Responding to the Ministry of Sport and SporTT

The Ministry of Sport and Youth Affairs (MSYA) and the Sports Company of Trinidad and Tobago (SporTT) have responded to a story published in the T&T Guardian on August 15, 2026, headlined “Sports Ministry rescues SSFL season; Tobago teams included,” as well as this newspaper’s online report, “Sports Minister announces financial support, but SporTT board yet to approve.”

In a press release issued on Sunday afternoon and subsequently shared on its Facebook page, SporTT addressed several issues while suggesting that the Guardian’s reporting contained inaccuracies. However, the release did not identify a single factual error or misleading statement. Instead, it outlined the rationale for the funding initiative, detailed the projected costs and confirmed that both the Ministry and SporTT had pledged support. It also claimed that the Guardian had “mischaracterised this situation by focusing on the approval process of the SporTT Board of Directors.”

Given the history of both the Ministry and SporTT, we believe this is a matter that warrants media scrutiny. The approval process is not a trivial issue. Throughout 2026, several national teams were reportedly denied funding due to procedural concerns, leading to meetings involving all 15 national governing bodies (NGBs) on May 14 and June 8. If adherence to established procedures was considered essential in those instances, the same standard must apply to SSFL funding.

Board approval mechanisms exist to ensure transparency, accountability and compliance with sound corporate governance principles. Taxpayers are entitled to assurance that public funds are being managed responsibly and that past failures, including the Life Sport programme, which reportedly cost taxpayers an estimated TT$34 million for uncompleted work, are not repeated.

We note the assertion that Guardian Media Limited failed to seek comment before publication. However, it is important to point out that information contained in our report was drawn from a news release issued by the Ministry of Sport and Youth Affairs on August 14. Statistics quoted in our stories were also sourced from an SSFL release issued on the same date. Additionally, our reporting relied on information provided by credible and verifiable sources.

It should also be noted that since assuming office on May 3, 2025, the Minister of Sport and Youth Affairs has repeatedly failed to respond directly to reporters’ questions on a range of matters, whether submitted via WhatsApp, telephone calls, or email.

Public institutions entrusted with taxpayers’ money should expect rigorous scrutiny, particularly when financial commitments are announced before all approval processes have been completed.

The public interest is best served not by attempts to discredit legitimate reporting, but by transparency, accountability and timely responses to legitimate media inquiries.