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“Why we have chosen to respond is because your failure to plan is [affecting] promising football (soccer) players from Trinidad and Tobago, who we would welcome playing in the USA.
“[…] I will be blunt. Mr David John-Williams and the TTFA just flat out dropped the ball on the visa process.”
The following statement by US Chargé d’Affaires John McIntyre was issued in response to the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association’s (TTFA) failure to access visas for its youth team to play at the ongoing Concacaf Women’s Under-15 Championship; and TTFA president David John-Williams’ attempt to defend his body’s behaviour in the matter:
(Courtesy Allan V Crane/CA-Images/Wired868)
I, along with my embassy colleagues, rarely comment on visa matters due to the respect we have for the privacy of the applicants and our rules and regulations. However, I must respond to the Red Card commentary of Mr David John-Williams. Why we have chosen to respond is because your failure to plan is [affecting] promising football (soccer) players from Trinidad and Tobago who we would welcome playing in the USA.
In addition, your comments can adversely affect our ongoing efforts to grow our sports diplomacy programs here in T and T.
I will be blunt. Mr Williams and the TTFA just flat out dropped the ball on the visa process. Our Embassy for MONTHS noted that individuals and groups should plan well in advance for any trips to the USA.
The Trinidad and Tobago Girls Under-15 representatives approached the Embassy about visas after we were closed on Tuesday, July 31 to get their visas by Friday, August 3 with the Emancipation holiday in between.
No names or details about the visa applicants were provided. Even after games were rescheduled, there was too little time allowed, just two working days for an established 7-10 day process—not to mention that this is peak visa season when most people have to wait six weeks just for a visa interview.
(Courtesy CONCACAF)
Many groups have successfully traveled to the USA by being prepared and planning in advance. In fact, if you look at our Facebook page from a few weeks ago you will see a youth team playing in the USA at a major football (soccer) tourney.
I want to take this opportunity to again ask the Trinidad and Tobago public—as we have since April—to please plan in advance for travel to the USA.
Know, as you see in the news almost daily, we are committed to our relationship with the citizens of T and T at all levels, including sports diplomacy. Don’t let folks with cocoa in the sun mislead you.
Be well,
John McIntyre
Chargé d’Affaires
US Embassy
(Courtesy US Embassy)
Editor’s Note: TTFA president David John-Williams on his body’s failure to get visas for the National U-15 Team: “There is no guarantee that because you are playing for Trinidad and Tobago you are going to get a visa because footballers have been turned down… So, it’s a situation that Concacaf has to look at in terms of where they place these tournaments.
“[…] We applied for the visa at no different time than we would have applied previously. We made every possible representation—from the Ministry of Sport, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Concacaf, the Olympic Committee—to get a group appointment for the girls and it was really unsuccessful.”
Despite John-Williams’ claim that the visa matter was a Caribbean issue, Grenada, Guyana, Barbados, St Kitts and Nevis, Bermuda, Dominica, Jamaica, etc all got visas for the Concacaf tournament and are in the United States at present.
Click HERE for more information on the Trinidad and Tobago Women’s National Under-15 Team unsuccessful attempt to get to the Concacaf Women’s Under-15 Championship in Florida.
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When weak leaders are confronted by Data Driven Forces their culpability of ignorance is in high performance mode.
When the odds are stacked against a successful conclusion; Weak Leaders reproof others for their miscarriage of competence .The TTOC, NAAA, SOCCER ASSOCIATION, CRICKET ASSOCIATION, TABLE TENNIS ASSOCIATION, THE SPORTS COMPANY, ETC. are co-conspirators in this environment.
There is a toxic wind of lawless mindsets which is highly visible and operational in TT. This could be best described as “One and Don-Ce” Leaders without visionary know how. Their blameworthiness is shifted to others to be the custodians of their lack of protocol diplomacy and plan of action. The concept of “when it erupts we will handle it” is detrimental to our national pride. It must be eliminated from our vocabulary of conversational dialogue