Warner snubs Warriors: T&TFF withhold match fees.
By: Lasana Liburd (Express).
The crumbling relationship between the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation (T&TFF) and the "Soca Warriors" seemed to deteriorate further yesterday when FIFA vice-president and T&TFF special adviser Jack Warner refused to speak to the national players.
Warner, who returned to Trinidad on Sunday evening, has not met the squad or the Germany 2006 World Cup players and, according to one Warrior, said that he has no intention of doing so.
"Warner said (via a telephone call with captain Dwight Yorke) that he was not going to see us and we could meet (general secretary Richard) Groden instead," said one player, who preferred to remain anonymous. "But we don't want to see Groden. It is Jack we made the deal with, so it is he we want to meet."
Last Friday, the World Cup players announced their intention to retire from national duty from Thursday because of an alleged breach of contract by the T&TFF.
Their frustration increased on Sunday when the T&TFF failed to pay their match fees for the weekend friendly against St Vincent at the Hasely Crawford Stadium.
The Warriors won 5-0 thanks to a Stern John double and a goal apiece from Chris Birchall, Kerry Baptiste and Yorke.
The player claimed the squad was already upset that the T&TFF cut match fees by approximately 75 per cent without consulting the Players' Association. The players were told about the new fee-US$250-just before the squad met in camp at the Crowne Plaza hotel. They are also entitled to a US$1,000 win bonus.
Normally, the T&TFF pays match fees as soon as the squad returns to the team hotel or, at the latest, on the following morning. But, up to last night, the players were still empty handed.
T&TFF press officer Shaun Fuentes confirmed last night that match fees had not been paid.
"The players are real frustrated," said the anonymous Warrior. "It is not a happy camp. They (the T&TFF) are asking us to be professional but they are not being professional."
Warner has not made a public statement about the rift and continued to hold his tongue yesterday despite being a key figure in the standoff.
The FIFA vice-president agreed to give the Warriors half of the revenue accrued by the T&TFF in the 2006 World Cup campaign last November before the final Play Off qualifiers against Bahrain.
The national footballers went on to earn an unprecedented World Cup place with a 2-1 goal aggregate win over the Asian outfit. In the process, Trinidad and Tobago became the smallest country ever to qualify for a senior FIFA World Cup.
Last week, though, the T&TFF declared the players were due just $141,102 or $5,644.08 per squad member.
Groden, and not Warner, broke the news to the Warriors. The players cried foul play and, three days later, announced their intention to retire from international football.
"As it stands, we made a decision to hand in our resignation and that is what we are going to do (after Wednesday's game)," said the player.
Yorke, who scored a curling free kick on Saturday, might have already played his last game for Trinidad and Tobago. The Sunderland player left Piarco International Airport yesterday evening to rejoin his England Championship Division employers.
