Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation (TTFF) president, Raymond Tim Kee, believes this country’s football is on the rise again after nearing its depths earlier this year with the Soca Warriors’ early elimination from the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifying phase.
Tim Kee made the statement in his end-of-year address yesterday which was released to the media.
“...our committed Technical Staff and players, the latter of whom the product is all about, have demonstrated their love for country by devoting their energies and life to ensuring that Trinidad and Tobago football has stopped the slide and are once again trending upwards to the extent that, in addition to emerging First Runner-Up in the CFU Championship (Caribbean Cup), we have also qualified for the Concacaf Gold Cup Competition as well as to be among FIFA’s top 70 football nations to close off the 2012 international calendar,” he declared.
The TTFF boss also hailed the national Under-17 men’s team who are still in the hunt for a place in the World Cup for that age group.
“Also we saw our National Under-17 men’s team advance to the final phase of qualification for the 2013 FIFA Under-17 World Cup which will take place next year. This provides us with much promise at the youth level to move forward with,” he continued. Meanwhile, Tim Kee did not shy away from addressing the problems local football has faced and acknowledged that his organisation has its work cutout in 2013.
“Over the last year our nation’s most loved and popular sport, football, was faced with several daunting experiences, some of which were interpreted by many as being at death’s door. However, many of Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation personnel felt that there was an opportunity to introspect, re-tool, rebrand and embrace every possibility to enter a new, sound era for our sport. In the midst of adversity they saw opportunity,” he added. Tim Kee noted that with him replacing Acting president, Lennox Watson, it prove that democracy was alive in the TTFF and the focus now is on transparency, accountability and high ethical standards in all their undertakings as they proceed forward.
“There is much that we at TTFF must thank God for as he assisted us in our pursuit of enhancing our relationship with our stakeholders, particularly the Minister of Sport and his staff who at times, extended themselves to assist us in our time of need. This and more, we at the TTFF in general and our executives and other staff members in particular, are extremely thankful and wish the population’s continued support in our endeavours to take our sport to a higher level and be once again among the leading football nations in Concacaf. I wish on behalf of our executive team, staff and on my own behalf as Chief Servant of TTFF, to wish our blessed nation, season’s greetings and best wishes for a fruitful, healthy, safe and blessed 2013,” he concluded.
Source: www.newsday.co.tt