Soca Warriors News Room.

01-May-2008.

W/Cup bonus judgment next week.
By: Lasana Liburd (Express).

Decision delayed.

The Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation (T&TFF) and 16 of their 2006 World Cup players must wait until next week for judgment in their wrangle over commercial revenue earned from the "Soca Warriors" historic qualification for the FIFA showcase tournament.

The third and final day of the arbitration hearing for the Warriors and the T&TFF ended yesterday in London with legal representatives for either side taking two hours each to summarise their positions before arbitrator, Ian Mill QC.

The 16 players and the T&TFF allegedly agreed, in early 2006, to split 50 per cent of all income accrued from the team's participation in the prestigious Germany-based tournament.

However, the Warriors contested the validity of the T&TFF's accounting and their decision to deduct expenses prior to offering payment and, after contemplating a suit in civil court, accepted their employers' request to seek justice before the London-based Sport Dispute Resolution Panel.

Ex-West Ham player and ESPN commentator Shaka Hislop, Southampton striker Stern John, Gillingham goalkeeper Kelvin Jack and Ross County defender Brent Sancho appeared as witnesses for the players while the T&TFF did not offer any witness.

English barrister William McCormack SC and local lawyers Om Lalla and Kelvin Ramkissoon represented the T&TFF. The local football organising body argued that talks between their special advisor and FIFA vice-president Jack Warner and the players never reached a level of certainty required by law to become a legal contract.

McCormack also suggested the players superceded all previous financial discussions when they signed a FIFA participation agreement, before the tournament, that did not adequately address their commercial concerns.

The players, represented by the English legal team of Rupert Butler SC and Michael Townley, countered that they did receive a contract-albeit an oral one-which had nothing to do with the standard FIFA participation contract signed by all guest nations. Legal representatives for either side requested a detailed written award from Mill, which is likely to come next week.

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