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8521
Football / Boynes assures Warriors of reward
« on: January 11, 2006, 10:03:04 PM »
NO PROBLEM

Boynes assures Warriors of reward.
T&T Express Reports.
[/size]

Minister of Sport Roger Boynes yesterday responded to calls by the Soca Warriors national football team for his government to deliver on promised World Cup qualification rewards. He said that government would deliver as promised.
"I want to give the national community and the Soca Warriors the assurance that the government's commitment to honour them will in fact take place."
In a radio interview yesterday, Boynes added that, "the Prime Minister will be speaking with Mr (Dwight) Yorke very shortly and all commitments will be honoured and in fact, they will be discussing the manner in which the team is to be honoured."
The minister's assurances came after T&T striker Stern John voiced his concern on Tuesday over the Patrick Manning administration's silence on the matter since the prime minister's November 17 announcement that the Soca Warriors were to be rewarded for qualifying for the World Cup in Germany this June.
John was quoted by Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation Media (TTFF media) as saying: "You told us to deliver before the Bahrain game...we delivered, the Federation and Mr (Jack) Warner delivered. .Now it's your turn as the Government to give something for our achievement."
Yesterday, in further responding to John's call, Boynes added: "Consultation is best. We need to find out exactly what they want. The Prime Minister will be talking to the team captain (Yorke) and he will get a sense as to what the players are looking at and we will keep our promise to the team, to the nation. Stern and the boys have absolutely nothing to worry about."
In related news, TTFF special advisor Jack Warner yesterday confirmed at a media conference at which it was announced that the FIFA World Cup would be displayed in T&T on February 17 at the Centre of Excellence, that the local Federation had received the ticket allocation they had requested.
"We have not been given the exact figures," Warner said. "But all we have asked for we have gotten."
The TTFF had requested the eight percent of the tickets for the Warriors' matches to which they were entitled. That is expected to be in the region of 10,000 tickets.
Parents first, as Warriors enquire about family tickets.
By: Nigel Simon (Guardian).
[/size]

National Football ambassador Austin Jack Warner yesterday said that parents of members of the Soca Warriors will be given priority to purchase tickets for the World Cup Finals in Germany.
Warner said that while in England over the weekend, he met with the players, who asked if their parents would be able to get tickets for the World Cup matches.
He said that he assured the players that all parents of members of the team who wanted tickets would be facilitated.
“That’s all the guys asked for during the meeting and I must commend them for their level of professionalism in dealing with our matters,” said Warner, who was speaking at a media briefing at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, to announce the arrival date of the World Cup trophy, via the Fifa World Cup Trophy Tour.
Warner also confirmed that the Football Federation would be granted its full quota of eight per cent of the tickets for the three matches involving the Soca Warriors at the World Cup Finals, to be played in Germany from June 9 to July 9.
Asked if Fifa had given any response to the T&TFF’s request, Warner said: “Yes, we have been informed by Fifa that what we have asked for, we will be getting.”
The Concacaf president could not give an exact figure.
Guardian checks last week revealed that the full quota of tickets to T&T, based on the Purchasable Ticket Capacity (PTC) of the venues, means that T&T will be receiving a total of 10,101 tickets for the three matches.
T&T will receive 4,061 tickets for the match against Sweden on June 10.
The number of tickets decrease to 3,074 for the June 15 match against England, while 2,966 tickets are available for the match versus Paraguay on June 20.
Warner said the T&TFF had not tabulated the final number of requested tickets because requests are still coming in.
“We are expecting to get the tickets in a few days and we are hoping to work out how we will distribute them.”
Warner also warned persons who were solely interested in getting match tickets to secure their air-line tickets to Germany: “I can tell you there will come a time when there will be World Cup tickets available for matches and no seats available on air-lines.”
Warner also made it clear that the political side of his life had no bearing on what he achieves or does for sport. “There is nothing that politics can give to me that I don’t already have.”
When making the request to Fifa for tickets, it was stated by the T&TFF president that they had requested three categories of tickets that were available from four, for the Group B matches.
The three categories carry prices of 100, 60 and 45 Euros or T&T$758, T&T$455 and T&T$341 per match, respectively.
Warriors anxious to return for unveiling of Fifa trophy.
By: Nigel Simon (Guardian).
[/size]

Some members of the T&T Soca Warriors are anxious to participate in the Real Fifa World Cup Trophy Tour by Coca Cola which will see the World Cup trophy being displayed in T&T on February 17 at the Dr Joao Havelange, Centre of Excellence from 3 pm to 9 pm.
This was revealed by special advisor Jack Warner at the unveiling of the first ever Real Fifa World Cup Trophy Tour by Coca Cola at the VIP Lounge, Hasely Crawford Stadium, yesterday.
Warner said that while in England over the weekend he met with members of the team who informed him of their willingness to be part of the tour.
Warner was also high in praise for Coca Cola which he said began its relationship with Fifa some 56 years ago in 1950.
According to Anissa Taitt, marketing manager of Caribbean Service Company, the unveiling of the trophy which costs close to US$20 million and weighs four pounds is free to the public.
However, tickets are required to view the event.
She explained: “These tickets are available to the general public via a Coca Cola text to Coke promotion whereby consumers are encouraged to text the code found under the caps of a Coca Cola 20 oz bottle to COKE (2635) in order to win a ticket.”
Warner said his friend and former Fifa president Dr Joao Havelange played a key role in initiating programmes sponsored by Coca Cola for Fifa in 1974 hence the reason for the unveiling will be held at the Macoya venue.
Warner noted that the local federation has already launched its programme for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa with Coca Cola as the first sponsor.
He warned potential sponsors: “When we qualify in 2009, please don’t say we did not open the doors to you. Don’t wait until we qualify.
“As a deputy chairman of the Finance Committee in FIFA, I can tell you that Coca Cola has already signed for the 2010 and 2014 World Cup tournaments. They did that with no delay and no debate.”
Warner said the Coca Cola tour “will be the closest most of you will come to the trophy in your life and if your are lucky some of you all may even get a chance to hold it.”
German great Franz Beckenbauer will also be present while BBC has made a request and has been given the permission to broadcast the tour live.
“All of this is being done at no cost and expenses to the government or any other sponsor, Warner stated.
The Fifa official noted that Tobagonians will not be left out and will be accommodated at the same venue.
“The scheduling of the tour makes it impossible to carry the trophy to Tobago but we will be arranging transportation to get those in Tobago to come to T&T.”
In his brief address, Derek Waddell noted that the Coca Cola tour began on January 7 in Ghana and will conclude in Italy on April 10.
Waddell added that over the coming months, the public will also be hearing more about the barrier-breaking Fifa World Cup platform for Coca Cola called “We All Speak Football.”
This new global marketing platform brings to life the optimistic vision of brand Coca Cola to draw people together and set aside their differences.
Another fan programme to be launched includes the Fifa World Cup International Flag Bearers Youth Programme.
This programme will allow three teenagers from T&T between the ages of 12-16 a chance to go to Germany as official national flag bearers.

