PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad,  (CMC) – The move by the global governing body for football, FIFA, to take over the administration of the sport in the twin-island republic has been described as “an attempted coup”, “disrespectful”, “strange” and “unfortunate” by Board members of the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA).

On Tuesday, FIFA announced that the TTFA’s board would be replaced by a normalisation committee to restore governance and financial stability to the beleaguered organization.

It said the decision was taken after an assessment it carried out in conjunction with continental governing body, CONCACAF, found extremely low overall financial management methods, combined with a massive debt that resulted in the local body facing “a very real risk of insolvency and illiquidity”.

But the TTFA’s president William Wallace was caught off-guard by the decision, questioning why such drastic action had been taken when no such move was made against the previous regime, led by his predecessor David John-Williams, under which a multi-million-dollar debt was racked up. He further contended that the new executive had been making efforts to reduce the inherited debt since coming to office just under four months ago.

“It’s unfortunate in that we had four years of members of the TT Football Association complaining and many people outside the football fraternity asking what’s happening…. It’s little strange that an administration that has come into office in November and this decision has been taken,” said Wallace, noting that he was yet to be officially informed by FIFA about the decision.

TTFA board member Keith Look Loy, meantime, strongly condemned the FIFA move.

“This is, in my view, an attempted coup d’etat by FIFA to remove a democratically elected administration, an administration elected by the will of the football community,” he said.

“They are seeking to overturn that will and acting like a colonial absentee landlord that feels he could do whatever he wants, regardless of what the local people think because their views don’t matter. It is highly disrespectful.”

Look Loy also questioned why FIFA had done nothing when the financial situation got out of hand under the previous TTFA leadership.

“FIFA presided over the mess created by John-Williams and his administration…. People, including myself, repeatedly pointed out to FIFA officials that there was mismanagement. Their attitude was hands off and it was TTFA’s business, but suddenly it is their business,” he said.

Wallace and his United TTFA team defeated Team Impactors, led by John-Williams, 26-20 in the November 24, 2019 elections.

In the buildup to the vote, 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.

“[FIFA] came and celebrated with him,” Look Loy said. “The TTFA electorate rejected John-Williams. They want to hold a new administration, that has done nothing wrong, responsible for the sins of John-Williams’ administration. It is objectionable, unreasonable and unacceptable, and we’re not going to be taking it lying down.”

Wallace, asked if he would appeal FIFA’s decision at the Court of Arbitration for Sport, said: “It is new territory for me, we need to get some information on that.”

In announcing the appointment of the normalisation committee, FIFA said the current financial situation was putting the TTFA and development of football in the country at risk, and corrective measures needed to be applied urgently.

The committee – which FIFA said would be made up of an adequate number of members to be identified by its administration, in consultation with CONCACAF –will have a maximum time of 24 months to carry out its work.

That work 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, and overseeing new elections for an executive committee to run the TTFA again.