Tewarie wants clubs to run top-flight League

Senior Multimedia Reporter

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Serious consideration is now being given to Tier 1 of the Trinidad and Tobago Football Premier League (T&TPFL) being taken out of the hands of the T&T Football Association (TTFA) and managed by the clubs themselves.

This comes after eight months of no domestic football league and no idea of when the start will take place.

Speaking to Guardian Media Sports yesterday, Nirad Tewarie, chairman of San Juan Jabloteh Football Club, lamented the pain of more than 400 young footballers who are starved of making a living due to the non-functioning League. The League was initially set to kick off in October, more than eight months after it ended. However, after a start date of November 20 was given, clubs were being told otherwise.

Tewarie, in a stinging comment, said he is putting the blame squarely on the shoulders of the T&TFA and called on clubs to decide on their next step to prevent this in the future. According to Tewari, “The bigger issue is that as of now, we have no confirmation that the league is actually going to start on the 20th. The league start date has been pushed back three times. We have not had professional football for about eight months in Trinidad and Tobago. That is pathetic.”

He said, “There are more than 400 people who rely directly just through the clubs, and that number will go up to almost 450, to more than 450, if there are two more clubs added to the TTPFL, who rely directly on employment through the league. So, this is a major problem, and it is not appropriate for everyone to throw their hands up in the air and to leave these young men, in particular, in limbo.”

He added, “It certainly does not augur well for the development of football. We already see the impact that not having a competitive local group of players regularly playing matches and in training has on our ability to compete at the international level. So, we need to ensure that the league starts and that we are playing competitive football. And that means that all the stakeholders have to come together and get it done.”

“And I am saying it is the responsibility primarily of the TTPFL, because they are the ones running the league. If they are not able or willing to do it, then let us have a serious, meaningful conversation about moving the league out of the TTPFL,” Tewari said.

In 1999, the T&T Premier Football League, which is formerly known as the TT Pro League and consisted of representatives of the respective clubs (12 clubs then), managed top-flight football in T&T. It consisted of a Board of Directors who sought out sponsorships and managed the operations of the actual on-the-field play.

To date, the T&TFA has struggled to secure a consistent stream of funding from the government. Up to recently, the T&TFA had been awaiting approved funding from the government through the Sports Company of Trinidad and Tobago (SporTT). The Kieron Edwards-led TTFA was ordered to submit volumes of documents to meet the qualifying compliance for funding by the SporTT, as did all other National Governing Bodies (NGBs).

Tewari calls for total fairness in constitutional amendments

Meanwhile, Tewarie, and executive members of other clubs have organised meetings to discuss the proposed changes to the T&TFA Constitution and how it will affect the young men and women who play the sport and are trying to make a career out of it.

The T&TFA, through its constitutional expert Osmond Downer, proposed a series of changes, which he planned to explain to stakeholders and clubs yesterday evening. Among the changes were a revised allocation of voting rights for Premier Football League clubs, new term limits for Executive Committee members, and changes to electoral procedures.

Other recommendations include for the November 28, 2026 annual general meeting (AGM), is the appointment of the general secretary to be made solely by the TTFA president. It is suggested that the proposed amendments could see a shift of power from Tier 1 clubs to the Regional Associations, the Northern FA, Southern FA, Eastern FA, Central FA, Tobago FA, and the Eastern Counties Football Union (ECFU), as well as directly into the hands of the T&T Women’s Football League (TTWoLF).

From the shift, Tier 1 clubs would see their collective votes plummet from 24 to 10, while Tier 2 teams would fall from 12 to five, which represents a total loss of 21 votes.

Regional Associations’ votes, on the other hand, would rise from 12 to 18, while TT Women’s League Football would increase from two to three votes. But Tewari said his only concern is the process by which this is done. As he pondered commenting on the development, the Jabloteh boss said, “So, we are going into the meeting to listen. The biggest issue is not any single provision. The biggest concern that I have is the process. And when things were circulated, and how they are being done, and therefore the ability to provide meaningful input within the current statutes, because the current statutes will govern the operation of the Congress.”

He noted further, “Within the current statutes, it seems like there will be limited or no opportunity to provide alternatives or amendments to what has been proposed. So, process is always important. Consultation is always important. And at the end of the day, we assume that everyone is working for the betterment of football.”

Tawrie said, “In Trinidad and Tobago, understanding that the real beneficiaries of football are young men and women who are seeking to make this a career, and therefore a pathway to earning a livelihood for them and their families. And if we put that first, then hopefully it’ll guide us to making good decisions that are not simply in furtherance of anyone’s self-interest.”