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Ministry admit error, Warner not impressed.

Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation (T&TFF) special adviser Jack Warner is keeping up his demand that Minister of Sport and Youth Affairs Gary Hunt resign if he cannot show proof of payment of salaries to T&TFF technical staff this year, despite the Ministry's concession that they made a mistake.
Yesterday the Ministry issued a media release correcting the "error" they made in another release dated October 31. Back then, they stated that the Ministry had "already disbursed $6,535,500 to cover the cost of salaries for the period January to September 2008".

The letter in fact revealed that the payment had in fact been "reimbursement" for the T&TFF's payment of their 13-member technical team for the period January to September 2008."

But Warner is adamant that Hunt should quit if he cannot show an invoice of payment to the T&TFF.

"All I say to you again is that I stand by my statement from November 5th. I said again yesterday Mr Hunt has paid no money to the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation for rent, travel, accommodation, nothing," Warner strongly insisted. He further told the Express yesterday that, "...if he can't prove that, he should do the honourable thing and resign as Minister of Sport, or in this case, the Monster of Sport that he really is.

The FIFA vice-president also reiterated his willingness to put his various political and football posts on the line for this cause, as he said two days ago during a press conference for the Group Digicel Cup qualifiers, which kicked off yesterday.

"If Mr Hunt can prove by invoice that he has done so I shall resign all my posts in FIFA, CFU (Caribbean Football Union), CONCACAF and Parliament," the Chaguanas West MP added.

The Sports Ministry said that they were yet to disburse any of the Cabinet-approved $12 million allocated to the T&TFF pending the receipt of "outstanding" audited financial statements from the T&TFF for the years 2006 and 2007.

"...The Ministry wishes to reiterate that in accordance with existing policy, one of the prerequisites for the disbursement of funds by the Ministry of Sport and Youth Affairs to National Sporting Organisations, including the T&TFF, is the submission of audited financial statements."

The Ministry also said that the T&TFF have assured them such statements would be "submitted soon".