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Post by Admin on Sept 12, 2020 2:15:53 GMT
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Post by Admin on Sept 12, 2020 18:52:58 GMT
TTFA files injunction to stop EGM guardian.co.tt/sports/ttfa-files-injunction-to-stop-egm-6.2.1206845.bc7bcf5416The attorneys for former president of the T&T Football Association (TTFA) William Wallace and his team have filed an injunction on Friday to stop Tuesday's Emergency General Meeting (EGM) by the sports' general membership from taking place. The injunction filed with the Registrar of the High Court of Justice, comes two days after questions were raised about the legitimacy of the meeting by Osmond Downer, the T&T Football Referees Association (T&TFRA) vice president, who also worked on the TTFA amended constitution in 2015, and a day after Robert Hadad, the chairman of the FIFA-appointed Normalisation committee (NC) which also comprise attorney Judy Daniel (deputy chairman) and former banker Nigel Romano (member), wrote to the membership informing them that the meeting is on and all concerns that were raised have been resolved. Justice Carol Gobin, who ruled in the TTFA favour on August 13, that the T&T High Court can hear the former TTFA executive officers' appeal against the implementation of a NC, will hear the application during a Case Management conference on Monday. In its application to the T&T High Court of Justice naming the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association as the claimant and FIFA as the defendant, has asked the court for the following: 1) taking any further steps to convene and/or conduct any meeting, on the 15th September 2020 or any other date, which purports to be an Extraordinary General Meeting of the Claimant; 2) instructing and/or directing any person or persons to seek to withdraw the instant claim and/or in any way, manner of fashion from interfering with or seeking to undermine, the instant proceedings, except by way of lawful representations made by the Defendant’s duly appointed Attorneys-at-Law or other lawful intervention 3) making use of and/or publication of the Claimant’s Official Logo, Letterhead, and Stamp/Seal; and 2. That the Defendant do pay the costs of this Application. The application has listed 20 grounds for the TTFA requests, while Williams has produced an affidavit with 20 documents which comprised among others, the membership signed petition letter dated August 28, the response from Hadad dated September 4, agreeing to convene the EGM on September 15 and the August 26 letter from general secretary of FIFA Fatma Samoura, addressed to Hadad, warning that TTFA would face sanctions if it did not withdraw the matter out of the T&T High Court by September 16. Wallace is claiming that at item 12 of his affidavit that the stakeholders meeting which the Shamfa Cudjoe, the Ministry of Sports and Community Development called on August 28, he believed was attended by Hadad, and the previous TTFA President, David John-Williams as well as other persons, was to request and convene an Extraordinary General Meeting of the TTFA. The affidavit gives a general account from the first day of FIFA's take over of T&TFA on March 17 with all relevant documents and email correspondences between parties. Wallace and his three vice presidents Joseph Sam Phillip, Clynt Taylor and Susan Joseph-Warrick and associates Keith Look Loy, the president of the T&T Super League and Anthony Harford, the president of the Northern Football Association, have always resisted FIFA's decision to implement a Normalisation committee to manage the TTFA after it enforced Article 8.2 of the FIFA Statutes which states: ‘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. The TTFA is represented by attorney Dr Emir Crowne, Matthew Gayle, Crystal Paul and Jason Jones, while FIFA's legal team is Cherie Gopie and M. Hamel-Smith & Co.
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Post by Admin on Sept 21, 2020 9:28:48 GMT
United TTFA gets new FIFA deadline - September 23
WALTER ALIBEY The T&T Football Association was today, given a revised deadline of September 23 to drop all matters in the court against the sport's world governing body-FIFA, or face suspension. FIFA General Secretary Fatma Samoura in a letter addressed to the chairman of the Normalisation Committee Robert Hadad on Friday, stated: "Given the seriousness of the matter addressed therein, the FIFA Council has decided to give a final deadline to the relevant parties to withdraw all types of claims against FIFA before the T&T courts and comply with all their obligations under the FIFA Statutes, in particular art 57 et seqq of the FIFA Statutes, by September 23 at 15:00 AST (21:00 CET). Failure to comply with this directive within this revised deadline will result in the matter being brought to the attention of the relevant FIFA bodies to decide on the suspension of the TTFA." Her letter comes in the heels after the T&T public was expecting the TTFA was going to be sanctioned at the FIFA Congress which is taking place at the FIFA headquarters in Switzerland. However, the agenda for the Congress showed no suspensions or expulsions, which meant the TTFA, led by former president William Wallace and including vice presidents Clynt Taylor, Joseph Sam Phillip and Susan Joseph-Warrick, was given another opportunity to make things right with the FIFA. On August 26th, Samoura issued a letter to Hadad, warning the TTFA they would be banned if they did not drop the court matter and accept the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) in Lausanne, Switzerland as the jurisdiction for the settlement of all disputes among Member Associations. The TTFA has been challenging a decision by the FIFA to install a normalisation committee on March 17, thereby replacing them (TTFA) as the duly elected executive to run the affairs of TT football. To date, Wallace and his team which is trading as the United TTFA, has had favourable fortunes with T&T High court judge Carol Gobin, who has ruled on August 13, that the local court can hear the matter involving both parties. Both parties are now before the Court of Appeal with the matter to be heard on October 21. However, FIFA is expected to file their defence by today or the High court matter which starts on October 9. Wallace and his executive were replaced by Hadad as chairman, attorney Judy Daniel (deputy chairman), and retired banker Nigel Romano as the administrators of T&T football through the Normalisation Committee.
