Newly-elected TTFA President Kieron Edwards (left) and Chair of Normalisation Committee, Robert Hadad.
T&T Football

Hadad happy to pass the reins; says TTFA in good place to move forward

April 16, 2024

Robert Hadad, chairman of the Normalisation Committee, expressed satisfaction with the way in which they steered the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA), and is now happy that they turned over the reins to newly-elected president Kieron Edwards and his administration.

Hadad, who was on hand when Edwards and his Team Progressive topped Colin Wharfe 38-19 at the recent TTFA's elections and Extraordinary Congress in Couva, is now delighted to move on with his personal life, having done enough for football in the twin island republic for the past four years.

Edward's administration is the first self-governed TTFA in more than four years. This as William Wallace's administration was removed months after being elected in November 2019, as FIFA intervened and installed the Hadad-chaired Normalisation Committee in March 2020, citing financial concerns.

“I have no intention of doing anything more. I am quite happy to move on with my personal life. I love fishing, I love the outdoors, and I’m going to continue in my quest for some personal, private time, without anything hanging over my head, like football," Hadad declared.

That said, the local businessman, whose four years in charge was to oversee the liquidation of a multi-million TTFA debt that stood for decades, believed he did his best to complete the mandate given to him by FIFA.

“I was very satisfied with what we were able to achieve. I think that the last four years have brought us (to) a better place and I’m content with that. I don’t think I can please everybody, and I don’t think I will ever please everybody," he said.

“The Association, I would think, they are in a pretty good place. The Association is debt free, save an except for the financial arrangement with FIFA which will be paid off over the next ten years. The rest of it is up to Mr Edwards now and the membership, to take football forward,” Hadad added.

While applauding the large turnout of TTFA delegates at Saturday's elections, Hadad, whose four years in charge was to oversee the liquidation of a multi-million TTFA debt that stood for decades, expressed optimism that football will not only move forward, but more importantly, impact lives enough to assist in decreasing the crime rate.

“I’d like to congratulate the TTFA members. I think they were very professional coming out in their numbers, 100% attendance. The normalisation process is completed," Hadad said, adding that debtors had been paid, with the exception of disputed matters involving Englishmen Terry Fenwick and Peter Miller, which are before the local courts.

“There are two matters before the court and those matters have to be resolved. The trustee Maria Daniel will continue working to bring those matters to a close,” he noted.

Meanwhile, Edwards praised Hadad and his Normalisation Committee for the work done.

“The Normalisation Committee played a crucial role in Trinidad and Tobago football. We need to understand that, and we need to acknowledge the service they would have given to Trinidad and Tobago football," the new TTFA president shared.

Newly-elected TTFA president Kieron Edwards (left) and Robert Hadad, chairman of the outgoing Normalisation Committee.
T&T Football

Kieron Edwards to lead new TTFA administration

April 13, 2024

Kieron Edwards has been elected new President of the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA).

Edwards, leading Team Progressive, defeated Colin Wharfe and his Transformation team at the Elective Congress 38-19 on Saturday morning at the Home of Football in Couva.

The new administration will be the first self-governed TTFA in more than four years. This as William Wallace's administration was removed months after he was elected in November 2019, as FIFA intervened and installed its Normalisation Committee in March 2020, citing financial concerns.

In keeping with the amended TTFA constitution, members were only asked to vote for a president. Edwards’ entire slate will serve alongside him.

“Our slate [did] the work and left it in the hand of the membership, and they made the decision,” said Edwards.

Edwards pointed out that his team will meet on Monday to hit the ground running to move football forward in the twin island republic. His administration comprises Colin Murray, Osmond Downer, and Jameson Rigues as the three vice-presidents, while Alicia Austin, Inspector Andrew Boodhoo, Allan Logan, Ryan Nunes, and Shelton Williams are the ordinary members.

Looking ahead, Edwards revealed that his administration will review the positions of all TTFA staff including that of general secretary Amiel Mohammed, who was hired by the Robert Hadad -chaired Normalisation Committee.

“He is the general secretary currently and I will work with him until further notice,” said Edwards.

“Coaches that are under contract, we will honour those contracts and we will work with them. It is not a situation of moving this one (or that one), it is about giving support and enhancing what we do to ensure that we qualify for tournaments, and we do well in tournaments. That is the objective of the next executive going forward," he added.

