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The Fifa-appointed Normalisation Committee has tentatively set elections for the president and executive committee of the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) for Saturday 13 April 2024.
The proposed timeline was shared with members today by TTFA general secretary Amiel Mohammed and follows advice from Fifa official Nodar Akhalkatsi, who is director of Strategic Projects and Member Association Governance.
Photo: Daniel Prentice/ Wired868
Notably, the date requires another extension to the Robert Hadad-led Normalisation Committee, which will be their third since they were imposed on the local game in March 2020.
However, in this case, it should be just for a matter of two weeks. Fifa for the third time, has accepted that its Normalisation Committee in Trinidad and Tobago cannot complete its mandate in time, while the governing body wants to avoid an Easter weekend election.
“In order to respect the statutory prescribed specific electoral timeframe […] requiring […] a minimum of 60 days for the Normalisation Committee to convene an elective Congress and a minimum of 45 days for candidates to submit their candidatures to the general secretariat of TTFA,” stated Akhalkatsi, in a letter to the Normalisation Committee, “the elections for a new TTFA Executive Committee will statutorily not be able to take place before the end of mandate of the Normalisation Committee [on] 31 March 2023.
“Furthermore, it is of utmost importance to provide the potential candidates as well as all the members with sufficient time for the electoral process, to allow candidates enough time to organise their slates and campaign for the support of members.
(Courtesy Sean Morrison/ Wired868)
“In addition, it has to be ensured that the date of the elective Congress is defined in a way, that the TTFA members have fair, feasible and realistic possibility to attend the Congress and execute their statutory rights to participate in the Congress and express their will by exerting their voting rights.
“Taking into account the abovementioned, as well as considering the duration of the Easter festivities and holidays, we strongly recommend to the Normalisation Committee that the elective Congress of the TTFA to be organised after the end of the Easter holidays—to respect a very important religious holiday when the membership might be prevented from attending the Congress due to private commitments or even absence because of the potential holiday travels abroad.”
The prospective date is expected to be ratified shortly by the Bureau of the Fifa Council, which is chaired by Fifa president Gianni Infantino.
Based on the proposed election date, Mohammed said the Normalisation Committee will issue the notice for the Extraordinary Congress on or before Tuesday 13 February.
(via TTFA Media)
Candidates for any Executive Committee positions must be submitted to the TTFA General Secretariat by Wednesday 28 February, while the official list will be circulated to the local football membership on Wednesday 3 April.
That will pave the way for the Extraordinary Congress for the election of the executive committee to be convened on Saturday 13 April.
Although nominations for the post of TTFA president at the upcoming election are not yet official, local stakeholders revealed alleged lobbying by Denis Latiff, Kieron Edwards, Selby Browne, and Sham Mohammed.
Photo: Daniel Prentice/ Wired868
Latiff was elected president of the Southern Football Association (SFA) last year and runs the Tiger Tanks company, which has been a patron of football in recent years—and notably was title sponsor for the Secondary Schools Football League (SSFL) in 2022.
Edwards, a UNC alderman, is president of the Eastern Football Association (EFATT) and a director of Terminix La Horquetta Rangers, where he worked under maverick chairman Richard Ferguson.
Browne, president of the Veteran Footballers Foundation of Trinidad and Tobago (VFFOTT), ran in the last two TTFA elections in 2015 and 2019 and is interested in challenging for the top post again.
Photo: Daniel Prentice/ Wired868
Mohammed, CEO of Miscellaneous Marketing Limited, is also a businessman and occasional football sponsor. At present, he sponsors Laventille United in the TTPFL Tier Two and is part-sponsor for Police FC in Tier One.
TTPFL CEO Colin Wharfe, who was hired by Hadad to restart domestic senior football, is also considered to be a potential delegate, although he has not shown his hand yet.
Ferguson, who ran for president in 2019 and shook up the domestic game with his sponsorship of La Horquetta Rangers and through the Ascension tournament, has not yet expressed interest in the upcoming election.
(Copyright Allan V Crane/ CA-Images/ Wired868)
Latiff and Browne both confirmed their intention to run the top TTFA post.
“I am coming with a difference,” Latiff told Wired868. “A lot of people don’t understand what is going on right now in football; people talk about it as a game, but it is about the business of football.
“It is about getting everything you need for the game to be played. The big corporate entities want transparency and to work with someone they can trust.
“I don’t think anybody else can do that.”
(Copyright Daniel Prentice/ Wired868)
Browne said he wants to reset Trinidad and Tobago to the glory days of 1973 when he said the two-island republic were the best team in Concacaf.
“What is required is to restructure and develop Trinidad and Tobago football, that should have happened years ago—to return it to the number one spot in Concacaf,” said Browne. “And that has not been done.
“I have offered myself and my team to bring our vast knowledge and experience to return T&T football to the number one spot in the Concacaf, by implementing all aspects of our TTFA Reset Plan to restructure the administration, expansion and quality development of the football product in Trinidad and Tobago.”
Back row (L-R): Lawrence Rondon, Devenish Paul, Peter Mitchell, Steve Khan, Dennis Morgan, Leo “Twinkle Toes” Brewster, Tony Douglas, Henry Dennie.
Center row (L-R): Leon Carpette, Selwyn Murren (captain), Gerald Figeroux, Sydney Augustine, Russell Tesheira, Ramon Moraldo, Steve David.
Front row (L-R): Selris Figaro, Wilfred Cave, Kelvin Barclay, Warren Archibald, Gally Cummings, Ray Roberts.
Missing: Winston “Bee” Phillips.
(Courtesy Everald Cummings/ Caribbean Beat)
The other potential candidates did not respond to Wired868 up until the time of publication.
The TTFA has not held an election since William Wallace replaced David John-Williams as president on 24 November 2019. And, despite serious reservations about Fifa-led amendments to the local football constitution, they are eager to proceed.
An expected two-week extension for Hadad’s normalisation committee in April 2024 would be his last one, they hope.
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