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Post by Admin on Sept 21, 2020 9:34:16 GMT
Hadad: Let's pray for TT's footballJONATHAN RAMNANANSINGH YESTERDAY newsday.co.tt/2020/09/20/hadad-lets-pray-for-tts-football/Robert Hada CHAIRMAN of the FIFA-appointed normalisation committee Robert Hadad believes divine intervention may be the only solution to help save the TT Football Association (TTFA) from escaping possible sanctions from the sport’s global governing body. Owing to the ongoing legal entanglement between FIFA and the ousted TTFA executive, Hadad, like many other local football enthusiasts, breathed a sigh of relief when there was no mention of the debacle by FIFA president Gianni Infantino during his address to Congress on Friday. Since the removal of TTFA president William Wallace and his vice-presidents from the helm of the local fraternity, in March, after just three months in charge, the ejected administrators are contesting the legality of FIFA’s decision to dethrone the executive and install the Hadad-led committee to run its daily affairs. According to FIFA, the decision to remove TTFA’s top-order was based on its “low financial management methods” and “massive debt.” Wallace is the head of the United TTFA team that successfully challenged for leadership of the TTFA in November 2019. Its ousted members are Clynt Taylor, Susan Joseph-Warrick and Joseph Sam Phillip. On September 14, Justice Carol Gobin, in the Port of Spain High Court, granted an injunction to the United TTFA to stop Tuesday’s proposed Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM), which was called by the normalisation committee to deal with United TTFA’s legal battle against FIFA. FIFA, however, on August 26, gave the United TTFA a deadline of September 16 to withdraw their case from the TT High Court and have it heard at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), or face disciplinary action (either a ban or suspension) at Friday’s FIFA Congress. When this matter was overlooked at Congress, a letter was sent out on the same day by FIFA secretary general Fatma Samoura to Hadad which gave TT a final deadline of September 23 “to withdraw all types of claims against FIFA before the TT courts and comply with the obligations under the FIFA statutes. “Failure to comply with this directive within this revised deadline will result in the matter being brought to the attention of the relevant FIFA bodies to decide on the suspension of the TTFA (TT Football Association).” On this most recent statement to the ousted executive by FIFA, Hadad kept his words short but called on TT’s football loyalists to lift the future of the sport in prayer as the possibility of suspension or expulsion still looms. “I’m just happy we lived to fight another day,” he said after the legal matter was not discussed at Congress. “Join me in saying some prayers for this country’s football. That’s all I could ask for anyone to do,” he added. When pressed further for a comment on FIFA’s exclusion of the matter at Congress and future of TT football, Hadad replied, “I don’t want to make any comment more because this is a court matter. I don’t really want to say anything at this point. Bear with me until we see what happens on Wednesday.” United TTFA, however, has stood their ground against FIFA and remain undeterred by the new deadline date set by the governing body. According to United TTFA member, Keith Look Loy, the United TTFA has no intention of withdrawing its case from the local court even though they risk FIFA sanctions. If the TT High Court rules in favour of Wallace’s regime and deems the installation of the normalisation committee illegal, thus confirming Wallace’s administration as legitimate leaders of TTFA, an Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) will be held to deliberate the fraternity’s leadership moving forward. This was revealed in a document issued by removed TTFA president Wallace, on Wednesday. They remain confident of a legal victory but the statement also read, "Should United TTFA not withdraw its High Court case against FIFA, we expect the matter to be settled in October. If the High Court decides against TTFA, we here pledge that we shall drop the matter and not pursue any appeal.”
