We have one voice

PRESIDENTS of various football bodies in TT, plan to form a united slate in an effort to unseat current president of the TT Football Association David John-Williams, in order to save TT football from further despair.

Yesterday, at The Hotel Normandie in St Ann’s, the leading administrators in local football outlined their plans going forward. Local stakeholders have criticised the TTFA and its president, questioning the transparency and accountability including the lack of information concerning the construction of the Home of Football in Couva.

Those leading the call were former president of the TTFA Raymond Tim Kee, president of the TT Super League Keith Look Loy, president of the TT Women’s League Football Susan Joseph-Warrick, president of the Northern Football Association Anthony Harford, president of the Central Football Association Shymdeo Gosine and president of the Secondary Schools Football League William Wallace, who all outlined their issues with the TTFA.

Among those who attended the media conference were former TT Pro League chairman Sam Phillip and former Strike Squad captain Clayton Morris.

Look Loy, who has been in the headlines recently, concerning local football issues, was glad to have the support.

“This event today is about moving the headlines away from Look Loy. I am happy for the headlines to move away from me and move on to the people at the head table here and the creation of a united front.

“A team of people who want to save our football,” Look Loy said.

Look Loy said the team will develop a programme by September to help TT football and submit it to the broader football community and the public as a whole.

Look Loy said there is no leader of the team yet that will aim to unseat John-Williams at the TTFA elections in November, but they all have one goal.

“We are going to create a united slate.

“There are people at the head of the table and on the floor who have declared their ambition to run for president.

“This united team is going to mesh all those ambitions into one slate so that there is no vote splitting, so that there is no A fighting against B to the benefit of C, that is not going to happen. We are going to be standing with one voice, shoulder to shoulder against David John-Williams.”

Tim Kee was president of the TTFA from 2012-2015. He called on TTFA board members to oppose John-Williams if he is not on the right path. “If you sitting there on that board and you see your friend, who is the leader, going the wrong way you have to tell him, ‘that is the wrong road.’ The only man doing that is Keith and a few people on the excuse for a board, that is an excuse for a board...they are imps.”

Tim Kee, who stated his ambition to return as TTFA president earlier this year, said football is in need of immediate intervention.

“Football is gone past ICU. They gone beyond that, it is right on death’s door. On less a team like this comes forward, crosses the line and decide to carry football forward (we will succeed). We need to take our football and give it back some life, resuscitate it and take it forward. Let us start back fulling the stadium.”

Gosine made an emotional plea to TT citizens to avoid being a silent bystander.

“If you the public, because you own football, football is not owned by a particular person.

“This is a national sport and when we say the Government you think of the people sitting down in a hierarchy, the Government is you and so is football, it belongs to you. You TT who do not stand up for nothing, we talk in the background. Get up and let your voice be heard, let us get out there and have changes.”