William Wallace is the new president of the T&T Football Association.
He was given a new mandate to take the TTFA forward yesterday at the association’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) and Election at the Home of Football in Balmain, Couva, where he defeated close rival David John-Wiliams 26-20 in a hotly contested race for the presidency.
Richard Ferguson, the other presidential candidate, was ousted after the first round of voting, as he received 10 votes to John-Williams’ 16 and Wallace’s 20 votes when the delegates first sat down to decide who should take the country’s football forward.
After conceding defeat in the second round, John-Williams, who may claim a psychological victory today, having been able to hold yesterday’s election in the Home of Football that was built through his own initiative, stopped briefly to talk to reporters, noting that he would he would now focus on his business and club, before driving out of the compound.
Wallace emerged about 10 minutes later and was joined by Keith Look Loy, the man who started the campaign to remove the John-Williams-led administration.
Wallace, who will now have to relinquish his position as president of the Secondary Schools Football League (SSFL), will take up office at the TTFA from this morning, along with first vice-president Clynt Taylor, Sam Phillip and Susan Joseph-Warrick, whom all claimed victory during the elections yesterday.
Taylor defeated Selby Browne 27-17 for the position of first vice-president, Joseph-Warrick beat Anthony Moore 30-10 for second vice-president and Phillip defeated Colin Partap 27-13 for the third vice-president spot. Shymdeo Gosine, the other candidate in the toss-up for third vice-president, received three votes, while Raymond Thom, the other second vice-president candidate, got four votes.
Wallace immediately told reporters that his team will resume sponsorship talks with all companies, local and international, who had given them commitments in the runup to the election.
He thanked God and others who supported him and his slate, including the 47 delegates who were eligible to vote yesterday. One of the delegates did not show up for yesterdays’ event. He said as they go forward seeking to effect change, their first assignment will be a fact-finding one.
“We know it’s an onerous task, it’s a hard task, but the process starts with fact-finding. We’re not sure what we’re going to meet in there, but we are up to the task, and by that I mean, you cannot just talk the talk but not walk the walk, so I am ready to walk the walk,” Wallace said.
He added, “One of the first things we will do is a proper audit on everything, on staff, financially, etcetera. That’s the first thing. We’re going in basically in the dark, so we need to get some light before we start to move.”
The new football boss also brushed aside concerns that national coach Dennis Lawrence will be replaced, saying he couldn’t say that at the moment, as Lawrence had a contract.
However, he high up on his agenda will be to put the committees of the football association, such as an advisory committee, in place to ensure all activities are properly monitored.
“This business is not about William Wallace making decisions alone, but it’s about a collective effort. As a matter of fact, one of the major things we want to do is to put an advisory committee in place, outside of the other committees,” he said.
“Lots of people in T&T have indicated their interest in that, from legal people, business people and so on, so those are some of the persons that we will get direction from, in terms of where we move from here.”
He also said bringing fans back to football would be an entire rebuilding process, as they are already thinking about the 2026 World Cup campaign. This, he said, will start with the young players, via putting proper programmes in place where players can come through and come through well.
“When we start to play good football, the fans will come out,” Wallace said.
He said he also believes that their planned style of governance, which includes reaching out to all of T&T, will be an encouragement to fans to come out.
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United not impacted
By Renaldo Matadeen (Newsday).
SECONDARY Schools Football League (SSFL) boss William Wallace has dethroned David John-Williams to become the new president of the TT Football Association (TTFA). Wallace will oversee local football for the next four years following the TTFA elections and annual general meeting, which took place at the Home of Football, in Couva, on Sunday, and he vowed to get funds, fans and the national team back in order.
The first round of voting after lunch saw 46 votes cast with Wallace receiving 20, John-Williams collecting 16 and Richard Ferguson ten. With Ferguson eliminated from the second round, 46 votes were cast again with Wallace winning the head honcho’s spot with 26 votes to 20.
“It has been a long two months. Now, we’re going straight into the fire and the job’s begun. There was a groundswell of support from people, as far as Martinique, who wanted to see a change in the status quo for the betterment of T&T’s football,” Wallace said after his victory. However, he made it clear he was adopting a patient approach when it comes to making changes, including that of sacking national coach Dennis Lawrence, who is under fire for a string of miserable results with the Soca Warriors.
“... we have to sit down and discuss that. Dennis has a contract so, up until this time he is still the national coach of T&T,” Wallace said. He did indicate he had the right counsel besides him to make such pivotal decisions, including Super League president and TTFA director, Keith Look Loy, laughing off claims the latter would be a “hindrance” to the new administration’s vision.
Wallace gleamed over his United TTFA front, who completed a clean sweep in the elections, starting with Clynt Taylor defeating Selby Browne of John-Williams’ Team Impactors by 27 votes to 17 to claim first vice-president. Susan Joseph-Warrick, of United TTFA, is now the second vice-president as she garnered 30 votes to Team Impactors’ Anthony Moore (ten votes) and Raymond Thom’s four votes for the Ferguson slate. Lastly, United TTFA’s Sam Phillip became the third vice-president with 27 votes by defeating Team Impactors’ Colin Partap (13 votes) and Ferguson’s candidate, Shymdeo Gosine, who could only muster three.