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Post by Admin on Sept 23, 2020 8:12:54 GMT
TTFA to drop FIFA case in local court
News Desk guardian.co.tt/news/ttfa-to-drop-fifa-case-in-local-court-6.2.1218151.f54c066f51After several months of legal wrangling between the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) and FIFA, the local body has now decided to withdraw its court matter against the world body following an informal virtual meeting on Tuesday night convened by ousted TTFA president William Wallace and his executives. Sources who were part of the two-hour online Zoom meeting attended by 32 of the 47 TTFA delegates, said a vote on the issue saw 21 delegates voting to drop the case, eight wanted it to continue while three abstained from voting. This means that Wallace and his team will now withdraw the matter from the High Court "There was a popular consensus not to go down a particular road. It would have been morally wrong for anyone to ignore that matter," one source who attended the meeting, which started at 7 pm, told Guardian Media. Another source said the vote by many delegates was made out of fear of a possible FIFA sanction and hinged on the upcoming 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup in which T&T was listed as one of the six pre-seeded teams along with Cuba, Haiti, Guatemala, Bermuda and Guadeloupe. As the vote suggests, not all were happy with the decision. "We came so far and now this. Why did we fold to FIFA?" said one disappointed delegate who voted to continue the court action. The meeting reportedly started with some controversy as some delegates claimed they were not invited, believing the United TTFA team had initially invited mostly their supporters. Brent Sancho, the acting chairman of T&T Pro League, told the meeting the TTFA had reached out to some members who did not have the voting power and named some of them. Wallace and his vice presidents - Clynt Taylor, Sam Phillip and Susan Joseph-Warrick – had challenged FIFA's decision to implement a Normalisation Committee to replace their executive just four months after they had been elected into office over then-president David John-Williams’ team. On September 11, Wallace’s team filed an injunction to block the membership from the Extraordinary General Meeting where the same issue was to be discussed and were successful in getting the injunction. Guardian Media Sports recently reported that there had been support from more than 51 per cent of the TTFA membership for an EGM to vote for Wallace and his team to drop litigation in local courts against FIFA and move the matter to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), which like FIFA is based in Switzerland, and also recognise the Normalisation Committee headed by businessman Robert Hadad. At the same time, High Court Judge Carol Gobin had also ruled that its case against FIFA could be held in the T&T courts and not at the Court of Arbitration (CAS), as according to FIFA regulations. The TTFA was initially given an initial deadline of September 16 to withdraw the local court matter by FIFA General Secretary Fatma Samoura. Last Friday, however, after the matter of a possible ban on the TTFA was not raised at the FIFA Congress, Samoura issued another warning with a revised September 23 date to drop the court case or the matter would have been sent to the relevant FIFA bodies to decide on suspension of the TTFA. Afterward, Sancho said he will now wait to see how genuine the United TTFA is about finding a solution to the problems within the organisation. He said at the end of the day, a decision has to be made. n
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Post by Admin on Sept 24, 2020 17:44:29 GMT
TTFA files for withdrawal, misses FIFA deadline
William Wallace former SSFL president and elected TTFA president. guardian.co.tt/sports/ttfa-files-for-withdrawal-misses-fifa-deadline-6.2.1219013.a7915a6c3cEmbattled T&T Football Association (TTFA) president William Wallace and his United TTFA executive team's decision to withdraw their controversial case against FIFA is yet to be officially recognised. Guardian Media Sports understands that while the group's legal team filed a notice of the application to withdraw the case, just before FIFA's revised ultimatum of 3 pm (TT Time), on Wednesday afternoon, it would not be actually withdrawn until the application is dealt with by Justice Carol Gobin, who is presiding over the case. The application can either be dealt with in the absence of the parties with the decision being subsequently sent by Gobin or can be dealt with on October 9, when she was expected to referee the trial of the case. The trial date could also be brought forward in order to resolve the issue. In an affidavit attached to the application, which was obtained by Guardian Media Sports, Wallace sought to explain his and his team's decision to grudgingly withdraw their case. "To ask this court for permission to withdraw this claim on the day before Republic Day (September 24), and in so doing tacitly accepting that football in T&T continues to be at the whims and fancy of the Defendant, who is bullying and coercing the TTFA into bending its knee, makes me feel physically sick," Wallace said. "It is one of the hardest things I have ever had to do," he added. Wallace, the former president of the Secondary School Football League (SSFL) suggested that their decision was based on feedback from TTFA stakeholders, which was solicited after he and his team noted strange developments in the sport regionally. He said on Monday he was informed that FIFA regional affiliate CONCACAF had scheduled the draw for its 2021 Gold Cup for this weekend. "I can say that this is unusual because the Gold Cup (held every two years) is not until July 2021 and normally the draw usually happens approximately two months before the tournament," Wallace said. He admitted that it was this that led him and his team to call the meeting on Tuesday as a possible suspension would mean no chance of participation in the tournament. In a separate but related press release issued yesterday, the executive expressed similar sentiments and noted that 21 stakeholders voted for them to withdraw the action, while eight voted for it to continue. Three abstained. In his court filings, Wallace, a former national team manager, claimed that despite the vote many members agreed that FIFA was acting in bad faith by seeking to compel them to withdraw under the threat of the association and by extension, the country, being suspended and other sanctions. "My firm view is that they are acting out of fear and not in the long-term best interests of the TTFA," he said. He also suggested that FIFA's action may be also related to a recent investigative piece by Guardian Media investigative journalist Mark Bassant on