8522
Football / Re: Amendment To Waggonist Definition :)
« on: January 11, 2006, 04:10:01 PM »
Hey, vibez it up for the Waggonist Nation. Maybe we need to start our own logo competition.

AYE.. Nah we not vibzing any Waggonist Nation.. Hold a TICKET for that.!!!! 

Aye, Ah tek mi ticket and ah go start socawaggonists.net

8523
Football / Re: Amendment To Waggonist Definition :)
« on: January 11, 2006, 03:48:01 PM »
Hey, vibez it up for the Waggonist Nation. Maybe we need to start our own logo competition.

8524
Football / Re: Iceland v TnT Carnival Tuesday...Who Say Tkts ??
« on: January 11, 2006, 03:27:39 PM »
http://www.ticketmaster.co.uk/venue/147757

they don't have any events listed for Lofton Road, but you can try calling the box office.

Also has directions on how to get there.

8525
2006 World Cup - Germany / World Cup Hotel Prices Go Through Roof
« on: January 11, 2006, 02:26:19 PM »
World Cup Hotel Prices Go Through Roof

Tuesday, 10th January 2006, 16:21


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
LIFE STYLE EXTRA (UK) - England football fans can expect to pay up to five times the normal price for a hotel room when they descend on Germany for this summer's World Cup.

About 100,000 supporters are expected to travel to the country when the tournament kicks off in June. And German hoteliers are making the most of high demand with steep price hikes.

Fans travelling to Frankfurt to watch England kick off their campaign against Paraguay may not have much money left for their beer and wurst after paying for their bed.

A double at Frankfurt's Manhattan Hotel costs €160 for the night before the Paraguay game on June 10 - up from just €30 a week before.

The move has angered supporters' groups. London EnglandFans spokesman Mark Perryman said with prices like that, the host towns of Frankfurt, Nuremberg and Cologne risked fans voting with their feet and taking their spending money to neighbouring eastern Europe.

"You expect some inflation, but with these prices they are actually shooting themselves in the foot. They usually make much of their money from fans eating and drinking and they will risk losing that with unreasonable price increases.

"Fans are extremely adept at bringing inflated prices down to their budget. Before we went to Japan we heard of how expensive Tokyo was, but we stayed out on the outskirts of the city.

"Germany has a very good transport system and so Germany will be our oyster. If Cologne and Frankfurt put up their prices then they can say goodbye to England fans. Lots of people are planning to base themselves in Poland or the Czech Republic where it's much cheaper."

Kevin Miles, international co-ordinator of the Football Supporters' Federation, said the €60 Frankfurt hotel room he stayed in for the World Cup draw last month would rise to €270 for the England games in June. He said: "I was not delighted but then that's capitalism - that's the way it works."

Mr Miles thought that people would adopt different travel patterns than for the Euro 2004 in Portugal. He added: "Unlike Portugal, not many people will to stay in Germany for three weeks. They will fly over for individual games or stay elsewhere. Lots of people going to the Cologne game will stay in Amsterdam which is just an hour and a half down the road. Camping will also be popular."

Many of the big Frankfurt hotels, such as the Holiday Inn, have already sold out whilst others have seen price hikes. The Mercator is up from €60 to €135 and the Hotelschiff Peter Schlott up from €40 to €70 from June 3 to June 9.

Supporters hoping to pick up savings when Rooney and the boys move on to play Dwight Yorke's Caribbean minnows Trinidad and Tobago in Nuremberg on June 15 will be sorely disappointed.

The price of a double at the Bavarian city's Landhotel Silberhorn jumps from €69 for June 3 up to €150 for 14 June. The Landgasthof Hofener Garten leaps from €59 to €155 over the same period.

Cologne hotels have also been driving their prices up. A night in a double room at the plush four star Marienburger Bonotel before England's game against hotly tipped Sweden on 20 June costs €230 - up from €59 just one week before.

The three star Ars Vivendi has doubled in price over the week from €60 to €139 for a double room. Most two star hotels have sold out completely, snapped up by package operators and eager fans

8526
Football / Let's get on with the beautiful game
« on: January 11, 2006, 02:14:09 PM »
Let's get on with the beautiful game

Wednesday, January 11th 2006
trinidadexpress
 
 We remain mystified by the Trinidad and Tobago Government's sudden decision to send a cultural team to the World Cup Finals in Germany in June later this year. Is this cultural troupe to be different from the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation's which was mooted even before the victorious national football team left Bahrain? Is it, in fact, meant to supplant and displace the cultural group promised by the T&TFF's special adviser, Jack Warner, elements of which had been in place for the length of the qualifying campaign, both the Laventille Rhythm Section and the Woodbrook Playboyz catching the attention of the international press in Panama, Costa Rica and Bahrain? Or is the Government going to open its hands and join with the T&TFF in sending a group wide enough and deep enough to truly represent the cultural dynamism that defines Trinidad and Tobago, nationally, regionally and internationally?

It is to be noted that despite the nationalistic clothes in which the Government's cultural intentions have been dressed the underlying motive is clearly political in that Prime Minister Manning is seeking to capitalise on popular disquiet over the hegemony held by Mr Warner over the distribution of World Cup tickets, an issue that this newspaper, more than most, has helped to put on the front burner. Mr Manning said as much at a press conference last year:

"We are going to have to engage in appropriate discussions with those in authority in football to ensure that we have the requisite number of tickets...the Government has to respond to all of the calls we have been having from the national community, people who have supported football from the inception to now and who are prepared to go to Germany...''


