Founding United T&T Football Association (TTFA) member Keith Look Loy has refuted a newspaper report by former TTFA general secretary Ramesh Ramdhan, that his group was set to resume talks with marketing representative Peter Miller, as well as continue discussions for collaboration between UK firm Lavender, the Arima Borough Corporation and the Government for the construction of a multi-purpose facility above the Arima Velodrome.
Ramdhan was attempting to highlight earlier discussions the group had with the Board of the TTFA and other stakeholders, as part of an overall plan to develop and structure T&T football, and Miller and the Lavender deal were just part of it.
The overall plan entailed ways in which funds were to be generated by the group, ranging from sponsors to endorsement, to the sale of items, to tv rights from football initiative, among many others.
Ramdhan believed the sport’s membership needed to be aware of these plans ahead of and after today’s ruling by the local court on the decision of FIFA to appoint a Normalisation Committee to replace the United TTFA as the legitimate managers of local football.
United TTFA head William Wallace has already said in a letter that if the court rules in their favour, they will convene an Emergency General Meeting (EGM) among the membership to decide on the way forward.
He noted also that if the court rules against them, they will drop the case against FIFA and allow the normalisation committee led by businessman Robert Hadad to govern the affairs of local football.
FIFA has already suspended the TTFA for violation of the Statutes and Ramdhan believes it could be a blessing in disguise, as his group would get the opportunity to implement their plans which will be for the betterment of the sport.
On Wednesday, however, Look Loy said that Ramdhan was not speaking on his behalf or on the behalf of any member of the TTFA, which was recently reduced to five following the resignation of vice president Susan Joseph-Warrick. She also stepped down from the her post as president of the Women’s League Football (WoLF).
Look Loy said: “One, the TTFA Board never approved, knowingly or unknowingly, the contracts held by Ramdhan, Fenwick and Miller; Two, I, and other United TTFA members, have always held that these contracts should be challenged in law; Three, the debt reduction proposal advanced by United TTFA never progressed because, although the Arima Mayor was open to a discussion, the government failed to respond to approaches from Lavender.
“There was no contract for Lavender to do anything. By the way, Hadad’s proposal for debt reduction, as stated on television, is to ask the government and FIFA to pay it; Four, I don’t know who Ramdhan is speaking to or on behalf of but he is not my spokesman or that of other United TTFA members who I have spoken to regarding this article.”
Contacted Ramdhan, who has been suspended by normalisation committee chairman Hadad and is currently challenging the decision in the local court, told Guardian Media Sports he did not want to comment further on the matter.
Ramdhan was given a controversial two-year contract which was not approved by the Board of Directors of the TTFA , but by president William Wallace, who claimed he was acting according to the TTFA’s constitution.
SOURCE: T&T Guardian