When will the Normalisation Committee (NC) of the T&T Football Association (TTFA) give an account for their consistent poor handling of the TTFA technical affairs and the mishandling of our national teams?
T&T football has gone from competing in all competitions regionally and internationally, to being relegated to just participants.
As former technical director Keith Look Loy stated recently: “I believe that T&T football is the property of the people and the TTFA is accountable to the people. Similarly, national teams belong to the people. These teams must be accountable to the TTFA board. The technical committee is the proxy for the board and must exercise close supervision of all national teams’ activity. National teams’ staff must be held accountable by the committee. No accountability. No responsibility. No proper performance.”
Football is one of the most popular sports in T&T and the most funded sport via FIFA annual grants, annual government funding, and annual corporate funding, but all this financial backing is not bearing the expected results on the playing field and the question from John Public is, why?
Is there a short-term plan designed by the NC and shared with the TTFA membership since their reign started in March 2020 and is expected to be longer than a TTFA-constituted four-year term of office?
Despite what anyone says, even the William Wallace-led TTFA had a technical committee led by coach Look Loy and I have seen and read the committee’s strategic plan for 2020-2023, supported by a vision for development, together with the committee’s activity report for the first three months that Wallace was at the helm before FIFA took over the football association.
It was the last documented technical accountability report that was submitted to the board to share with its membership and stakeholders of the sport.
Despite what anyone may say about the then-elected TTFA, they had a plan and a vision but since being installed by FIFA, the current managers of the sport, the NC has not presented anything similar to justify any decisions that they have made about the technical development of our national teams and coaching appointments.
Without the TTFA constitution being suspended by FIFA when it normalised the TTFA on March 17, 2020, the NC refuses to recognise Article 20 by not implementing the constituted technical committee which provides the required technical expertise that would be responsible for the appointment of coaches; to review coaches and the performances of national teams among other responsibilities that were intended to aid the development of the game locally.
For example, from the evidence in hand, it appears, that every time this TTFA makes a coaching appointment the composition of the selection committee changes. The only constant from the last three coaching appointments from the three different committees used is Anton Corneal, the TTFA technical director, Jinelle James, the director of women’s football, and former national player Richard Chinapoo, each of whom has served on two of the three committees, that comprised a total of 14 persons.
Again, what is the philosophy of the NC about what kind of coach they want for all our national teams (men’s, women’s, junior, and Olympic team) for T&T’s football to move forward as a competitive nation in the Caribbean Football Union (CFU), CONCACAF, Gold Cup and World Cup qualifiers?
On July 6, the TTFA announced Richard Hood as the head coach of the senior women’s team. Let’s be honest all we can do is wish coach Hood all the best because that is all we can do if we are to go with what transpired on the field when the senior women’s team last played in August 2022.
Could you imagine, a senior national team inactive for 12 months and will be relying on just about 10 to 11 weeks of preparation before their first match away to Mexico on September 26?
T&T is in Group A of League A alongside Mexico and Puerto Rico. After opening on the road, T&T then host the Mexicans on October 27 before facing Puerto Rico (away) on December 1, and at home on December 5. What a task! We all must ask the question, what are coach Hood’s goals and objectives for this tournament except to ensure that the NC fulfil its participation objective for their employers - FIFA?
Former national women’s coach Kenwyn Jones’ team which played its last match in July 2022 comprised:
Goalkeepers - Kimika Forbes. Klil Keshwar, Tenesha Palmer
Defenders - Liana Hinds, Rhea Belgrave, Victoria Swift, Chelsi Jadoo, Shaunalee Govia, Shadi Cecily Stoute, Lauryn Hutchinson
Midfielders - Amaya Ellis, Asha James, Chelcy Ralph, Karyn Forbes (captain), Kedie Johnson, Sarah De Gannes, Tori Paul
Forwards - Maya Matouk, Maria-Frances Serrant, Raenah Campbell, Jolie St Louis, Cayla McFarlane, Brianna Austin.
This team lost to Panama 1-0, Costa Rica 4-0 and Canada 6-0.
How many of these players are currently active today and ready to do it all over again, or will be available to coach Hood?
Are there other players campaigning abroad that can step up to the challenge that this tournament will require and turn out better performances that can overshadow last July’s results?
Any coach in Hood’s position being brave enough to accept such a challenge will be looking for nothing but experienced players to fill all positions but again from where will he get them since no T&T players are making any significant noise in any major leagues around the world, not even in the United States.
We are in July and the women’s league was last played in September 2022.
However, when the NC hands back the reigns of the sport to the football membership I am certain that T&T football will have to start from scratch building all its football programmes from the ground up.
In the absence of an active and effective Coaches Association, the TTFA after the NC terms ends, will also have to give a serious look and review all the coaches who are involved in clubs and academies because they are also not producing skilful players that are attracting foreign clubs and scouts and that is also a major concern that must be addressed with urgency if T&T is to rival regional power-house Jamaica and dominate the likes of Guyana, Barbados, Haiti, Martinique, and Cuba before earning the rights to play Canada, Mexico, and the USA in the future.
SOURCE: T&T Guardian