He was gracious too to outgoing Normalisation Committee, which included Nigel Romano and Trevor Nicholas Gomez, as well as members of Wharfe’s slate.

“It is one TTFA and we will work together with all members and your voice will be heard. It is about inclusion; the Normalisation Committee played a crucial role, and we need to acknowledge the service they did for Trinidad and Tobago," Edwards noted.

Meanwhile, Wharfe promised to continue doing what he can for football in Trinidad and Tobago.

“We at Team Transformation accept the result and will continue to work for football in any way that we think possible. I will continue to do my job (as TTPFL CEO) and the new executive will make determinations in terms of what tomorrow would look like,” he said.

New TTFA administration on the horizon as Elective Congress set for April 13
T&T Football

New TTFA administration on the horizon as Elective Congress set for April 13

February 03, 2024

A new-look Trinidad and Tobago football Association (TTFA) administration is on the horizon, as a collective decision was taken to support FIFA’s recommendation to host the Elective Congress on Saturday April 13, 2024.

It was revealed in a TTFA releases which stated that the decision will be facilitated by a short extension of the Normalisation Committee’s mandate and will result in the following timeline, which is viewed as respectful to all parties concerned, as well as to ensure that the process is fair, complete, and final.

As such, the TTFA Normalisation Committee will issue the notice for the Extraordinary Congress on or before Tuesday February 13, after which, candidates for any of the Executive Committee positions must be submitted to the General Secretariat by Wednesday February 28.

From there, the General Secretariat must circulate an official list of candidates to all TTFA members by Wednesday April 3, with the Extraordinary Congress for the Election of the Executive Committee to be convened 10 days later on April 13.

This follows last Sunday’s Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) of the TTFA at which 33 of the 47 members present, unanimously agreed to accept the amendments of the constitution, and also invoked the right of the FIFA-appointed Normalisation Committee being led by businessman Robert Hadad, to call fresh elections and conclude their mandate to manage the local sporting discipline as handed down by FIFA, in March 2020.

Meanwhile, at least three persons are eagerly awaiting the election now that approval of the constitution is completed.

However, the members are concerned by one of the new amendments that would only allow people contesting the election to be part of a slate. Also, members can only vote for a slate and not for an office position as was in the past. The slate with the most votes will manage the sport for a four-year term.

It was one of many proposed amendments to the constitution that, though objected to, was still included by Concacaf and FIFA. 

Still, the majority of the members voted in favour of considering a promise that changes to the constitution could be made within only a few months of having a new administration.

Another major change of concern to the members was the increased number of votes— (two votes each)—given to T&T Premier League (TTPFL) clubs - Tier I (12 clubs) and Tier II (six clubs) which makes it 36 from a total of 57 votes.

Hadad, who led the normalisation committee, achieved most of its mandate, including clearing a massive debt and ensuring that football was operational. But he now has to make way for a new TTFA president.

It is reported that Selby Browne, the president of the Veterans Football Foundation of T&T, Keiron Edwards, president of the Eastern Football Association, and Dennis Latiff, the new Southern Football Association president, have all expressed an interest in taking the reins.

But before any candidate can be considered, each has to meet the criteria of another constitutional change. A nominee must be involved in the sport for the past eight years if he or she wants to contest the election to serve on the executive.

They also have to meet the criteria of holding a managerial position for two of the last four years to be eligible for election. 

Eve granted contract extension to lead Soca Warriors until 2025
T&T Football

Eve granted contract extension to lead Soca Warriors until 2025

January 07, 2024

After initially being given a contract to lead Trinidad and Tobago's senior men’s team into Copa America playoff battle against Canada in March, Angus Eve was granted an extension, and will now remain at the helm until 2025.

Eve's extension, which was recently announced by the country's Football Association, will be for the duration of the 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualification campaign.

The tactician's initial extension from September 2023 to March 2024, resulted from a fairly successful 2023 campaign in which he guided the Soca Warriors to League A promotion in the Concacaf Nations League. Beyond that, Eve also saw the team to a memorable 2-1 victory over United States in Nations League second-leg quarter-finals action, which followed their second-place finish in the group stage, where Trinidad and Tobago toppled Curacao, El Salvador and Guatemala.