“We are going in in the dark so we need to get some light before we start. I think it (the victory) was more than my campaign. It was what was happening to TT football for the last four years. My campaign was basic but, now it’s all about the collective effort,” Wallace said. The new president divulged he would be having a more open style of governance and it would begin with proper audits on staff and financials. Wallace did reveal, though, he was willing to work with any member of the TTFA and all stakeholders to improve the game. John-Williams refused to offer comment to Newsday following his slate’s emphatic defeat but Team Impactors’ Facebook posted, “On behalf of Mr David John-Wiiliams, we would like to congratulate the new president of the TTFA, Mr William Wallace.”
Laying out some of his other plans, Wallace revealed upping fan turnout is a priority, as well as youth development. “We have to rebuild. We are starting to think about 2026 (World Cup) definitely. We have to start with your young players and put programmes in place so that our young players can come through and come through well. When we start to play good football, the fans will come out,” he added. He indicated he would also be focusing on other committees, particularly marketing and advertising, which were given just $21,000 in the current budget for the next fiscal year, to help boost the national setup. Wallace admitted it’s going to be a challenge but one he’s ready for.
“If I wasn’t ready I wouldn’t have gotten myself involved in this at all. It’s a hard task; the first thing starts with fact finding (and) we’re not sure what we’re going to meet in there. But we are up to the task. You can’t just talk the talk, you have to walk the walk,” he continued. Wallace also promised to look at partnerships to make the Home of Football economically viable, pursuing the controversial Nike deal making the rounds recently, while also seeking advice from legal and business experts on the new direction of the TTFA.
Newly-elected TTFA president Wallace dethrones DJW 26-20
John-Williams returns to company, club.
By Walter Alibey (Guardian).
Former Trinidad and Tobago Football Association president David John-Williams will now return to his business and football club W Connection, after losing his position as leader of an association he handed its own home after more than 100 years without one.
He had a sombre look on his face after the majority of the 47 voters who participated in yesterday’s TTFA Annual General Meeting (AGM) and Election of officers at the Home of Football in Balmain, Couva, opted to gave William Wallace, president of the United TTFA, the chance to manage the affairs of the sport for the next four years following a 26-20 result.
Wallace says he has commitments from several local and international sponsors to assist the association, which is in a financial hole and also has new plans to take football forward.
As he departed from the venue yesterday, John-Williams wished the new administrators of football and T&T football the best of luck. However, he said it’s left to be seen how the country’s football will move on from here.
Before he pulled out from the Home of Football, John William told reporters he will now move on with his life having done what he had to do.
“I have given it my best shot and I will now move on,” John-Williams said.
Quizzed as to why he felt he was not successful at the polls, John-Williams said, “It’s difficult to say. Secret ballot and people made their choices. I have my business to run, I have my club to run and maybe W Connection now can get my full attention.”
The embattled former football association president, who was accused of lacking transparency and accountability, among other things, during his four-year tenure, said he did not have any advice for the new administration.
“I will not advocate any advice for the winner. They maybe have their, what they want to do and their plans and I wish them all the best.”
Meanwhile, AC Port-of-Spain technical and business development director Michael Awai said the victory for the United TTFA means his clubs will lose US$108,000, which will put them in a position to have to look for the difference of between $700,000 and $450,000 to start with. The amount would have been part of the funding clubs would have received as part of a club development drive John-Williams had advocated during his campaign for the presidency.
“Every other club will have that problem. I think that we will have to wait and see what Mr Wallace and his crew, including the Nike funding he says he has, and all the other things. We can’t diss him, we just have to wait and see what he says,” Awai said.
He added, “The only way to change in football is development, nothing else. We have a building now—the Home of Football, you can’t take that away from David John-Williams, that’s his legacy.
“But saying that, we are depending on money from Nike and money from whoever else to help the football is one thing, but it’s another thing to have the development in place, because that’s what was missing, in my mind, in John-Williams’ tenure, the development of the football, which is why we suffered on the field of play.”
Wallace dethrones DJW as TTFA boss.
By Stephon Nicholas (Newsday).
William Wallace has dethroned David John-Williams as president of the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA).
The Secondary Schools Football League (SSFL) boss staved off a stiff challenge from John-Williams, to take control of local football for the next four years. The TTFA held its elections and annual general meeting at the Home of Football in Couva on Sunday morning.
The first round of voting saw 46 votes cast with Wallace receiving 20 votes, John-Willians collecting 16 and Richard Ferguson trailing with 10. Ferguson was eliminated from the second round and 46 votes were cast again. This time, Wallace reached a majority of 24 to seize control of the local football body.
The build-up to Sunday's elections was fraught with controversy as both sides sought to discredit their opponents. The embattled John-Williams and Team Impactors campaigned on the deliverance of the Home of Football, which was opened on Monday in style with FIFA president Gianni Infantino and Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley in attendance.
Wallace's United TTFA team highlighted the poor results on the field of almost all the national teams as well as the numerous TTFA defeats in court, hence increasing the debt of the local governing body. John-Williams countered he met the TTFA in serious debt when he took office in 2015 and has reduced it during his tenure.
The victory of United TTFA puts national men's coach Dennis Lawrence's position in serious doubt as the United TTFA had promised to get rid of him if elected .