The following article was first published in the Trinidad And Tobago Express on Wednesday 8th April, 2020.
You can read the entire article on their website HERE.
WILLIAM WALLACE may no longer be president of the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA), but is likely to hold on to his portfolio as president of the Secondary Schools Football League (SSFL) while the TTFA pursues a legal wrangle with world football’s governing body—the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA).
In May, 2019, Wallace’s entire SSFL executive was re-elected to serve another term for the period 2019-2021. “I never resigned,” he stated yesterday, in response to enquiries by the Trinidad Express.
On unseating David John-Williams to become TTFA president last November 24, Wallace indicated then his intention to relinquish his post with the SSFL, which has basically been run by first vice-president Philip Fraser, in recent times.
Wallace’s tenure as TTFA president lasted just four months before the Switzerland-based FIFA staged an intervention and replaced his executive with a normalisation committee, headed by local businessman Robert Hadad. FIFA cited a massive $50 million debt, which Wallace’s executive inherited from previous administrations, as its reason for intervening.
Wallace’s executive have since filed an appeal of FIFA actions to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), a process that could take as long as three years.
A retired school principal, Wallace indicated that he is now likely to serve out his term as SSFL president, “given the contingencies of what has been happening recently.”
Yesterday, Gerald Elliot, SSFL assistant-secretary of administration, confirmed that Wallace remained head of the organisation, give the March 20 AGM at which he might have voluntary resigned, but was cancelled due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“He (Wallace) is still president,” said Elliot, who opined that the SSFL is anticipating that the coronavirus will be a thing of the past by September 9-12, when they hope to begin the new season. Elliot disclosed that the organisation had already begun work on fixtures for the new season.
Confirmed as boss of the schools’ football, Wallace would give no further comment on his TTFA role, insisting that information on TTFA matters will now come through New City Chambers attorneys Matthew Gayle and Dr. Emir Crowne.
Yesterday, Gayle confirmed that the TTFA had met the deadline and completed the first step in the fight, by officially filing an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
“What we have filed is known as a statement of appeal,” Gayle explained. “It essentially sets out who the parties are and the dispute.”
From there, Gayle informed that the next step is to file a more comprehensive appeal document, setting out legal submissions and arguments and witness statements. FIFA will then have an opportunity to respond.
“What can happen from there depends on the direction the court (CAS) gives,” Gayle pointed out. “And because of the time we are in right now (COVID-19), I guess the procedure is a little bit up in the air.”
The CAS appeal could be a long process, but for now the United TTFA’s legal representative cannot give a time frame. “Typically, cases can last from a year to three years, start to finish, with CAS. Where there is an urgent element, as there is in this matter, cases can be determined a lot more expeditiously. So, its conceivable that the case could be determined in weeks to a couple of months,” Gayle explained.
“But then again, I hasten to add that this is happening in unprecedented times internationally, so it’s kind of difficult to say what is likely to happen in the absence of little bit more context, which in a couple of weeks’ time, we ought to have,” he concluded.