the construction of the TTFA's Home of Football, which was largely funded by FIFA during his predecessor David John-Williams' tenure. "There was significant evidence coming out of that piece, and subsequent pieces that the Defendant was complicit in these acts, which only serves to confirm my initial view, and that of my Executive, that the Normalisation Committee was purportedly appointed by the Defendant because I had promised to footballing community and by extension Trinidad and Tobago, to excuse and root out corruption and instil transparency and accountability in at the Claimant," he said. Through the lawsuit, Wallace and his three vice presidents — Clynt Taylor, Joseph Sam Phillips, and Susan Joseph-Warrick were seeking a declaration that the decision to remove them on March 17, and replace them with a committee comprising of businessman Robert Hadad, attorney Judy Daniel, and retired banker Nigel Romano was null, void, and of no legal or binding effect. They were also seeking a permanent injunction barring FIFA from meddling in the TTFA's affairs by allegedly seeking to circumvent the democratic process by removing duly elected executive members. Wallace and his team initially brought proceedings against FIFA in the Court for Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in April but were forced to withdraw in May as they could not pay the 40,000 Swiss francs (TT$276,000) in associated costs. Their position was partly due to FIFA's policy to not pay its share of the fees and CAS's rules, which require the other party to pay the full costs when the other fails in its obligations. After the case was filed, FIFA applied for it to be struck out as it claimed that the TTFA by virtue of its membership with FIFA agreed to forgo all legal action in local courts in favour of proceedings before the CAS. The application was initially blanked by Gobin, who ruled that the local courts were the appropriate forum to resolve the dispute. FIFA appealed with a hearing set for October 21. While the appeal was still pending, Gobin set the date for the trial of the case for October 9 and gave FIFA an extension to file its defence. FIFA failed to meet the deadline as it maintained its position that it did not accept the jurisdiction of the court in the matter. Wallace and his team also obtained an injunction against the normalisation committee after it attempted to facilitate an extraordinary meeting among members to vote to withdraw the case. The injunction, which will remain in place until discharged by Gobin, was not opposed by FIFA and was granted. Wallace and his colleagues are being represented by Dr Emir Crowne, Matthew Gayle, Crystal Paul, and Jason Jones, while Christopher Hamel-Smith, Jonathan Walker and Cherie Gopie are appearing for FIFA.
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Post by Admin on Sept 24, 2020 17:49:19 GMT
Membership forces United TTFA to surrender
by Walter Alibey Yesterday Thu Sep 24 2020 guardian.co.tt/sports/membership-forces-united-ttfa-to-surrender-6.2.1218929.433fedd710United TTFA president William Wallace, third from left, is flanked by Keith Look Loy, left- TTSL Board member, Joseph Sam Phillip- vice president, Clynt Taylor- his first vice president at right, Anthony Harford- president of the NFA, second from right, Susan Joseph-Warrick, second vice president, at November 2019 Breakfast Launch for their slate. After six months of constant in-the-court battle with football's world governing body - FIFA, over the legitimacy of the appointment of a Normalisation Committee to run T&T football, the United T&T Football Association (TTFA) executive has finally given up. The group of former president William Wallace, vice presidents Clynt Taylor, Joseph Sam Phillip and Susan Joseph-Warrick, and foundation members Keith Look Loy and Anthony Harford, took the advice of local football's general membership to drop the court matter to prevent the country from facing the wrath of FIFA's sanctions, which will be equivalent to no action in any of FIFA-sanctioned tournaments such as World Cup qualifiers at youth and senior levels, no CONCACAF Gold Cup action, no Caribbean Club Championship action, no international friendly matches, and no CONCACAF or FIFA appointments for local officials to any international competitions. With a FIFA deadline set for 3 pm (TT Time) on Wednesday, Wallace and his team called a Zoom meeting among the membership on Tuesday night and conducted a vote to decide who were in favour of ending the court matter as requested by FIFA, and who wanted to continue the fight, a process that resulted in 21 members voting to drop the case and eight against while three abstained. Guardian Media Sports was reliably informed that during a meeting of the United TTFA members late Tuesday night, four out of the six members- Joseph-Warrick, Look Loy, Harford and Sam- Phillip voted to discontinue the fight against FIFA, while Taylor and Wallace held firm to fight against FIFA injustice. Wallace could not be contacted for a comment on Wednesday, but a release from the United TTFA, bearing the names of the four members who agreed to drop the case, confirmed the decision of the group, with Look Loy saying their legal team was in the process of handling the documentation in the court. The group in its release said: "It is fair to say that the overwhelming majority of representatives were motivated by fear of FIFA's threat to suspend TTFA. Indeed, several who voted to have the legal case withdrawn did so while openly stating their support for the principles on which United TTFA stood against FIFA. "This fear was exacerbated by the imminent draw for the 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup, to be held on September 28, from which T&T would be excluded if we were to be suspended by FIFA. A 'convenient' development for FIFA." Wallace, who resigned as the Secondary Schools Football League (SSFL) president on July 6, due to the increased workload of having to manage two organisations, led a battle that saw them pull out of the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) in Switzerland in May due to what he described as bias, and file a legal challenge against FIFA in the T&T High Court where Judge Carol Gobin ruled that the matter can be heard in the T&T courts on August 13. The parties were set to re-enter court on October 21, for an appeal of Judge Gobin's decision. But mounting pressure caused the group to fold. Following on the heels of an attempt to call an Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) by the membership on September 15, a day before FIFA first deadline, Wallace file an injunction on September 11 and Judge Gobin granted it four days later, stopping the meeting from taking place. The TTFA was spare the early wrath of the FIFA when the Bureau of the FIFA Council