Tim Kee denies sack threat for coaches; no job contracts offered

Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) president Raymond Tim Kee has not set a date by which he will offer job contracts for over two dozen technical staff members.

Tim Kee met with coaches and administrative staff for all the national teams on May 14 to respond to their concerns head-on. The football president, who is an insurance salesman by trade, said the meeting went “very well.”

Photo: Port of Spain Mayor Raymond Tim Kee. Tim Kee is also the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) president and PNM treasurer. (Courtesy Wired868)
Photo: Port of Spain Mayor Raymond Tim Kee.
Tim Kee is also the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) president and PNM treasurer.
(Courtesy Wired868)

But, in the end, there was little by way of satisfaction for the TTFA’s various technical staff members. Once more, Tim Kee suggested that the Sport Minister Brent Sancho should pay their salaries and stipends.

“The timeline (for job contracts or payment to coaches) has to be blurred because I am going to the minister to have him reconsider his stance on not paying coaches,” Tim Kee told Wired868.

He vowed to press Sancho to honour a $9.9 million Cabinet note promised to the TTFA and suggested that the Sport Minister’s stance was embarrassing Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar.

Thus far, Sancho has insisted that every State promise comes with certain stipulations.

“For every single governing body that I have, the Ministry of Sport has made some sort of promise or gesture towards payment,” said Sancho, in a previous interview. “But every body has also made a promise towards transparency and proper governance.

“Two hands must clap. They have their part to play and, if they don’t live up to it, the other hand cannot clap.”

At present, National Senior Team head coach Stephen Hart and TTFA technical director Kendall Walkes are the only technical staff members with job contracts. And Tim Kee suggested that, despite no concrete assurances to his other coaches, his meeting with the national technical staff members was a success.

Photo: Trinidad and Tobago head coach Stephen Hart (second from left) shares a light moment with assistant coach Hutson Charles (far left) and national players (from right to left) Cleon John, Kareem Moses and Curtis Gonzales during a training session in 2013. (Courtesy Wired868)
Photo: Trinidad and Tobago head coach Stephen Hart (second from left) shares a light moment with assistant coach Hutson Charles (far left) and national players (from right to left) Cleon John, Kareem Moses and Curtis Gonzales during a training session in 2013.
(Courtesy Wired868)

“It went very very well indeed,” said Tim Kee. “I made it quite clear what they are getting involved in. We have no money but we are doing things and we hope to attract benefactors.

“If anyone has a problem or wants a contract, I cannot do that… I said I don’t want people to have expectations which are far-fetched or untrue.”

The football president denied a claim, made anonymously to Wired868, that he promised to fire any technical staff member who complained to the media.


“That is a diabolical lie (and) absolute nonsense,” said Tim Kee. “What I said is we have to put a policy in place for all our national teams as far as talking to the media. We have decided that the coach and manager will talk to the media about the team. They can talk about themselves but not the team…

“After those policies are put in place, if any official (or player) breaks that policy, they will be asked to leave the team… They must first get approval from the manager and the coach.

“That was the context.”

The Sport Ministry and the TTFA were due to make their second joint statement yesterday with regards to the future relationship between the two entities. However, none was forthcoming.

Photo: Sport Minister Brent Sancho (back row, far right) poses with ECCE students. (Courtesy SPORTT)
Photo: Sport Minister Brent Sancho (back row, far right) poses with ECCE students.
(Courtesy SPORTT)

At present, the TTFA is anxious for the Sport Ministry to resume funding of its programmes while Sancho needs the football body’s approval to start a State-run Women’s Professional League, which is tentatively scheduled for mid-June.

Tim Kee is cautiously optimistic and claimed that his decision to take KPMG auditor along was a sign of good faith from the football body, which is still unable to produce the necessary audited financial documents.

“We had a fairly temperate meeting before and I expect things to be good,” Tim Kee told Wired868. “I was very forthright and I thought it finished nicely.”

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About Lasana Liburd

Lasana Liburd is the managing director and chief editor at Wired868.com and a journalist with over 20 years experience at several Trinidad and Tobago and international publications including Play the Game, World Soccer, UK Guardian and the Trinidad Express.

