Trinidad and Tobago football’s small victories

FOOTBALL is a sport of passion. Entire countries can get caught up in and nurse tabancas in relation to matches and tournaments; fans can come to blows; players can exchange barbs – or worse – on the field.

But passion hardly comes to mind when we cast our eyes at the most recent developments in the local sport.

This country will not be among those participating in the FIFA World Cup, which is due to kick off in Qatar in a month’s time.

The TT Football Association (TTFA) remains under the regulation of a FIFA “normalisation committee.” TTFA audited financial statements for 2020 and 2021 were only approved on Saturday.

While football inspires strong feelings, more modest emotions now prevail in relation to the significance of the latter development.

“This approval was the first time I felt that football is going in a right direction,” said Eastern Football Association president Kieron Edwards in relation to the approval of financials. “Members are asking pertinent questions towards important issues. We have to continue the process.”

It is easy to see why some feel this a hopeful moment, perhaps even a turning point, for the local sport.

It comes after years of turmoil and downright commess relating to serious reports of financial impropriety. Those matters embroiled local football and reflected the turmoil within the very world governing body that has put the TTFA under a normalisation committee. The committee’s mandate ends in March.

The seeming turn to administrative regularity also comes as the world gets set to fall under football’s spell, a spell that has weakened somewhat in recent years, owing to several far-ranging FIFA scandals, growing unease about racism in the various levels of the sport and the pall cast by the covid19 pandemic.

Yet with the world looking to move on from that pandemic, the appetite for what is often called “the beautiful game” is strong.

If this is a hopeful moment, that is to some extent also due to various, more modest strides being made.

Sexism in the sport is being combatted internationally. This year’s UEFA Women’s Euro tournament, won by England’s Lionesses, was the most-watched tournament of its kind.

Locally, the TTFA will launch the “Girls Play” development campaign at the Hasely Crawford Stadium on Saturday. This is at a moment when other sports, like cricket, have begun to put greater emphasis on parity.

Our football figures, such as Dwight Yorke, continue to make strides. Mr Yorke recently made his club coaching debut, taking Macarthur FC to its first Australia Cup win.

A national of this country, Sham Mohammed, was recently appointed the Caribbean head of beach football.

We might not score any goals in Qatar, but we can nonetheless count these small victories.