opted to hand the TTFA a revised deadline of September 23 to drop the court battle by 3 pm TT Time or face suspension. Here's the full text of the TTFA released yesterday, giving the reasons from dropping the case: UNITED TTFA ENDS ACTION AGAINST FIFA <Good leaders sometimes follow> On Tuesday 22 United TTFA met TTFA members to discuss FIFA's second deadline for ending our challenge to its Normalization Committee (Wednesday 23). Of the participating member representatives, twenty one (21) called on United TTFA to end its legal challenge to FIFA, while eight (8) were in favour of it being continued and three (3) abstained. We, the signatories, accept this call. It is fair to say that the overwhelming majority of representatives were motivated by fear of FIFA's threat to suspend TTFA. Indeed, several who voted to have the legal case withdrawn did so while openly stating their support for the principles on which United TTFA stood against FIFA. This fear was exacerbated by the imminent draw for the 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup, to be held on 28 September, from which Trinidad and Tobago would be excluded if we were to be suspended by FIFA. A "convenient" development for FIFA. The signatories to this statement have decided to follow the clear wish of the membership. President William Wallace and first Vice President Clynt Taylor have advised us that they have instructed our legal representatives to withdraw the High Court claim against FIFA. <Promised platform> On taking office the Wallace administration's immediate priorities were, 1) debt service, 2) internal restructuring and reform, 3) activation of all national teams, 4) introduction of youth, coach and administrator development programmes, 5) holding the former administration to account. Our four months in office saw significant strides in most of these areas. <FIFA invasion> The imposition of FIFA's Normalisation Committee aborted the progress so quickly achieved. We reiterate our view that this was a move intended to suppress the revelation of financial mismanagement and malfeasance by the former TTFA president, to which FIFA turned a blind eye. The unexpected Mark Bassant documentary, "TTFA's Secret Panama Trail" has stymied FIFA's self-interested plan and placed the matter squarely before the public and the police. <United resistance> United TTFA surprised FIFA and everyone else by resisting FIFA in the local court. Twice now the High Court has ruled in favour of United TTFA and the rule of Law in T&T, which has immensely frustrated bullying FIFA. Importantly, Justice Gobin ruled that the High Court of T&T has proper jurisdiction over the dispute between the parties. FIFA's frustration with our Court, which it said it would never accept, peaked in it's failure, by the deadline of Friday 18 September, to file a defence in the High Court against United TTFA's claim that FIFA has no authority to remove the Wallace administration. FIFA has no defence so it took its ball and went home. The High Court would hear that case on 9 October and would award a default judgement that would confirm the Wallace administration in office. Now FIFA, in a remarkable display of double standard, demands United TTFA drop our already won case in the High Court while it has filed a case against us in the Appeal Court. <Fear of FIFA> In its struggle for justice, United TTFA made seven unsuccessful attempts to hold talks with FIFA between March and September. When we began this journey we had majority support from a broad cross section of football - regional associations, the women's and schools leagues. We thank all who donated finance to support our legal fees. The second FIFA deadline and the desire to participate in the draw for the 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup have changed the balance of power. People see CONCACAF's move but fear FIFA's big stick and missing the tournament. <We stood our ground> We end our just action in order to avoid further victimization of Trinidad and Tobago football. We have stood for Democracy, National Sovereignty and the rule of Law against FIFA's bullying tactics, blatant intimidation and extortion. We leave without fear of FIFA knowing that: 1) T&T Law rules supreme in our sovereign state and the jurisdiction of our courts is established 2) the legitimacy of the Wallace administration was upheld as FIFA was forced to flee the local court 3) the last administration is now being held to account 4) change will inevitably come to the monopoly of power granted to FIFA by its member associations That said, we caution T&T that the owners of football have voluntarily agreed to cede the right to govern ourselves to FIFA. We caution that FIFA is now and hereafter the final arbiter of who will be the government of local football. This makes a sham of our sovereignty. It may not matter to some, but our football has been colonised. We call on our supporters to be vigilant and we wish TTFA the best of success. Susan Joseph-Warrick, Second VP Joseph Sam Phillip, Third VP Anthony Harford Keith Look Loy
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Post by Admin on Sept 24, 2020 17:53:54 GMT
Wallace: I was not mentally ready to sign
JELANI BECKLES 20 HRS AGO Former TTFA presxident William Wallace. - newsday.co.tt/2020/09/23/wallace-i-was-not-mentally-ready-to-sign/FORMER president of the TT Football Association (TTFA) and leader of the United TTFA William Wallace said he was not “mentally ready” to include his name on a media release saying that United TTFA decided to withdraw its legal matter against FIFA. In an interview with Newsday, Wallace said, “I took a decision that I was not ready to sign any document, but if the team wanted to send one out that it (must) go out but I was not ready mentally to sign the document.” A media release was sent by the United TTFA, at 1 pm, on Wednesday. Wednesday was the United TTFA's deadline to withdraw their matter from the High Court. The United TTFA release did not include the names of Wallace and Clynt Taylor. The release was issued by second vice-president Susan Joseph-Warrick, third vice-president Joseph Sam Phillip, Anthony Harford and Keith Look Loy. The United TTFA is not considering taking the matter to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. Pressed more about why he was not ready to include his name, Wallace said, “When you say you are not ready mentally that is sometimes what you can’t explain because it is a mental thing. It is a sense of readiness you know.” United TTFA was fighting FIFA’s decision to remove the executive of the United TTFA in March and appoint a normalisation committee to run local football. The normalisation committee is led by local businessman Robert Hadad. FIFA was threatening to suspend TT if the United TTFA continued their fight against them.
