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FIFA extends Normalisation Committee control of TTFA until 2023

www.guardian.co.tt/sports/fifa-extends-normalisation-committee-control-of-ttfa-until-2023-6.2.1431603.45fce4098b


FIFA has extended the control of the T&T Football Federation by the Robert Hadad-led Normalisation Committee until March 31, 2023.

On March 17, 2020, Fifa announced that T&T was Normalised and on March 27 Fifa appointed Hadad, the co-Chief Executive Officer of HadCo Limited as chairman of the Normalisation Committee to manage the affairs of the T&TFA along with attorney Judy Daniels, the vice-chairman and Boardroom executive Nigel Romano as an ordinary member. In March this year Fifa appointed Trevor Nicholas Gomez of Massy Finance and Republic Bank director to the committee.

In a letter from FIFA's general secretary Fatma Samoura sent to Hadad on December 21, 2021, under the headline: Situation of the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association FIFA said: We are writing to inform you that the situation of the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (hereinafter: TTFA) has been brought to the attention of the Bureau of the FIFA Council (hereinafter: the Bureau).

The Bureau was reminded that in accordance with article 8 paragraph 2 of the FIFA Statutes, a normalisation committee was appointed for the TTFA, whose tasks are to run the TTFA’s daily affairs, to establish a debt repayment plan that is implementable by the TTFA administration, to review and amend the TTFA Statutes (and other regulations where necessary), and ensure their compliance with the FIFA Statutes and requirements before duly submitting them for approval to the TTFA Congress, and to organise and conduct elections of a new TTFA Executive Committee for a four-year mandate.

In addition, the Bureau was reminded that, in September 2020, in accordance with article 16 paragraph 1 of the FIFA Statutes, the TTFA was suspended with immediate effect due to the fact that members of the former Board of Directors of the T&TFA had appealed the above-mentioned decision of the Bureau before the High Court of Trinidad and Tobago.

Following the actions of FIFA, the then TTFA led by president William Wallace, together with vice-presidents Clynt Taylor, Joseph Sam Phillip and Susan Joseph-Warrick, who were elected in November 2019, launched a challenge at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in March and then to the High Courts in T&T.

That decision led FIFA to suspend the TTFA on T&T's Republic Day (September 24). However, on November 19, after 57 days, according to Article 13 of the FIFA Statutes, which meant that T&T had its membership status reinstated.

FIFA stated in November 2020, FIFA that it was informed that all claims against it before the ordinary courts of Trinidad and Tobago had been closed. Consequently, the suspension of the T&TFA was lifted with immediate effect.

The Bureau took note that the actions taken by members of the former Board of Directors of the TTFA greatly hindered and significantly impacted the work and mandate of the normalisation committee, as it had to devote considerable effort to counter such actions.

In addition, that the tasks assigned to the normalisation committee were subsequently delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and sanitary restrictions imposed by the government of Trinidad and Tobago.

The Bureau also took note that there were certain issues that led to the backlog in the normal operations of the TTFA, including finance.

This contributed to the inability to appoint an independent auditor, which in turn meant that no audited financial statements could be prepared (and thus presented); the inability to make payments directly to the TTFA’s bank account due to a high risk of garnishment, thereby restricting the TTFA from making immediate payments when necessary and having more freedom with regard to the use of the funds, and the budget cuts imposed due to the multiple claims and payment demands from creditors.

Finally, the Bureau acknowledged that in November 2021, due to the current total debts of the TTFA, the normalisation committee notified the Office of the Supervisory of Insolvency of its intention to make a proposal under the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act of Trinidad and Tobago (hereinafter: the Act).

The normalisation committee together with a Licensed Trustee under the Act will therefore manage the debt proposal process.

Under the above-described circumstances and considering all the urgent and complex challenges the TTFA is still facing, the Bureau decided on 17 December 2021 to extend the mandate of the normalisation committee until 31 March 2023 at the latest. We thank you for taking note of the above and remain at your disposal in case of queries.

Aegis accepted as TTFA auditors, membership fees waived





Selby Browne - representative for the Veteran Football Foundation

www.guardian.co.tt/sports/aegis-accepted-as-ttfa-auditors-membership-fees-waived-6.2.1452400.1a9a1f7f9b


Aegis Business Solutions, a premier outsourcing & advisory services provider in the Caribbean was on Monday accepted as the new auditing firm for the T&T Football Association.

The approval by the association's general membership at a virtual Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) is being seen as a move forward in the sport.

The endorsement means that the firm will do the football association's Financial Statements for 2020 to 2021, and 2021 to 2022.

The new auditors replace incumbent Madan Ramnarine and Company which resigned on December 31, 2021amidst a proposal by the FIFA-appointed Normalisation Committee last year for Grant Thornton Orbit Solutions (GTO) to take over as the external auditors for the financial statements for 2020 and 2021.

The latter who resides at Queen's Park West, Port-of-Spain, later pulled out following the resignation of Madan Ramnarine and Company. However, on Monday, 26 of the 28 eligible members voted in favour of having Aegis as the new auditors, while two members abstained.

Selby Browne, president of the Veteran Football Foundation of T&T told Guardian Media Sports on Tuesday that the acceptance of the Aegis is critical to the clearance of the debt that's currently crippling local football. This debt, the normalisation committee has put as a whopping $98.5 million.

Browne who made several recommendations through the VFF to fix the problems affecting the sport, further explained that there will be a waiver of fees for members when play resumes.

"The other item that came up was the question of the compliance status and the recommendation to the committee was that the fees that are now due, that are payable by the membership, be adhered to and a recommendation was made for a $2000 annual fee for the new Coaches Union that has been admitted.

I moved a motion that the fees be honoured and paid by the membership and that the 2000 fee be accepted, that motion was seconded, it went to a vote and did not find favour with the meeting," Browne explained.

He added: "There was a motion by Osmund Downer, a former FIFA referee, to have the membership fees waived for the period 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 until play had been reinstated post-COVID-19 and that was seconded and found favour with the membership."

That decision did not resonate nicely with Browne who believes the decision to waive the fees was counter-productive and reminiscent of the reasons the football association has found itself in the position it has, saying: " It is very significant from my own perspective that members, yes we can appreciate the fact that during the downtime, there was no activity and no club registration in the case of associations or zones and no membership registration in the case of clubs which would affect your finances, but one would expect that members of the tTTFA to be able to withstand or even seek an adjustment as was recommended by the south zone, to adhere to the payment only but after we restart the football.

You see it leads to the business of the TTFA being continued and conducted and the membership playing their roles and taking seriously the importance of their role in this matter at the highest forum of the TTFA. Unfortunately, it was clearly evident that this matter goes back to the several decades that caused the TTFA to be in this position that it finds itself in financially."

The outspoken football administrator was however high in praise for Acting general secretary Amiel Mohammed who he said was an advocate of communication in the TTFA which he has always called for.

It was Mohammed who led clear communication among the membership for the appointment of the new auditor, Browne said. He called for this communication to be continued on other issues such as the selection and appointment of staff and personnel by the normalisation committee.

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