Soca Warriors Online Discussion Forum
Sports => Football => Topic started by: Flex on January 26, 2007, 11:27:18 AM
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T&T footballers give war declaration to T&TFF.
By: Lasana Liburd (Express).[/size]
Warrior suit!
The “Soca Warriors” yesterday declared that it was “on the verge of legal action” against the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation (T&TFF) over a bonus dispute in what could be a landmark case in the country’s sport history and is sure to catch the attention of global football body, FIFA.
London sport lawyers, Athletes 1 Legal, issued a press release on behalf of 17 members of the national football team who represented Trinidad and Tobago at their historic debut showing at the 2006 World Cup in Germany.
The aggrieved players are Marvin Andrews, Kenwyne Jones, Chris Birchall, Collin Samuel, Atiba Charles, Brent Sancho, Cyd Gray, Ian Cox, Aurtis Whitley, Cornell Glen, Kelvin Jack, Shaka Hislop, Evans Wise, Avery John, Stern John, Anthony Wolfe and present squad captain Densill Theobald.
“The players are ready and willing to meet with the T&TFF to discuss matters but that option no longer appears available,” stated a release from Athletes 1 Legal. “The players have asked a series of detailed questions regarding revenues from the World Cup and associated expenses but none of these have been replied to. Therefore there appears little option but to sue the Federation in the Trinidad Courts for an order that the Federation produce a full account of the World Cup revenue, and thereafter pay to the players the percentage that was previously agreed.”
T&TFF press officer Shaun Fuentes told the Trinidad Express that his employers did not wish to respond “at this time” and the matter would be forwarded to their lawyers. Neither party has directly addressed the press on the matter apart from e-mailed releases or one press conference, staged by the players last September, which did not permit questions.
Notably absent from the Athletes 1 Legal list are World Cup captain Dwight Yorke and retired playmaker Russell Latapy as well as the quartet of Carlos Edwards, Dennis Lawrence, Jason Scotland and Clayton Ince.
The disagreement centers on the disbursement of sponsorship and commercial revenues, which arose from the country’s qualification for the World Cup, to the national players.
The players made a pact with FIFA vice-president Jack Warner in November 2005 for 30 percent of sponsorship and commercial revenue. They claimed that this figure rose to 50 percent during the World Cup.
Warner, at the time, negotiated in his capacity as T&TFF special advisor. He was later named as chairman of Local Organising Committee (LOC) Germany 2006, which dealt with all aspects of the team’s World Cup preparation including all commercial deals.
A similar deal was brokered between the Football Federation of Australia (FFA) and its players for the 2006 tournament. The “Socceroos” received $14.5 million ($3 million Australian dollars) to share among themselves from the $44.4 million ($9.2 million Australian dollars) paid to the FFA by FIFA for its team’s qualification. In addition, Australia’s World Cup players also received a third of the FFA’s spin-off income, which included shirt sales and merchandise.
The T&TFF, however, claimed to have earned just $18 million—inclusive of merchandising and sponsorship deals—last September. The local body further deducted expenses before presenting a share of $141,102 for the team or $5,644.08 per player.
The Warriors initially threatened strike action but decided to continue to represent their country while they retained Athletes 1 Legal to fight on their behalf.
Thus far, the T&TFF and Athletes 1 Legal have been unable to find a compromise.
Athletes One Legal’s chief solicitor, Mike Townley, insisted that the T&TFF’s financial statement was “substantially inaccurate and unreliable” and called on the Federation to “properly account to the players for the sponsorship and other commercial revenues generated from qualification”.
“The income figures do not match the amounts which the Federation previously claimed to have earned from sponsors and whole categories of income, such as licensing and merchandising, are excluded,” stated the release. “The Players’ view is that the accounts they have seen massively understate the income and overstate the expenses.”
Townley noted discrepancies in the T&TFF’s books and pointed to the Adidas deal, which was fingered in a Trinidad Express report last September.
