Tag: Eastern Football Association

Eastern Connect out Maloney’s perfect run in EFA

FC Maloney (18 points) had their winning run in the 2025 Eastern Football Association (EFA) season stopped at six games on October 12 when they were beaten 4-3 by Eastern Connect FC (16 points) in their group B encounter at Clayton Ince recreation grounds in Maloney.

In a quite thrilling encounter, the second-placed Eastern Connect team got first-half goals from Cadeem Jackie and Corie Dhanoolal, who notched a brace. With the game seemingly heading to an exciting 3-3 draw, Eastern Connect’s Sean Labadie had the final say with a dagger to Maloney’s perfect run with a goal in the fifth minute of second-half stoppage-time to seal the seven-goal affair.

Also in group B, Wallerfield United (13 points) consolidated third spot when they whipped seventh-placed USC Hummers 4-0 at Maracas recreation grounds. Wallerfield were powered by Revaldo Patrick who scored a double, with Emmanuel Phillip and Kevin Thornhill scoring a goal apiece.

As the race for the top four spots in group B tightens with the “Big 8” drawing closer, FC Porto Arima (12 points) moved up to fourth when they defeated Trincity Nationals 3-1, with Wesley Lewis, Rivaldo Patron and veteran attacker Mikheil Peters scoring the goals.

Maracas United (11 points) dropped out of group B’s top four when they played to a goalless draw with with last season’s runners-up CG Poseidon (eight points) in the second game of the Maracas double-header.

In group A, the race for the top four spots were decided, with Heatwave FC (11 points) grabbing fourth when they earned a 2-1 win over the seventh-placed Malabar FC (three points) courtesy goals from Stephen Christopher and Jeremiah Scott. With the victory, Heatwave surpassed La Horquetta XF (eight points) who already played their full quota of seven matches in round-robin play.

With reigning EFA champs Malabar Youngstars (19 points) having secured first place in the group on the previous match day, CPC Athletic International Academy and Athletic United FC (both 15 points) ended group A in second and third respectively despite the latter’s 1-0 win when they clashed on the weekend. Jeremiah Rodriguez scored the lone item for Athletic United as they got past CPC.

The Big 8 will be contested from October 26. The EFA winners will earn $15,000, with the second and third-laced teams receiving $10,000 and $5,000 respectively.

Malabar Youngstars, Maloney maintain unbeaten records in EFA

EASTERN Football Association (EFA) holders Malabar Youngstars (19 points) continued their unbeaten run in the 2025 campaign on October 5 when they got a thumping 5-1 win over Heatwave FC (eight points) in their group A clash at the Arima Velodrome.

Midfielder Abraham Martin scored a brace to lead Youngstars, with Kendell Borneo, Jeromy Joseph and veteran striker Ricardo John scoring a goal apiece. Youngstars have won six of their seven matches thus far this season and have a four-point lead in group A ahead of CPC Athletic International Academy (15 points).

At Eddie Hart Ground in Tacarigua, CPC made a big statement when they hammered SKHY FC 7-0. Malachi Woodley scored a hat-trick to lead CPC, with Isaiah Isaac scoring a brace. Koby Morin and Damon Sankar scored a goal apiece. Also in group A, the third-placed Athletic United (12 points) also enjoyed themselves in front of goal when they defeated La Horquetta XF 6-1 at UTT’s O’Meara campus. Jeneke Danzell scored a hat-trick for Athletic United, with Kaylon Williams and striker Kesean St Rose also among the scorers as their team made light work of group A’s fourth-placed club.

In group B, FC Maloney (18 points) made it six wins out of six when they edged Wallerfield United (ten points) in a top-three clash. Isaiah Edwards and silky midfielder Jadel Carter scored for Maloney. In Tacarigua, group B’s second-place team Eastern Connect FC (13 points) dropped precious points when they were held to a 2-2 draw by the struggling Trincity Nationals (two points). Corie Dhanoolal and Chris Toussaint found the target for Eastern Connect, with Jaden Cordner and centre forward Malachi Celestine scoring for Trincity.

