Jason Gordon, the Metal X Erin FC owner and manager has called for the right people to be put in charge of football locally when the election of officers of the T&T Football Association (TTFA) is held next year.
Gordon's Erin FC which won the Southern Football Association (SFA) League and League Cup titles last year, said the sport has been at its lowest in T&T.
"While football continues to suffer at the regional, association and youth levels, officials seem to be more concerned with the construction of a Home of Football.
"In the south zone, we are yet to receive payment for our winnings last year, while there is yet to be assistance for the regional associations."
Gordon told Guardian Media Sports that teams are also unsure to receive monies this year in the SFA also, while in the Eastern Counties Football Union (ECFU), there was no football this year.
"Such a large area to cater for, yet the ECFU couldn't reach out to thousands of young, talented players because there was no help from the parent TTFA," Gordon explained.
Erin FC which earned promotion to the T&T Super League (TTSL) this year, before they pulled out because of their inability to pay players match fees, has called on the TTFA to focus more on the regional associations which are the feeder programmes for national teams, TTSL clubs, T&T Pro League teams and schools in the Secondary Schools Football League.
Gordon's team is still owed $22,000 for its $15,000 and $7,000 winnings in the SFA League and League Cup tournaments last year. Pitchmen FC, which captured the Executive Cup is also owed $7,000 in prizes.
"We need now to elect people who care about the sport and care about the sportsmen and women in the sport. As it is now, there is too much politics which has led to neglect of the sport on the field. We need only to look at the results of our women footballers and the Under-20 team at the CONCACAF World Cup Qualifiers recently, as well as the state of our youth football to recognise the demise of the sport," Gordon said.
SOURCE: T&T Guardian