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“[…] I fully understand and respect the rules concerning team sheets. However, rules must also be applied with fairness, common sense, and consideration of circumstances beyond the control of participating teams. The issue was not negligence on our part.
“[…] Our players, coaches, and parents invested significant time, effort, and resources throughout the season to earn a place in the Round of 16. To have their opportunity taken away because of an administrative failure, rather than events on the field, is deeply disappointing…”
The following is a formal complaint and request for review by Crown Trace FC administrator Nicholas Griffith, after his team were adjudged to have defaulted their National Youth League (NYL) Under-15 Round of 16 match with Union Hall FC on Saturday 6 June 2026:
Photo: TTFA Media.
To: The General Secretary and Competitions Department, Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA),
I am writing to formally register my disappointment and concern regarding the handling of our U-15 Round of 16 fixture, scheduled for Saturday at 11.00am, which was ultimately declared a default due to the absence of an official team sheet.
I believe this decision failed to adequately consider the administrative circumstances that prevented us from accessing the Fifa Connect system and producing the required documentation.
Photo: Crown Trace FC.
As team administrator, I have consistently complied with all competition requirements throughout the season. Not once have I attended a match without a team sheet.
In fact, on several occasions during this same competition, I have witnessed and been asked by officials to accommodate teams that arrived without the necessary documentation. Therefore, to have our season ended under these circumstances is both frustrating and unfair.
The facts are as follows:
- Our Round of 16 match was scheduled for Saturday at 11.00am.
- Up until approximately 4pm on Friday, while still at work, the fixture was not visible on the Fifa Connect system.
- Since I do not have access to a printer at home, my normal procedure is to generate the team sheet and print while at work or send it to a copy shop for printing.
- The fixture only appeared on the system the next morning. However, when I logged in at approximately 7am on Saturday, the match was visible but there was no option to manage or edit the fixture. Instead, I received an “Access Denied” message.
- I contacted the TTFA administrator responsible for the system. She indicated that the system will lock three hours before my arrival time. But how can that be possible when the game wasn’t even posted the day before? She indicated that she’ll attempt to unlock the system while I remained on the phone. After approximately five minutes, the call was disconnected.
- I made numerous attempts to contact her again before kickoff but received no response.
- In an effort to comply with the competition requirements, I printed the only document available to me, a blank pre-match report, and manually entered the names of our registered players.
- I also contacted a referee who was already at the venue, inquired about the match commissioner, and relayed the challenges we were experiencing while we continued waiting for the system issue to be resolved.
- When we arrived, the match commissioner informed both teams that she would be applying the rule and that the absence of an official team sheet would result in a default.
- Importantly, the match commissioner herself attempted to contact the TTFA administrator to verify the issue and also received no response.
I fully understand and respect the rules concerning team sheets. However, rules must also be applied with fairness, common sense, and consideration of circumstances beyond the control of participating teams.
The issue was not negligence on our part. The fixture was uploaded late, access to the system was denied, and the responsible administrator was aware of the problem.
Despite this, there was no follow-up communication, no confirmation that the system could not be unlocked, and no response to repeated calls from both myself and the match commissioner.
Photo: Nicholas Bhajan/ Wired868.
Furthermore, this marks the third occasion this season where our club has incurred approximately $600 in expenses that have effectively been wasted due to administrative matters beyond our control, with no reimbursement or remedy provided.
Our players, coaches, and parents invested significant time, effort, and resources throughout the season to earn a place in the Round of 16. To have their opportunity taken away because of an administrative failure, rather than events on the field, is deeply disappointing.
I therefore respectfully request:
- A formal investigation into the Fifa Connect access issue surrounding this fixture.
- A review of the decision to default the match.
- A written explanation regarding why the fixture was uploaded late and why access was denied.
- Clarification of the procedures that should be followed when system failures prevent clubs from generating official documentation.
- Consideration of an appropriate remedy in the interest of fairness and sporting integrity.
Photo: Nicholas Bhajan/ Arima Araucans.
Football administration exists to facilitate competition, not to eliminate teams through circumstances beyond their control. We simply ask that this matter be reviewed objectively and that our players receive the fairness they deserve.
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