Oliver “Ollie” Camps, the embattled president of the T&T Football Federation (T&TFF) has quit his position with immediate effect after a 19-year reign.
The decision by Camps, who was returned as president of the local federation earlier this year, comes less than 24 hours after it was revealed that he was one of ten Caribbean Football Union (CFU) officials being investigated by the FIFA over their role in a meeting that eventually led to the downfall of former Asian football chief Mohammed bin Hammam.
The FIFA statement said this was done after the ethics committee opened proceedings against the CFU officials relating to the possible violations of the FIFA Code of Ethics, in the cash-for-votes scandal. Camps and the other officials were due to have their cases heard in mid-November.
However, in a release yesterday, Camps said while he was extremely satisfied and pleased to offer himself for service, the current climate created by the FIFA forced him to rethink his position and left him with no choice but to resign with immediate effect.
“I have truly enjoyed working with the football fraternity and appreciated the opportunities which have been given to me through football, but when the price one has to pay includes the sullying of one’s name and the denigrating of one’s character without a justifiable reason, then I must confess that this is not the place that I would want to be.”
The man who managed national teams to within a point of qualifying for the World Cup in 1974 in Germany and 1990 in Italy, said he has watched on as good men were demoralised and tarnished by the FIFA, which opted to apply different rules to the same situations depending on who the players were.
“For an organisation that claims to promote and practice fair play, the current situation has left me aghast because it represents a shift away from the values that the FIFA claims it espouses.
It is certainly a sad day for me and this is far from what I had expected. The changing of the guards was never meant to engender the bitterness that I feel, the pain which has replaced the pleasure of service, nor the disdain that the FIFA’s actions have created for what ought to be a beautiful game.”
Camps said he was taking the good memories of having led T&T into the 2006 World Cup Finals in Germany.
“I will never forget the opportunities I have had as host of two FIFA World Cup Finals in 2001 and 2010.
I will always remember that under my watch, Trinidad and Tobago qualified for four World Cup finals and if success as a leader has to be measured in football, it is against this background that I will be judged.”
He said while he was leaving football disappointed, he was happy since history would judge him as the most successful football president of Trinidad and Tobago.
“In no way am I disappointed that I was a part of the Caribbean Football Union meeting which met to determine the path to choose a leader for the FIFA.
“The current situation facing the CFU now has made it very clear to me that our choice in meeting to discuss whether President Sepp Blatter would be the preferred option was the right one.
“History will not judge me for being a part of that meeting neither will it condemn me based on association.
Rather history will applaud all the football leaders of the Caribbean and bring shame upon the powers that be, for the sad days they have occasioned upon the CFU and football in general.”
Camps thanked former FIFA vice-president Jack Warner for his support over the years. “In him I see a true leader, a true champion, a Caribbean-man, one who was prepared to do whatever was required to keep the Caribbean flag flying with dignity and pride.
To the very end, my friend and I remain committed to his inspired leadership and loyal to friendship.”