Now nobody can have any quarrel with any government wanting to ensure a fair distribution of these coveted tickets (although one has to wonder how any government can be in a position to know who are the people who have supported "football from the inception to now and who are prepared to go Germany''). But, in the national interest, there comes a point when this political quarrelling has to stop and both sides, respecting each other's influence and authority, has to agree on how Trinidad and Tobago, already galvanising positive talk on the world football stage, is seen by the international community.

These matters are not unique to us although in typical Trinbagonian style the matter is further complicated by the political divide between the Prime Minister and the country's football czar. However, with the necessary appreciation of what intractable squabbling could do to the world image of Trinidad and Tobago, and more importantly the self-image of Trinbagonians, all these "cultural'' matters can be resolved to ensure that Trinidad and Tobago, in all its cultural diversity, does make mas' in Germany. Mr Warner has shown himself to be an amazingly flexible man and if Mr Manning is half the politician his supporters claim him to be, he will not be above making the necessary enlightened moves particularly since our sense is that the electorate wants to get on with the beautiful game.
 

8527
Football / Group B Friendlies so far
« on: January 10, 2006, 10:19:55 AM »
So here are the warm ups so far. I'll try to edit as things change or results come in.


DATE  GMT   TEAM            VENUE              RESULT


Trinidad (for Full Schedule click here)

28 Feb 20:00  Iceland           Loftus Road, London   2-0(1-0)
25 Apr 19:00  Grenada           Larry Gomes Stadium   4-1(2-0)
27 Apr 19:00  Grenada           Manny Ramjohn Stadium 4-0
10 May 18:30  Peru              Port of Spain         1-1(0-1)
27 May 18:15  Wales             UPC Arena, Graz, AT   1-2(1-1)
31 May 20:45  Slovenia          Celje, Slovenia       1-3(1-2)
03 Jun 16:00  Czech Rep. (E)    Prague

Sweden

18 Jan 17:00  Saudi Arabia (H)  Riyadh                1-1(1-0)
23 Jan 17:00  Jordan            Abu Dhabi             0-0(0-0)       
01 Mar 19:30  Ireland           Dublin                0-3(0-1)
25 May        Finland           Göteborg              0-0(0-0)
02 Jun        Chile             Solna

England

01 Mar 20:05  Uruguay           Anfield               2-1(0-1)
25 May 20:00 (B) v Belarus      Reading               1-2(1-0)
30 May        Hungary           Old Trafford          3-1(0-0)
03 Jun 14.00  Jamaica           Old Trafford

Paraguay

01 Mar 20.00  Wales             Cardiff               0-0(0-0)
29 Mar        Mexico (D)        Chicago               1-2(1-1)
24 May        Norway            Oslo                  2-2(0-1)
27 May        Denmark           Aarhus, DK            1-1(1-0)
31 May        Georgia           Salzburg              1-0(1-0)




8528
Football / Re: Seems like Flex Franchising
« on: January 06, 2006, 12:28:04 PM »
Jack will get after them - he's so protective of his "soca warriors" trademark. Unless it's his site. They're selling a package on there, too.

At the bottom it says "copyright 2005 socawarriors" so the site owner is identifying himself as "socawarriors"

Anyway here is who the domain is registered to:
    Domain name:
        socawarriors.co.uk

    Registrant:
        Herman Brathwaite

    Registrant type:
        Not supplied

    Registrant's address:
        PO Box 42079
        London
        None
        E5 0UG
        GB

    Registrant's agent:
        Easyspace Ltd [Tag = EASYSPACE]
        URL: http://www.easyspace.com

    Relevant dates:
        Registered on: 12-Dec-2005
        Renewal date:  12-Dec-2007
        Last updated:  15-Dec-2005

    Registration status:
        Registration request being processed.

    Name servers:
        ns1.raq-server.net
        ns2.raq-server.net

8529
Football / Re: Warner puts $1 million into 2006 cricket season.
« on: January 05, 2006, 03:20:33 PM »
Next he put money in the Tobago Goat Race.

8530
Football / Re: Who will win the World Cup in Germany?
« on: January 05, 2006, 03:11:35 PM »
I fancy Germany. 

Germany 2  Trinidad & Tobago 1

That would be awesome. The only way that would work is if both teams came out of their groups in 1st or both in 2nd position. Otherwise they would meet in round of 16.

8531
Football / Re: Who will win the World Cup in Germany?
« on: January 05, 2006, 02:53:59 PM »
my soul with tnt.....but germany winng the world cup

Amen, a repeat of the '02 final. This time Germany will prevail, just like in 86-90 v. Argentina. They gotta catch back up to Brasil in wins. They both been there equal times.

1950 Brasil - Uruguay         1954 Germany - Hungary
1958 Brasil - Sweden          1966 Germany - England
1962 Brasil - Czeckoslovakia  1974 Germany - Holland
1970 Brasil - Italy           1982 Germany - Italy
1994 Brasil - Italy           1986 Germany - Argentina
1998 Brasil - France          1990 Germany - Argentina

          2002 Brasil - Germany
          2006 Germany!!! - Brasil

8532
Football / Re: Warner pledges $5M over five years to Kashif & Shanghai
« on: January 04, 2006, 12:33:36 PM »
GFF lauds Warner's contribution to football
CMC
Wednesday, January 04, 2006
Jamaica Observer
 
WARNER... scheduled to meet with GFF officials
GEORGETOWN, Guyana (CMC) - The Guyana Football Federation has lauded Austin "Jack" Warner's contribution to football, ahead of the administrator's visit to the country on Monday.

"All Guyana hails the outstanding contributions which President Warner has made to our sport at the regional, hemispheric and international levels," a GFF release, quoted in the Guyana Chronicle, said.

"His commitment and passion for our sport at the national level is unmatched as despite the significant demands on his time, energy and efforts internationally, he still executes with distinction the duties of technical adviser to the Trinidad & Tobago Football Federation."

It continued: "It is no idle boast that President Warner's shrewdness and tactical maneouvres off the field have significantly contributed to the Trinidad & Tobago National male football team being one of the 32 qualifiers for the 2006 FIFA World Cup Finals in Germany in June."