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Post by Admin on Sept 25, 2020 5:51:13 GMT
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Post by Admin on Sept 25, 2020 18:36:49 GMT
United TTFA continues legal battle with FIFA
JADA LOUTOO 2 HRS AGO newsday.co.tt/2020/09/25/united-ttfa-continues-legal-battle-with-fifa/United TTFA members William Wallace, left, and Keith Look Loy, right, smile after Wallace was voted TTFA president in November last year. A DAY after world governing body for football FIFA sanctioned TT, suspending it from international football, United TTFA sought to withdraw its withdrawal of its lawsuit against the FIFA. In another twist to the legal battle, the William Wallace-led United TTFA remains adamant that its challenge should be played out in the local courts since it is a statutory body. On Friday, United TTFA’s attorneys Dr Emir Crowne, Matthew Gayle, Crystal Paul and Jason Jones filed a notice to withdraw its application for permission to withdraw its claim which is set to be heard before Justice Carol Gobin in October. On Wednesday, United TTFA missed its deadline by two minutes to withdraw the claim which challenges FIFA’s decision to appoint a normalisation committee in March to control the affairs of local football. The TTFA’s ousted president, William Wallace, and his executives, said in his application on Wednesday, he was hesitant in agreeing to withdraw the legal matter against FIFA because the world football body will continue to have its way with TT football. A TTFA membership meeting was held on Tuesday night, on the eve of FIFA's deadline, which allowed the TTFA membership to unofficially vote if they wanted the United TTFA to continue its court matter against FIFA. A media release was sent by the United TTFA at 1 pm on Wednesday, confirming the decision to withdraw the matter.
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Post by Admin on Sept 25, 2020 18:37:36 GMT
They have withdrawn the withdrawl......SMH!!!
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Post by Admin on Sept 29, 2020 7:30:48 GMT
TTFA to file CAS submissions on Oct 5 guardian.co.tt/sports/ttfa-to-file-cas-submissions-on-oct-5-6.2.1223918.1f526eb71aThe determination of an application for a stay of FIFA's decision to suspend the T&T Football Association (TTFA) has been deferred. Guardian Media Sports understands that when lawyers representing embattled TTFA president William Wallace and his remaining executive members applied to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) based in Lausanne, Switzerland, for the temporary injunction on Friday, they requested that it be determined before Concacaf's 2021 Gold Cup draw in Miami, Florida, USA at 8 pm on Monday. However, as Concacaf subsequently agreed to hold this country's place until December 18, in the hope that the suspension is eventually lifted by then, there was no longer an urgent need for a hearing on the stay. Sources told Guardian Media Sports, that FIFA's lawyers will now file their submissions against the stay on October 5, before it is determined by the CAS. The date for the filing of submissions comes four days before Wallace and his team's controversial lawsuit against FIFA, which was the catalyst for the suspension, comes up for trial before Justice Carol Gobin on October 9. Last Wednesday, Wallace and his team missed FIFA's extended 3:00 pm deadline for withdrawing the case as their application was filed at 3:23.57 pm (TT Time) which was minutes after the deadline had elapsed and was not served or determined by Gobin. After FIFA announced the indefinite suspension (T&T Republic Day) the following day, Wallace filed another application seeking to withdraw the initial withdrawal application, in which he admitted that he was grudgingly discontinuing the case based on a majority vote during an emergency meeting between his team and stakeholders. (21 votes to withdraw; 8 to continue and 3 abstained). The legal manoeuvre coincided with an announcement from Wallace's second vice president Susan Joseph-Warrick, that she resigned as president of the women's body and as the TTFA second vice president. On Thursday night, Concacaf announced that its council had met and agreed to conditionally keep T&T's place in the draw. In the event, that the suspension is not lifted by either FIFA or the CAS by 5:00 pm on December 18, T&T will be replaced by Antigua and Barbuda as the next highest-ranked team based on performances during the 2019 Concacaf Nations League. Through the lawsuit, Wallace and his three vice presidents — Clynt Taylor, Joseph Sam Phillips, and Joseph-Warrick are seeking a declaration that the decision to remove them in March and replace them with a Normalisation Committee (NC) comprising of businessman Robert Hadad, attorney Judy Daniel, and retired banker Nigel Romano as a member, was null, void, and of no legal or binding effect. They were also seeking a permanent injunction barring FIFA from meddling in the TTFA's affairs by allegedly seeking to circumvent the democratic process by removing duly elected executive members. Wallace and his team initially brought proceedings against FIFA in the CAS in but were forced to withdraw in May as they could not pay the 40,000 Swiss francs (TT$276,000) in associated costs. Their position was partly due to FIFA's policy to not pay its share of the fees and CAS's rules, which require the other party to pay the full costs when the other fails in its obligations. Sources said that the costs associated with the application for injunctive relief, which is currently before the CAS, are considerably less than for the substantive appeal. After the local case was filed, FIFA applied for it to be struck out as it claimed that the TTFA, by virtue of its membership with FIFA, agreed to forgo all legal action in local courts in favour of proceedings before the