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22 comments

  1. Roneil K Walcott Oh really of course it will help the cause and it would have back then if Arthur Suite didn’t give in to the politicians wishes when Jack Warner realized that the Players who was banned from representing our National team and they didn’t care because they were being paid for playing in the professional league and not only getting a box of chicken and chips and a red solo whenever they represented their sweet country while the corrupted Jack Warner and the corrupted TTFA always going to the bank smiling so when the corrupted Jack Warner and the TTFA realized that they wasn’t getting our better players to represent our sweet country they called a big meeting with some politicians and Arthur Suite and then he decided to stop his professional league eh and look where our football is today and the exploitation of our players, our coaches and the sport continues. Them really good yes

  2. Maybe I do know you too, Mr. Kurtwyn Baird, and I thank you for your worthy and insightful plea. Yes, I totally agree with you regarding it being our generation’s responsibility to put things right. And, believe me, there is nothing more important to me than carrying out this duty – the youth’s future hope lies in and on us. I can do it, know what it takes, I care, I love my people (all peoples), and I see “every being as a spiritual being having a human experience”; and so the potential lies in them to be the best that they can, and truth and trust are the key keys to making this process take foot and endure. I pray each day, Kurtwyn that I never misrepresent the truth, and I hold myself accountable to this goal in many ways, but including placing on my business card the following reminder to people but especially to myself, Remaining faithful especially when no one is looking. Let me AGAIN concede to your point, we are the feet on which the youth’s future walks – we are the responsible party and accountability partner. What most people need is capable and knowledgeable people who, in truth and trust, can tell them what they know, prove to them what they do not know, encourage them to want to know those unknown things, empower them to believe in their capabilities, and teach them to recognize the most apropos opportunities and to timely seize them, I am willing and able to render myself available to spearhead any attack whose aim is to give our youth a deserving chance at actualizing their potential – they need it and deserve it! Football in T&T is the absolute best avenue and single entity for our youth as it is where our best talent lies and, it is abundant. I know where the help is needed – 1. It lies in people and businesses that would like to put worthwhile dollars in new and meaningful endeavors, 2. Others who understand that for us to undertake new assignments, we have to deal with old “debts” but are willing to gradually and diligently pay those off. Both will acquiesce if they too, see, hear, and feel, truth and trust. At 61, I consider myself confident and not arrogant, decisive but careful and caring. These come from growing into the following person – resolved, qualified, certified, knowledgeable, patient, persevering, meticulously deliberate, consistent, stern, passionate, compassionate, able to recognize individual and collective needs, and capable of recruiting and raising good, better, and best, leaders,

  3. I doubt that will help our cause though Mango

  4. And if I was the sports minister I will still carry the Women’s professional league and don’t wait on no approval from Tim Kee and his corrupted TTFA and let him call it a rebel league the same as what the corrupted Jack Warner did when Arthur Suite started the professional league . Them really good yes

  5. And the sport minister government is not obligated to pay any coaches salaries and stipends that is the responsibility of the corrupted TTFA and when they get their accounting books in order they will be able to do so when the government gives them the 9.9 million dollars. Them really good yes

  6. Now with respect to our coaches some of which do it for the love of the country,others do it for the players future and others do it for the chance of getting some extra money in the future,but as a past police officer we know not to negotiate with terrorists or terrorist behaviors because if that behavior is consistently being fed it would continue to strive.

  7. Mr Hannibal Najjar I know you and many others were part of the broken structure and I may be wrong but your generation should be the ones to channel our generation to help stop this continued Massacre on our young male and female footballers

  8. They are both Con men battling it out for a masterpiece of taxpayers money their target, not to sure with elections coming how the pendulum is going to swing 50/50 cut or no deal

  9. Appreciated. Do know that 1. I care about state of football and the hopes that can be fulfilled through this sport and, 2. I have been in this experience and I know that we can fix it – people and business want it fixed and to provide useful hope to the young and sincere. Our young people need leaders that live in the truth and trust.

  10. Long tunnel indeed; more like being blind in a dark room and looking for a black cat whose eyes are closed.

  11. It looks like a long tunnel with no end in sight. When will the TTFA ever get their house in order?! If ever! How can we expect to attract quality Coaches/Technical staff?

  12. I betcha Tim Kee has watertight contract tho

  13. Lawd. What about the reform of the FA’s Constitution ?

  14. To be fair, the media policy is needed
    And is best practise worldwide!!

  15. Fed up of coaches being treated as if they are running a charity in fact most charity organizations pay!

  16. Steups. Tired of reading these articles.

  17. I am really hoping that the sports minister stands his ground and doesn’t give in to Tim Kee’s demands because of the state run Women’s Professional football league that he needs the approval from the TTFA in order to do so and continue holding all the sporting bodies to their promise of transparency and proper governance especially the corrupted TTFA and it is really disturbing as to why the KPMG auditor is still unable to produce the necessary audited documents in order to get the 9.9 million dollars as promised my Kamla’s government. Them really good yes

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