Warner, also a FIFA vice-president and CONCACAF president, is scheduled to meet with GFF officials and was expected to pay a courtesy call on Guyana president, Bharrat Jagdeo.

-------------------------------
"he still executes with distinction the duties of technical adviser to the Trinidad & Tobago Football Federation."  :rotfl: :rotfl: lol

8533
2006 World Cup - Germany / Re: time diffenence
« on: January 03, 2006, 07:52:34 PM »
Berlin and the rest of western continental Europe is currently on CET which is GMT+1 or 5 hours ahead of Port of Spain. In the summer, though, starting March 26, they jump ahead an hour, so ther will be a SIX hour difference.

You can set up your own clock with the two cities here: http://timeanddate.com

e-man

8534
Football / Warner pledges $5M over five years to Kashif & Shanghai
« on: January 03, 2006, 04:01:09 PM »
'Time to go regional'
Warner pledges $5M over five years to Kashif & Shanghai
By Steve Ninvalle
Tuesday, January 3rd 2006


President of CONCACAF and FIFA Vice-President Austin 'Jack' Warner has provided a shot in the arm for the Kashif and Shanghai football competition, which may be the catalyst to make the tournament a truly Caribbean affair.

Delivering an address on Sunday at that MSC ground in Linden, just before the start of the third-place playoff, Warner promised to donate $5 million to the tournament over the next five years.

The money will be disbursed in yearly installments of $1M. In addition, Warner will provide the MVP trophy and will seek to have clubs from within the Caribbean participate in upcoming competitions.

The Trinidadian, who made a one day visit to Guyana at the invitation of the Kashif and Shanghai Organization to witness the final, said the Kashif and Shanghai competition should be internationalized based on its success.

At a press conference held at the Watooka House, the FIFA official heaped praise on Aubrey 'Shanghai' Major and Kashif Muhammad, and said that the time was ripe to go regional.

"I believe that this is the kind of competition that is so successfully organized that we should take it to a higher level," Warner said.

"It makes no sense to me to be very, very successful in Guyana and keep it as the best kept secret," he added.

The FIFA vice president said he was willing to use his office to assist and offered his club Joe Public as a possible participant in an upcoming competition.

"We have to bring in some more regional clubs and even some Mexican teams, to which I have access. I would use my office to try and get some other clubs to come in," Warner said.

The CONCACAF boss explained that live or delayed airing of games on television would be a big boost to the competition.

"We have to get television to carry these games, either live or delayed," Warner added.

This, he said, would lift the entire level of the competition and put it on a higher plain.

"In doing so you will have exposure and bring in sponsorship at a regional and international level," Warner said.

The Kashif and Shanghai competition started in 1989 with four teams and has grown to the point where it is now Guyana's premier football competition.
 
-source http://www.stabroeknews.com

8535
Football / Warner's Address - A response to the allegations
« on: January 03, 2006, 03:31:47 PM »
Warner's Address - A response to the allegations.
By: Shaun Fuentes.


The following is the full address as presented by Jack Warner in response to allegations made against him and his family during a three-part series in the Trinidad Express on december 25, 26 and 7, 2005. The Media Conference was held on Tuesday January 3, 2006 at the Crowne Plaza, Port of Spain.

Members of the media, friends and colleagues, today I was supposed to have been in London for part of the critical preparations required for our national football team’s appearance at the World Cup. Instead I find myself here before you to defend my good name and that of my family against the mischief and character assassination scribed by Lasana Liburd in a series of libelous articles which appeared in the Express newspapers, beginning on the front page of that paper on Christmas Day.

I believe that the three-part series which was published over the Christmas weekend is part of a well timed, carefully orchestrated character assassination, designed to devalue any political currency which opponents of the UNC feel I might have been developing as a result of the Soca Warriors World Cup qualification alongside my own efforts within the United National Congress to unify the party and country.

In response, I have held lengthy discussions with my attorneys, family and members of the UNC. It was generally felt that it was sufficient to expose the story for what it is rather than to perpetuate its agenda by a law suit in the light of gross misrepresentations and inaccuracies even though I unreservedly withhold the right to do so at anytime.

The intention of the articles is to change the reference point of Jack Warner in the minds of the public, or more importantly, the electorate. It was designed to sully the Warner name and to reframe the recent achievements I have yearned and struggled for over many years in the football arena and which the national community embraced in a way that even Patrick Manning had to admit “brought people together like no politician had hitherto been able to do”.

This was not my doing of course but the result of the wave of nationalism inspired by the Soca Warriors’ huge, historic efforts on the football field. But my close involvement with the team and sport over the years and that of the politics, presented for the ruling party an untimely, and unwelcome national acknowledgement of Jack Warner that had to be stopped at all costs, by any means necessary.

You might have noticed that at the last Annual Convention of the PNM Patrick Manning devoted considerable time in attacking Jack Warner and Winston Dookeran. In fact, not a syllable of criticism was made of our feisty Opposition Leader, Basdeo Panday. The easier way to get at Panday and the UNC was to launch “Operation Get Warner.”

It is unfortunate that the way politics is conducted there are no sacred cows when it comes to advancing one’s cause, however twisted and destructive that may be. How, I ask myself, can we have taken one of the most euphoric moments to have occurred in our country’s history, one which can become a catalyst for meaningful and lasting change in the way people see themselves, each other and their birthplace, and seek to dismantle it all only to serve selfish, petty, parochial political interests?

This is not to say that an attack on me is an attack on the achievements of our national football side but you must admit that I humbly and unreservedly share in the success of Trinidad and Tobago’s World Cup qualification and to impute that there were selfish and improper motives designed for personal gain to the dedicated efforts and sacrifices I have made over two decades, is to steal the sweet moment of victory not from Jack Warner alone but from the people who worked so hard and tirelessly to deliver it while others stood by on the sidelines doing exactly what we see and hear today in those malignant articles.

You will have noticed that I have not even begun to deal with Mr. Liburd’s fabrications and inaccuracies. That is easy to do and I will do so point by point but I refuse to begin without placing his articles in their proper context.

Let us not get carried away by treating this venomous, vitriolic personal attack with a clear political agenda as being nothing more than that. I will unmask what poses to be a piece of investigative journalism for just what it happens to be, so before we address the specific obvious points of departure between truth and fabrication, let us return to the real author and the broader political context.

