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29
Fri, Mar

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Please permit me space in your widely read newspaper to share my team's frustration with the Tobago Football Association (TFA) highhanded manner in managing the affairs of 'Tobago football.

Does the TFA executive really have a mandate to run football in Tobago? That is the burning question being asked by interested football lovers since they have been unable to convene meetings because of the absence of a quorum and they are even finding it difficult to convene the rescheduled meetings that do not need a quorum.

Even at the AGM where elections for the following two-year term should have been held, they were not able to get a quorum. It is so bad that between October 23rd 2005 to March 24th 2006 not a single general council meeting was held.

I must ask, do all the members of the executive really have the interest of football in Tobago as priority or are they willing to sell out our rights that the late Eric Hovell and others before wrestled from those in Trinidad who wished to keep us in bondage like Pharaoh did the Israelites for personal gain.

Why can't we have a director for football in Tobago being paid by the same Sport Company who pays Lincoln Phillips' salary as director of football in Trinidad?

Why have these Tobago officials allow our best to leave our shores because of lack of opportunities? Why in 2006 are we still allowing so-call scouts to come from Trinidad at there whim and fancy to put our players through what I call psychological decadence in trying to impress in a few hours when in truth and in fact we in Tobago should have all age group teams and a senior team in training at all times so that a series of games with our Trinidad counterparts can be played prior to each national team selection. Because of situation the average age of the footballers is declining rapidly and most of our footballers feel they have to go to Trinidad to better themselves.

Another serious bone of contention we have is that in April of 2005 at a general meeting, information coming from Trinidad stated that the FA places allotted to TFA would be reduce from two to one. Members were irated and heated discussions followed at the end of which a decision on weather we should accept the one position was deferred. At a later meeting in October the secretary administration Huey Caddette said that no discussion on the matter took place and he used his notes from that meeting to substantiate his position. However, I disagreed and made some statements with respect to the secretary's note taking of which Caddette took offence and demanded an apology from me, which I refused. The president who chaired the meeting said that if I did not apologise I will be ejected from the meeting but because this could not be achieved the meeting was adjourned. Five months later the matter again resurfaced at a general council meeting with the president saying that the minutes of the meeting in question was confirmed and the information therein was correct.

Anslem Robley a general council member then said he was in a meeting where the FA scenario was in truth and in fact discussed at length and deferred. The president and the executive still held the view that because the minute was confirmed they were correct. However, I then reminded the membership that Carl Alleyne who was not present at the previous meeting was allowed to confirm the said minutes until I objected and the decision was then rescinded.

This just showed how minutes were allowed to be confirmed and seconded for convenience and expediency without following proper procedures. The President again insisted that I apologize otherwise I would become an observer for the rest of the meeting. I then said that I will only apologize if my statement was incorrect.

I was then prevented from taking any further part in the meeting. In my view the action of the chairman Mr Ottley and his executive is both contrary and unconstitutional. Nowhere in the TFA's constitution can a delegate representing a member club be made an observer. Observers are persons or groups who are not members of the TFA and who wish to sit in on the TFA's general meetings and must sign the registry as such. Further to that if I had breach some protocol or contravene the constitution I s

 

George T Joseph