Warner still paying for Warriors.
By: Kern De Freitas (Express).
Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation special adviser Jack Warner is still paying for his belief in the senior national football team.
According to Warner, he has taken out another mortgage on an undisclosed property to cover payment to FIFA on outstanding bills for the T&T "Soca Warriors" in the lead-up to the 2006 World Cup.
Warner again lamented the lack of support from the Ministry of Sport and Youth Affairs and, by extension, the Government, apart from contributions of $1.6 million, as well as $6 million for the charter flight to Bahrain for last November's return World Cup Finals qualifying playoff leg.
"No country ever qualified for the World Cup on that kind of budget," Warner said yesterday when he was one of the feature speakers at a bmobile-sponsored symposium for senior regional sports journalists and editors at the Cascadia Hotel in St Ann's.
"Just yesterday (Wednesday), I took out another mortgage on my property to pay some bills for the team and to pay the officials by April 30."
The FIFA vice-president and CONCACAF president added that he was still covering the Soca Warriors' costs, stating he had recently paid 104,000 euros as initial payment to FIFA for the team's hotel fee and had been asked yesterday to make a second payment to the tune of 156,000 euros, which he also met.
Warner also criticised those who complained about prices for the upcoming international friendly against Peru on May 10 at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, T&T's last home encounter before the World Cup Finals, which kicks off on June 9.
"When we hear about ticket prices...it is very easy to talk about ticket prices, but at the end of the day, somebody has to pay," he declared.
Warner also continued to express his firm confidence T&T would fare well their first time out at the World Cup Finals, even against their tough Group B opposition.
"...Expect them (bigger teams) to make the occasional mistake, to help us to beat them. And that is why we will beat England, that is why we will beat Sweden, that is why we will beat Paraguay, that is why we will make it to the next round."
He added there will be people who will be doubtful of T&T's ability, but he maintained faith in the team's performance at the tournament.
Other speakers on the opening day of the three-day event included sports analyst and commentator Simon Crosskill of Jamaica; former T&T cricketer and footballer and FIFA technical adviser Alvin Corneal; and veteran journalist and editor, Lennox Grant.
Crosskill gave the audience an overview of what T&T are to expect when they make their maiden appearance at the World Cup Finals in less than two months time, based on the Jamaican experience with the "Reggae Boyz" eight years ago at France '98.
Crosskill said the event had a great economic and social impact on Jamaica and the day they qualified was a "fantastic day to be a Jamaican", resulting in "one heaping mass of nationalism".
So much so, he related, that the three days after Jamaica had qualified, there was not a single murder, despite their current "embarrassing murder statistics".
He pointed out that it bore financial fruit as there was a huge part of the private sector contributing to sports associations and "everybody wanted to be seen as a major contributor to nation-building through sport".
But Crosskill bemoaned the fact there was no unified approach to building sport in the region.
Warner meets urgent hotel payments.
By: Nigel Simon.
Government funds still to come.
Austin Jack Warner, vice-president of Fifa said yesterday that he has mortgaged a property to pay for the team’s hotel accommodation during the World Cup in Germany from June 9 to July 9. The T&T Football Federation special advisor made the disclosure in his speech to regional journalists at the second bmobile “Thinking Sport” - a window to the International World - which began at the Cascadia Hotel, St Ann’s, yesterday.
Warner said:
“Apart from the $1.6 million dollars we received from government, we have not received any more money.”
While government has approved the Soca Warriors budget of TT$44,967,457.00, it was confirmed by a T&TFF press officer that the federation is yet to receive the funds.
Warner chided the government on this, and noted that the World Cup was only 50 days away and T&T was still awaiting money.
This has led to Warner mortgaging a property to meet demand from the hotel for the remainder of accommodation fees.
“This is the second time I have had to mortgage one of my properties, the only difference from the first instance in 1989 was that I did not tell my wife prior to doing so.
“Only last week I had to pay $104,000 euros as part of our hotel fees in Germany.
“At that point in time, I thought I would have been able to have some time before they needed the remainder of the money. However, I received a phone call earlier this week and was told that the balance of $156,000 euros was needed, which I had to pay.
The Concacaf boss also noted that he has also paid up front the salaries for the T&T players for the friendly international against Peru at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, on May 10.
Reflecting on the team’s journey to get to the World Cup, Warner explained that his faith in believing that the team would get to the Finals in Germany was key to him investing his hard-earned money.
“I consistently kept the faith. At the same point in time when our people and supporters lost theirs.
“When we only had one point after three matches and hired a new coach, there were a lot of questions being asked around, but today I can say I will go to my grave paying homage and tribute to national coach, Leo Beenhakker.”
Warner stated that his belief in the team was also shared by Beenhakker, who also kept the faith in the players, in particular, striker Stern John, who was being singled out by the T&T public.
“There were times when the local supporters were calling for him (Stern) to be dropped by the coach, but he (Beenhakker) kept the faith in him and the striker returned the faith shown by scoring the goals when they were needed.”
Warner also pointed to the fact that it was through the qualification of the Soca Warriors for the World Cup in Germany that this country was able to witness a level of brotherly love never experienced before.
“On November 17, when the guys returned from Bahrain, it was great to see everyone put aside their dislikes and grievances and join in the celebration in a way never seen before.
“There was a national outpouring of love and national identity shown by everyone.” But Warner wondered how come only six months after that experience it has all vanished.
“We have allowed that spirit to wither away. From November 16 up until today, the only way we have failed our country is through politics,” he said.
Looking ahead to T&T’s Group B matches in the World Cup against Sweden, England and Paraguay, Warner said his strong belief and faith in the team will see us through.
“Faith got us to Germany and faith will get us past the first round, he added.
Warner was also full of praise for local company TSTT who, he said, showed faith in the team by coming on board as a team sponsor long before the team had qualified for the World Cup.
“When you know a friend is when you are down and out and TSTT proved to us that they were truly friends and supporters of the team in pumping $3.5 million into the campaign in February of 2005.
“Since then, they have renewed their commitment to the team and will be official sponsors of the Soca Warriors until 2008.”
Among the other speakers yesterday were Simon Crosskill, senior regional sports analyst, who gave an insight into what the impact of the Reggae Boyz qualification for the 1998 World Cup in France had on Jamaica, Alvin Corneal, Fifa technical director, and Lennox Grant, a former editor in chief at the Trinidad Guardian.
Today, Deryck Murray, president of the T&T Cricket Board, journalist Vaneisa Baksh, Brian Lewis, secretary of the T&T Olympic Committee and Ato Boldon, a former World 100 metres champion and four-time Olympic medallist will address the seminar.