If I came here today to announce a law suit, that would have been the lead story and the headline serving only the agenda of the PNM by perpetuating the lies, and feeding the monster. If I came here only to refute Mr. Liburd’s story the headline would have been: “Jack defends himself against allegations”. I hope that you will, by the end of this news conference, not only be able to report the truth but to expose the plot hatched by my political opponents and those of the UNC which they have in fact named “Operation Get Warner: A prelude to the General Elections of 2006.”

Unfortunately, I cannot divulge the source of my information for it would expose someone whose membership within the PNM did not override his sense of moral obligation to unmask the hideous scheme and to warn me about it even before the articles appeared.   

It should not surprise us that these people would go to such lengths to hold on to power. You will recall in the midst of the last general election, when Patrick Manning sat with so-called community leaders to negotiate a so-called truce on crime, he had promised some state lands at the time and after the public outcry had to withdraw the offer. The so-called community leaders then campaigned openly for the PNM, mounting political platforms of their own and threatening UNC voters. After the general elections with billions of your dollars flowing into CEPEP and URP programmes, gangs began fighting for the turf. It was payback time and we had suddenly become like Jamaica where gangs are involved in the political scene.

Today, as much as the Prime Minister postures before the public that he is serious about attacking the crime problem, there is an obvious lack of political will because certain nefarious elements will once again be needed to achieve the political ends of the ruling party come election time.

What has all this got to do with the attack on Jack Warner? It has everything to do with it, because it is football they see as the great unifying force across the country and that spells doom for the insular and inept ruling party that has over the past few years led our great, beloved country to ruin.

Many people have even expressed the view that the World Cup qualification of the nation has helped in some way, even temporarily, to ease the tension of the scourge of crime sweeping the country. And all of this would have been very useful to the PNM had it not been for the Jack Warner/UNC connection to the event.

United as a people we can also now turn our attention to the real problem in the country – that of how the PNM’s connections with certain elements and its funding of gangs through misdirected funds from the CEPEP and URP have produced the tsunami wave of crime.

And so, that is the political context of the series of articles which appeared in the Express newspapers over three days and given front page coverage. Now that I hopefully have been able to explain the real objective of the stories, I can go on to refute certain key points in Mr. Liburd’s fabrications (and I must admit Liburd is appropriately named.)
Lie - burd

Credit must be given to Mr. Liburd for demonstrating that he is both a mathematical genius and an inventor of facts. In his magical script more apt for the Warner Bros. Studios than the Warner family, Mr. Liburd estimates that the local Warners will rake in a cool fifty million dollars in revenue from World Cup ticket sales alone! Apart from his illogical calculations, this unrepentant and inveterate liar has even outdone himself in that no application for World Cup tickets of any kind has been submitted yet to FIFA by the TTFF or me!!!

As a consequence, no World Cup tickets of any category or price has been assigned to Simpaul’s or to any other organization and/or person in Trinidad and Tobago or the TTFF and I wish to repeat that no application has yet been made to FIFA for World Cup tickets of any kind or any category nor has any been assigned to Simpaul’s Travel Service.

At this point in time, no one in T&T really knows (except perhaps a creature called Liburd,) who in T&T will get World Cup tickets, what quantity they will receive or the criteria which will be used in the determination of ticket allocation.  In the absence of all this information, including the cost of tickets, only a Liburd can arrive at any kind of tally much less the gigantic proportions he sensationally manufactures.

Several persons and/or organizations have submitted requests for tickets including but not limited to a Government Ministry; a quasi-Public organization, private companies, and others. But the fact is that no decision has been made on the ticket allocation for T&T fans and no official or other responses on the number of tickets to be allocated have been made to these requests.

Mr. Liburd’s irresponsible statements and falsehoods are a clear departure from the truth but they arrive in dangerous times when such comments jeopardize the safety and security of my family. And in the context of what is happening in the country today I have raised my concerns about the protection of both my family and myself with the Commissioner of Police and have made a formal request of him for police protection.

Warner Group of Companies (WGOC)

Let me say unequivocally, that I make no apologies for the business interests of the Warner Group of Companies. It is not a crime to be successful even for people like me, but no one should attempt to impute improper business practices and conflicts of interest to me when the reality has been that I have given selflessly to the cause of Football and the aspiration of the nation’s interest in this area. It is easy to make an allegation with the intent of creating doubts in the minds of people but it is quite another task to establish an irrefutable truth.

Consider the following facts and ask yourself how you would feel if you were Jack Warner in light of the dark purpose of these articles:-

1. All monies received by me were put back into local football.

2. By the end of 2004, the total sum of indebtedness by the TTFF to me is $17 million dollars (TT). This figure does not include the amount of my personal funds which were expended in preparing Trinidad and Tobago for the World Cup Tournament.

3. Over the years I have paid up a significant part of the TTFF’s debt with the exception of $827,000 which is owed to Simpaul’s Travel since 2001. In fact, many of the arrangements made with companies such as Simpaul’s with which I have an interest have been to the benefit of the TTFF and to my own disfavour because of non-payment by the TTFF. To the contrary, Mr. Liburd’s article suggests that businesses owned by the Warner Group, specifically Emerald Plaza Hotel & Apartments and D’Coal Pot restaurant benefit significantly from football. But quite the opposite is true.

4.  The records show that the earnings of these organizations have suffered because of the subsidized rates which I insist they charge for the services provided and for which the TTFF has not been paying. At this point in time the Football Federation owes these two entities well over half a million dollars.

5. I recently paid a debt of the TTFF amounting to $1.7 million which was owed to CMB – Collier, Morrison and Belgrave of 13 Rust St., St. Clair.  Ask Ian Collier, himself.

6. An additional sum of some $3 million dollars of a $5 million dollar loan owed by the TTFF to Republic Bank was paid by me and the balance of $2 million dollars was due by December 31st 2005.  Ask the Branch Manager of Republic Bank, Long Circular Mall.

7. I have never at any time made any demands on the TTFF to make a repayment of the sums of money outstanding to me or to Simpaul’s.

Simpaul’s Travel

1. Simpaul’s Travel was purchased by the Warner family some 10 years ago.  At the time the Football Federation owed Simpaul’s over two hundred thousand dollars, which sum I paid.

