From:TheBahamasWeekly.com
Trinidad & Tobago Government Foots $9.9m Arrears Bill for Warriors
By Natasha Nunez, The Sports Company of Trinidad and Tobago
Nov 18, 2014 - 12:19:16 PM
The Government of Trinidad and Tobago via a
13 November Cabinet decision, has agreed, through the Ministry of
Sport, to provide financial assistance in the amount of $9,964,368.00 to
the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA). The payment, which
is
expected to be processed today, will facilitate the clearing of a
backlog of expenses related to the Senior Men’s National Team.These
funds represent an unbudgeted addition to the annual subvention
already allocated to the TTFA in the 2015 Budget.
The $9.964m is expected to cover the following:
-
Arrears of Match Fees and Bonuses for Senior Men's National Team and technical staff
-
Arrears of Stipends for Senior Men's National Team
-
Arrears of Salaries for five (5) members of Senior Men's National Team staff
-
Senior Men's National Team Participation in the 2015 Caribbean Cup Finals and associated Training Camps
-
Projected Remuneration for Senior Men's National Team technical staff for the period November 2014 – June 2015
In order to assure greater accountability
and transparency, and to ease the financial burden faced by the entire
team, this Cabinet-approved payment will be made directly to the players
and technical staff. A similar arrangement
was made when the Government allocated funding to settle the debt
owed to members of the 2006 World Cup squad. Ministry of Sport officials
are therefore working closely with technocrats from the Ministry of
Finance to expedite the necessary procedures and
protocols that will ensure the imminent release of monies to the
players, technical team members and staff.
It should be noted that in the past two
years, the TTFA has benefitted from several million dollars’ worth of
support from the Government of Trinidad and Tobago through the Ministry
of Sport and the Sports Company of Trinidad
and Tobago. Further, the association benefits from rent-free office
space at the Hasely Crawford Stadium,and pays no utility bills, as
those expenses are covered under the stadium’s overall operational
cost. The TTFA also enjoys free use of the Stadium for
any and all TTFA-sanctioned games, tournaments and events.
The Ministry of Sport is and remains the
single largest financial contributor to the TTFA and football in
Trinidad and Tobago. Further, the Government of Trinidad and Tobago
invests more state funds in sport per capita than any
other country in the region.
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