CAS. The application was initially blanked by Gobin, who ruled that the local courts were the appropriate forum to resolve the dispute. FIFA appealed with a hearing set for October 21. While the appeal was still pending, Gobin set the date for the trial of the case on October 9 and gave FIFA an extension to file its defence. FIFA failed to meet the deadline as it maintained its position that it did not accept the jurisdiction of the court in the matter. Its decision means that its legal team would now have limited scope to challenge the substantive case when it goes to trial before Gobin. Wallace and his team also obtained an injunction against the normalisation committee after it attempted to facilitate an extraordinary general meeting (EGM) among members to vote to withdraw the case. The injunction, which will remain in place until discharged by Gobin, was not opposed by FIFA and was granted. Wallace and his colleagues are being represented by Dr Emir Crowne, Matthew Gayle, Crystal Paul, and Jason Jones, while Christopher Hamel-Smith, Jonathan Walker and Cherie Gopie are appearing for FIFA.
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Post by Admin on Sept 30, 2020 6:40:26 GMT
SPORTS Sheppard wants good sense to prevail as technical staff still unpaid
JOEL BAILEY 23 HRS AGO newsday.co.tt/2020/09/29/sheppard-wants-good-sense-to-prevail-as-technical-staff-still-unpaid/TT football coaches Richard Hood, from left, Wayne Sheppard, Angus Eve and Clayton Morris at Fatima Grounds, Mucurapo. The coaches were among the national coaches who met with the normalisation committee in August. PHOTO BY JELANI BECKLES - TT football coaches Richard Hood, from left, Wayne Sheppard, Angus Eve and Clayton Morris at Fatima Grounds, Mucurapo. The coaches were among the national coaches who met with the normalisation committee in August. PHOTO BY JELANI BECKLES - WAYNE Sheppard, assistant coach of the TT men’s Under-15 football team, wants good sense to prevail as technical staff members of the various men’s and women’s squads are yet to be paid by the FIFA-appointed normalisation committee. Sheppard and fellow members of the Coaches Steering Committee (Clayton Morris, Angus Eve, Richard Hood and Jefferson George), issued a letter to the United TTFA head, former TTFA (TT Football Association) president William Wallace on Monday. In August, the coaches met with the normalisation committee and were promised that their outstanding salaries would be dealt with. The coaches were appointed to the various national teams by the TTFA between December 2019 and February 2020. The letter, which was released to the media, said, “In previous newspaper articles and interviews, you and other members of the United TTFA have indicated that you were not opposed to the office staff and coaches being paid by FIFA or Concacaf and would not interfere or act in any manner to negatively affect the payment of staff.” The letter continued, “On Saturday 26th September, however, we were informed by the normalisation committee that FIFA is unwilling to make these payments because of the reinstated court action by the United TTFA.” The United TTFA, on Friday, resumed their court matter against FIFA, regarding FIFA’s decision to suspend TT from international matches and competition, based on the United TTFA’s late response to withdraw their legal action from the local High Court. “We, the national staff members, would appreciate hearing from you how you can assist us with regard to our remuneration in the existing circumstances,” the letter ended. Sheppard said on Monday, “I have said from the beginning that we’re confident we would be paid. The key part was coming to some sort of agreement with the normalisation committee, which we did. Mr Wallace and the United TTFA has said that they wouldn’t stand in the way of us getting paid, and now is the time to honour those words.” Sheppard continued, “People have been without salaries, without pay for the better part of (a) year. So that means there are households who are suffering, which is only exacerbated by the pandemic. We can’t go out and work otherwise. The sooner it ends, the better. I’m seeing light at the end of the tunnel. “I’m hoping to get an answer from (United TTFA) that stays true to their word and allows this process to come to an end. Not just the coaches but the players are in the same boat as well. A lot of people are forgetting the players, especially the players who are here in (TT) who can’t play any football as well. We’re hoping for them, as well as us, that the end of this struggle is near.” Wallace, on the other hand, thinks that the normalisation committee is using this latest legal move by the United TTFA as a reason to avoid paying the TT technical staff. “It is passing strange that the court action is now being blamed for not paying the coaches when the court action has been there for quite a long time,” said Wallace. “As far as I know, the head of the normalisation committee (Robert Hadad) met with the coaches and promised payment. It is strange that they have now gone back to saying that the matter being in court is what’s stopping the coaches from being paid. Any monies that comes from FIFA goes to the normalisation committee.” Wallace added, “The court matter can’t stop anything from coming to the normalisation committee. Why are they blaming the court matter? If the monies (are) coming from FIFA, the monies to pay the office staff, then what is the difference? I’m not sure, I’m confused.” According to Wallace, “This is more than an excuse. Everything is being used to put pressure on us to act in a particular way. We expect that and, given that the matter is still in the court, and given that probably the court matter is two weeks away, we expect there will be sustained pressure between now and then. But that’s okay. We are standing firm at this point in time.”