2. Since 1992, Simpaul’s Travel has been the official travel agency of the Trinidad & Tobago Football Federation and since then the Football Federation has owed Simpaul’s tremendous sums of money, the last being $827,000 in 2001 and which remains unpaid to date.

3. Simpaul’s has been the official tour operator for the T&TFF since the 1994 World Cup Final, when it paid to the Trinidad & Tobago Football Federation a sum of twenty-five thousand dollars for that facility.  This was increased to fifty-thousand dollars for the 1998 World Cup Final, one hundred thousand dollars for the 2002 World Cup Final and five hundred thousand for the 2006 World Cup Final, two hundred and fifty thousand dollars, in cash and two hundred and fifty thousand dollars in kind. 

4. In August 2005, based on the usually exclusive status given to Simpaul’s by the Football Federation, certain tour packages were arranged with another European counterpart for which the following fees were paid:

19TH July 2005 – 26,532Euros
19th August 2005 – 172,800 Euros
26th August 2005 – 106,560 Euros
17th September 2005 – 280,800 Euros

All of the above referenced payments were made before T&T had even dreamed of qualifying and copies of the various receipts are here today for your perusal!!! Several other payments have since been made.

Where were Liburd and his friends then?

When the Warner family had to mortgage the family house for local football’s survival in the 1980s, where were Liburd and his friends?

During this qualifying campaign when T&T had played three matches and had only one point, where were Liburd and his friends?

When Beenhakker and a new staff were then employed at US $100,000 per month (the same cost for the monthly rental of Blimp 2), where were Liburd and his friends?

When CONCACAF had only one team qualifying for a World Cup Tournament and we came second; then CONCACAF got two qualifying teams and we came third; then CONCACAF had three qualifying teams and we came fourth and I continued to lobby the FIFA for an extra place and CONCACAF received 31/2   spots, where were Liburd and his friends then?

Even as we launched 2010 World Cup programme at the Marvin Lee Stadium last Wednesday (Dec 28th 05), where were Liburd and his friends? Or are they waiting until we qualify for 2010 and then to do another article and another hustle?

Why have there never been similar outbursts about tickets for the Olympics or the Hockey World Cup? Graphix Advantage has been given exclusive rights to produce 11 different types of memorabilia for the Soca Warriors ranging from sun visors to pencils, for which the firm has paid $400,000, why is there no outburst against them or against Busta for their exclusive status or Carib or even TSTT ?

But I prefer not to ask more questions at this stage, and now…

Who is this man Liburd?

Apart from the fact that he attended Arima Government Secondary School where his Principal and Vice Principal were both Warners (how he must hate that name today) what is his claim to fame?

Apart from his boast that he was the CCN reporter who was taken to London to report on the Privy Counsel matter between Ken Gordon and Basdeo Panday, who is he?

Apart from the fact that he has been consistently refused accreditation to the World Cup Qualifying matches in T&T, who is he?

Apart from the fact that he is working against his employers, the CCN Group acquiring the broadcast rights for the World Cup in 2010, who is he? In 1994 I obtained the local TV rights for WC for the princely sum of $1USD and sold it to TV6 for $250,000 USD which sum went towards the development of football in the TTFF. The same was done in 1998, 2002 and 2006 with increases in each case. Liburd continues to make this an issue and I can give him only one assurance today and that is that I will review the sale of these rights to his employers for the 2010 World Cup.

So again, I ask the question, “Who is Liburd, what is his claim to fame?”

If his claim to fame in the man is to bring down Jack Warner or to take away any “honour” that may be bestowed upon me, then let him think again.

The greatest honour for me is not the “Individual of the Year Award” or “Sports Administrator of the Year Award” or, in fact, any Award of any kind. These are, of course, appreciated.  The greatest honour for me is not a title.  The greatest honour for me is when the man on the street, from all walks of life, greets me and genuinely, from the heart says “Thanks, Mr. Warner, thanks for what you are doing for our local football and for our country”.

That, for me, is the greatest honour, Liburd, and you cannot take that away from me.  Your aim, I know, is to drive a wedge between the players and myself thereby destroying the unity and respect among us all that is so critical to the success of the team. We have seen the results of this in West Indies cricket but the difference here is that I know these players from the time they were very young and whatever differences we may ever have had in the past, none of them distrusts me nor questions my best intentions.
 
The passion I hold for my country’s football and sports in general cannot be measured, for it is Football which has given me success on an international scale and a deeper sense of nationalism. There is no price I can put on that and if I am in a position to assist it is true to my core values to do so. Any individual both on and off the field can attest to this.

Through Football and Trinidad and Tobago I have reached the dizzying heights of the FIFA administration and have had the pleasure of sharing precious time with inspiring minds from Nelson Mandela to Pele. These experiences have humbled me and grounded my faith in Trinidad and Tobago and while I do not expect everyone to understand my passion, commitment and material contribution, I will not accept anyone’s judgement based upon spurious allegations with their own hidden agendas.

That is the background to my contribution to the TTFF. It is also what moves me to play a role politically as I hold out the same expectation and belief for my country as I do for our national football side.

But let us get back to Liburd Manufacturing. In his article, Mr. Liburd suggests that Kenny Rampersad is a Director of Simpaul’s Travel and the auditor of the TTFF. Kenny Rampersad is neither a Director of Simpaul’s nor is his company the auditor of the TTFF. In fact, the TTFF auditor is the firm of KPMG who has graciously sent a representative this morning to answer any questions you may have about the integrity of the auditing process and to affirm his company’s role in auditing the TTFF’s books. Copies of the latest audited statements of the TTFF by KMPG are also available this morning for your review.

Mr. Liburd also had to go back 16 years to the age old issue of tickets printed in 1989. He alleges that I printed 16,500 tickets during the World Cup qualifying campaign of that year. This is a blatant lie.  This allegation raises a very old issue that has no basis for truth and no bearing on anything today.
To fulfill the real purpose of the article, which is to discredit me, Mr. Liburd throws in any and everything that could bring my good name into disrepute.

The question to ask is why would Mr. Liburd allow himself to be used to serve someone’s political agenda? Well, the answer to that is that the PNM found in him a convenient hatchet man since Liburd had already aligned himself with an English journalist, Andrew Jennings, who consistently maligns FIFA, its President, Sepp Blatter and myself.

