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“[…] The reality is most of our current footballers do not have a real future, as the standard of our football has dropped to an all time low.
“[…] Why are we overly concerned about a Fifa ban when there is much groundwork to be done to address the more pressing need of the viability and sustainability of professional football in T&T?”
The following Letter to the Editor on the impasse between the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association and Fifa was submitted to Wired868 by Louis Carrington:
(Courtesy Sean Morrison/Wired868)
It is clearly evident that there is more in the mortar than on the pestle. There are questions that need to be answered urgently if right-thinking persons are to respect the Fifa normalisation committee.
Firstly, one must ask who is Robert Hadad and how did he become the person Fifa would have selected to head the normalisation committee. The answer to this question would definitely help in connecting the dots in the otherwise uncertain map.
This is especially so given that Fifa’s original choice was the former finance manager under the previous administration, who might I add was already at the time subject to an investigation by the William Wallace administration as part of the dealing of the David John-Williams administration.
Secondly, Hadad in his capacity as normalisation head has suspended the general secretary of the TTFA for, as he stated, contracts entered into by the TTFA. Ironically though, the general secretary was the only administrator from the Wallace administration standing and possibly too much involved in the affairs of the TTFA.
(Copyright Daniel Prentice/Wired868)
It therefore begs the question; and Hadad should seek to clear the air as a matter of urgency, as it is not sufficient to blanket the issue by saying ‘contracts entered into by the TTFA’. There is need for specific references so as to clarify the nature and date of these said contracts.
Clearly, whatever is the agenda of Fifa, it is of such great importance that they are prepared to do whatever it takes to secure their position—even if in the eyes of the rational man, the dots do not connect and their approach is high-handed and draconian.
Is it that FIFA is complicit in its handling of matters of concern that it cannot afford to be aired publicly, hence the urgent need to ensure the following:
- The removal of the duly elected executive by whatever means necessary.
- That no one connected in anyway to the Wallace administration is in a position to report on the inner working of any cover up that may be in the making.
- That Fifa is not subject public scrutiny in an open court.
- That their anointed son continue to be in charge of football in T&T albeit in a clandestine manner.
(Courtesy Sean Morrison/Wired868)
To achieve these objectives, cloud the real issues with the threat of a ban of TTFA, which would have the effect of the sympathetic support from those who either have their own personal agenda or cannot be bothered to analyse the situation to ascertain what are the real issues.
To digress and address another issue that should in my view be a lot more important than Fifa’s proposed sanction: the Trinidad and Tobago Pro League, after many years, is still unable to market and sustain itself.
Many clubs have come and gone in the years, while others have barely survived. Survival being attributed to two main factors, which are the government subvention to clubs and/or clubs being in a negative position to its employees and creditors.
I raise this as an issue because I see it as having greater significance than asking the question of what will happen to aspiring footballers if a ban is imposed on TTFA. The reality is most of our current footballers do not have a real future, as the standard of our football has dropped to an all-time low.
As a people we have very short memories. In order for T&T to record a victory we were forced to engage Anguilla, the lowest ranked Fifa nation in 2019.
The matched finished 1-1.
(via TTFA Media)
Currently, we do not produce footballers consistently capable of staking a claim on the international market. Our players who ply their trade overseas now do so in lands far afield with little or no historical tradition of being top football nations, or in the MLS and USA lower divisions.
Many see the MLS as below par and it is often termed as the ‘retirement league’. It therefore begs the question: why are we overly concerned about a Fifa ban when there is much groundwork to be done to address the more pressing need of the viability and sustainability of professional football in T&T?
If government was to remove its subvention to Pro League teams—and that could be a likely possibility in these times and in the future—how many of those teams would survive?
My people, wake up remove the proverbial yampee from your eyes and face the scene and unseen dragons head on.
Change only comes with commitment and sacrifice. To allow Fifa to continue to bully member associations and get unbridled support from those who see no further than their noses is to continue to toe the line.
(Courtesy Allan V Crane/CA-Images/Wired868)
Let’s demand answers. The beginning of lunacy is to do the same thing repeatedly and expect a different result.
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The cnc3 investigative report answered most of your questions. It also revealed to the country what I have been saying for months.
DJW appeared to be a pathetic guilty arrogant crook. Laughing, and refusing to answer questions, whilst making some awful shots in his golf game, which are non verbal indicators of guilt.
So in the end Fifa give DJW the development money, and the crooks in fifa pretended that they didn’t when Wallace asked for the same development funding. Mind you DJW did the same… Never tell the TTFA that he got the development funding 2 million USD… WHY??? Then fifa installs normalisation on the TTFA to stop Wallace from probing and finding out that the 2 Millom jump up. And to further screw over trinis and the naive minister of sport, hadad tells the stakeholders including the minister that there was no wrong doing under DJW… Smh
All I could say again is that DJW, hadad, infantino, the fifa exec from Africa (forgot his name, and I really don’t care because he screw over my beloved home land), Andre Erroll baptiste and Tony Lee from i95 have some very very very very serious questions to answer to the public. And if they want to be haughty like fifa and DJW has been thus far, that behaviour would cement their guilt in my eyes… It is unbelievable that after the Jack Warner, Sepp Blatter era that we could find ourselves in a similar position. And how easily public figures, lie and deceive the citizens… I95 has been at the forefront of the chorus of the misguided that have been crucifying Wallace and his executive, and the named 2 above must explain to this country their actions… They were up and down the globe, following the senior men’s team whilst the home for football fiasco was taking place, whilst young footballers suffering for funding, they were spreeing with DJW.
And the minister of sport unfortunately would have to resign… For not seeing the obvious, and not standing up for Trinidad and Tobago. She scolded Wallace, and and said she would throw them to the wolfs, if fifa banned us.. What???? It appears to be a scam with fifa DJW and hadad to steal and cover up, and our minister of sport opens her mouth to say that she would not support the citizens that stand for the truth, and that want to expose the cover up. She must step aside.
The GORTT has to now step in to defend our football from the enemies in and out of Trinidad and Tobago
Talldog, dat and God face…!
You tink is only the mortar in the pestle? Corruption is a twin-octopus, bro; it have tentacles all over the place that we cyar see.
So keep up the candid commentary but doh hold yuh breath while yuh waiting fuh anybody to tender resignation.
Or fuh any govament to intervene.
Well prepared piece. FIFA is hellbent on not letting financial details of the construction project for the Home of Football in Couva be let out in the public domain because jail time in Switzerland and USA is waiting. This is similarto closing down Petrotrin with the sole motivator being hiding of the AV Drilling dealings.
Well said…