Also in group B, the fifth-placed FC Porto Arima (nine points) spanked the cellar-placed Zebulun FC 8-0, with last season’s runner-up CG Poseidon (seven points) edging USC Hummers 2-1. Nyrek Thornhill and veteran attacker Mikheil Peters both scored twice in Porto’s rout of Zebulun, with Codel Bailey and Tyrek James scoring the goals for Poseidon in their tight win over the Hummers.

After round-robin play, the top four teams from the two groups will contest the “Big 8” from October 26, leading up to the final on November 9. The EFA winners will pocket $15,000, with the second- and third-place teams receiving $10,000 and $5,000, respectively.

TTFA elections showdown: Wharfe vs Edwards for presidency

A new era in local football administration is set to begin on April 13 when the TT Football Association (TTFA) hosts its elections for the first time since 2019.

The elections will be held at the Home of Football in Couva at 11am.

The two men vying to take over as TTFA president are TT Premier Football League CEO Colin Wharfe (Team Transformation) and Eastern FA president Kieron Edwards (Team Progressive).

“Everything is running according to plan for the electoral process,” TTFA general secretary Amiel Mohammed said on April 12.

In March 2020, the then William Wallace-led TTFA executive was removed by FIFA, who appointed a normalisation committee after they found extremely low overall financial management methods, massive debt and a high risk of insolvency .

The normalisation committee’s tenure has had mixed reviews with many disgruntled by the lack of transparency with some of the decision making. On the field, the results at most levels have not gone according to plan.

Edwards was confident when Newsday spoke to him on April 12, “I feel like I did my best and I’ve put in the work. It’s now up to the members to decide, and they’ve told me that they’re supporting Team Progressive.”

If elected he plans to begin unifying the membership immediately.

“Give thanks to the Almighty, as well as the normalisation committee who have dedicated their time to football. I know that not 100 per cent would vote in my favour so I’ll call for a meeting with all members and stakeholders to unite everyone and have a discussion about the plans. Then it would be talking to FIFA and Concacaf about the upcoming programmes that we currently have.”

Edwards believes after serving as the Eastern Football Association president for a number of years, the time is right to run for the TTFA president.

“I thought it was the right time to throw my hat in the ring to assist TT football. My main reason for running (TTFA presidency) was to unify and lead the membership like I’ve been doing for some time.”

He said his understanding of football and development augurs well if elected, going into a World Cup qualifying year.

Newsday was unable to speak to Wharfe on April 12 as he was too busy.

Wharfe in February said he felt “compelled to seize the opportunity to lead an expanded team which will propel TT football.

“I fervently believe that football can be a driver of societal engagement and national transformation, at a time when multi-faceted approaches are needed.”

On the election process, Mohammed said, “The TTFA will be hosting an extraordinary congress.

“It is such that all the members of the TTFA had to communicate their delegates in advance of the meeting. The process is governed by the TTFA statutes and TTFA electoral code. The election of the executive committee is the only substantive item on the agenda. The process from there is similar to the general elections and voting is done by secret ballot.”

All 12 teams that took part in the inaugural season of the TTPFL as well as the top six in TTPFL tier two – excluding Police FC (who have a team in tier one) – will all be afforded two votes in the election.

Each of the six regional associations and the TT Women’s League Football also have two votes.

The remaining associations such as beach soccer, coaches, futsal, referees, the Primary and Secondary Schools Football Leagues and the Veterans Footballers Foundation of Trinidad and Tobago have one vote each.

The normalisation committee announced a three-man independent team to oversee the elections. These men are: Dr Terrence Farrell, a renowned economist and former deputy governor of the Central Bank, Elton Prescott SC, an attorney and former independent senator and Dr Justin Koo, a senior lecturer and deputy dean at the University of the West Indies.

The slates for the TTFA presidential election:

Team Progressive: president Kieron Edwards, first vice-president Colin Murray, second vice-president Osmond Downer, third vice-president Jameson Rigues, and ordinary members Alicia Austin, Inspector Andrew Boodhoo, Allan Logan, Ryan Nunes, and Shelton Williams.

Team Transformation: president Colin Wharfe, first vice-president Colonel Keston Charles, second vice-president Renee John-Williams, third vice-president Huey Cadette, and ordinary members Riaz Ali, Lee Davis, Colm De Freitas, Makan Hislop, and Richard Mason.

