PRESIDENT of the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) Kieron Edwards has squashed claims by organisers of the Next Level Consulting Limited (NLCL) Community Cup that the association's safeguarding officer Gary St Rose, determines who is chosen to host tournaments sanctioned by the TTFA.
The Republic Bank Cup is one of the most popular youth football tournaments in the country.
Sporting groups will bid to host the TTFA-sanctioned event.
The Republic Youth Cup has been hosted by Gateway Athletics International for a few years, a company with ties to St Rose. St Rose and Gateway director Shem Alexander are close affiliates as they are the co-founders of the International Institute of Sport and Management Studies.
"Gary St Rose has zero say on what tournaments are played in TT," Edwards said. "He forms no part of decisions of sanctions for tournaments in TT."
Organisers of the NLCL Community Cup, Brian and Germaine Jordan, have raised questions about a suspension being handed to them by the TTFA over a safeguarding policy.
The NLCL Cup has been handed a 90-day suspension by the safeguarding department of the TTFA, which will prevent the NLCL organisers from bidding to host the Republic Bank Youth Cup.
The NLCL has been suspended as it was discovered that allegations of abuse was discovered by one of the competing teams in a past NLCL Cup.
"It is important to note that the person who is in charge of safeguarding is a business partner of Shem Alexander...clearly there is an egregious conflict of interest when someone who is suspending a bidding party (works with the TTFA)."
Alexander was arrested at the Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston, Jamaica and taken into custody on November 15 after an extradition request by the US. He was held for allegedly trafficking guns and ammunition from the US to TT.
Edwards said Gateway has been hosting the Republic Bank Cup for years and the NLCL suspension is not connected.
"I don't know where the conflict of interest comes in, because if Gateway had the rights for Republic Bank (for years) and he (NLCL) get suspended last year, where the issue is? Why he want to tie Gateway into this matter...they have been doing it for some years. Where this conflict of interest coming in?
"When Shem Alexander and Gateway got that contract, NLCL was running (their tournaments). The safeguarding breach came way after that and if that breach comes it has to be dealt with."
Edwards said the 90-day suspension of NLCL has nothing to do with a team being investigated for misconduct.
"That is not the breach. The breach is with the NLCL. The coach will be dealt with in accordance with the safeguarding policy as well, but the breach is not based on the coach, it is based on the NLCL's handling of the matter. That is all I would say on it because I don't want to go into details on it. The NLCL has questions to answer on their handling of that investigation on the player."
Edwards is optimistic that the situation will be resolved soon. "I feel in the near f
