Issues raised about the Audited Financial Statement of the T&T Football Association (TTFA) for the periods 2020 and 2021 prevented it from being approved by the membership at the Annual General Meeting of the TTFA at the Home of Football in Balmain, Couva, yesterday.
All other items on the agenda, inclusive of the budget, were approved by the 31 members who turned up out of the total of 47, Guardian Media Sports was told.
A motion was moved to delay the passing of the audited financials due to issues raised by Eastern Football Association president Keiron Edwards a day ago, and 17 members voted in favour of, while there were 14 abstentions.
It was agreed that the members will return in 17 days’ time for an Emergency General Meeting (EGM), at which time the issues raised will be dealt with to the satisfaction of the members, and another attempt will be made to have the audited financials approved.
The TTFA can only receive subventions from the sport’s world governing body FIFA once the audited financials are approved and this was stated to the members by Robert Hadad, chairman of the FIFA-appointed Normalisation Committee (NC) which is currently managing the affairs of the organisation.
Edwards raised some concerns about the validity of the audited statement when Aegis Business Solutions, Chartered Accountants, the auditors for the embattled football association stated: “We were unable to determine whether any adjustments might have been found necessary in respect of recorded and unrecorded plant and equipment. This was because assets were not tagged and there was no proper record keeping of the fixed asset register, which did not include proper descriptions of assets.”
Edwards said that meant that the figure stated for fixed assets on the Statement of Financial Position of the Audited Financial Statements was incorrect.
On Tuesday, a letter responding to the concerns of Edwards was sent out by the TTFA but it did not convince members during the meeting.
Edwards speaking after the AGM said, “The AGM went well, we would have passed most of the items. We passed the budget, we passed most of the items. The audited statements were postponed for 17 days, we must have some consultation with the normalisation committee about it and we would have that in the next 17 days, in an attempt to pass it at an EGM.
“These issues were there, it’s just a time for us to have further discussions on it and we will come up with some solutions and be able to pass the audited statements where persons will be comfortable.
“There were some things to address and we will treat with it, but there are still things that need to be addressed,” Edwards explained.
Attempts to get a comment from the Amiel Mohammed of the football association proved futile as calls to his phone went unanswered.
Eddison Dean of Club Sando said he does not see anything changing ahead of the EGM in 17 days’ time.
SOURCE: T&T Guardian