The “United TTFA” group yesterday sent correspondence to FIFA’S local representative attorney, Donna Denbow, seeking bilateral talks as a solution to its impending legal battle with football’s world governing body in the Trinidad and Tobago High Court.
Under the “United TTFA” banner, Trinidad and Tobago Football Association president William Wallace and his three vice-presidents have made a claim against FIFA, challenging the decision of the world body to replace them on March 17, when imposing its own normalisation committee to run local football.
With preliminary court action having already begun, United TTFA is arguing that the best solution to the TTFA-FIFA impasse is to be found in direct bilateral talks between the parties, thus avoiding a lengthy and costly legal proceeding. Representing United TTFA is the New City Chambers law firm, while the firm of Dr Claude Denbow SC is representing FIFA.
Yesterday, New City Chambers attorney Jason Jones wrote Denbow offering a mediated solution.
“While our client maintains its position in respect of the merits of its case, there is no escaping the fact that a working relationship between our respective clients is essential for the good of football in Trinidad and Tobago,” Jones said in his correspondence.
“I trust that good sense will prevail, and your client will now agree to meet our client at the negotiating table in the interest of and for the good of the sport.”
If FIFA fails to again respond to yesterday’s offer, United TTFA says it will vigorously pursue its T&T High Court claim.
“Given the urgent nature of the matter at hand, I would be grateful if you would be kind enough to indicate your client’s position on mediation by or before 2 pm on Friday 29th May 2020,” Jones wrote.
Yesterday’s letter to Denbow represents the third time United TTFA has formally approached FIFA proposing dialogue.
Attorney Jones wrote: “Our client’s president, Mr William Wallace, has repeatedly called upon your client to discuss the way forward with himself and his executive; but calls have thus gone unanswered.”
Wallace first wrote to FIFA president Gianni Infantino on March 24, a week after the world body announced its takeover of local football. Pleading his case that the TTFA’s $50m debt was historic and not of his three-month old executive’s making, Wallace asked two questions:“If specialist persons have to be sent, why can’t they work with the elected executive? Why is there a need for new elections if the elections held in November was free and fair?” he asked.
Replying three days later on March 27, FIFA’s Senegal-born general secretary Fatma Samoura dismissed the suggestion of mediation.
“While we understand that as the newly elected president you disagree with the FIFA Council Bureau’s decision to appoint a normalisation committee in the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association, let me highlight that FIFA is competent to replace executive bodies of member associations by a normalisation committee for a specific period under exceptional circumstances (Art. 8 2 FIFA Statutes),” Samoura noted.
Samoura said based on its own assessment and in collaboration with Concacaf, FIFA considered the situation as exceptional enough to justify an application of the provisions of article. 8.2 of the FIFA statutes.
“FIFA will therefore not enter into any kind of unofficial correspondence of negotiation with you on the specific reasons for its decisions and reserves its arguments and evidences for any possible official legal action related to this matter,” Samoura said.
SOURCE: T&T Express