TT Premier Football League CEO Colin Wharfe enters TTFA president race

CEO of the TT Premier Football League Colin Wharfe is the latest person to throw his hat in the TT Football Association (TTFA) presidential race.

Wharfe is the fourth person to announce his desire to go up for the president of the TTFA, which will be decided at the elections on April 13.

Potential candidates for the nine executive committee positions must confirm their candidature to the TTFA general secretariat for the respective posts on or before February 28.

President of the Southern Football Association Denis Latiff, Veterans Football Foundation of TT president Selby Browne and Eastern Football Association (EFA) president Kieron Edwards have all indicated their interest to go up for the position.

“This release serves to formally announce my candidacy for president of the TT Football Association,” Wharfe said in a media release.

Wharfe thinks his experience in football will be an asset in the position as president of the TTFA. “This decision was not taken lightly. I have a long history of participation in local football, most recently steering the TT Premier Football League, and being involved in crafting the medium-term strategy and plan for professional football.”

He said after being motivated by peers, he decided to put his name forward. “I had discussions with persons, within and outside of the football fraternity, about extending my involvement in local football administration. Their sentiments and encouragement have persuaded me to play a larger part in local football administration. I feel compelled to seize the opportunity to lead an expanded team which will propel TT football. I fervently believe that football can be a driver of societal engagement and national transformation, at a time when multi-faceted approaches are needed.”

The Fifa-appointed normalisation committee has been running local football since 2020. The main reason the normalisation committee was appointed was to reduce a $50 million debt by the TTFA.

A revision of TTFA’s statutes to bring it in line with those of the sport’s global governing body was one of the key objectives set out by FIFA when it suspended the TTFA in 2020.

A Fifa statement on January 24 said the TTFA statutes are now compliant with Fifa and Concacaf.

“Following the ratification of the TTFA statutes and the subsequent announcement of the date for executive committee elections, TT football is rapidly moving from normalisation to normalcy. There is a desire for change and I believe I can lead the change,” Wharfe said. “The statutes, along with their enabling policies and procedures, if fully implemented and rigorously adhered to, provide a framework and guardrails to bring about the desired change at the TTFA.”

He said he has the capacity to lead. “I bring a wealth of business leadership experience that is applicable and transferable to this job. These were developed and nurtured during my 30-year career at one of the top professional services firms in the world; where I held senior leadership positions in the region and managed the local branches of several global client accounts. I possess the skills to advance the work that has already begun and of which I have been a part, so I decided to run for the post.”

Wharfe said he will finalise his team for the elections as “The Slate” will be revealed.

Trinidad and Tobago Football Association elections set for April 13

The Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) will elect a new president and accompanying slate to oversee the affairs of TT’s football on April 13, 2024 via an extraordinary congress.

TTFA general secretary Amiel Mohammed confirmed the election date via a press release on Tuesday.

The release said, “The normalisation committee of the TTFA has officially convened an extraordinary congress to be held on Saturday April 13, 2024 where the elections of the new TTFA executive committee shall take place.”

Candidates vying for the nine executive committee positions must officially submit their names to the TTFA general secretariat on or before February 28 via “recorded post, email with delivery notification, or delivered by hand” in accordance with Article 8 par. 2 of the TTFA electoral code. The general secretariat must then circulate the official list of candidates to the TTFA membership by April 3.

With the election date now set for April 13, the TTFA’s normalisation committee, who were set to demit office on March 31, effectively received another extension to fulfill the mandate given to them by Fifa with the new extension being pushed to April 30 at the latest.

On Monday, a letter from Fifa general secretary ad interim Mattias Grafstrom to normalisation committee chairman Robert Hadad said the extension was necessary in this instance to facilitate the staging of the election in two months’ time.

“In view of the specific timeframe established in the new TTFA Statutes, requiring a minimum of 60 days for the normalisation committee to convene an 8elective congress and for candidates to submit their candidatures to the general secretariat of the TTFA, the elections for a new TTFA executive committee will statutorily not be able to take place before the end of the normalisation committee’s mandate (i.e. before March 31, 2024).

“In order to allow the normalisation committee to fulfill the final tasks of its mandate (i.e. organise and conduct elections of a new TTFA executive committee for a four-year mandate), the (Fifa) Bureau decided on February 12 to extend the mandate of the normalisation committee until April 30 at the latest.”

