By Paul Nicholson
July 12 – Trinidad and Tobago FA (TTFA) president David John-Williams, who is bidding to become Caribbean Football Union (CFU) president with the apparent backing of CONCACAF’s leadership, FIFA and UEFA, has come under fire from within his own federation for not consulting his own members and for spending TTFA funds to promote his bid.
Anthony Moore, the Tobago Football Association (TFA) president and a member of the board of the TTFA told the Trinidad Guardian that the focus should be building alliances with local federations (rather than running for the top job).
John-Williams has been criticised within the Caribbean for declaring early support for Gianni Infantino before the CFU federations had met to discuss the candidates. It is now suggested that the support he is receiving for his run at the CFU presidency is the political payback.
He recently invited 17 CFU members to Trinidad, paid for on the say-so of new CONCACAF president Victor Montagliani. The meeting was to discuss a professional league in the Caribbean but was also used by John-Williams to canvas support for his presidential ambition. FIFA had observers at the meeting from its newly formed professional football department. Notably absent were any CFU representatives, including president Gordon Derrick who John-Williams is running against.
Also absent from the Trinidad meeting were the powerful Jamaican federation.
Moore said he wanted the TTFA to get closer to Jamaica and the rest of the Caribbean territories. He said: “It is only when we garner this type of support, we can consider leading the Caribbean.”
“I think what we have to do first is build alliances with our regional neighbours. We have built alliances in the past but that was under Jack Warner and that has totally been broken down now, so we have to do so all over again before we can think about going outside,” Moore told the Trinidad Guardian.
“He (John-Williams) will have to convince us how his pursuit of CFU leadership will be the best thing for the country, the sport and the T&T football federation at this point in time. One in which the TTFA is still attempting to be freed of the stigma of local and regional blunders in the past,” Moore said.
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