Patricks declines TTFA position, Wallace's attorney fires back at Fifa

FIFA will be looking for someone else to lead the TT Football Association (TTFA), as Tyril Patrick has turned down the position of interim leader of the local football body.

On Wednesday, the TTFA learnt that Patrick was hired to lead local football, one day after the William Wallace-led TTFA was disbanded by Fifa because of extremely low overall financial management methods and massive debt.

Patrick has turned down the offer by Fifa, according to attorney Matthew Gayle who is representing Wallace and his team in the matter.

Gayle, along with Dr Emir Crowne, initially took action against Patrick for asking the High Court to bar Patrick and other people from taking steps to interfere with the day-to-day operations of the TTFA.

“We sent a pre-action protocol letter yesterday (Friday), warning Patrick that if he attempted to interfere with the operations of the TTFA and the operations of the executive then we would seek whatever assistance we believe we were entitled to in law from the courts to prevent him and any other persons from doing that,” Gayle said.

Gayle said Patrick declined the offer by Fifa saying, “As it happens, he has this morning (Saturday) indicated that he does not intend to attempt interfering in the running of the duly elected executive, so there is no need for any court action to assist us in that respect because he indicated he intends to respect the rights of the duly elected executive to conduct the day-to-day business of the TTFA.”

Gayle said they intend to fight Fifa for breaking up the TTFA based on the fact that Wallace and his team were elected and an external body has no right to take control of a local body. “Our position is that, in November 2019, there was an election that was a proper, fair, democratic election and the outcome of that was to elect Mr Wallace and his team of vice-presidents, along with the rest of the board were already there to run the TTFA. The TTFA is a body of which was created by a statute of TT’ Parliament for the interest of football in TT. Our position is no external body, even if it is Fifa, whatsoever has the right to interfere in that running of the TTFA. TTFA belongs to TT, not to Fifa.”

Gayle added, “As far as we are concerned Mr Wallace and his team continue to be the executive of the TTFA and they are responsible solely for the day-to-day running of that organisation.”