TTFA financial statements rejected at AGM

MEMBERS of the TT Football Association rejected financial statements presented by the president of the Association David John-Williams and the board at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) ,on Saturday, as the financial statements lacked detail.

Members of the TTFA, along with board members and John-Williams discussed various issues in an 11-hour meeting at the National Cycling Centre in Couva.

The meeting was called to discuss three main items – the activity report for 2016/2017, the audited financial statements for 2016 and the budget for 2018.

Keith Look Loy, who was recently elected on the TTFA board, speaking about the financial statements said, “The financial statement was rejected as not being detailed enough.

The meeting ordered the president and the board of the TTFA to have more information and more detail included in the audited financial statement and to resubmit it along with a budget for 2018 at an extraordinary general meeting to be called in 60 days.”

Look Loy said proper financial statements must be presented, as a lack of detail will not encourage the support of world football body FIFA.

“It starts with the president and it filters down into the board. It is not the president alone that has failed, the board has failed to manage the association properly and to be transparent. If the TTFA cannot present a proper financial statement to FIFA then it has implications for the financial arrangement with FIFA and the financial support of FIFA, so this is a serious matter,” Look Loy said.

Also, in the meeting it was decided that a proper technical committee would be established with the responsibility to create a development plan for football and examine the structure of our local competitions, in particular the difficult times the Pro League is having with funding.

Ato Boldon Stadium, Couva is now known as the home of football. However, the proper procedure was not followed in starting the expansion of the facility recently. Therefore the project on the Couva facility was ordered to stop. Look Loy said, “The meeting ordered a stop to work (on the home of football), because the meeting believes that no contract has been approved for work by the board of directors and the meeting is of the view that the president has awarded at least one contract without the approval of the board.”

Look Loy explained that people are also not happy that international matches are being played at the Ato Boldon Stadium in Couva at a loss.