As global football fans turn their attention to the 2026 FIFA World Cup cycle, a growing financial scandal is unfolding off the pitch in Trinidad and Tobago, casting a shadow over the nation’s qualifying campaign. The Sports Company of Trinidad and Tobago (SporTT), the country’s leading state-backed sports development agency founded in 2004, is demanding full accountability from the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) over the management of millions in public funding allocated to national football programs.
The core of the dispute centers on TT$6.79 million (approximately US$1 million) in public funds disbursed between November 2024 and January 2025 to support the men’s senior national team’s World Cup qualifying run. A second US$1 million tranche of funding was originally promised contingent on the team securing a spot in the 2026 World Cup finals. Separate allocations include TT$836,658.34 for CONCACAF Nations League matches, TT$5.82 million earmarked for player, coach and staff salaries across the Trinidad and Tobago Premier Football League (TTPFL), and TT$980,000 provided to the senior women’s national team for its 2026 international campaign. In total, TTFA received more than TT$14.4 million in SporTT funding between November 2024 and April 2026, not including additional contributions from state-owned entities, private businesses and corporate sponsors.
Despite the large-scale inflow of public and private funding, widespread reports of unpaid wages and match fees have persisted across all levels of the nation’s football ecosystem. Former men’s national team head coach Dwight Yorke, who was dismissed from his post in December 2025, remains owed approximately US$150,000 (equal to TT$1.02 million). Multiple third-party vendors and service providers that have worked with TTFA are also carrying outstanding payments dating back more than two years.
Unpaid compensation extends beyond the men’s senior program. As of mid-2026, women’s national team players have not received match fees for their fixtures against Honduras in March 2026 and El Salvador in April 2026, just months after receiving their TT$980,000 campaign allocation. Men’s national team players are still owed match payments from their October 2025 World Cup qualifying win against Bermuda. Even domestic league staff and players in the TTPFL have consistently faced delays and gaps in salary payments, according to a senior TTFA insider who spoke to the *Sunday Express* on condition of anonymity.
The core failure triggering the current crisis is TTFA’s months-long refusal to submit required documentation detailing how the allocated funds were spent. SporTT’s Sport Development and Performance Unit has been formally following up on the missing accounting records since August 7, 2025, with the most recent requests for reconciliation sent on February 6 and March 26, 2026. Required documents include detailed payroll summaries, verified authorized signatory lists, and independent technical and sustainability reports.
Similar transparency gaps have been identified for the TT$5.82 million allocated to the TTPFL, where SporTT has raised red flags over unconfirmed statutory deduction payments and the missing independent audit report. Multiple sources confirm that despite repeated formal requests for reconciliation, TTFA has not produced itemized records including invoices, receipts, payment confirmations or verified official documentation to prove how funds were allocated.
In a late May 2026 high-stakes meeting, TTFA president Kieron Edwards and other senior TTFA executives met with top SporTT leaders and Minister of Sport and Youth Affairs Phillip Watts to resolve the deadlock. A source present at the meeting made clear that no future public funding will be approved until the missing records are provided: “If the Ministry of Sport, through SporTT, is to provide further funding, this must be addressed. We need to see reconciliation for the funds previously provided.”
Edwards has pushed back against the claims of mismanagement, stating in a May 2026 interview on i95 FM that all required audits have been completed and the organization is in good financial standing. He also asserted that the TTFA executive board remains united, noting that while minor disagreements exist on operational issues, all members are aligned on core strategic priorities. The ongoing standoff over financial transparency has raised serious questions about governance and oversight in Trinidad and Tobago’s top football body, leaving the future of public support for the nation’s football programs in limbo.