Football body, ministry meet today
The T&T Football Association (TTFA) yesterday issued a media release announcing a meeting between its president Raymond Tim Kee and Minister of Sport Brent Sancho, scheduled for today, one which the association suggested could determine T&T’s preparation for the Gold Cup, Pan American Games and the World Cup qualifiers.
“Preparations for the 2015 Concacaf Gold Cup and 2018 World Cup qualifiers as well as the 2015 Pan American Games hang in the balance and the upcoming meeting (today) will be seen as a watershed moment in the relationship between the two entities,” according to the release. It indicated that today’s discussions will include an update on the issue of the TTFA’s financial reports as requested by the TTFA, as well as the inaugural women’s professional football league, set to start next month.
The release noted Tim Kee’s “desire to continue to work with the ministry as a partner and facilitator in order to take football forward”, adding that he is “confident that once we discuss the relevant issues, a mutually beneficial understanding can be reached.”
The release comes following recent statements made by Sancho regarding his position to halt subventions to the association until he receives specific detailed accounts from the body. Two weeks ago, Sancho, who was appointed Minister of Sport earlier this year, also announced Cabinet’s approval of just over $1.7 million to “kickstart” the first ever professional tournament for women footballers in T&T.
The Ministry of Sport initiative, however, has not yet been formally endorsed by the local governing body for football.
Regarding the issue of accounts, Tim Kee said, “Our position has been quite clear in that when I came into office, the financial reporting of the organisation, beyond its obligations to FIFA, was not what it should have been and while correcting this with our auditors, it became apparent that we had to essentially reconstruct over five years of financial records.”