THERE seems to be a level of indecision concerning who is entrusted with the role of running the affairs of local football.
On Tuesday, chairman of the FIFA-appointed normalisation committee Robert Hadad said “I’m not in charge” when asked about the situation regarding payment of salaries to the the TT technical staff members.
And ousted TTFA (TT Football Association) president William Wallace commented that the issue over who should conduct the affairs of the sport locally is before the High Court.
On Monday, the coaching steering committee, in a letter addressed to Wallace (who is the head of the United TTFA group that successfully contested the TTFA elections last November), said the normalisation committee (comprising Hadad, Judy Daniel and Nigel Romano) was unable to pay the coaches as FIFA has stopped its funding, in light of its suspension of the TTFA.
Last Thursday, FIFA suspended the TTFA in violation of FIFA statutes. The United TTFA was late in withdrawing its case against FIFA over its decision to remove the TTFA executive and install a normalisation committee in March.
Hadad, when contacted on Tuesday, said, “I have nothing to say to (anybody) about (any) topic.”
Pressed on the matter regarding the salaries for the technical staff members, Hadad remarked, “I have nothing to say. I’m not in charge of football. That’s for Wallace to do.”
He continued, “I have nothing to say for a long time. When this whole matter is resolved, then I might have a few things to say. At this time, talk to them.”
Asked if Hadad was ceding power to the United TTFA, Wallace laughed before responding, “All I can say is that it’s a matter before the court at the moment. But FIFA has been recognising (the normalisation committee) as the TTFA and FIFA has indicated that do not recognise me.
“Any funding that has to come to TT football has to come through him. At this point in time, I don’t know if that has changed, but that is the last thing I know, that is the TTFA as far as FIFA is concerned.”
Wallace pointed out, “I don’t know what’s going on at all. That is the matter that is before the court, to determine who’s in charge of local football. For the time being, the court seems to think the United TTFA are the people in charge but FIFA has a different view so that’s where we’re at.”
Asked if it’s just a virtual standstill, Wallace replied, “Yes.”
However, Wallace said, “(Hadad) was active and doing what he’s supposed to do. He was speaking to the coaches, he was getting money to pay staff, we never tried to stop anything. I never tried to stop the operations of the normalisation committee, except when they were going to call the (extraordinary general) meeting, which was illegal, because the court had a different opinion on that.”