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The ‘United TTFA’ group said it has postponed a proposed meeting with delegates of the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) due to legal advice.
The lobby group, which was formed to contest the 24 November 2019 TTFA elections, had asked members to attend an online meeting from 2pm on Saturday, to discuss recent revelations regarding president William Wallace.
(Copyright Allan V Crane/TTFA Media/CA-images)
However, TTFA first vice-president Clynt Taylor confirmed tonight that the meeting is off until further notice.
“We were advised by counsel that we should postpone any meeting at this time until the pending court matter is concluded,” stated Taylor. “Therefore, we do apologise for any inconvenience caused and look forward to your continued support through these difficult times for our football and our country.”
The United TTFA group also includes TTFA vice-presidents Susan Joseph-Warrick and Sam Phillip, Northern FA president Anthony Harford, Trinidad and Tobago Super League (TTSL) president Keith Look Loy and the TTFA president, Wallace.
On Tuesday, the group gave Wallace a stinging public rebuke after he signed off on contracts for Men’s National Senior Team head coach Terry Fenwick, general secretary Ramesh Ramdhan and Avec Sport without board approval. Wallace since confessed to also secretly giving a contract to controversial English salesman Peter Miller.
Although the United TTFA has not called for Wallace’s resignation, Look Loy said he will no longer back the beleaguered president.
“I cannot support Wallace any further,” Look Loy told Wired868. “I support the vice-presidents. I support the case. We need to remember why Fifa did what they did.”
(Courtesy TTFA Media)
Look Loy also said that he considers the contracts unilaterally offered by Wallace to be ‘invalid’. He declined the opportunity to clarify his remarks.
As the TTFA’s legal officer, Wallace is authorised to tie the local football to contracts. However, Wallace could potentially be held personally responsible for debts foisted upon the organisation, through the Companies Act.
Thus far, the local football president, who simultaneously heads the Secondary Schools Football League (SSFL), offered Fenwick a salary worth US$2,500 (TT$16,900) more than advised by the board with a further US$5,000 (TT$33,800) if a two year extension is triggered—due on terms that again differed from those proposed by the board.
Wallace also secretly offered Ramdhan an additional year on his US$5,000 (TT$33,800) per month contract and allegedly gave Miller a four year deal in excess of US$20,000 (TT$135,000) per month. Those three deals alone—in the space of four months—could cost the cash-strapped body over US$1,155,000 (TT$7,803,831) more than the board agreed.
At present, the TTFA president and vice-presidents are asking the High Court to block Fifa from implementing a normalisation committee on the twin island republic while the world governing body countered by insisting that the matter be heard in the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
(Copyright Daniel Prentice/Wired868)
The TTFA officials have vowed to step aside if they lose in court and to turn to the members for guidance if they win. The executive can be removed at any point, according to the constitution, once two-thirds of the members demand it formally.
As far as Fifa is concerned, only its normalisation committee—headed by businessman Robert Hadad—can call a general meeting, since it replaced the TTFA Board on 17 March.
However, the TTFA Constitution does not permit elected officers to be removed through any means other than a vote by local delegates.
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Growing up, I learned that you don’t hit a man when he’s down. But what was important near the jail clearly not what was stressed on Maraval Road, where it has always been a people thing, with the emphasis on producing winnERS and not merely winnING.
Nuff said.
*was clearly not what was stressed