The following is greeting sent the stakeholders of football in Trinidad and Tobago from Robert Hadad, chairman of the FIFA-appointed Normalisation Committee of the TTFA.
"To all our Valued Members and Stakeholders.
As this year comes to its close, we wish to extend warm greetings on behalf of the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association.
In the midst of difficulty, there is always something to be grateful for and I wish to acknowledge and appreciate the gifts of life, health, strength and all that has been bestowed upon us this year. We are so thankful to end 2020 and to enter into 2021 with the TTFA as a functioning member of FIFA and CONCACAF.
The support, interaction and experience shared from those in FIFA and CONCACAF have been important in guiding us to this point and to where we are aiming towards in 2021 and beyond.
This year has been a terribly testing and difficult one for everyone in some way or another. I wish to note that football does not exist in isolation and is also affected by the challenges of society. The existing problems in local football coupled with the Pandemic; have made this year into certainly one of the FA’s most challenging periods in its history.
The socio-economic challenges also affect the end product, but rest assured that we are undertaking a number of interventions in order to develop our organization and to elevate our game to a higher standard.
Our tasks of addressing the current debt, running the daily affairs of the TTFA, reviewing and amending the Statutes, and generally charting a better way forward for Trinidad and Tobago football, remain a top priority.
We are currently focused on a strategic planning process as it is imperative that our plan is locked in place and becomes a blueprint for long-term growth and stability. I take this opportunity to thank all our stakeholders for their ongoing support and patience over the past few months. We have and will continue to invest significant time and energy into getting the best outcome for the country.
We will update you on our plans as they evolve, as we work towards being in a position to share our future strategies. Additionally, we are currently in a process of forging stronger relationships with our existing partners and stakeholders and do have plans to ensure they are part of our future success.
With regards to our national teams on the field of play, we recognize our country’s progress to the Quarter-finals of the CONCACAF Women’s Under 20 Championship earlier this year. We also appreciate the success and progress of several of our professional players in the overseas leagues such as Kevin Molino, Joevin Jones, Levi Garcia, Akeem Garcia and Kennya Cordner to name a few. These players all excelled for their respective clubs in leagues from North America to Europe.
Our locally based Senior Men’s Team players braved the challenging conditions to turn up to practice over the past few months as we prepare for the upcoming Qatar 2022 World Cup Qualifiers which commence in March with a home fixture against Guyana.
The TTFA’s Home of Football hotel served as a step-down facility in the Government’s Covid recovery efforts, and as an organization, we are immensely pleased to have been able to provide support in the country’s fight against the virus. There are ongoing plans to expand on the use of the facility from 2021 of which you will hear more about in the new year.
The start of the World Cup qualifiers will be a test which we are all anticipating and promises to be an exciting and ambitious venture which will see us re-enter CONCACAF and FIFA Competitions for the first time in a year.
We have encountered a trying and difficult year and we are looking forward to a brighter 2021. What we put into our football now, determines the end result. We are buoyed by a promising future and as I have said in the past, we have been presented with an opportunity to make a change. We must all embrace this and remain positive and committed to building back our country’s football. We must do this for the players, youth, fans, coaches and for all stakeholders.
In closing, I thank you again for your patience, confidence and support. On behalf of TTFA, I wish you all a safe and wonderful Christmas and a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year."
ABOVE SOURCE: T&T Guardian
RELATED NEWS
TTFA ‘looking forward to brighter 2021’
By Joel Bailey (T&T Newsday).
THE TT Football Association (TTFA) is looking forward to a brighter 2021, according to Robert Hadad, chairman of the FIFA-appointed normalisation committee.
The committee, comprising Hadad, Judy Daniel and Nigel Romano, was appointed in March, after FIFA removed the William Wallace-led executive, due to mounting debts.
Hadad, in a media statement on Thursday, said, “We are so thankful to end 2020 and to enter into 2021 with the TTFA as a functioning member of FIFA and Concacaf. The support, interaction and experience shared from those in FIFA and Concacaf have been important in guiding us to this point and to where we are aiming towards in 2021 and beyond.”
FIFA suspended T&T from all international events on September 24, after Wallace and his executive failed to withdraw their legal case against FIFA from the local High Court and have it heard at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Switzerland.
FIFA lifted the suspension in November, after members of the TTFA agreed to stop court action taken against FIFA and recognise the committee to run its affairs.
“This year has been a terribly testing and difficult one for everyone in some way or another,” Hadad wrote. “I wish to note that football does not exist in isolation and is also affected by the challenges of society. The existing problems in local football coupled with the (coronavirus) pandemic, have made this year into certainly one of the FA’s most challenging periods in its history.
