Who is popular today?

PROSPECTIVE TT Football Association (TTFA) presidential candidate Denis Latiff says the general feeling among the TTFA membership is one of relief following the confirmation of the April 13 date for the elections of the new TTFA executive.
Latiff said he has as good a chance as any at winning the upcoming TTFA presidential race, and he believes he and his team have what it takes to bring back corporate TT into the local football landscape after many aspects of the local game received insufficient attention under the Fifa-appointed normalisation committee.
On Tuesday, TTFA general secretary Amiel Mohammed confirmed the election date to the TTFA membership, with the new TTFA executive committee set to be instituted at an extraordinary congress. 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. The TTFA general secretariat must then disseminate the official list of candidates to the TTFA membership by April 3.
Latiff, president of the Southern Football Association (SFA), has indicated his desire to contest for the presidential post, alongside Veterans Football Foundation of TT (VFFoTT) president Selby Browne and Eastern Football Association (EFA) president Kieron Edwards. On Tuesday, Mohammed told Newsday, “Technically, I have received no formal communication from anybody (regarding the TTFA presidency).”
Speaking to Newsday on Wednesday, Latiff said he was in the process of finalising his nine-member slate and submitting his nomination to the TTFA. Last week, Browne told Newsday he and his team will launch their campaign and manifesto after a meeting with the VFFoTT executive after the Carnival season.
“Everybody is glad for the election date,” Latiff told Newsday. “Whatever it means to them, everybody has a sense of relief. I am feeling pretty good about the election.”
With the election date now confirmed, the normalisation committee, which was appointed by Fifa in March 2020, has received an extension to April 30 at the latest to fulfill Fifa’s mandate.
“We are working to get this together now. We are coming strong. It is about time we get football back where it needs to be. The normalisation committee did not do anything for football itself. They were just being told what to do,” said the Tiger Tanks CEO.
“They did not look at a wide range of necessities for TT football. Fifa just told them to do this and do that, and that was it. But many people have suffered. The teams have suffered. Many of the members have had disagreements. The zones have not been helped at all.”
Latiff said TT’s football cannot maximise its potential if the football at the grassroots and regional level is not given the respect and attention it deserves.
“We must help the zones. That is where the footballers are coming from. You will not produce good footballers if you do not have the necessary tools like coaching and funding to host tournaments,” Latiff said.
“It is difficult. I am the head of the SFA right now and I am telling you it is difficult.”
Without revealing the names of the people in his slate, Latiff said they have substantial backgrounds in areas such as sport, business, management, law and human resources. He said it was important to have a versatile slate with expertise in various topics.
“These positions ensure that we will have all the necessary tools (to handle the TTFA office). We are going to have a wide range,” Latiff said.
A holder of an LLM in Business Law, Latiff is hoping to lean on his experience in the business field to firstly sway the TTFA membership in April, and also reinvigorate the TTFA’s external business operations.
“(TT football) needs proper management and proper auditing. Sponsors and businesses want to be updated every time, because they want to see where their money is going,” Latiff said.
“I am a member of the Energy Chamber... they do not want to commit to the TTFA right now because they are afraid of where the money goes or does not go.”
Critically, four years ago, Fifa removed the then William Wallace-led TTFA executive and appointed the Robert normalisation committee after they found extremely low overall financial management methods being implemented by the TTFA, to go along with massive debt incurred by the local football body.
He said the operation of TTFA’s business side is just as important as the on-field product from the varying national teams.
“This is the business of football, not the game of football. The business of football gets (you) everything to play the game of football,” Latiff said.
“With that in mind, I think I have a fair chance of going and winning the TTFA presidency and bringing back the business people to the table.”
According to Article 30 par. 4 in the amended TTFA statutes, “Every slate in the election for positions within the executive committee, shall be proposed, in writing, by at least five members. Each member shall support one slate only.”
Latiff said he has no problem with the implementation of slates ahead of the TTFA election, and he said he and his team are willing to work together for the greater good of TT football.
“Going up with a slate and you have everybody beforehand and everyone is committed, and everybody is one the same page going into the election – that is what you need.
“I do not mind that change at all.”
Latiff and his team have two weeks to make their push for the TTFA executive spots official.

The post Southern Football Association head Denis Latiff: Normalisation Committee did nothing for football appeared first on Trinidad and Tobago Newsday.