Below is a copy of a letter that I sent to all members of FIFPro, FIFA ethics committee and CONCACAF via email yesterday (20/06/07). Thus far, no response has been received.
FIFA has always described football as a global family.
Well it appears that a member of that family is fast becoming an embarrassment. Mr Austin Jack Warner, FIFA vice president, has made some outrageous statements over the weekend which affects every professional footballer on the planet. The question is, are these statements just his biased opinions, or are they an indication of policy from FIFA?
The current impasse between some of Trinidad & Tobagos World Cup stars from Germany 06 and the Trinidad & Tobago Football Federation is well documented. The players feel they were promised a lot more than the £485 they have been offered as their share of sponsorship and TV rights. Because they decided to take legal advise, they were blacklisted by their Federation, even though they continually announced their availability and loyalty to their nation.
This led to a second string team competing in the Gold Cup and being sent home after the first round, with their most notable performance being a 1-1 draw vs Guatemala.
This blacklisting in itself raises questions as to why FIFA have not stepped in to ask why the Federation have victimised footballers because they have taken legal advice. After all, every organisation consults its lawyers before making important decisions , FIFA included. Is this FIFA's way of saying that any kind of legal advice is deemed threatening, and therefore may be punished?
Mr Warner made this amazing announcement on friday in a statement to Oliver Camps and Richard Groden of TTFF: "As President of CONCACAF.....I want to publicly commend you both, and, by extension, your entire Executive Committee and Federation, for the principled stand you guys have taken in resisting being blackmailed into doing what could never have been right for your country and/or your Federation by bending to the will of a mercenary few"
This has shocking repurcussions. Read it again. As CONCACAF president. This is a statement representing CONCACAF and their confederations opinions. Warner has by association stated that CONCACAF are accusing International footballers of blackmail, an illegal act. He is also praising the TTFF for not bending to the will of a mercenary few. This is potentially slanderous in its content. Especially when you consider that all the players have asked for is what they were promised by the TTFF special adviser, who funnily enough, is Mr Jack Warner.
If this wasn't enough, Mr Warner also made a statement to CMC Sports in New York, in which, on the subject of the dispute, he stated "Don't of course go to lawyer and court and so on. The minute you do that, then you have put a bar on all discussion " It is not clear from this statement in which capacity he is speaking, but CMC described Warner as FIFA vice president. It is therefore reasonable to assume that he is putting forward FIFA policy. If this is Mr Warner speaking as FIFA vice president, his comments are far reaching. He is effectively denying players their human rights in consulting with their legal advisers and if they do, the football authorities will stop any negotiations and can prevent these players from International duty.
Warner continues in his statement to say "It's unfortunate, but that's what happens when players are consumed by greed." and "What Trinidad is suffering from is from a situation whereby 16 or 18 players are holding a country and a federation to ransom because of greed" and continues "It is nothing less than greed".
The greed, Mr Warner alludes to, is the players attempts to obtain what they were contractually promised. A 50% share of the World Cup revenue should amount to more than £11,000. Adidas alone, according to TTFF, paid at least £1million. TTFF sold at least 3 exclusive marketing deals at £40,000 each. Then there was TV money and deals with other sponsors such as ebay and KFC. One deal with Carib beer was worth nearly £100,000 alone.
But perhaps the most shocking aspect of Mr Warners actions is that recently he has positioned himself as the defender of the Caribbean and Africa against recent accusations of corruption in football in those areas.
Particularly when you consider that there have been investigations into Mr Warners financial affairs concerning the £1million sale of black market World Cup tickets, and that this current impasse is concerning money, and the players distrust of TTFFs accounting process, surely Mr Warner, not only as President of CONCACAF, but also as head of the Caribbean Football Union, should be insisting to TTFF that they show complete transparency in their finances, in an effort, not only to get their best players back on the field, but also to prove to the world that corruption does not in fact exist in the Caribbean.
Currently, the only comments made on the subject of this impasse from FIFA have come from Mr Warner. Surely its time for the Worlds football governing body to launch an official enquiry? Mr Warner is clearly too closely involved to make unbiased statements, and is abusing his position to achieve his personal aims. His comments have brought the game into disrepute as well as bordering on being libelous, and are in defiance of the FIFA code of ethics.
As International Development Manager for FPATT, I am hereby calling on the FIFA Ethics Committee, the members of CONCACAF and the Caribbean Football Union, and members of FIFPro to issue statements condeming Mr Warners statements and formerly recognising FPATT as representatives of professional footballers from Trinidad & Tobago.
It is FPATTs aim to work with all football administrations and their representatives, Mr Warner included, however it is our view that we cannot stand by and let these statements go unchallenged and see the "beautiful game" tarnished in this manner.
Kevin Harrison
International Development Manager,
FPATT
Football Players Association Trindad & Tobago
Letter from Shaka to Warner sent 17th June.
Dear Mr. Warner,
I am writing to you as President of the newly formed Football Players Association of Trinidad and Tobago (FPATT). I and everyone else at FPATT have been occupying ourselves with our launch and the business of representing our general membership. FPATT would like to join you in commending the courageous showing of the young Soca Warriors in this year’s Gold Cup tournament especially in, as you commented, its final drawn match against Guatemala when it played the match with 10 men for all of 58 minutes. It is this same courage that won the hearts of millions around the world at last year’s World Cup. It truly was delightful to witness. They made us all proud.
Your last outburst though has prompted me to write in defense of the characters the most successful team in our nation’s history against your latest slanderous attack.
