Browne: Trinidad and Tobago football in shambles and lacks proper vision and transparency

“The sad reality today is the TTFA is in shambles, with a lack of proper vision, poor administration, poor management, no accountability or transparency, generating enormous debt and without the major focus of development of a proper football product on the field of play by our national teams.”

The following Letter to the Editor on the state of Trinidad and Tobago football was submitted to Wired868 by Veteran Footballers Federation of Trinidad and Tobago (VFFOTT) president Selby Browne:

Photo: Trinidad and Tobago midfielder Nathaniel Garcia (centre) is deep in thought as Guyana players celebrate behind him during international friendly action at the Ato Boldon Stadium in Couva on 14 November 2017.
(Courtesy Chevaughn Christopher/Wired868)

As the FIFA World Cup 2018 approaches its start on 14 June in Moscow, the situation of the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) is sad for me.

I have long advocated that our vision must be to return Trinidad and Tobago football to No 1 position in the Concacaf on the field, which would be achieved with proper management, structure, technical development, accountability [and] international funding—to produce the quality, world-class football we once demonstrated back in the early 1970s and of which we are fully capable.

The fact is the TTFA will be in Moscow to participate solely at the FIFA Congress on June 13th and not to participate on the field of play in the prestigious FIFA World Cup football competition.

The sad reality today is the TTFA is in shambles, with a lack of proper vision, poor administration, poor management, no accountability or transparency, generating enormous debt and without the major focus of development of a proper football product on the field of play by our national teams.

Photo: TTFA president David John-Williams (centre), media officer Shaun Fuentes (left) and new Soca Warriors coach Dennis Lawrence at the TTFA headquarters on 30 January 2017.
(Copyright Allan V Crane/TTFA)

The Veteran Footballers Federation of Trinidad and Tobago laments the squashed opportunity of qualifying for the FIFA WC 2018, based on poor administrative decisions with respect to coaching appointments and technical staff for the men’s national teams—further manifested by the abandonment of a world-class women’s coach and technical staff, capable of taking the national team to the Women’s World Cup.

The fact is while the FIFA Congress is taking place in Moscow on 13th June, the business of the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) will be determined by its membership with judgement on the failure of the TTFA to provide “pellucidly clear answers with evidence” to the myriad of questions presented for answers since 5 July 2017.

The membership judgement on the poor administration, poor management, no accountability or transparency, generating enormous debt, and outright incompetent lawlessness of the TTFA will be eventually decided on the eve of the start of the FIFA World Cup, which will hopefully provide the removal of the discarded era of the Football Administration “Onemanism” and herald the adherence to the dictates of the new TTFA Constitution, eventually passed in July 2015—long championed by the Veteran Footballers Foundation of Trinidad and Tobago (VFFOTT).

I look forward with optimism to the start of a New Day for the vision, structure and administration of football in Trinidad and Tobago.

Photo: VFFOTT president Selby Browne.
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25 comments

  1. Instead of blaming how bout fixing it

  2. Hungry people will do anything to eat and will take anything that comes their way.

  3. So a year ago Selby Browne wrote this letter. Now he’s singing a different tune. Have things changed? T&T football is no longer in shambles? I am very curious about the seemingly about-turn Selby has made.

  4. For reference sake, what is the difference between FPATT and VFFOTT? Who are the other members of the VFFOTT executive and when is its next election?

    What is so interesting about this issue is that the Players Association and Coach’s Association were expelled for reasons that are yet to be seen or the procedure for doing so outlined.

    Does it therefore now mean that Past players have more say than Current Players on how football is run?

    Weren’t Past Players the on the executive of the FPATT?

    It is very interesting that the General Membership would ‘assist’ the non-functional Eastern Counties (administration) and choose not to assist FPATT and Coaches Association in the same way (players and coaches)!

    https://wired868.com/2018/04/22/common-sense-prevailed-ttfa-keep-non-compliant-clubs-expels-players-and-coaches-associations/

    Seemingly, some organisations of the General Membership are just part of the problem.

    How blatantly stupid am I for pointing that out to myself?

  5. Who will go to that Congress in Moscow in 2 weeks ? Is it the same fraudsters in TTFA who have not been cleared to represent us officially ? If it is so, this can only happen in Trinidad.

  6. All fingers point to the famous DJW.

  7. Are people so weary of incompetence that they have given up?

  8. What’s new?……so is the Cricket!

  9. All well and good and i am sure a lot more to be revealed in due course. However the question begs itself, after all the revelations, analysis and condemnation, WHO IS GOING TO HAVE THE VISION, SENSE OF RESPONSIBILITY, STRATEGIC APPROACH and most importantly, THE BALLS to bell the cat ? – Anything else continues to be mere ‘Ole talk’.

  10. The post-Jack Warner era. This was expected.

  11. The man right to say our football is in shambles. It’s very depressing actually to see how our football has diminished over the years. Sadly, the administrators will not see this but rather have a multitude of excuses. If these guys at the top were truly leaders, they would step down and acknowledge failure. However we know in trini that will never happen. Quite frankly they might be reelected when the time comes

  12. Everyone is to blame for this. There is no singular reason. Yes the Administration is bad. But what are the club’s doing about it? They are clamouring for change and when change is called to show up at a General meeting they don’t show.
    You like it so.

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