“The socio-economic challenges also affect the end product, but rest assured that we are undertaking a number of interventions in order to develop our organisation and to elevate our game to a higher standard.
“Our tasks of addressing the current debt, running the daily affairs of the TTFA, reviewing and amending the Statutes, and generally charting a better way forward for T&T football, remain top priority.”
According to Hadad, the TTFA is “focused on a strategic planning process as it is imperative that our plan is locked in place and becomes a blueprint for long-term growth and stability. Additionally, we are currently in a process of forging stronger relationships with our existing partners and stakeholders and do have plans to ensure they are part of our future success.”
The normalisation committee’s chairman mentioned, “We have encountered a trying and difficult year and we are looking forward to a brighter 2021. What we put into our football now, determines the end result.
“We are buoyed by a promising future and as I have said in the past, we have been presented with an opportunity to make a change. We must all embrace this and remain positive and committed to building back our country’s football. We must do this for the players, youth, fans, coaches and for all stakeholders.”
Normalisation committee chairman Hadad positive about 2021
T&T Express Reports.
HIGH HOPES
FOLLOWING a tumultuous year during which Trinidad and Tobago was temporarily suspended from international football, FIFA normalisation committee chairman Robert Hadad has in his Christmas message expressed hope for growth in 2021, beginning with the 2022 FIFA Men’s World Cup qualifying campaign.
“The start of the World Cup qualifiers will be a test which we are all anticipating and promises to be an exciting and ambitious venture which will see us re-enter Concacaf and FIFA competitions for the first time in a year,’ Hadad stated.
“Our locally-based senior men’s team players braved the challenging conditions to turn up to practice over the past few months as we prepare for the upcoming Qatar 2022 World Cup Qualifiers which commence in March with a home fixture against Guyana,” he added. “We also appreciate the success and progress of several of our professional players in the overseas leagues such as Kevin Molino, Joevin Jones, Levi Garcia, Akeem Garcia and Kennya Cordner to name a few. These players all excelled for their respective clubs in leagues from North America to Europe.”
Hadad acknowledged the devastating blows football has suffered in a year where the Covid-19 pandemic brought a halt to local sport in March. With no football being played, the void was filled by a protracted legal wrangle between former president Williams Wallace’s Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) executive and FIFA, football’s governing world body which removed them from office on March 17.
“We have encountered a trying and difficult year and we are looking forward to a brighter 2021. What we put into our football now, determines the end result,” Hadad said.
Hadad also addressed the imposing $70 million-plus debt of the almost insolvent TTFA which he inherited when the normalisation committee was installed.
“Our tasks of addressing the current debt, running the daily affairs of the TTFA, reviewing and amending the Statutes, and generally charting a better way forward for Trinidad and Tobago football remain top priority,” he said.
The normalisation committee chairman further stated:“We are currently focused on a strategic planning process as it is imperative that our plan is locked in place and becomes a blueprint for long-term growth and stability. I take this opportunity to thank all our stakeholders for their ongoing support and patience over the past few months. We have and will continue to invest significant time and energy into getting the best outcome for the country.
“We will update you on our plans as they evolve, as we work towards being in a position to share our future strategies. Additionally we are currently in a process of forging stronger relationships with our existing partners and stakeholders and do have plans to ensure they are part of our future success.
“We are buoyed by a promising future and as I have said in the past, we have been presented with an opportunity to make a change. We must all embrace this and remain positive and committed to building back our country’s football. We must do this for the players, youth, fans, coaches and for all stakeholders.”
Hadad noted that football does not exist in isolation and is also affected by the challenges of society. Therefore the existing problems in local football coupled with the pandemic have made this year into one of the most challenging periods in the TTFA’s history. Despite the socio-economic challenges, he assured that the normalisation committee will undertake a number of interventions in order to develop the organisation and to elevate the game to a higher standard.
“This year has been a terribly testing and difficult one for everyone in some way or another,” said Hadad. “We are so thankful to end 2020 and to enter into 2021, with the TTFA as a functioning member of FIFA and Concacaf. The support, interaction and experience shared from those in FIFA and Concacaf have been important in guiding us to this point and to where we are aiming towards 2021 and beyond.”
Hadad also expressed plans to expand on the use of the TTFA’s Home of Football hotel from 2021. The facility currently serves as a step-down facility in the Government’s Covid recovery efforts.
“There are ongoing plans to expand on the use of the facility from 2021 of which you will hear more about in the new year,” Hadad stated.