PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC – Football’s world governing body, FIFA, has appointed a normalisation committee to run the affairs of the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association, in an attempt to restore governance and financial stability to the beleaguered organisation.
In a statement Tuesday, the Zurich-based institution said the decision had been taken following a joint assessment of the TTFA carried out by itself and continental governing body, CONCACAF, which found “extremely low overall financial management methods, combined with a massive debt”, leaving the local body “facing a very real risk of insolvency and illiquidity”.
The TTFA board, led by the newly elected William Wallace, will be dismantled and fresh elections organised by the normalisation committee.
“The Bureau of the FIFA Council has today decided to appoint a normalisation committee for the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association in accordance with art. 8 par. 2 of the FIFA Statutes,” a FIFA release said.
“The decision follows the recent FIFA/CONCACAF fact-finding mission to Trinidad and Tobago to assess, together with an independent auditor, the financial situation of TTFA.
The mission found that extremely low overall financial management methods, combined with a massive debt, have resulted in the TTFA facing a very real risk of insolvency and illiquidity.
“Such a situation is putting at risk the organisation and development of football in the country and corrective measures need to be applied urgently.”
The committee, the members of which are yet to be identified, will have a two-year span in which to carry out its work which also includes creating a debt repayment plan which the TTFA can implement, reviewing the local governing body’s statutes and ensuring their adherence to FIFA regulations.
Most significantly, FIFA said the committee would oversee new elections for an executive committee to run the TTFA again.
“The normalisation committee will be composed of an adequate number of members to be identified by the FIFA administration, in consultation with CONCACAF. In line with the FIFA Governance Regulations, all members of the normalisation committee will be subject to an eligibility check,” FIFA said.
“The normalisation committee will act as an electoral committee, and none of its members will be eligible for any of the open positions in the TTFA elections under any circumstances.
“The specified period of time during which the normalisation committee will perform its functions will expire as soon as it has fulfilled all of its assigned tasks, but no later than 24 months after its members have been officially appointed by FIFA.”
The development comes less than five months after William Wallace defeated incumbent David John-Williams in elections last November, to assume the helm of the TTFA.
In the buildup to elections, John-Williams appeared to have the support of FIFA president Gianni Infantino and CONCACAF president, Victor Montagliani, who visited the island for the grand opening of its Home of Football complex in Couva.
The TTFA has been besieged by financial problems in recent time with Wallace claiming earlier this month that the body’s finances were in disarray.