WHAT WE ARE NOT.

1. Independent platform.

The Fourth Official is an independent software platform. We are not affiliated with the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA), Concacaf, FIFA, or any league, federation, or governing body. We do not sanction matches, certify referees, or rank teams in any official capacity.

Matches recorded on the platform are private records between the teams that played them. If your league or tournament is officially sanctioned, that sanction comes from its governing body, not from us.

2. Referee status.

Referees on the platform are independent contractors. They are not employed by The Fourth Official. We do not certify their referee qualifications - that's the job of the TTFA referee programme or the equivalent regional body. We do verify their identity and their payout details so they can get paid through the escrow flow.

Captains book referees directly. The referee's fee is paid through our escrow rail but the working relationship is between the referee and the booking captain.

3. Payment processing.

Match-fee payments run through WAM (wam.money), a payment platform built in Trinidad and Tobago and regulated by the Central Bank of Trinidad and Tobago. During the pilot, WAM runs in test mode while our WAM Business onboarding is being processed.

Once live, the platform will operate under WAM's existing regulatory authorisation for payment services in TT. We do not hold customer funds directly - all money sits with WAM until it pays out to the designated recipient (ground owner, referee, team captain) after result verification.

4. No betting or gambling.

The Fourth Official does not facilitate betting, gambling, fantasy leagues with cash prizes, or any other regulated wagering activity. Match fees collected are for the actual pitch, referee, and team costs of playing the match. They are not stakes.

Users who attempt to use the platform for betting, prize pools, or other regulated activities will have their accounts closed.

5. League integration.

Leagues, tournaments, and federations are welcome to use the platform as their back-office tool for fixtures, referees, and stats. We do not charge for league integration during the pilot. We can provide a data export of league records on request for reporting or compliance purposes.

League administrators interested in integration can contact us at leagues@thefourthofficial.app.

6. Dispute referral.

Stat disputes are resolved internally within 48 hours by our admin team. The result of that review is final for the purposes of Scout Card records.

For matches that are officially sanctioned (league fixtures, tournament games), any disciplinary or competitive dispute is referred to the sanctioning body (TTFA, FIFA, etc.). We do not overrule or substitute for official governance decisions.

7. Tax.

Captains, referees, and field owners receiving payouts through the platform are responsible for declaring those payouts to the Board of Inland Revenue where applicable. We provide annual transaction summaries on request to help with this.

8. Changes.

As our regulatory position changes (business registration completed, live payments turned on, league partnerships announced) this page will be updated. The "Last updated" date at the top is authoritative.

9. Contact.

Regulatory or licensing questions: legal@thefourthofficial.app.