Robert Hadad, head of the FIFA's normalisation committee, could have the final say on whether the staff of the T&T Football Association (TTFA) as well as the technical staff, could be paid by next week.
The staff of the TTFA has not been paid for March and April, and its general secretary had to borrow money to pay its salaries for February.
There is a legal wrangle between former president William Wallace and FIFA's Normalisation committee for the TTFA accounts. Attorney for Wallace, Matthew GW Gayle, in a second letter to TTFA bankers First Citizens Bank (FCB) on Thursday, gave the bank until today to respond to a request which was made last Monday after a letter was sent to the institution, three days earlier.
This latest development between the normalisation committee and the ousted football association's executive, which is headed by Wallace, means that the staff may have to wait much longer before they can be paid.
However, yesterday Wallace told Guardian Media Sports that he's willing to perform all his duties as TTFA president in the interest of ensuring the payment of staff from monies which the organisation is expecting from FIFA, the world governing body for the sport.
Wallace and his vice presidents Clynt Taylor, Sam Phillips and Susan Joseph-Warrick are challenging FIFA over its March 27 appointment of the normalisation committee to run the affairs of T&T football, through the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) in Lausanne, Switzerland.
The former officers believe that handing over the TTFA accounts to the normalisation committee is an act of surrendering their challenge. Wallace's role for the payment of workers is one of a signatory, once all documentation has been prepared and signed by TTFA finance manager Tyril Patrick.
The other signatory to the accounts is former general secretary Azaad Khan since new general secretary Ramesh Ramdhan did not officially receive the position as a signatory, following the United TTFA victory during the TTFA annual general meeting (AGM) on November 24, last year.
Wallace told Guardian Media Sports yesterday that he is willing to be a signatory to the payment of staff but was not willing to give up his power of being a signatory or change his signatories on the TTFA accounts.
FIFA recently announced that it was handing over grants to its member associations, particularly those in need of help during the current COVID-19 pandemic environment. It also announced that a FIFA Relief Fund will also be accessible to vulnerable member associations.
This means the embattled football association is in line to receive US$1.2 million (an estimated TT$6.7million), plus a CONCACAF US$160,000 grant, as well as an unknown amount for the relief fund once the parties (Hadad/FIFA and Wallace) can agree on how it can be done.
Payment of funds by FIFA is usually done on Wednesdays and Fridays, which means the sport's governing body can release the cheques by this week but office and technical staff members will have to wait for a further three to four days before monies can show up in their accounts.
Guardian Media Sports made calls to Hadad's phone but they went unanswered.
Guardian Media Sports then sent messages to Hadad which asked: "If he would consider an option by Wallace for the TTFA account to be used for the FIFA transfer of funds. Wallace has said he is willing to put his signature to sign off for payment of TTFA staff but was not willing to change his signatories, is that something you will consider?"
The message was read but Hadad did not respond.
Meanwhile, a member of the TTFA who wished to remain anonymous, said he believed it was a good proposal for Wallace to remain as a signatory to the account in the interest of the staff being paid.
He told Guardian Media Sports the situation is a workable one although FIFA can choose to wire the monies into Hadad's personal account if it did not want to use the signatories of the former executives. He noted that because it is unsure of how long the legal battle between TTFA and FIFA will take place, the staff members will be unable to take care of their families for an indefinite period.
SOURCE: T&T Guardian