“I have to account to the people and the Parliament of T&T, so people know where the money went.”
So declared Sports and Youth Affairs Minister Roger Boynes in response to the plea to Government by Austin Jack Warner, special adviser to the T&T Football Federation.
Mr Warner had asked Government to give him an open budget for the preparation of the Soca Warriors for the World Cup finals in Germany next year.
Though I am not into sports in any big way, I believe that Mr Warner may have a good case in asking for substantial financial assistance from the State.
I am not suggesting that the State give Mr Warner a blank cheque and I appreciate that the Government must account for its spending of taxpayers’ money.
Mr Warner has spent more than $20 million from his own pocket to ensure the team qualified for the finals.
Much to the surprise of his detractors, who had nothing good to say about him, he stuck to his vision and was completely vindicated by the victory over Bahrain, which has put us on the road to Germany.
Following this, many corporate citizens have sent congratulatory messages to the team, which curiously has raised the ire of ardent football fans who complained that they were not around when the money was needed the most.
I beg to disagree with those critics, who I think are not looking at it in a holistic manner.
Isn’t it a fact that nobody likes a loser?
Our team has let us down over the years even though it tried very hard to deliver and 1989 will go down as one of our most disappointing moments.
So while not in any way agreeing with their short-sighted policy of starving the team for funds, one can on the other hand appreciate their reluctance to spend money on a team which was not producing the desired results.
In other words, you don’t throw money after bad.
But now that the team has proven itself, all efforts must be made to support the Soca Warriors all the way and instead of abusing the “new-found” sports-conscious corporate citizens, we should instead welcome them on board.
If we continue to criticise the latecomers this could cause them to continue to hold back on the money badly needed for this history-making event.
And despite the criticisms levelled against Mr Warner over the years—some baseless accusations which were never ever seriously considered—we must not hesitate to throw all our support behind him and the Soca Warriors.
I was surprised to read over the weekend the paltry sum so far deposited in the account open for contribution to the general public.
When the Warriors Pride (Players’ Fund) was launched, I understand some $100,000 was pledged but to date just over $30,000 has been realised.
What a shame!
Yet we want to criticise the very people who are in a position to give very tangible financial assistance to the team.
I am not a football fan but I am a strong supporter of local and regional teams whenever they are engaged in international outings.
Therefore I was most disgusted by those talking emotionally but who are yet to show their patriotism by donating generously to the fund.
Fully understanding Mr Warner’s plight, I think he should not be subjected to the normal procedures for the paying out of state funds where, as far as I am aware, the federation would have to go to the ministry to collect the money in tranches.
Wouldn’t it be preferable for the TTFF to be given the entire amount in one cheque after careful consideration by the State and the football body with strict accountable processes?
They must be made to sign documents stipulating that the funds must be properly accounted for and failure to do so would result in legal consequences.
What is so bad about this proposal?
Otherwise it would be more red tape and uncertainty as every time they need some money they would have to go begging for what would have been allocated in the first place.
I don’t think anyone can question the honesty and integrity of Mr Warner and his TTFF officials, therefore they can be entrusted with funds to properly look after the team.
We all want to see the team perform at its best in Germany and to ensure this the players must be made to feel extremely comfortable and stay focused on the way to Germany.
They should not be working anywhere else until they get on the field of battle in Germany. The only thing they should be doing between now and then is getting into tip-top form. We don’t want any excuses like they were not sure about this or that so their play was affected.
Yes, Mr Boynes, you have to account for taxpayers’ dollars but while doing so I hope you do not frustrate the players or the federation by the untimely delivery of the badly needed funds.
And by the way, since you are so diligently securing the taxpayers’ interest, I hope that one day you will give a proper account on the expenditure of $850 million on an edifice which could very well turn out to be the biggest waste of our petro dollars.
More on that another time.