After the head coach of the Trinidad & Tobago women's national team took to Twitter today to beg for donations for his team which is now in America to participate in the World Cup Qualifiers, the situation has made made world news. Their stay in the USA could be up to a month, and the coach stated they only had $500...

The Sports Company of Trinidad & Tobago issued the following statement on October 8th, 2014:

With regard to the participation of the national senior women's team in the final round of World Cup 2015 qualification, the official request and accompanying documentation from the Trinidad & Tobago Football Association (TTFA) was only received at the office of Minister of Sport, Dr the Honourable Rupert Griffith late Tuesday afternoon at 3:30pm (7 October 2014). Minister Griffith dispatched copies of the correspondence and supporting documents to officials at the Ministry of Sport and the Sports Company who immediately began the necessary processing to facilitate payments.

Earlier today, TTFA General Secretary Sheldon Phillips received an initial payment of TT$250,000.00 from the Sports Company of Trinidad and Tobago. The Ministry of Sport and the Sports Company will continue to work with the TTFA in order to expedite the additional payments associated with the team's World Cup qualification campaign. The total request from the TTFA for the campaign is TT$873,118.67 (US$137,715.88).

The Ministry of Sport and the Sports Company remain committed to providing the necessary support to national athletes and teams but remind National Governing Bodies of Sport (NGBs) that the timely submission of documentation is critical to facilitate the necessary oversight, protocols and procedures associated with the release of state funds.