It is with sadness that I am forced to share publicly, a matter of personal anguish to my family, but as I describe the situation, it is my hope that my reasons for doing so become clear and further, that a solution may be found.
My father, Oliver Camps, is in imminent threat of losing his home and other assets acquired over a lifetime, due to his involvement in football for this country.
Just in case any forget, my father, or “Ollie” as he is familiarly called, was the manager of our country’s national football team in Haiti in 1973 when it was robbed of a place in the 1974 World Cup in Germany.
He held the position of president of the Port-of-Spain Football League before becoming President of the T&T Football Association/Federation, a position he held in 2006, which was the year that T&T qualified for the FIFA World Cup in Germany.
During his long involvement in football, he has made many personal and financial sacrifices in his quest to bring glory to this country.
After the Soca Warriors returned from the World Cup and Coach Leo Beenhakker left for Poland, the T&T team needed to find a coach who would continue to build upon the foundation that Mr Beenhacker had set.
The Government, still hyped from the success of the team in Germany, agreed to pay for the services of a coach for the T&T national football team.
Wilhelmus Rijsbergen, Leo Beenhacker’s assistant, was identified as the man for the job and the TTFF, based on the promises made specifically by Prime Minister Patrick Manning (albeit verbal promises) went full steam ahead to secure his services.
As the euphoria of the 2006 World Cup faded so too did the desire to help, but by this time the TTFF had run up a hefty bill with Coach Rijsbergen, which needed to be paid.
The TTFF did not have that money and Oliver Camps, as President of the TTFF, was taken to court by Mr Rijsbergen.
The judgment went (rightly) in favour of Mr Rijsbergen. The total sum owed was US$592,475.22.
To satisfy this judgment, my father is now forced to sell the home in which he lives. This impending action is having a serious affect on his health and his state of mind.
We also stand to lose the home that he and my mother built and other properties that were handed down from my maternal grandparents as no single property that he owns will pay this debt.
Approaches have been made to the TTFF and Government to have this debt paid. However, the commitment made by the TTFF “in collaboration with the Government” in its letter dated November 16, 2015, to settle the debt by December 14, 2015, has come to nothing.
Indeed, the T&T Football Association’s new president, Mr David John Williams has confirmed that the Football Association is broke and further that the Government will not take over the debt.
My father has to go back to Court on January 21, 2016 with nothing but broken promises. With nothing more, he will be ordered to sell his properties.
My dad is 84 years old and for him to lose his home or even to contemplate this happening is taking a heavy toll on his health and general well-being. That he is in this position as a result of his love of and involvement in football is a tragedy.
I am aware that there are people who believe that my father may have enriched himself through his association with this sport. Nothing is further from the truth.
The truth is simpler and embarrassing, at least for me, his daughter, to swallow. He was a trusting fool. But he is my dad and I love him and I have to put my own pride aside to find a way to help him at this stage of his life.
The situation our family finds itself in is an absolute disgrace. That my father should be forced to bear the burden of a debt that may leave him homeless, when clearly this debt (for training of the country’s national football team) belongs to the TTFA, is unbelievable.
I am aware that football has become notorious for corruption at the highest levels, both nationally and internationally. The glory that our national teams brought to T&T has been tainted and my father’s reputation has been tainted by association.
That being said, I ask people to remember his 42 years of service to the game of football and by extension, to his country and reconsider this matter urgently.
Do the right thing for Oliver and allow him to keep his home. The debt was incurred in the pursuit of national glory; let the appropriate authorities take responsibility for that debt.
Sandra Camps