The trio of Selby Browne, Veterans Football Foundation of TT (VFFoTT) president, Kieron Edwards, Eastern Football Association president and Dennis Latiff, Southern Football Association president, have all indicated their desire to run for the post of TTFA president, with Browne also saying his nine-member slate for the election has already been formed.

However, Mohammed told Newsday, “Technically, I have received no formal communication from anybody (regarding the TTFA presidency).”

Mohammed said the normalisation committee, in its capacity as the electoral committee, will appoint independent people to oversee the election process. He said the names have already been proposed to the TTFA membership.

As agreed to in the new TTFA statutes which were established in an extraordinary general meeting (EGM) on January 28, the 12 TT Premier Football League (TTPFL) tier one clubs which contested in its inaugural season, along with last season’s top six TTPFL tier two clubs – bar Police FC – will all be afforded two votes in the elections. Each of the six regional associations and the TT Women’s League Football also have two votes.

The remaining associations such as beach soccer, coaches, futsal, referees, Primary Schools Football League, Secondary Schools Football League and the VFFoTT all have one vote each.

In March 2020, the Bureau of the FIFA Council removed the then William Wallace-led TTFA executive and appointed a normalisation committee after they found extremely low overall financial management methods, combined with massive debt and a very real risk of insolvency and illiquidity.

TTFA presidential candidate Selby Browne wants to ‘put football first’

Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) presidential candidate Selby Browne wants to meet with members of other two contesting slates to bounce their ideas around in a combined effort to chart the best way forward for TT football.

Browne, president of the Veterans Football Foundation of TT (VFFoTT), threw his hat into the presidential race after the penultimate goal of the FIFA-installed normalisation committee – to bring the TTFA’s statutes in line with FIFA’s – was achieved at an emergency general meeting on January 28.

Joining him in the pursuit of the TTFA executive are Eastern Football Association president Kieron Edwards and Southern Football Association president Dennis Latiff.

Browne confirmed that he has already formed his nine-member slate for the election and will launch their campaign and manifesto after a meeting with the VFFoTT executive, post-Carnival.

He said sharing potential ideas with other presidential candidates and their candidatures should bring the best out of each team as they all aim to wrestle the four-year reign away from the normalisation committee, and return the association’s daily operations to the membership.

“I have a full slate, and we are prepared to meet with the two other slates to come up with one slate to see who is best, and in the position, to take TT football forward. That same quorum will review the plans.

“So I am proposing that we meet on a day for open discussions and disclosures, release our manifestos and then we determine a path. We don’t need an elections for that. It must be about putting football first, not individuals and finding what’s best to put TT football forward,” he said.

Browne’s project name is called TTFA Reset 2024. He told Newsday that it’s taken four long years for the membership to come within reach of regaining control of the TTFA.

The election was suggested, by FIFA Director of Strategic Projects Nodar Akhalkatsi, to be held on April 13. The normalisation committee agreed and issued a statement on Saturday, informing members of the set election date.

Despite the normalisation committee’s tenure set to conclude on March 31, a decision will be facilitated for a short extension of their mandate, until April 13, to ensure the elective congress is held on the set date. The normalisation committee acts as the electoral committee for these elections.

Browne’s team has been burning the midnight oil in the lead up to elections.

He added, “We’ve been planning this for a long time, the restructuring of TT football. Having our own seminars, quorums and open discussions. We’ve already have identified a path forward for the restructure and development of TTFA.”

“We waited too late, in my view, because we’ve wasted four years when it should have been tackled and dealt with during that four-year period in preparation for 2026 FIFA World Cup.”

The national senior team’s first major test this year kicks off three weeks before the election, when the Soca Warriors play Canada in a single-match play-in, for one of two available spots for the Jun 20 to July 14 Copa America.

After that, the 2026 Concacaf World Cup Qualifiers kick off in June. TT are in Group B alongside Costa Rica, St Kitts and Nevis, Grenada and the Bahamas.

FIFA, normalisation committee recommend April 13 TTFA elections

FIFA has recommended the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) host the election of its new executive (elective congress) on April 13.

The suggestion was put forward by FIFA Director of Strategic Projects Nodar Akhalkatsi in an email to the normalisation committee on Friday.

