Somewhere between 2006 and 2010, as Trinidad and Tobago’s football stock fell on and off the field—and, as always, the decline in one was linked to happenings in the other—a group of influential members allegedly decided that change was necessary. Then Fifa vice-president and Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation (TTFF) …
Read More »Noble: Living in La-La Land; watching life through “red and yellow-tinted glasses”
The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines la-la land as “a euphoric, dreamlike mental state detached from the harsher realities of life”. In our version, leaders and followers are allergic to facts—inconvenient truths. They look at life through red and yellow-tinted glasses that allow them to possess selective memories. The citizens of La-La …
Read More »Defiant Warner suggests 3 more legal rounds, as Privy Council okays extradition of ex-FIFA VP
Trinidad and Tobago is now free to extradite former Fifa vice-president and Chaguanas West MP Jack Warner to face racketeering charges in the United States, after a ruling by the Privy Council in London today. Warner, 79, is likely to face up to 20 years in jail if convicted of …
Read More »Early Bird’s W/C recall: T&T dresses up—Jack Warner, Caligiuri combine to cancel our date…
“1990?” asks Bobby, a rueful look distorting his facial features, “What I remember best about that campaign is Philbert Jones incredible miss from the edge of the six-yard box. “But I will also never forget Kerry Jamerson’s run in the second half of the second half of the last game …
Read More »Court accepts TTFA debt repayment plan, as Warner withdraws case after Fenwick/Miller compromise
The Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) can finally begin paying off its creditors—under terms agreed in May—after High Court Judge Devindra Rampersad accepted its proposed debt repayment plan yesterday. The key sticking point was legal objects raised by the British duo of former coach Terry Fenwick and salesman Peter …
Read More »Court adjourns TTFA repayment hearing, to address payoff claims by Warner, Fenwick and Miller
Verified creditors of the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA), including former coaches and technical directors like Stephen Hart, Anton Corneal, Dennis Lawrence and Kendall Walkes, must wait for another three weeks to find out if their deal with the local football body will stand. Today, the Port of Spain …
Read More »Noble: Shameless people, a broken nation—and that’s not Reggie Armour’s fault
The ultimate sin today is criticising a group, especially on moral grounds. We live in a nihilistic post-shame era. There are no permanent standards, just the shifting judgment of the crowd. We have a culture of oversensitivity, overreaction and frequent moral panics, during which everybody feels compelled to go along. …
Read More »The ‘rebirth of the TTFA’? Or expect more of the same? Daniel, Downer and Walkes share views
The Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) must pay off a loan of US$3m (TT$20.1m) over the next 10 years to a mysterious benefactor—a repayment plan of essentially US$300,000 per year. It is a far rosier proposition than the previous scenario of 258 irate creditors and a debt of over …
Read More »Creditors vote ‘yes’ as TTFA raises offer to 60% of debt, Warner and Fenwick left empty-handed
At around noon today, the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA), via trustee Maria Daniel, agreed settlements with creditors on debts stretching back more than two decades. Daniel, hired by Fifa-appointed normalisation committee chairman Robert Hadad, had a fund of roughly TT$16m to address claims, which totalled TT$84.5m. It meant …
Read More »The TTFA’s debt proposal: HoF gets thumbs down, Warner, Fenwick and Miller make claims, and tension between creditors
Trustee for the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA), Maria Daniel, revealed to creditors that the local football body has received 291 financial claims amounting to roughly TT$90.7m. But to settle its debts, the TTFA has ‘an approved financial arrangement’ of US$3m (TT$20.1m) —minus a ‘supervisory levy’ of TT$1.005m It …
Read More »Early Bird: Monty who? Blackwood brings WI batting coach into sharp focus
It’s not cricket that is my editor’s forte; it’s football. So it’s mainly the beautiful game we’d discuss if, instead of walking by himself on evenings, he decided to walk on mornings with Bobby and me. But today he called about the game of glorious uncertainties. “I just sent you …
Read More »‘I chase bad men!’ How the late Andrew Jennings changed investigative sport journalism
One of my most vivid memories of Andrew Jennings came on our second meeting, after a media conference at the Trinidad Hilton in the build-up to the 2001 Fifa Under-17 World Cup in Trinidad and Tobago. It was an elegant event, attended by then Fifa president Sepp Blatter, with every …
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