Minister lays down law for T&TFF.
By: Mark Pouchet (Express).[/size]
Minister of Sport Roger Boynes disbursed yet more money to the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation (T&TFF) yesterday, insisting that taxpayers' money would not be paid out until supporting evidence and proof is provided by the Federation.
After officially handing over the $3 million cheque from Atlantic LNG, sponsorship that was sourced by the Minister and announced last Thursday, Boynes then delivered to T&TFF president Oliver Camps a cheque for $2.464 million, representing salaries and stipends for the technical staff that were authenticated by the T&TFF.
That is, however, a fraction of the $7 million that has been budgeted for this phase of the T&T Soca Warriors' Germany World Cup 2006 campaign. The $2.464 million was in addition to the $14.4 million Government disbursed to the T&TFF earlier this week.
But at a midday media conference at the VIP Lounge of the Hasely Crawford Stadium yesterday, Boynes was insistent that the T&TFF and special adviser Jack Warner-who last week claimed that the Government had given no money to the Soca Warriors' $79 million budget despite the Cabinet-approved $45 million allocation-would only receive the remainder in the presence of supporting documents.
"We have told them as soon as evidence of payment is provided to us, we will make the payment as we are doing today," Boynes declared.
Of the $7 million budgeted for this phase, the T&TFF could only provide "evidence and proof" of $2.464 million. Boynes also indicated how the Atlantic LNG money would be spent.
"$2.4 million will go towards the salaries and stipends for the technical staff for May and June," he stated. "The other $600,000 is to go towards the costs to be incurred for the T&T/Peru match. That is how that money is to be spent pursuant to the budget."
Boynes addressed some of the issues that have not yet been substantiated by the T&TFF-bonus payments made to local coaches and the budgeted salaries of former Dutch assistant coach Theo De Jonk, who the Ministry discovered only last Wednesday after inquiries directed to the T&TFF, was released since last December.
When asked what was causing the delay in providing the supporting documentation to the Ministry of Sport, including those for payments made last year, Camps blamed the accounting procedure.
"These things have to go through the various accounting processes and so it is taking some time," Camps explained. "But these documents are now being sourced."
Asked if statements made by Warner that the T&TFF had received no money from the Government were indeed not accurate, Camps replied: "We don't want to get into that. We want to move on and move forward."
He then went back to his seat before he promptly departed for another engagement. Boynes also disclosed his Ministry's plans for spreading the Soca Warriors fever.
Ten thousand Soca Warriors badges will be awarded to the first 10,000 patrons dressed in red for next Wednesday's Peru match. He said the Stadium will be decorated with specially-designed banners that will also be posted throughout the country.
Boynes added that seven large screens will also be erected in seven towns for the Soca Warriors World Cup games starting June 10. Those will be in Point Fortin, Port of Spain, Chaguanas, Sangre Grande, San Fernando, Arima and Scarborough, Tobago.
Boynes said appeals will be made to corporate T&T to drape their buildings with banners and flags supporting the team. And an Edu-card game dedicated to the Warriors will be launched Tuesday to help educate thousands of school children about the national team.
