Спортивный комитет Тринидада и Тобаго отказал футбольной ассоциации в финансировании на 2,5 млн долларов из-за долгов

The Sports Company of Trinidad and Tobago (SporTT) has formally declined the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association’s (TTFA) request for just over $2.5 million to cover expenses associated with the senior men’s team’s participation in the 2026 Concacaf Nations League. An internal SporTT board note (BD25082026), dated August 26, 2026, obtained by the Express, recommended that the TTFA’s $2,505,650.91 funding request be disallowed, citing an existing embargo on further allocations to the football association due to outstanding expenditure reports. The TTFA’s $2.5 million request was earmarked to defray expenditures linked to the national team’s home and away Nations League fixtures. This included airfare, accommodation, ground transportation, music licences, safety and security provisions, ambulance services, and contingency expenses. However, the Sports Development Performance Unit (SDPU) did not recommend approval of the request, pointing to the outstanding financial reports and the broader funding hold affecting the TTFA. According to the board note, the hold on further releases of funding was communicated to the TTFA by letter dated May 13, 2026. The document states that the hold was imposed because of the number of outstanding expenditure reports. The SDPU acknowledged that the TTFA had subsequently been responding to queries and submitting supporting documents in an effort to facilitate the closure of the reports. However, the unit was still reconciling $11.59 million in previously released funds. Those funds relate to the Trinidad and Tobago Premier Football League (TTPFL) Years 3 and 4, the senior men’s national team’s 2026 World Cup campaign Year 1, and the senior women’s national team’s 2027 World Cup campaign, according to the board note. The SDPU attributed the accumulation of expenditure reports under review partly to late submissions, reporting requirements not being adhered to in accordance with Cabinet approval, and required supporting documentation not being provided promptly when reports were submitted by the TTFA. The recommendation therefore stated that support should not be granted while the existing funding hold remains in place. Players withdraw over outstanding fees The board note, prepared by SporTT sport development officer Marlon Saldenha and dated August 26, records under the heading “Approval” that approval was not granted to assist the TTFA with the costs associated with the senior men’s participation in the 2026 Concacaf Nations League. The decision comes as Trinidad and Tobago prepares for its Nations League commitments, with the national team’s participation requiring financing for both home and overseas fixtures. This news comes in the wake of a recent Wired868 online report, which disclosed that several international and locally based players had withdrawn from the Nations League tour, citing the TTFA’s failure to remit outstanding match fees from previous campaigns. SporTT, through its Sports Development Performance Unit, has responsibility for working with national governing bodies on areas including administrative compliance and the management of funding support. SporTT’s funding arrangements with national governing bodies are governed by service-level agreements and established grant-disbursement guidelines, with accountability requirements attached to the use of public funds. The board note did not indicate whether the TTFA’s request could be reconsidered after the outstanding expenditure reports are resolved. The Express reached out to SporTT chief executive Arnold Ram via phone, who declined to comment on the matter. In June this year, the Sunday Express reported exclusively on SporTT’s queries about TTFA’s financial accountability and oversight. TTFA’s president, Kieron Edwards, in another Sunday Express story on the same day in June, defended his administration against concerns that the organisation was not properly accounting for the expenditure of public funds. Sport Minister responds In response to this latest development, Sport Minister Phillip Watts noted the challenges faced by SporTT with respect to the reconciliation by the TTFA. Watts said yesterday, “Such issues have predated my tenure and continue to be a hurdle towards accountability and transparency. We will agree that matters of public purse should engage our attention, and we must be diligent in the allocation and spending of the same, and must not be accused of mishandling or misappropriating. I, as minister, will do all that is required to ensure that all NGBs comply with the rules and/or policies to ensure good governance in this country.” He said the TTFA had outstanding reconciliation since 2024.