In fact, Liburd spent a considerable period of time in the U.K over the past year collaborating with Jennings on his soon to be published book called FOUL which is to be released just before the World Cup. The timing is deliberate and is purported to bring disrepute to FIFA on the eve of the World Cup Football Final.
 
A draft manuscript of this book FOUL is in my possession, highlighting my name, FIFA President Sepp Blatter’s, and others whom he plans to malign, in the hope that they can do damage to the character of Mr. Blatter and Mr. Jack Warner. In the book, Liburd and Jennings accuse me of fixing matches to benefit T&T, siphoning funds and a host of other accusations which can only come from a pair of warped minds.

They have vowed to bring down the President of FIFA, Sepp Blatter and one of his Vice Presidents – Jack Warner.  Liburd is also billed to serialize the book in the Express Newspaper later this year – his editor, no doubt a willing partner in this exercise.
Even as I speak to you this morning, there are plans afoot by Liburd and his English accomplice to initiate a series of anti-Blatter/anti-Warner campaigns in the Caribbean later this month beginning in Jamaica – always Jamaica!!! Massa day done; Massa day come back!!!

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is the real story behind the Express Liburd articles. I do not intend to continually reply to Mr. Liburd’s concoctions since this will serve his purpose only too well and that of the PNM.

In fact, I am emboldened by the Express attack on me and quite frankly hold no grudge on the paper. Keith Smith did what he felt he had to do (in spite of the fact that he changed a positive article designed for his Sunday Christmas newspaper into a negative and most vicious one), but I, ladies and gentlemen will also carry out my own national duty which is to rescue my country and return it to being the sweet, sweet T&T we all remembered it to be just a few years ago before the PNM resumed office.

The FIFA of which I am proud to be an official has a membership of 207 countries with a cumulative population of over 3 billion people. Of this number 24 persons have been selected to be on the FIFA Executive Committee of which Trinidad & Tobago has a member and a Vice President at that!!!  In each of the other 23 countries, being a member on the FIFA Executive Committee is considered an honour.  In Trinidad & Tobago, however, such a membership seems to be a curse! And why?  It is because, in some ways, some people of this country, our country, are cruel and unkind, always bent on belittling persons who are successful, particularly persons like me…

In this country, one has to hide and become almost faceless if he or she is successful and all this, regrettably, is aided and abetted by some willing accomplices in the media.

I ask for no favours of anyone and I expect none. However, to me, my family is sacrosanct, and when one goes out of his way to undeservingly malign them, one has crossed the Rubicon...Lie- burd has just crossed!!!

To Minister Boynes, who, as part of the “Operation Get Warner” exercise has tried to discredit me by attempting to give the public the impression that that there is some tardiness on my part in submitting a budget for T&T’s participation in the World Cup or something sinister or both, I wish to advise Minister Boynes that, if he can, he should not let others push him into behaving as “Boyishly”.

The simple fact is that no budget could have sensibly been prepared unless all the facts and figures are available, where, by and large, they now are.  From all the facts and figures available, a budget has just been prepared conservatively estimated at some 40 million dollars and the details of which will be revealed at another news conference later this week.

But why the haste, Minister Boynes?  Why not hustle to pay the coaches’ salaries for October, for November or even December which you had promised to pay since early October?

Why not pay the big truck and the performers hired for the Soca Warriors’ victory street parade on November 17th on their successful return from Bahrain?  After more than 4 weeks and a lot of haggling between your Ministry and that of Community Development, why not pay the poor performers – Roy Cape All Stars Band ($22,000), Don Ramdeen Transport ($15,000), Earl Crosby/Crosby Sounds ($10,000), Sagicor Exodus ($10,000), St James Tassa Group ($2,500), MSI Sound Company ($18,000), Agency Coordination Charges ($12,500) and others - A total of  a mere $106,950.00.  Do you need a budget for those payments, Minister Boynes?  Why not pay that sum of $106,950.00?

It is informative to note that I have since paid the coaches’ salaries for October, November and December, as well as their bonuses for having brought this country to its first ever World Cup Final.

It is also informative to note that I have since paid the big truck and all the performers related to your Government’s hiring despite the fact that I had nothing to do with these arrangements. Remember Minister Boynes all of this – the Soca Warriors Victory Street Parade - was done by your Government for the welcome home of your government’s newly adopted Soca Warriors!!!

In fact, Minister Boynes, I do wish to state publicly here and now that, in my capacity as Chairman of TT Germany 2006 Ltd, we do not wish to have any funds from your Government for this World Cup project.  We have come this far without any funds from your Government, except for $2.6 million TT dollars given at an earlier period, and we shall complete the journey without any further Government funding.

All I ask of you and your Government is to give the footballers a little “ka ka da”. At least match us, since we have decided to pay each of them a sum of money ranging from $20,000 United States dollars to $100,000 United States dollars based on some well defined criteria.  I leave for London this weekend to meet with the players to advise them accordingly.

Pay the footballers directly, Minister Boynes.  Do not give TTFF or TT Germany 2006 Ltd any Government funding to participate in the World Cup Final in Germany later this year.

Pay the coaches’ salaries and bonuses directly and retroactively but do not make any other financial contribution to us. We shall overcome. But I shall say more about that later this week at a special football news conference to be called for such a purpose.     
 
I wish now to formally present my Football Gun Amnesty Plan of which I had spoken recently. It is based upon the fact that many of our footballers emerge from down-trodden neighbourhoods, where drug dealers are as commonplace as doubles vendors and where crime is seen as a career choice.

The recent victory of our national team has touched even the gang leaders, for they identify with the success of the players. Many came out to celebrate. Members of the team are ready to make an impassioned plea to these very gangs to put down their guns, to give themselves, their communities and the country a chance.

This Gun Amnesty Plan will use whatever leverage and influence the national football side has with some of these misguided individuals. If the effort produces one positively altered life, or just a few guns, it would still have been worth it. And who knows how far the message may reach!!!  Using the song “Laventille” performed by a local reggae artiste called Mr. King, a 60 second ad on the Gun Amnesty Plan has been developed, a demo of which I will share with you this morning.

