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PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad (CMC) – The debt-ridden Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation is looking to CONCACAF for a bailout.
The Trinidad Express newspaper has reported that new TTFF president Raymond Tim Kee recently met with CONCACAF head Jeff Webb in Miami, to discuss the possibility of financial assistance from the confederation. CONCACAF is the continental governing body for football in North, Central America and the Caribbean.
“I am seeking to run the TTFF as a business. When in immediate trouble you often have to go to your parents for assistance,” Kee said.
“We have approached CONCACAF for assistance, even if it is in the form of a loan, which we will repay later. We presented a case for discussion. Nothing was agreed but we put our proposal out there for consideration.”
The TTFF has been embroiled in confusion in recent years, more so since last year’s cash-for-votes scandal that saw Trinidadian Jack Warner resign as a FIFA vice-president and head of CONCACAF and the Caribbean Football Union.
More importantly, the powerful Warner served as special adviser to the TTFF.
There is also a longstanding million-dollar law suit against the Federation launched by members of the 2006 World Cup team, who have sued for a share of the profits from the showpiece in Germany.
Media reports say the TTFF has not paid several coaches and administrators in months.
Tim Kee, who was elected last month, acknowledged the magnitude of the problem but said he was focused on sorting the financial mess.
“The TTFF owes million of dollars. My aim is to somehow try and resolve these issues,” he noted.
“It’s very unlikely that corporate Trinidad and Tobago will give us money to pay debts and at the moment, the national team might not be able to fill the stadium so we can collect at the gates. But we have these problems to solve and we have to work on solving them.”
The Trinidad Express newspaper has reported that new TTFF president Raymond Tim Kee recently met with CONCACAF head Jeff Webb in Miami, to discuss the possibility of financial assistance from the confederation. CONCACAF is the continental governing body for football in North, Central America and the Caribbean.
“I am seeking to run the TTFF as a business. When in immediate trouble you often have to go to your parents for assistance,” Kee said.
“We have approached CONCACAF for assistance, even if it is in the form of a loan, which we will repay later. We presented a case for discussion. Nothing was agreed but we put our proposal out there for consideration.”
The TTFF has been embroiled in confusion in recent years, more so since last year’s cash-for-votes scandal that saw Trinidadian Jack Warner resign as a FIFA vice-president and head of CONCACAF and the Caribbean Football Union.
More importantly, the powerful Warner served as special adviser to the TTFF.
There is also a longstanding million-dollar law suit against the Federation launched by members of the 2006 World Cup team, who have sued for a share of the profits from the showpiece in Germany.
Media reports say the TTFF has not paid several coaches and administrators in months.
Tim Kee, who was elected last month, acknowledged the magnitude of the problem but said he was focused on sorting the financial mess.
“The TTFF owes million of dollars. My aim is to somehow try and resolve these issues,” he noted.
“It’s very unlikely that corporate Trinidad and Tobago will give us money to pay debts and at the moment, the national team might not be able to fill the stadium so we can collect at the gates. But we have these problems to solve and we have to work on solving them.”
