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“[…] The refereeing community is growing increasingly frustrated from unpaid wages as well as the poor administration of referees in the country. The outstanding payments go as far back as the 2023/24 season, for which we have received no payment.
“[…] When referees ask about our money, we’re insulted and labelled a set of ‘hungry dogs only focused on money’. It is a level of disrespect that no stakeholder should have to face, and the frustration has reached boiling point…”
The following Letter to the Editor on issues affecting Trinidad and Tobago top flight referees as well as a possible TTPFL Boxing Day boycott was submitted to Wired868 by a member of the refereeing fraternity, who shared on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal:
Photo: Dirk Allahar/ bCreative/ Wired868.
The Trinidad and Tobago Premier Football League (TTPFL) has been forced to postpone two of its six Boxing Day fixtures—and more could follow—due to a severe shortage of available referees.
The refereeing community is growing increasingly frustrated from unpaid wages as well as the poor administration of referees in the country. The outstanding payments go as far back as the 2023/24 season, for which we have received no payment.
For last season, referees are still owed payment for two months while we are yet to be paid anything at all for the current 2025/26 campaign.
We are tired of working for free. They expect us to show up and officiate like everything is normal, but we haven’t been paid for months—or longer.
Photo: Nicholas Bhajan/ Wired868.
Most referees are now owed between $10,000 to $25,000 for our work over that period.
Having spoken to many colleagues on this matter, I can say that referees feel like we don’t matter. The administration only cares about the football being played, not the people making it possible.
For many of us, the leadership of the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) referees committee, chaired by Mr Osmond Downer—who also serves as the TTFA’s second vice-president—is a big part of the problem.
Photo: Nicholas Bhajan/ Wired868.
Downer runs the committee with an iron fist, dismissing concerns about overdue payments and labeling those who speak up as greedy.
When referees ask about our money, we’re insulted and labelled a set of ‘hungry dogs only focused on money’. It is a level of disrespect that no stakeholder should have to face, and the frustration has reached boiling point.
Every year it’s the same promises, and every year we’re left waiting. People have families to feed and we feel we’ve been patient for too long.
We love football, but this is madness. How can you expect us to keep going when we can’t even cover our expenses?
Photo: Dirk Allahar/ bcreative/ Wired868.
It feels like we’re volunteers at this point and many are considering if it makes sense continuing in this profession.
The system is clearly broken. Refereeing in Trinidad and Tobago is being run like a dictatorship, where if you speak out, you’re blacklisted. That’s why so many of us are staying home.
The TTPFL has yet to issue an official statement addressing the root cause of the postponements. However, the situation raises serious questions about the sustainability of professional refereeing in Trinidad and Tobago and the broader governance of football in the country.
Photo: Daniel Prentice/ Wired868.
The referees must be treated with respect—and we want the compensation that we are due.
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Do you have the sense that this letter could easily have begun thus: “Dear Mr Downer,”?