National football coaches to Wallace: How will you help us to get paid?

The steering committee of the nascent coaches association has asked Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) president William Wallace to explain how he intends to help them be remunerated for their work thus far.

The TTFA’s technical staff members were hired under the Wallace-led administration, via the board, and began work between December 2019 and January 2020. However, they are yet to be paid.

Wallace initially said he was waiting for Fifa Forward Programme money to start paying the technical staff, however the funding never materialised. While the Fifa-appointed normalisation committee, which comprises of chairman Robert Hadad, vice-chair Judy Daniel and ordinary member Nigel Romano, promised to look into paying the coaches since April but did not keep its word.

Ironically, the normalisation committee did pay technical director Dion La Foucade and director of football Richard Piper as well as office staff—but snubbed the coaches.

The coaches steering committee, which consists of Wayne Sheppard, Clayton Morris, Richard Hood, Angus Eve and Jefferson George, said the normalisation committee has since blamed Wallace’s resumption of the TTFA’s High Court case against Fifa, last Friday, for the non-payments.

Wallace was asked to find a solution, via an email that was copied to the media.

(Coaches steering committee email)

Good Day Sir

The Trinidad and Tobago technical staff members have been locked in negotiations with the Fifa-appointed normalisation committee for the better part of the last month. At present, we believe that we have an understanding and agreement (between both parties) of the payment amounts due to us and mechanism by which we will be paid.

In previous newspaper articles and interviews, you and other members of the United TTFA have indicated that you were not opposed to the office staff and coaches being paid by Fifa or Concacaf and would not interfere or act in any manner to negatively affect the payment of staff.

On Saturday 26th September, however, we were informed by the Normalisation Committee that FIFA is unwilling to make these payments because of the reinstated court action by the United TTFA.

We, the national staff members, would appreciate hearing from you how you can assist us with regard to our remuneration in the existing circumstances.

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