$50m to get Warriors to Germany.
By: Nigel Simon (Guardian).[/size]
Austin Jack Warner, Fifa vice-president and T&T Football Federation’s special advisor, says TT$50 million is needed to get the Soca Warriors fully prepared for the World Cup finals in Germany from June 9 to July 9. The Soca Warriors will come up against Group B top seed England, Sweden and Paraguay in first round matches.
Warner presented figures at a
media briefing “to defend my good name and that of my family against the mischief and character assassination” he alleged was published in
articles in the Express newspaper, starting Christmas Day.
He said the allegations against him and his family in the articles were “untrue.”
In a six-page rebuttal, which included details of ticket-allocation to T&T for the World Cup and their availability, Warner detailed the budget for the national team:
Coach Leo Beenhakker will be paid US$75,000 per month and his assistant, Whim Rijsbergen, US$30,000, with both coaches expected to earn 30 per cent of their gross salary in bonus payments from December 2005 to July 2006, if T&T advances to the last 16.
Warner lamented the time it was taking the government to pay the salaries of the coaches as promised, for the period October to December last year.
He criticised Sports Minister Boynes, who he identified as part of the “Operation, Get Warner” exercise.
He said the Minister has tried to discredit him by attempting to give the public the impression that that there is some tardiness on my part in submitting a budget for T&T’s participation in the World Cup, or that there is something sinister, or both.
“I wish to advise Minister Boynes that, if he can, he should not let others push him into behaving as boyishly.”
Responding to the claims by Boynes that the Government was awaiting the budget for the Soca Warriors campaign since December 12, Warner said: “The fact is that no budget could have sensibly been prepared unless all the facts and figures are available, where by and large, they now are.
“From all the facts and figures available, a budget has just been prepared conservatively, the full details of which will be revealed at another news conference later this week.”
Warner went on to ask:“But why the haste, Minister Boynes? Why not hustle to pay the coaches’ salaries for October, for November or even December, which you had promised to pay since early October.”
He added that at the meeting in November with the Minister, it was agreed that the salaries of the coaching staff would be met and that the federation would be reimbursed the payments for use of the Hasely Crawford Stadium, which was close to $800,000.
Of the delay and criticism by his detractors Warner said: “...Today, I do wish to state publicly here an now that, in my capacity as chairman of the T&T/Germany 2006 Ltd, we do not wish to have any funds from your government for this World Cup project.
“We have come this far without any funds from your government, except for $2.6 million given at an earlier period, and we shall complete the journey without any further government aid.”
Warner further explained that the celebrations on the team’s arrival at the Piarco International Airport after the historic win in Bahrain (November 16) was planned without their (the Federation’s) input, yet it was he who had to pay the performers.
“Why not pay the big truck and the performers hired for the Soca Warriors victory street parade on November 17 on their successful return from Bahrain?.
“After more than four weeks and a lot of haggling between your Ministry and that of Community Development, why not pay the performers?”
But Warner said that if Minister Boynes “wishes to still pay the salary of the coaches for the period they agreed to and also give the players their reward for what they have achieved, he can go ahead.”
But Warner said “it is informative to note that I have since paid all the entertainers and the coaches’ salaries,” adding: “I will also like them (Government) to keep their promise of agreeing to pay the coaches’ salaries and their bonuses.”
Asked to clarify what those salaries were, Warner said that it was agreed with government that for the period October 2005 to December 2005, national coach Leo Beenhakker and his two assistants (Whim Rijsbergen and Theo De Jong) would have been given a total salary of U$100,000 per month, in addition $300,000 in bonuses.
“They had also agreed to pay the salary of the technical staff, headed by coach Beenhakker for the period from January of this year to June.
To keep his name clear of any involvement of the payments of monies to the coaches and players, should government pay the fees, Warner made it clear that he wanted no part to play.
“All I ask of you (Minister Boynes) and your Government is to give the footballers a little “ka ka da,” adding: “At least match us, since we have decided to pay each of them a sum of money ranging from US$20,000 to US$100,000 based on some well defined criteria.
“Pay the footballers directly, Minister Boynes. Do not give T&TFF or T&T/Germany 2006 Ltd any government funding to participate in the World Cup final later this year.
“Pay the coaches’ salaries and bonuses directly and retroactively, but do not make any other financial contribution to us. We shall overcome.
“But I shall say more about that later this week.”
The Concacaf boss added that he is expected to leave on the weekend for London, where he will meet with the players to advise them accordingly. Asked where he will get the money to pay the players since the federation was strapped for cash, Warner replied:
“I will get it from Fifa, that is the 42 per cent that we agreed to give the team from the monies to be given to the T&TFF, because I can’t wait any longer to reward the guys.”
On the federation’s plans to reward the players for doing what he said “no other politician could and will ever come close to doing, unite the country.”
Warner said: “I have told the players before that they will get US$20,000 for the least, and US$100,000 for the maximum and if the government wants to add anything like a piece of land and whatever they feel is necessary they can so do.”
The payments are:$22,000 (Roy Cape All Stars Band)
$15,000 to Don Ramdeen
Transport$10,000 Earl Crosby/Crosby Sounds
$10,000 Sagicor Exodus
$2,500 St James Tassa Group
$18,000 MSI Sound Company
$12,500 Agency co-ordination charges.
Total cost—$106,950
A further breakdown of the figures shows:Camp in Germany—TT$9,179,269.42
Camp in Austria—TT$6,783,090.02
Camp in London—TT $6,805,073.02
In addition, administrative cost to the T&TFF will be TT$ 9, 013, 942.98
Local Training—$1,012,725.00
Bonus payments—TT$13, 977,825.00 and a budget of TT$3,450,000 for friendly International matches.
TOTAL: $50,221,925.44
More News.Warner pledges $5M over five years to Guyanese football.
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