- 2 days ago
SporTT had been asking for more than eight months now for the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association(TTFA) to produce evidence of how the first six point seven nine million dollars($6.79m) had been spent for this country's World Cup qualifying campaign last year.
Questions of financial oversight has arisen and Mark Bassant in this TV6 investigation tells us more.
Questions of financial oversight has arisen and Mark Bassant in this TV6 investigation tells us more.
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00World Cup fever is in the air, and whilst everyone's attention has been consumed by that,
00:05another issue is now emerging into the light that's related to the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association
00:10and questions surrounding its financial affairs.
00:13So much so that the sports company of Trinidad and Tobago is seeking answers from TTFE
00:18over their accounting and reporting of millions of dollars in public funding
00:22and private sponsorship funds, raising poignant questions about financial oversight within the sport.
00:28The main concern surrounds money provided to the TTFE for the national team's World Cup qualifying campaign
00:35between November 2024 and September 2025, for which $6.79 million was allocated
00:42with the promise of another $6.79 million if the team had qualified for this year's World Cup.
00:49The team's former national coach, Dwight York, was fired in December 2025,
00:53has still been owed just over $1 million, while a host of service providers and vendors
00:59who have worked closely with the TTFE are also being owed significant sums of money for more than two years
01:05despite monetary allocations made to the TTFE by Sport TT and monies pumped into the TTFE by corporate sponsors.
01:13Over the course of a two-month investigation, CCN TV6 obtained documents, reviewed financial records,
01:19and interviewed multiple sources familiar with the funding arrangements.
01:23The Sport TT investigation points to a lack of transparency in the expenditure of sponsorship funds
01:28that were allocated by this body, while state-run entities and other businesses
01:33who also assisted in the TTFE in the World Cup qualifying campaign
01:37have also raised questions as to how their sponsorship money was spent.
01:41A Sport TT document obtained by TV6 shows that between the period of November 2024 and April 2026,
01:47the TTFA received $14.4 million.
01:51Of that, $6.79 million was dedicated to TNT's World Cup qualifying campaign
01:56and with $836,000 given to the TNT's CONCACAF Nations League games,
02:02while $5.82 was paid to the Trinidad and Tobago Premier Professional League
02:06to pay its players, coaches, technical staff and other employees working within the TTPFL
02:12and the senior women's national team was given $980,000 in April 2026.
02:18For its World Cup qualifying campaign, the senior women's national team received $980,000 on April 9, 2026.
02:26But to date, these team players are owed match fees for games played against Honduras on March 4, 2026
02:32and El Salvador on April 1, 2026, while the men's national team has been owed monies
02:37going back to their October 2025 World Cup qualifying win against Bermuda.
02:43Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Sport and Youth Affairs, Senator David Naked,
02:47had recently ventilated the issue of match fees owed to these players on the online platform of Wired868.
02:53The disbursement of the monies for the World Cup and CONCACAF Nations League was as follows.
02:58December 2024, $500,000 for the men's national team.
03:02January 6, 2025, $2.8 million and on January 9, 2025, $3.39 million,
03:10which represented the first U.S. $1 million, $6.79 million approved by the Cabinet
03:16under the former PNM administration.
03:18This summer's handed over in a check to the TTFA by former Sports Minister
03:22Chamfer Kujo in early January 2025.
03:26The men's national team in August 2025 also obtained a disbursement of $499,000
03:32and $336,000 for CONCACAF Nations League games for games played home and away
03:38previously in September and October 2024 against Cuba, Honduras and French Guiana.
03:44But the central point of contention is TTFA's failure to account for the detailed spending
03:49of the TTFA $6.79 million disburseed by SportTT for Trinidad and Tobago's World Cup qualifying campaign.
03:57SportTT tasked with ensuring the public funds are managed properly
04:00has been unable to verify whether TTFA's payments align with the millions already released.
04:06According to SportTT documents, as of March 31, 2026,
04:09it has been several months since the TTFA was expected to submit relevant documentation
04:14for the payout of the $6.79 million relevant to payroll summary sheets
04:20and a list of signatories to verify signatures on documents
04:23as requested by coordinator and grants and funding
04:26as well as independent sustainability technical report.
04:30The document further stated that a Sport Development and Performance Unit
04:33has been following up with the TTFA since August 7, 2025
04:37to bring the report to closure.
04:39The most recent follow-ups by the coordinator on grants and funding
04:43took place on February 6 and March 26, 2026, according to the document.
04:48According to the same document connected to the TTFA,
04:51SportTT said that similar problems as it relates to the status of statutory deduction payments
04:56and an even independent sustainability technical report.
05:00SportTT has formally requested reconciliation multiple times,
05:04but the TTFA has not produced the documentation to show where exactly the monies have gone
05:10and how it was spent.
05:12Multiple informed sources within the Ministry of Sport and SportTT confirmed
05:15that to date, none of the pertinent documents promised by the TTFA have been provided.
05:21Sources said that in late May, TTFA President Edwards and several other executives of the TTFA
05:26met with senior personnel of SportTT and the Minister of Sport, Philip Watts.
05:30The aim of the meeting was to verify the expenditure and obtain proof of bills and payments,
05:35receipts, signatures and stamps.
05:36Open quote.
05:37If the Ministry of Sport through SportTT is to provide further funding,
05:41this must be addressed.
05:42We need to see the reconciliation with previous funds given.
05:45Close quote.
05:46Said a source in the know about the meeting.
05:48Several questions concerning the TTFA's financial affairs were sent to TTFA President
05:52Kyron Edwards on May 19, with one week to respond.
05:55There was no response.
05:56The same questions were resubmitted on June 1st, and Edwards was again afforded a further
06:02week to address the matters raised, but still no response after reading the WhatsApp messages.
06:07It was only last Saturday that Edwards responded.
06:10Edwards, who jetted off to the FIFA World Cup a week ago, had contended in a recent interview
06:15on I-95 on May 9th that all audits were complete and in good standing.
06:20SportTT officials are, however, querying their lack of financial transparency by the TTFA,
06:24which has not been able to provide comprehensive financial information to justify the money
06:29spent from the government's subvention.
06:32A senior TTFA insider complained to TV6 that players, coaches, managers, and other staff
06:37at the national level continue to suffer for their salaries as well as those associated
06:41with the TTPFL.
06:43In his May 9th interview with I-95, Edwards contended that all was well with the TTFA executive,
06:49and while they could disagree on certain matters, they all remained on the same page.
06:53Edwards had sent questions asking for a detailed breakdown and any documentation outlining
06:59precisely how the $6.79 million was spent by the TTFA related to the World Cup qualifying
07:05campaign, and questions surrounding sponsorship and other related matters.
07:09But in his response, he said that those matters were protected by confidentiality arrangements.
07:16Mark Bessant, TV6 News.
07:18Mark Bessant, TV6 News.
07:20Mark Bessant, TV6 News.
Comments