.
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Post by Admin on Apr 13, 2020 21:58:22 GMT
Wallace: FIFA cannot remove me
NARISSA FRASER THURSDAY 9 APRIL 2020 newsday.co.tt/2020/04/09/wallace-fifa-cannot-remove-me/FORMER TT Football Association (TTFA) president William Wallace is adamant he is still the head of the association despite FIFA’s appointment of a normalisation committee. He said based on the TTFA’s constitution, FIFA cannot remove executive members from the board. Wallace was elected TTFA president in November 2019, replacing the David John-Williams-led team. Throughout their campaign, Wallace’s team promised to bring transparency and honesty to the association. But in a release on March 17, FIFA said the decision was made because of the TTFA’s “low financial management methods” and “a massive debt.” It was done under article 8:2 of FIFA’s statutes and will be led by businessman Robert Hadad. But in a video published on Wednesday, Wallace confirmed he and his deputies Clynt Taylor, Susan Joseph-Warrick and Joseph Sam Phillip filed an appeal against the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). He said FIFA is trying to “jeopardise football in TT “I was elected on a platform of transparency and financial probity. We stood in a position with the financial mismanagement, botched projects and the cronyism of the previous administration. We stood on a platform of eliminating the TTFA’s debt and returning football to the people of TT.” He said his team was not given a chance to implement its plans to resolve the association’s woes, calling the decision a “total injustice.” He said normalisation committee “has no standing. “To be clear, I remain the president of the TTFA based on our constitution. The TTFA was created by an act of parliament to serve the public interest. “I can only be removed by the operation of the TTFA’s own constitution – not by FIFA.” But he said the association’s relationship with FIFA is vital and its decision cannot be ignored. They will be represented by Dr Emir Crowne and Matthew Gayle to fight the group’s battle against the global governing body. He said they have since been assigned the case number CAS2020/a/6915. “We remain committed to working constructively with FIFA and other international organisations in the interest of the sport and in the interest of TT. “Make no mistake about it, we the duly and properly elected executive of the TTFA, remain in charge of the association’s business.”
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