Last Updated on October 26, 2020, 7:36 AM AST by Anthony Morris
William Wallace, former President of the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association, went to the High Court of the country to challenge a decision made by FIFA in March to appoint a Normalisation Committee to run its the TTFA’s affairs.
The TTFA beached FIFA’s statutes in doing so, resulting in the governing body of football to suspend Trinidad and Tobago for grave violations.
On October 13, Madame Justice Carol Gobin ruled in favour of the TTFA in the case against FIFA, saying that the appointment of a Normalisation Committee was made in bad faith and for an illegal and improper motive.
The Court of Appeal has however overturned the decision of High Court decision and concluded the dispute should be resolved at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
The FIFA statement read that FIFA welcomes the decision of the Trinidad and Tobago Court of Appeal, which said that the former leader of the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association acted unlawfully by appealing to a local court for contesting the appointment of a normalisation committee for the TTFA.
It added that among other relevant legal considerations, the Court of Appeal said that in accordance with the FIFA statutes and the TTFA statutes, the CAS is the proper forum to resolve such dispute.
The statement also said that the ruling, which was served to the parties yesterday, fully recognises the established global football governance structure, which relies on the CAS as the exclusive internationally recognised tribunal for the resolution of sports-related disputes.
During Wallace’s controversial three-month reign, TTFA staff were only paid once, and the organisation’s bank accounts were frozen by a Trinidad and Tobago court over alleged unpaid debt.
In a recent video address, Wallace claimed he and his Board were removed before we had a chance to implement plans for increased transparency and financial integrity.
Anthony Morris covers stories related to politics and regional developments. His in-depth reporting about governance and reforms makes him stand out in regional journalism, with a deep analysis of political trends and their impact on Caribbean communities.