In response to your latest accusations, it is a person’s human right to legal counsel. Your opposition and the TTFF’s flailing attempts to deny them this right points to stratagem. In all my years as a professional player I have always retained the services of a lawyer to oversee all my negotiations, as I’m sure you have given your many legal incongruities of late. This has never prevented me from entering into talks with anyone. Furthermore these players have always been honoured to wear the red, black and white of Trinidad and Tobago and have never ruled themselves unavailable for national selection as incorrectly suggested. They have always been available to “sit down around a table and talk”, albeit with counsel. Indeed countless efforts to resolve this issue and promote transparency within the national game have seen the TTFF stand steadfast in their intrepidity.
What they are seeking is an impartial ruling as to whether their claim, which they believe they are contractually entitled to, is “remotely justified” (as you put it) or not. You have continually proven yourself heavily biased and opinionated in this matter when in truth, in your capacity as CONCACAF President, you should be the one to advise on the impasse.
The players who represented T&T in the World Cup are all professional footballers; this is their livelihood. This cannot be interpreted as “greed”, or even worse holding anyone “to ransom”. The absurdity of this statement and the blasÈ with which it has been bandied about is beyond me, as it should be to someone in your standing.
This whole episode has shown the importance of a players’ association to the modern game. President Blatter in his recent address to his delegates commented on the efforts FIFA had made “to include players in the decision-making process by signing a memorandum of understanding with FIFPro, the international players’ organization”. The TTFF must now follow FIFA’s lead in recognizing and working with FPATT in an effort to take our game, both at the national and international levels, forward. I look forward to your response.
Yours Sincerely,
Shaka Hislop
President- FPATT
Warner accused of failing to pay T&T bonuses.
By: Paul Kelso (UK Guardian).
Jack Warner, the Fifa vice-president, is again at the centre of controversy over Trinidad & Tobago's World Cup campaign, this time because of a players' revolt over unpaid bonuses. The former West Ham United goalkeeper Shaka Hislop is leading the Soca Warriors in legal action against the T&T Football Federation, for which Warner is a special adviser, alleging that promised bonuses were not paid.
Warner has effectively blacklisted 16 players, including Hislop, Stern John and Chris Birchall, and accused them of being "consumed by greed" after they demanded that a pre-tournament contract to share 50% of World Cup commercial revenues should be honoured.
The federation did deals with Adidas, Ebay, British Gas and KFC before the tournament, with some estimates putting the total value at more than $11.5m (£5.8m). The players claim they have been offered only £400 each, with items including travelling expenses and hotel fees, all of which were covered by Fifa, deducted.
In a letter to Warner, Hislop accuses him of a "slanderous attack" and makes it clear that he will be called to give evidence when proceedings begin in the next week. Last year Fifa's ethics commission ruled that Warner had abused his position by making a £500,000 profit on marked-up World Cup tickets sold through his family travel company, but he hung on to his influential Fifa post.
Trinidad & Tobago players to sue over pay claims.
By: Nick Harris (The Independent UK).
A group of 16 Trinidad & Tobago players who represented their country at last year's World Cup, including seven based in Britain, are preparing to sue their national federation in a bitter battle over bonuses with the Fifa vice-president Jack Warner.
The players include Sunderland's Stern John, Southampton's Kenwyne Jones, Coventry's Chris Birchall, Raith Rovers' Marvin Andrews, and Shaka Hislop, now with FC Dallas in America's MLS. All 16 have been blacklisted by their country's FA and effectively forbidden from representing their country again.
Their legal case is based on the fact that they did a deal over bonuses with the Trinidad & Tobago Football Federation - for which Warner is officially a "special adviser", but effectively in charge - before the World Cup. The players were to receive 50 per cent of profit on six pre-tournament friendlies, plus 30 per cent of commercial and sponsorship revenues arising directly from qualifying for the World Cup. The 30 per cent part was later raised to 50 per cent in a deal brokered by Warner.
The players have no idea how much they are owed - the crux of the case - because of what the players believe are incomplete accounts provided by TTFF. But deals were done on the back of qualification with companies such as adidas, Kentucky Fried Chicken and eBay. The players feel they may be due as much as £200,000 each, but have been offered less than £500.
Warner, who accused the players of greed, said "they will stay outside the pale of organised football" until they drop their legal threats. Their lawyer, Michael Townley, said: "The players are not pursuing a set figure, they're pursuing transparency of the accounts."
Warner accused of failing to pay T&T bonuses.
By: Paul Kelso (The Guardian).
Jack Warner, the Fifa vice-president, is again at the centre of controversy over Trinidad & Tobago's World Cup campaign, this time because of a players' revolt over unpaid bonuses. The former West Ham United goalkeeper Shaka Hislop is leading the Soca Warriors in legal action against the T&T Football Federation, for which Warner is a special adviser, alleging that promised bonuses were not paid.
Warner has effectively blacklisted 16 players, including Hislop, Stern John and Chris Birchall, and accused them of being "consumed by greed" after they demanded that a pre-tournament contract to share 50% of World Cup commercial revenues should be honoured.
The federation did deals with Adidas, Ebay, British Gas and KFC before the tournament, with some estimates putting the total value at more than $11.5m (£5.8m). The players claim they have been offered only £400 each, with items including travelling expenses and hotel fees, all of which were covered by Fifa, deducted.
In a letter to Warner, Hislop accuses him of a "slanderous attack" and makes it clear that he will be called to give evidence when proceedings begin in the next week. Last year Fifa's ethics commission ruled that Warner had abused his position by making a £500,000 profit on marked-up World Cup tickets sold through his family travel company, but he hung on to his influential Fifa post.
