A new beginning…the dawn of a new era! These are all important words in any environment which has being tainted and stained by mistrust and lack of transparency, and in this case, football is the subject.
Raymond Tim Kee is the new president of the T&T Football Federation (TTFF) and therefore now mandated to change the image of football in this country.
It is a tremendous challenge that will require a lot of will, perseverance and some acknowledgement of the errors of the past. But it is not insurmountable, at least over a period of time.
It is therefore going to be interesting, how much of a revolution the new president will impose on the current administration that is the TTFF. The citizens of this country have a long memory, and everyone will be watching for some early signs that the new head means business and is not just another “sharp” talker in a three-piece suit.
Therefore, he needs to act carefully but with some alacrity if his posturing in the media is to become believable. And while history in the football federation is not on his side, Tim Kee needs to be incisive while being fair.
The perception that certain persons still employed with the federation will not support the new president has to be addressed and determined quickly. Tim Kee cannot go forward with detractors in his team in open disguise, these persons have to be rooted out, paid off and removed. This would also assist in the transformation process, as there will be changing faces.
Tim Kee must not be fearful of any reprisals; he is the new boss and supposedly his own man. He no longer has to be looking over his shoulders for the shadow of another but instead needs to step forward and make the critical decisions required of a true leader.
Perhaps he can obtain some goodwill if he requests a meeting with the Soca Warriors of 2006 and engage in honest dialogue over the way forward and what can be done to pay these players their deserved remuneration. If this can be settled within the first six months of his tenure, then Tim Kee would have some breathing space to push forward with his ideas.
Corporate T&T will also be interested in this, as much of its funding in the past is under question following the 2006 World Cup and no organisation would be appreciative of its name being called over and over. If it can be shown that under Tim Kee there is an overall change in the governance style, this would assist.
Some areas that can assist him in knowing where to start or finish, will be for Tim Kee to establish the following:
a) Due diligence team, to check on procedures and systems, this should be done in conjunction with an information systems team
b) Establish an internal audit committee going forward
c) Release the financial statements
It would perhaps also be good practice for Tim Kee to request from the two previous presidents, Oliver Camps and Lennox Watson, any points that are important in his position. This should be done in writing, to ensure if the new president uncovers anything, he can have the personal satisfaction that he openly asked for information.
As it relates to the coaches and footballers, Tim Kee should have already introduced himself personally to all the players, even those whom he already knows because this new incarnation of him must not be related to his previous association with this group.
Tim Kee will need to not only impress all that he is his own man but as well that he knows about football, but not so much as to want to interfere with team selection and even position play. Administrators, like politicians, must know their place and try not to exceed their limitations.
As to the coaches specifically, they must trust the new president, and he must under the philosophy along with the technical director Anton Corneal agree to which  direction our football should go. In that regard, unlike the past, there needs to be opening of the doors for many of our former national footballers to have a say, to give an opinion.
No one is saying that the revamped TTFF needs to follow all of the directives, but it is important to have their voices and thoughts. Tim Kee has a tough job ahead of him for the next two years of this truncated term, and if he does not want to be remembered as a failure, he should start work quickly and not be afraid to be his own man.
-Andre Baptiste
Source: www.guardian.co.tt