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The post of Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) president will be up for grabs on Sunday 24 November 2019, as incumbent David John-Williams has finally announced an election date.
As the country buckled down today to see off Tropical Storm Karen, TTFA general secretary Camara David forwarded notice of the local football body’s elective meeting to stakeholders at roughly 7.52pm.
Article 27.1 of the TTFA Constitution states that: “The Annual General Meeting shall be held every year in the month of September. If it is not possible to hold the meeting in September, the date of the meeting by the Board of Directors on the date not later than 30th of November of the said year.”
Anyone wishing to contest the post of TTFA president or vice-president, according to David’s missive tonight, has until Tuesday 15 October to declare their candidature, which must be supported by at least one Member. The general secretariat will notify stakeholders of the official list of candidates by no later than Sunday 10 November 2019.
Article 34.6 stipulates that all candidates:
- Must have been active in football for at least three years during the five years preceding the election. This activity must have been performed in a managerial or a similar position in the territory of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago.
- May not have previously been found guilty of an indictable offence.
- Shall be nationals of and shall have permanent residence in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago.
Members are also asked to submit their selections for the TTFA’s Board of Directors by 15 October.
The Board of Directors comprises of 15 persons, according to Article 33, who are: one president, three vice-presidents, one member from each of the six zonal bodies, the Pro League (TTPL), the Trinidad and Tobago Football Referees Association (TTFRA), the Trinidad and Tobago Super League (TTSL), the Veteran Footballers Foundation of Trinidad and Tobago (VFFOTT) and one female member representing the Women’s Association.
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At present, the TTFA Board has just 13 members as vice-presidents Allan Warner and Joanne Salazar both quit and were not replaced.
There are 47 delegates allowed to vote at the TTFA elections. The Pro League has 10 delegates, the TTSL has eight, each regional association has three and the Referees and Futsal bodies have two apiece. The Secondary Schools Football League (SSFL), Primary Schools League, Beach Soccer Association, Veteran Footballers Foundation and TTAYSO have one vote apiece.
Since Club Sando and Police FC have teams with voting rights in the Pro League and TTSL competitions, they are allowed to have two delegates (votes) each.
The Players Association and Coaches Association, both considered defunct, cannot vote although there is a provision for them to eventually become active members under the constitution with one vote each.
Delegates must still be deemed compliant to be allowed to vote, which is a likely source of controversy as members often complained about the lack of transparency and competence surrounding that process.
Article 45 of the TTFA Constitution states:
- The chairman, deputy chairman and Members of the Audit and Compliance Committee shall be elected by the General Meeting upon the proposal of the Board of Directors for a period of four years and may only be relieved of their duties by the General Meeting.
- The chairman and deputy chairman of the Audit and Compliance Committee shall be independent from TTFA, its bodies and Members.
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Thus far, all matters related to compliance have been handled by TTFA staff members who are overseen by a general secretary handpicked by the football president.
The TTFA does not have an Electoral Committee either although David, the general secretary, promised to give more information on one ‘within the coming days’. Article 23(g) states that only the general meeting—and not the president, general secretary or board—can decide on the Electoral Committee.
Only three from a possible 17 standing committees are confirmed active at present. Those are the Referees Committee, the Emergency Committee and the newly constituted National Football Committee.
The John-Williams-led body had no Disciplinary Committee set up when star National Women’s Senior Team attacker Kennya ‘Yaya’ Cordner refused to play during an international fixture at the 2018 Gold Cup. And it is uncertain whether there is a relevant body in place to rule over the behaviour of Morvant Caledonia AIA or match referees Crystal Sobers and Kirt Charles during a fracas that preceded an Ascension Invitational Tournament match.
Among the other inactive TTFA bodies are the Technical Committee, Finance Committee and Youth Football and Development Committee.
(Courtesy Allan V Crane/CA-images/Wired868)
John-Williams is expected to run for a second term with SSFL president William Wallace and Northern FA president Anthony Harford among the possible challengers. Wallace and Harford indicated that they will not run against each other but will throw their support behind one candidate.
Tim Kee was initially listed as a potential challenger but is thought to have reconsidered for health reasons.
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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.
