T&TFF wage phony war.
By: Lasana Liburd (Express)
Camps' red herring
Picture the guy who rings your doorbell and offers to mow the lawn for $100. There is more to consider here than just value for money. Your lawn can evidently do with some attention and you have not been too bothered of late while there is also the moral obligation to assist someone in a law abiding enterprise.
So, you accept his offer on the grounds that he does a professional job. Hopefully, both parties end the transaction with some degree of mutual respect.
Now, try this picture. The prospective lawn man is banging on your door and shouting for you to come out or else. He wants $300 up-front and insists that your lawn will be cut when he is good and ready. There will be dire consequences if you refuse.
Chances are that one of those gentlemen might be paid while the other would be led from your premises by men with either batons or straight jackets.
The house is the Ministry of Sport and Sport Minister Gary Hunt is, in simplistic terms, keeper of the residence. Now which of the two would-be labourers is the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation (T&TFF)?
On Saturday, T&TFF president Oliver Camps launched a verbal attack on the Sport Minister that, on the surface, appeared counter-productive to the stated aim of both parties to get the Soca Warriors to the 2010 World Cup.
Camps' tirade fell short of T&TFF special advisor, FIFA vice-president and, last but certainly not least, Opposition joint-leader Jack Warner's assertion, on March 28, that Hunt is a racist. Yet, the weekend release seemed to suggest that access to State funds was the T&TFF's God-given right rather than a privilege to be earned.
Perhaps, it is also noteworthy that Camps opted to dictate to the media via release rather than make himself available for questions in a press conference as did Hunt. The T&TFF general secretary Richard Groden is similarly loathe to answer to the general public and, for over a year, he handled an issue as delicate as the indefinite suspension of more than half the 2006 World Cup squad with terse releases.
Neither party seems to recognise reporters outside their own press officer, Shaun Fuentes. It is somewhat hypocritical then to moan about the treatment of Fuentes although his provoked departure from Hunt's media gathering certainly lacked grace by the Sport Ministry.
Back to the point though, what does Camps stand to gain by stating the perfectly obvious fact that Hunt's tenure as Sport Minister will not be eternal?
The T&TFF release said Camps felt obliged to respond to Hunt's statements, which must be the first time in over a decade that the local football administration claimed to care about what anyone thought.
Instead, it seemed to be a ruse to stoke the fire between the two bodies.
Camps claimed to be irked by Hunt's assertion that the T&TFF "lacked ambition" only-and I was present at the press conference-the Sport Minister said nothing of the sort. The contention of the Ministry was that the T&TFF's strategic development plan lacked ambition and there is surely a world of difference between the two statements.
The T&TFF cannot be faulted for pride in their historic achievement in taking the country to the 2006 World Cup and Camps made sure to mention it. But it is also true that Jamaica achieved the same in 1998 and have not been close to repeating their success in the following decade.
One shower does not make the rainy season.
Camps preened too about a string of achievements that did not directly fall under his watch including the FIFA 2001 Under-17 World Cup and the local Pro League competition. Neither Camps, Groden nor Warner even bothered to show up, as a mark of courtesy, at the Pro League's Award ceremony last Thursday-Hunt did, by the way-while there is rarely a T&TFF presence at Pro League matches unless Warner's Joe Public team are involved.
Camps, among his list of achievements, claimed that the T&TFF's accounts are "audited every year by KPMG". Most organisations consider annual accounting to be part and parcel of running a reputable firm rather than something to brag about.
Still, since Camps has boasted about it, he might want to pass those annual accounts to the general public. Again, one should note that it is the insignia of Kenny Rampersad and Company that usually adorns what the T&TFF presents as accounting and Rampersad, reputable accountant or not, is a past business associate of Warner's.
Camps chided the Sport Minister for not providing an acceptable playing field for England's visit on June 1 although Hunt, on Thursday, promised that the Hasely Crawford Stadium would be in "pristine" condition by then. Camps did not offer any grounds to dismiss Hunt's promise.
So, if there were no adequate responses to the Ministry of Sport's request for transparent financial accounting, then why did the T&TFF find it necessary to respond with such intemperate language?
Maybe, the T&TFF are disinterested in fulfilling Hunt's request for accountability and are trying to bait the rookie minister with personal insults and accusations to cloud the issue. Or possibly the Federation, which claimed to be bankrupt last March, believes that they have enough funds to resist any intrusion by the government and, by extension, the local public.
Perhaps, it is another high risk game of bluff with the international football pride of the nation at stake. Whether or not Hunt is up for the job remains to be seen. What would you tell that guy with the lawnmower?
