THE 15-year-old court battle between Selwyn Melville and the TT Football Association (TTFA) is over.
Melville was in a battle with the TTFA since 2005 over the ownership of the T&T men’s senior football team nickname Soca Warriors. On Wednesday, it was revealed at a TTFA press conference, at President’s Box, Queen’s Park Oval, Port of Spain that Melville and the new TTFA administration, led by president William Wallace, were able to settle the dispute in two months. Both parties are set to benefit from the Soca Warriors name going forward.
Melville coined the nickname Soca Warriors, in 1998, during a senior men’s match between T&T and El Salvador in USA. The name took on a life of its own with people all over the world calling the team Soca Warriors as compared to T&T. Leading up to the 2006 World Cup, in Germany, soca artiste Maximus Dan (now MX Prime) sang Fighter, a song dedicated to the Soca Warriors. The 2006 World Cup was the first and only time T&T qualified for the tournament and the song became the team’s anthem.
Melville has been battling with past administrations concerning the Soca Warriors name, most recently the David John-Williams led TTFA, who lost in the elections last November.
Wallace, who replaced John-Williams, said, “There was a matter in the court for probably over 15 years – the Selwyn Melville matter (concerning) the issue of Soca Warriors trademark...when we look at everything, the FA just had absolutely no evidence to claim the trademark, there was nothing.”
Wallace said money earned from the Soca Warriors name will be shared. “At this point in time we are drawing up an arrangement to go forward with Selwyn Melville, who has claimed the trademark, for profit-sharing from the trademark between Selwyn and of course the FA.”
Melville, speaking with the Newsday, was grateful that the process has come to an end, “I have to always say thanks to the legal team that worked with me which is Mr Celestine Felix, Egon Embrack and Joseph Sookoo. Those are the lawyers who came to my assistance from the early stages and saw me through to the finish line.”
Melville, who also thanked attorney Gail Persad, said the new TTFA administration is on the right path. “Football is in good hands because the way Mr Wallace and his team have been operating, it is no secret that they want the best for the sport and the future is shaping up very well for football in the country.
We look forward to whatever relationship we are going to have in the future, the discussions have been very good.
“We go forward in unison and based on discussions with the football association everything has been very cordial and respectful, understanding the importance of the name and what it means to T&T and they could not see themselves having to go on with all this set of back and forth.”
Melville said the name Soca Warriors is key to the T&T football identity saying, “Soca Warriors is bigger than money. This is about the heart and soul of the people in T&T.
It will grow in its own way from there and develop its own future. Many people feel it is about the money and how much money you drag on the carpet and reach by the bank with, it is not like that, it is much more than that.”
Discussing profit sharing of the Soca Warriors name, Melville said, “There will be profit sharing, it means that where income is concerned that is something that the lawyers and the football association has to sit down and work out.”