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Post by Admin on Oct 6, 2020 23:00:26 GMT
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Post by Admin on Oct 9, 2020 9:13:21 GMT
SPORTS Justice Gobin set to rule on United TTFA's challenge
JONATHAN RAMNANANSINGH 3 HRS AGO newsday.co.tt/2020/10/09/justice-gobin-set-to-rule-on-united-ttfas-challenge/In this file photo taken on June 2, 2015, the FIFA logo is pictured at the FIFA headquarters in Zurich. (AFP PHOTO) - In this file photo taken on June 2, 2015, the FIFA logo is pictured at the FIFA headquarters in Zurich. (AFP PHOTO) - WAS FIFA’s decision to remove William Wallace and his executive from the helm of the TT Football Association (TTFA), in March and install a normalisation committee a violation of TTFA’s democratically elected process? Or was it justified? These questions are expecetd to be answered when attorneys representing both organisations appear before High Court judge Carol Gobin in a virtual court hearing at 9.30 am on Friday. Justice Gobin’s ruling, if any, may return Wallace’s regime to the top of local football, although the sport’s global governing body, in a letter issued on Tuesday, insisted “the only legitimate leadership of the TTFA, recognised by FIFA and CONCACAF, is the one led by Robert Hadad,” chairman of the normalisation committee. Gobin is not mandated to give a final decision on this matter on Friday. FIFA’s decision to remove Wallace’s administration was due to the TTFA's mounting debt, which was TT $50 million. On September 24, TT was indefinitely suspended from all FIFA-sanctioned tournaments “due to grave violations of the FIFA Statutes.” FIFA’s statement said the suspension was prompted by the ousted administration lodging a claim before a local court to contest the decision of the FIFA Council to appoint a normalisation committee for the TTFA. “This course of action was in direct breach of article 59 of the FIFA Statutes, which expressly prohibits recourse to ordinary courts unless specifically provided for in the FIFA regulations.” FIFA’s September 24 statement also said, “The decision of the former leadership to go to a local court to contest the appointment of the normalisation committee jeopardises not only the future of football in TT but also endangers the overall global football governance structure, which relies on the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) as the exclusive forum for resolving disputes of this nature. “The relevant parties were initially given until 16 September to withdraw the case but failed to do so. This deadline was then extended until 23 September, which was not respected either. In the circumstances, the Bureau of the FIFA Council has decided to suspend the TTFA.” On September 25, Wallace’s United TTFA team, after previously questioning the impartiality of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Switzerland, has returned to the Swiss-based court to fight FIFA’s suspension. Wallace’s team initially complied with FIFA’s request but withdrew from the legal fight at 3.02 pm on September 23 – two minutes after the 3 pm deadline set by the world body – to escape suspension proceedings. FIFA, however, showed no leniency. On Tuesday, it issued a reminder that the suspension must be lifted by noon (TT time) on December 18 or else TT will be withdrawn from participation in the Concacaf World Cup qualifiers. United TTFA will now fight the FIFA suspension at CAS and, on September 24, “gave instructions to the TTFA attorneys to file an emergency appeal with CAS, challenging the sole issue of suspension.” This was revealed in a document Wallace issued on September 25, which said, “The TTFA attorneys also filed the relevant documents to continue with the claim before the High Court of Justice (TT) since this is the only way that we can legitimise our application to CAS.” CAS was rejected by the United TTFA during the early stages of the legal battle, as its attorneys Dr Emir Crowne and Matthew Gayle claimed that a “number of irregularities have arisen, irregularities that have caused their clients to believe their right to a fair hearing has been impinged.” After the normalisation committee was appointed in March, Wallace’s team took FIFA to CAS. Two weeks later, the ousted executive (which includes vice-presidents Clynt Taylor and Joseph Sam Phillip) turned to the High Court in its fight, although, according to FIFA’s statutes, the matter was mandated to be heard at CAS.
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