Villaroel accuses TATT of constitutional breaches and accountability

Hayden Mitchell, president of the Tennis Association of T&T, has assured that all concerns about his administration’s tenure in office for the past six years would be answered on Saturday (February 15) when the Annual General Meeting (AGM) and Election are held at the National Racquet Centre (NRC) in Orange Grove, Tacarigua, from 10 am.

Mitchell, a businessman by profession who held the position of a director in the Central American and Caribbean Tennis Confederation (COTECC), has come under fire from Dr Louis Villaroel, who is leading a slate that will contest Saturday’s election.

In a critical attack on the current tennis executive, Villaroel said tennis development has been stunted, and there has been no transparency in the sport. Villaroel also accused the Mitchell-led executive of breaching the tennis constitution by not having elections when they are constitutionally due.

Dr Villaroel, in an interview with Guardian Media Sports yesterday, said, “I believe that tennis and tennis development in the country need a change, and the voice of the tennis community needs to be amplified more and exhibited on the tennis executive.”

According to Dr Villaroel, “The tennis election has been called and is due on February 15, which is Saturday. Now, all NGOs in T&T, which are the non-governmental boards that run the different sports in the country according to the manifestos of the T&T Constitution, are supposed to have elections for the executive positions every two years, but this current administration has been in power for the last six years, not having elections for the past four years.”

He added, “They are supposed to show all affiliate organisations financial transparency in the form of audited documents every year, but this current administration has failed to show any financial statements, audited or not, to its members and their affiliate organisations, so these are the little instances where I am showing that have brought this tennis executive into disrepute.”

Villaroel, who has been in the sport since the age of 12 years and has progressed to represent the country at all levels as a junior player, also made it clear that given the circumstances of the current executive not calling an election and not showing financial transparency, the present executive has also attempted to undermine the voting process by not allowing certain clubs to vote for miscellaneous reasons.

“It could be arrears, which they never informed the clubs of, so now the clubs have short notice to pay these arrears, which are bills amounting to $4,000, $5,000, and $6,000 that stopped clubs from voting in these elections,” Dr Villaroel explained.

He added further, “In the notice of the AGM distributed by this executive on January 23, it states that on February 15 we will receive the audited financial statements for the years 2020 to 2023, so this asks the question, why weren’t these reports given at the end of every year, as is stated clearly within the constitution? These discrepancies in terms of financial reports and not holding the elections are why we are calling this executive to task and ensuring that they fulfil their role in executing the constitution of the tennis association to develop tennis in T&T.”

“We have other questions for this executive; for instance, national training within T&T is now being paid for by the parents of players in the national training programme. So, I asked what other sports parents have to pay, and if the players cannot go to the training, they are being excluded from national teams. These practices, in my view, are wrong.”

Meanwhile, Mitchell, contacted for a response to the allegations, assured that all would be answered on Saturday, noting that he wants to protect the sport.

In a release dated February 11, Mitchell and his executive stated, “The Tennis Association of T&T (tennisTT) strongly denounces the actions, verbal inaccuracies, and misinformation being placed in the public domain by persons seeking to hold office. The Association recognises the baseless attacks on its executive members and partners (Ministry of Sport and Community Development and the Sport Company of T&T Limited), which it views as gravely destructive for our sport and for national sport development.”

It added, “The Association recognises the agenda of a select few as being divergent and contrary to ethical practices, and we choose to disassociate from the misaligned intentions. In the same breath, we take the opportunity to extend gratitude to the tennis community for the overwhelming support that we have received thus far. Further, tennisTT notes the slanderous public recordings that have attempted to defame our character, as actions of the few who have chosen to unethically detract and divide. These actions will be dealt with within the parameters of the tennis constitution and the legal arms of T&T.”

Mitchell added: “TennisTT advises that those seeking to hold office be familiarised with the Constitution, Code of Ethics, and policies and procedures that govern our sport, and to note that all matters pertaining to governance will be addressed at the Annual General Meeting, which is carded for Saturday, 15th February 2025. The Association will continue to serve the national tennis community, the public, and the citizenry with its usual high level of impartiality, integrity, and excellence.”