In response to this, TTFA General Secretary Amiel Mohammed issued a statement to association members on Saturday, in full agreement with FIFA’s recommendation.

Despite the normalisation committee’s tenure set to conclude on March 31, a decision will be facilitated for a short extension of their mandate, to ensure the elective congress is held on the set date.

This means the Robert Hadad-led normalisation committee will issue the notice for the extraordinary congress on or before February 13, after which, candidates for any of the executive committee positions must be submitted to the general secretariat by February 28.

From there, the general secretariat will circulate an official list of candidates to all TTFA members by April 3, with the extraordinary congress for the election to be convened on April 13.

In accordance with the mandate of the normalisation committee as outlined by the Bureau of the FIFA Council and Article 80 par. 7 of the TTFA Statutes, the normalisation committee acts as the electoral committee for these elections.

Akhalkatsi’s email recognised the normalisation committee overstaying their March 31 (Easter Sunday) deadline but wants to also ensure candidates have the required time to submit their slates and facilitate the electoral process.

He wrote, “It has to be ensured that the date of the elective congress is defined in a way, that the TTFA members have fair, feasible and realistic possibility to attend the congress and execute their statutory rights to participate in the congress and express their will by exerting their voting rights.”

Akhalkatsi requested the extension beyond the March 31 deadline “to respect a very important religious holiday”and the possible private commitments of its members on that particular weekend.

“We would therefore like to recommend to conduct the elective congress of the TTFA on 13 April 2023.”

Mohammed, in his Saturday email to TTFA members, thanked them for working with FIFA, Concacaf and Hadad and company throughout the process to realign TTFA’s statutes with FIFA’s.

He said the normalisation committee “believes that it is fair and just to give candidates enough time to organise their slates and campaign for the support of members, which requires at least 60 days’ notice, and is consistent with the notice period required for an ordinary congress.”

“We therefore support FIFA’s recommendation to host the elective congress on April 13, 2024. This will be facilitated by a short extension of the NC’s mandate and will result in the following timeline, which we believe will be respectful to all parties concerned and ensure that the process is fair, complete, and final.”

Mohammed’s email also said that, as discussed and agreed at the Emergency General Meeting on January 28 – in which the new TTFA statutes were approved by members – that the normalisation committee will “appoint independent persons to oversee the electoral process and its work as the electoral committee in accordance with the Electoral Code and Statutes of the TTFA.”

As it stands, Veterans Football Foundation of Trinidad and Tobago (VFFoTT) president Selby Browne, Eastern Football Association President Kieron Edwards and Southern Football Association President Dennis Latiff are, so far, the confirmed presidential candidates for the April 13 elections.

Currently, they are in the process of building their respective slates and will have the coming weeks to finalise their candidatures.

In response to Mohammed’s email, Browne replied saying that, “We at VFFoTT now await the formal notice of the FIFA Council for further extension of the term of the normalisation committee post-March 31st 2024.”

Coa’s hat-trick keeps Maloney FC atop EFA

Maloney Eagles FC (16 points) maintained their one-point lead atop the Eastern Football Association (EFA) standings last Sunday, as they romped to a 6-1 win over SKHY FC to extend their unbeaten record in the ongoing season to six games.

Playing at the Maloney Recreation Ground, the hosts got a second-half hat-trick from Kerwyn Coa. Jaquan Samuel, Teryke Johnson and former Soca Warriors attacker Nathan Lewis netted the other goals for Maloney, who finished second in the EFA league campaign last season. Both Lewis and Johnson have netted six goals in the campaign. The hat-trick hero Coa took his league tally to five goals.

Creek SCC (12 points) continued their climb up the table as they leapfrogged CG Poseidon (ten points) courtesy a 2-1 win in a mid-table tussle. Justin Busby scored a double to inspire Creek to victory.

In the first game of a double-header at the D’Abadie Recreation Ground, Malabar FC moved up to seven points with a thumping 5-0 win over the cellar-placed Zebulun FC, who have lost all six matches this season. Valentonio Elder and Jason Nicholas both scored a pair of goals to propel Malabar FC to the big win.

