Sport Minister Roger Boynes yesterday urged the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation (T&TFF) to cooperate with the ministry as he denied suggestions that the government was not adequately supporting the football body.
On Tuesday afternoon, the T&TFF issued a press release which claimed that they were forced to immediately suspend their national football teams due to "a lack of financial support".
The local football body claimed that their operations were subsidised by T&TFF special advisor and FIFA vice-president Jack Warner and accused Boynes of not fulfilling his promises of financial assistance.
At present, the national under-17 football team, who are preparing for next month's Under-17 World Cup qualifying series, are the only T&TFF squad listed as active.
But Boynes countered that the T&TFF was in no doubt as to the process regarding the disbursement of State funds and insisted that the government deserved some respect for their continuing support.
Boynes, who had a back operation on February 26, spoke to the Express from the Laser Spine Institute in Florida where he completed his post-operative physiotherapy yesterday. He insisted that he was equally accommodating to the T&TFF and spoke to the association president, Oliver Camps, last week about the request for funding.
Camps was made aware of the procedures involved in obtaining government funding-Boynes gave the T&TFF's request at close to $183 million-and, according to Boynes, had agreed to be patient.
"The cabinet sub-committee is looking over the budget," said Boynes. "It is millions of taxpayers' money... so we must make sure that all systems are in place to account for the money. I spoke to Mr Camps last week and he said he is willing to wait until the procedure takes place
"When you look at the support the government has given to local football, I feel they should work with us."
The Sports minister also pointed out that, although the government was committed to assisting local football, the T&TFF had a responsibility, as an autonomous body, to source their own funding from international sponsors and the private sector.
Richard Groden, the T&TFF general secretary claimed, in Tuesday's release, that the football body lacked the resources to pay their coaches. The salary of their technical staff were given as "close to US$100,000" or TT$625,000.
But when contacted yesterday by the Express, Groden refused to discuss the financial health of the T&TFF and also felt that no further clarification was necessary on their proposed suspension of national football team activity.
The T&TFF claimed it had already written to the British clubs that employ their national players and explained that their March 24 friendly fixture with Chile was now cancelled. But there was no word about similar explanations to sponsors of the "Soca Warriors" as to its supposedly calamitous state.
Last year, the T&TFF, according to its own press releases, should have received over $52 million from sponsors for its 2006 World Cup bid. This figure does not include another $7.9 million received for qualifying for the prestigious tournament or its share in television rights for pre-World Cup games that were broadcast live across Europe and other parts of the globe. Adidas alone pledged $73,036,500 to the T&TFF as part of a four-year sponsorship deal.
Boynes confirmed that the government had picked up its debt for the Warriors' qualifying campaign while the players are yet to receive a cent from the T&TFF for their efforts. So where is the money?
Groden refused to say. Warner chaired the Local Organising Committee (LOC) 2006, which was appointed as the financial arm of the T&TFF's World Cup campaign, but he has consistently refused to speak to this reporter.
Boynes said the government must be careful in its examination of the football budget and it is unlikely to be the last time the T&TFF's figures comes under scrutiny.
The Warriors have threatened to take the T&TFF to court over bonuses arising from the team's World Cup qualification and are insisting that an independent auditor peruse their accounts. The initial statement offered by the T&TFF, last September, was done by Kenny Rampersad and Company and contradicted earlier releases by the same body regarding its income.
Prior to the Germany World Cup, the T&TFF claimed to have raised $52,316,112 but, when it was time to share with the players, it insisted that the correct figure was $18,255,952. Groden, again via press release, further claimed expenses of $17,973,749-although Boynes reiterated yesterday that the government covered all expenses-and eventually offered the squad $141,102 or $5,644.08 per player on October 10, 2006.
Boynes suggested that the government have a duty to their citizens to be careful about how their money was spent although he did not infer dishonesty on the part of the T&TFF.
"The Cabinet sub-committee may want to consider (an independent auditor)," said Boynes. "And the Cabinet might want the ministry to pay salaries directly too. I do not know what will be decided but it is the Cabinet's responsibility to make sure that the payment goes where it is supposed to although we are not saying that the T&TFF won't do this."
Boynes expressed his hope that the T&TFF sorted out their own difficulties before the June CONCACAF Gold Cup tournament