We understand that some people may feel the word “Warrior” in Soca Warriors has a negative connotation, but we also wish to remind those who feel this way that not all warriors are wicked; especially those who fight injustice and champion the cause of good over evil, and in this case, those who despite humble beginnings can overcome all obstacles and against all odds, bring pride and glory to country. It is therefore, in this context, that I wish the general public to view our Soca Warriors as a group, a positive force, committed to doing for this country what “no other politician has done to date” or will ever do…

The television ad “Laventille” which will be shown now is part of a multi-media publicity campaign designed to persuade gang-leaders to respond to the call for putting down their guns. I hope the Gun Amnesty Plan I propose will be embraced by the Prime Minister and Minister of National Security since it is a strategy that has had great success in many parts of the world, but unfortunately, I do not expect a positive response from them, unless like the Limp Blimp, they feel it has some public relations benefit.

The showing of this ad will be an appropriate conclusion to the news conference as it refocuses the national community on the real issues before us rather than the distraction which I was forced to address this morning.

May I take this opportunity to wish each and every one of you, your beloved families and our nation a blessed and joyous New Year.  God bless. And thank you all.

8536
2006 World Cup - Germany / Re: VISA
« on: January 03, 2006, 11:59:44 AM »
Before we had US passports, I had a German one and my wife a Trini one. She would just take my passport to the consulate in New York and get her visa. The one time before we were married she got a letter of invitation from my uncle who lives in Germany. But basically any evidence of hotel/accomodation and also health insurance is necessary.

e-man

8537
Football / Re: Soca Warriors Songs
« on: January 02, 2006, 03:21:46 PM »

8538
Football / Re: Time for a poll about...JW
« on: December 28, 2005, 08:50:27 PM »
Wha da "consiglieri" ting mean again ;D
yeah, what does that mean? :-\

An adviser or counselor, especially to a capo or leader of an organized crime syndicate.

8539
Football / Re: Battle for ‘Soca Warriors’
« on: December 28, 2005, 10:23:03 AM »
Ever try looking on the waybackmachine to see if your web pages are archived there and show any reference to soca warriors? http://www.archive.org/ You need to have the URL of the original site to look it up.

8540
Football / Re: Finding out Jack
« on: December 27, 2005, 02:29:53 PM »
I'm not from Trinidad so I don't know all the ins and outs of TTFF, but from what I was reading regional teams have voting rights - used to be lower level teams did, too, but were stripped of that privaledge under Jack's watch.  So is it possible to start impressing on the regional teams the need to vote out the bad influence? This is for longer term, of course. Won't help in getting tickets now, but for the future of the game in Trinidad.

8541
2006 World Cup - Germany / Re: Tickets on EBAY already
« on: December 22, 2005, 09:31:56 AM »
This is interesting: ebay actually has a faq about selling world cup tickets

http://pages.ebay.de/wm2006/

I'm looking for an english version. If I can't find it I'll try to translate when I get time.

8542
2006 World Cup - Germany / Re: Tickets on EBAY already
« on: December 22, 2005, 09:21:48 AM »
There's still plenty of listings. Looks like most of them propose to sell it to you through the official fifa trading site in Feb if you win the auction. One already say they have the tickets from an earlier sale stage and will transfer them to your name immediately. Who knows for sure..

http://search.ebay.de/search/search.dll?sofocus=bs&sbrftog=1&fstype=1&catref=C6&from=R10&satitle=trinidad+tickets&sacat=-1%26catref%3DC6&bs=Finden&fsop=1%26fsoo%3D1&coaction=compare&copagenum=1&coentrypage=search&a40=-24&a10=-24&a2=-24&a1=-24&gcs=1815&pfid=2579&reqtype=1&pfmode=1&alist=a40%2Ca37%2Ca10%2Ca63%2Ca2%2Ca3%2Ca1%2Ca3801&pf_query=trinidad+tickets

8543
2006 World Cup - Germany / Re: Where will everyone be in Germany?
« on: December 20, 2005, 04:39:30 PM »
We'll be stayin just outside of Munich at a family home there, though it's out of the way of most TnT games. We may stay with relatives up near Frankfurt around game days. We'll be driving.

8544
2006 World Cup - Germany / Re: KFC in Germany enjoy
« on: December 19, 2005, 10:46:22 AM »
yeah, definitely don't leave without your pepper sauce! Food is more bland over there in general. Need a little something to kick it up. I know, my mom cooked German food, but my wife cooks Trini food and I must say both are good, but I've become a pepper mout'

8545
2006 World Cup - Germany / Re: In Germany...tickets or no tickets!
« on: December 19, 2005, 10:32:56 AM »
Absolutely, I'm there tickets or not. It's all about the experience. And even if you don't get in they sometimes set up big screen in town square for those that get stuck outside the stadium and it's a fete anyways.

e-man

8546
2006 World Cup - Germany / Re: Get prepared!
« on: December 14, 2005, 11:21:56 AM »
Also there are a very few Caribbean style restaurants, though probably nothing that holds a candle to real Trini food. Choose "karibisch" under "Küche-Stil"

http://www.studentenpilot.de/unterwegs/restaurants/restaurantfuehrer

Also where the Trini consulates are if yuh have passport or other problems when you're there.

http://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/www/en/laenderinfos/vertretungen/ausl_vertretung?land_id=172&path_id=Deutschland
or http://www.konsulate.de/trinidad.php

And a few German-Trinidad frienship/ex-pat/soca association type links:

http://www.friends-of-tnt.de/
http://socalypso.blogg.de/
http://www.steeldrum.de/
http://www.supaduppa.blog.de/main/
http://www.pan-jumbie.com/linksDE.htm

edit: Also a German-English dictionary
http://dict.leo.org/?lang=en&lp=ende

Cheers, E-man.

PS If you need anything translated I can try to help out. I'm originally from Germany and my wife is a Trini. We livin in Brooklyn now.









8547
2006 World Cup - Germany / Re: Don't expect to get much from the Lottery
« on: December 14, 2005, 10:57:33 AM »
Yeah, by (un)luck of the draw the England game is in one of the smaller stadiums. about 32,000 in Nürnberg, Dortmund has 50,000 and Kaiserslautern has 37,000.

I tell yuh when we had it in the us in '94 we had bigger venues and it was one of the highest attended cups of all time. As much as "soccer" not a big sport in the US can't talk about attedance numbers there.

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