With his contract worries now out the way, Eve's immediate focus will be on their assignment against Canada on March 23, as victory against another North American powerhouse, would see the twin island republic into the CONMEBOL Copa America later this year.

“I am delighted to have the opportunity to continue to serve the country in a positive manner," Eve declared.

"Hopefully, we can develop and harness the young talent that we have, to give ourselves the best opportunity to qualify for another World Cup," he added.

Normalization Committee Chairman Robert Hadad explained how they came by the decision.

"A few months ago, Angus was given an extension as we believed he was the right individual to take us into League A and what he, his staff and the players have been able to achieve is commendable.

"The Normalization Committee’s tenure is winding down and we have been consistent with a cautious approach to the negotiation of contractual agreements with staff beyond our time (tenure). We met with Angus, explained our position, and discussed plans for the future. Angus has led the team extremely well and we believe that we have been able to (now) settle on a new agreement that is a win-win, in the best interest of the Association and Angus," Hadad shared.

“It was critical that any agreement allowed for each party to be protected and so that the Association has little to no risk of making missteps as in the past, which resulted in significant unpaid debts to coaches, team members and suppliers. We are excited for the future as we head into a World Cup qualification year,” he added.

Angus Eve (left) and Normalisation Committee chairman Robert Hadad
T&T Football

Eve receives contract extension to lead Soca Warriors in March; faces uncertain future after

December 12, 2023

Angus Eve received a contract extension to lead Trinidad and Tobago’s Soca Warriors into their crucial Concacaf Nations League playoff against Canada, as they hunt a spot in next year’s prestigious CONMEBOL Copa America tournament.

Should the Soca Warriors succeed in bettering their North American opponents in March, the possibility exists that Eve might not be the one to lead them beyond that, as he is not expected to receive a new contract before the Normalisation Committee’s term ends, also in March.

This was confirmed by the Normalisation Committee’s chairman Robert Hadad, on Saturday.

Eve, who recently blasted the twin island republic’s football fraternity for its lack of support, got his desire where signing a new contract is concerned, but Hadad ruled out another extension by the Normalisation Committee, whose own tenure will also end in March.

“His contract ends in March when our term ends, so in principle we agreed that we wanted the coach to run the same timelines as the Normalisation Committee,” Hadad said on the ISports radio programme on Saturday.

“Subsequent to that, the new in-coming president and the new in-coming ex-co (executive committee) can decide who they want to be their coach. Angus would have every opportunity with them to prove himself before (the end of his tenure) and hopefully, they would continue, and they would make that decision. But in principle, we did say all along that we do not think that we should be hiring a coach or anybody for that matter to exist beyond our term,” he added.

Hadad was also reluctant to have the Normalisation Committee extend itself more than necessary before its tenure ended.

“The Normalisation Committee has been making a lot of decisions without a technical committee in place and we believe that we need to give the new, in-coming executive committee the opportunity to set the football and Trinidad and Tobago Football Association up the way they want it,” he said, as he threw his support behind Eve.

“Angus though I would say is exceptional. He’s done a fantastic job, Angus and his entire team. I would expect him to be very professional because it is in his interest, if his desire is to continue coaching Trinidad and Tobago, to perform in that game on the 23rd,” Hadad noted.

Eve guided the Soca Warriors through a spirited Concacaf Nations League campaign, as they topped their group in League A action, and progressed to the quarterfinals where, despite losing on aggregate, they inflicted a famous second-leg defeat on United States.

Hadad pointed out that the Normalisation Committee always had confidence in Eve’s leadership.

“We were very optimistic that we would perform well all along. Angus took us to where we are today, and we had faith in Angus all the way through. We understood what his development plans were; he was very candid with us, he explained to us what he was doing and when something didn’t go right, he would not be running and hiding, he would be discussing the matter with us,” Hadad shared.

“We thought him (to be) the best option to get us to where we are today. Now that he has gotten us here, yes, it is a little uncomfortable that his term ends in March and he has this very big game, but we believe if he gets us into that game against Argentina (opening Copa America match) and we manage to defeat Canada, we think that the new executive committee would consider him,” he opined.

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