In the second game of the D’Abadie double-header, United Coaching Academy (six points) wiped out a first-half goal by the league’s top scorer Jiron Francis to get a 3-1 victory over Trincity Nationals (seven points).

At the Eddie Hart Ground in Tacarigua, the second-placed Malabar Young Stars (15 points) made sure to keep close tabs on the table-toppers Maloney as they handed the third-placed Heatwave FC (12 points) a heavy 6-0 defeat. Terrell Neptune opened the scoring in the 20th minute to take his season’s tally to seven goals. Nickerson Simpson scored a late double to put the icing on the cake for the Malabar Young Stars outfit.

Heatwave started the season with four consecutive wins, but their fiery start has now been cooled following heavy defeats to Maloney and Malabar Young Stars.

On Sunday, both Maloney and Malabar Young Stars will aim to continue their impressive form, with the league leaders making an away visit to Creek and Malabar Young Stars contesting a Malabar derby when they meet Malabar FC in Phase One, Malabar.

There are just three games left to conclude the EFA league season. The winner of the EFA competition will receive a $25,000 prize. The second-placed team will receive $15,000 and the third-placed team will pocket $10,000.

All debts being paid, says normalisation committee

THE FIFA-appointed normalisation committee has responded to the Eastern Football Association’s (EFA) questions regarding the TT Football Association’s (TTFA) financial situation in 2020 and 2021.

In a letter dated September 13, 2021 the EFA outlined their issues to normalisation committee chairman Robert Hadad.

They addressed areas of concern including increased debt under the normalisation committee.

Addressing the debt facing the TTFA, the EFA said, “Since the normalisation committee have been appointed and have taken charge of the association in the year 2020, the TTFA has continued to record a deficit and each year the deficit increases.”

The EFA letter continued, “The normalisation committee continues to spend more that it earns and there is an obvious pattern of overspending since the committee came into office. It is quite alarming that during the covid19 pandemic, a nationwide and a global shutdown on sport and travel, the normalisation committee has still managed to increase the expenditure of the association.”

The EFA said the normalisation committee was hired to improve the association’s debt situation. “The normalisation committee was appointed to liquidate our outstanding debt, under your stewardship, the TTFA has been incurring increasing debt and this illustrates how the normalisation committee has not adopted a prudent management structure for the funds provided by FIFA and the Government of TT. This method of management continues to push the association into a downward spiral of insurmountable debt.”

In a response to the normalisation committee’s debt, a letter dated September 19 by Hadad to EFA president Keiron Edwards said work is being done to clear debts.

“It should be noted that the normalisation committee has ensured that all debts incurred by the TTFA under its watch are being paid in a timely manner.”

The normalisation committee also said, “Loans and borrowings have actually declined under the normalisation committee. Falling by 30.77% from $4.03 million in 2019 to $2.79 million in 2021.”

The normalisation committee has paid a number of people owed by the TTFA for years including former national coaches. The normalisation committee said, “However, accounts payable increased by 10.88% over the same period, from $44.11 million in 2019 to $48.91 million in 2021. Of this, interest payable increased by 63.57%, from $519,829 in 2019 to $850,278 in 2021.”

The normalisation committee said interest must be paid. “This represents interest due on the GORTT (Government of TT) and CONCACAF loans for which no interest has ever been paid. Therefore, each year we accrue for the interest payable for that year. The interest on the CONCACAF loan must be paid in 2025/26 after the final principal payment is made, as per the agreed amortisation loan schedule. Therefore, we can expect this line item to continue to increase going forward. Other payables and accruals have remained fairly consistent around the $29 to $30 million mark.”

The normalisation committee, who was appointed to deal with the day-to-day affairs of the TTFA on March 17, 2020, are in a process of cleaning up the association’s financial arrears.

“However, what has been increasing are amounts due to the GORTT for statutory deductions like income tax, national insurance and health surcharge and the interest and penalties due on these. The normalisation committee inherited a situation where deductions were made, but not remitted to the statutory authorities. In fact, the TTFA was never registered with the Board of Inland Revenue or the National Insurance Board and we found no evidence of remittances being made with respect to statutory deductions. Therefore each year, as interest and penalties rise, these figures continue to increase and as at December 31, 2021 this figure totalled $9,080,751. We are now in the process of regularising this situation.”