The Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) has been suspended by football governing body FIFA.The TTFA has been engaged in a standoff with FIFA over the appointment of a Normalisation Committee, which served to nullify the authority of the duly elected TTFA executive.
That standoff led to the TTFA choosing to take the matter to the local High Court as opposed to having it arbitrated by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
In response to that decision by the TTFA, FIFA threatened to impose an ban from international football on the twin-island state.
Following is the release from FIFA highlighting its decision to suspend the TTFA:
The Bureau of the FIFA Council today suspended the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) with immediate effect due to grave violations of the FIFA Statutes.
The suspension was prompted by the former leadership of the TTFA lodging a claim before a local court in Trinidad and Tobago in order to contest the decision of the FIFA Council to appoint a normalisation committee for the TTFA. This course of action was in direct breach of article 59 of the FIFA Statutes, which expressly prohibits recourse to ordinary courts unless specifically provided for in the FIFA regulations.
A normalisation committee was installed by the FIFA Council after it was established that the former leadership of the TTFA had engaged in various acts of serious mismanagement. The decision of the former leadership to go to a local court to contest the appointment of the normalisation committee jeopardizes not only the future of football in Trinidad and Tobago but also endangers the overall global football governance structure, which relies on the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) as the exclusive forum for resolving disputes of this nature.
The relevant parties were initially given until 16 September to withdraw the case but failed to do so. This deadline was then extended until 23 September, which was not respected either.
In the circumstances, the Bureau of the FIFA Council has decided to suspend the TTFA.
This suspension will only be lifted when the TTFA fully complies with its obligations as a member of FIFA, including recognising the legitimacy of the appointed normalisation committee and bringing its own statutes into line with the FIFA Statutes.
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