“The Federation in their own press statements prior to the World Cup Finals stated that Adidas had agreed to sponsor the Warriors for the sum of US$11.5 million,” Townley stated. “Yet in the accounts that have now been produced income from Adidas is shown at just under US$300,000.
“The players first asked for this discrepancy to be explained in a letter of 24th October, and yet to date no explanation for this or any of the other identified discrepancies has been received.”
Townley also slammed the T&TFF’s alleged failure to release $225,000 (US$36,000) to the players for distribution to an unnamed charity. He claimed the two parties agreed to withhold this money for charity from the sum owed to the players as their share of the FIFA grant earned by qualification.
“The money was always intended to go to charity,” stated Townley. “Given the current relations between the players and the Federation it was felt best if that money was transferred to the Squad account while a decision was taken on who should receive it.
“A letter requesting that this sum be paid to the Warrior’s account was sent to the Federation lawyers on the 6th December but no payment has yet been made by the Federation. The players are very concerned that even this sum of US$36,000 is being retained when quite obviously no dispute exists in relation to it and it is unarguably due to the players.”
Athletes 1 Legal also accused the T&TFF of “discrimination” and acting “against the interests of T&T football” by ignoring players from national selection due to their involvement in the bonus dispute.
Last September, T&TFF general secretary Richard Groden referred to the Warriors as “delinquent” and “less than honourable” while, in November, he singled out the England-based pair of Brent Sancho and Kelvin Jack, who both represent England League One club Gillingham, as the leaders of the revolt. Neither player was invited to represent his country since the World Cup.
Groden also threatened to ignore the Warriors and, instead, use players from the local Pro League and national youth teams to “form the nucleus of our team for 2010”.
Theobald, the present captain, was the only World Cup player used at the 2007 Digicel Caribbean Cup tournament and it is now uncertain whether he will be allowed to keep his place for upcoming friendly matches against Panama and Costa Rica. Trinidad and Tobago competed without most of its regular players at the regional competition and ended in second spot after a 2-1 loss to Haiti in the final.
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Yes man. De shit really hittin' de fan an' splattering. Allyuh watch. We hearin' more and more. No surprises.
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hmmm Daniel and Baptise play but not Whitley and Cyd....hmmmm
Touches boy....hmmmm :thinking:
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I wonder why Yorke and latapy bail out.
maybe they just dont want to deal with this shit and decide to move on.
maybe they dont belive in the case or maybe they do not want to hurt other financial sponsrship deals that they might have.
It is interesting that it is not a total team lawsuit.
I think what we really need is a set of writen ground rules for national team football with regard to compensation and benefits.
we cannot continue to be in the mode of
"If we win you go get Half the money, and things like that"
" We cannot continue to depend on Jack or addidas to provide money" because who knows how much they will provide and when.
For example for the recent concluded Digicel Cup
before the team even pick the TTFF needs to know How much money each player will get irregardless of how much gate receipts and how much prize money.
Once everything in black and white before the game even start we are start to be professional.
" Jack did tell we that we go get 30% of the addidas money"
Bull shit!
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As a result of this, I guess bleeder getting dropped as captain and off the team? ???
Wow, this means, ince, williams and phillips are our keepers...
lawrence, teles, makan,marshall, james, jack and daniel are our defenders....
midfielders will be edwards, hardest, baptiste, touissant, pacheco, tiger, tinto, wiltshire, noel, leon, david, jagdeo, josh johnson and maybe rahim...
strikers will be: glasgow, roberts, bailey, scotland, findley,elcock and sealy...
These players will have a chance to make our team for 2010 bc of the friction between the ttff and the players mentioned, i doubt they will wear the national colours again, sadly...
God is de BOSS...
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KND2,,,,,, Not only Yorke and Latapy bail out, check de list again.
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i hope the players get their deserved money.
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I wonder why Yorke and latapy bail out.
Maybe they believe the fallout of this lawsuit could negatively affect their chances of coaching T&T in the future.
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as KND2 say i figure dem fellas jus not on goin thru that runaround and havin to deal with it for now
their interestes are elsewhere and must be just fed up of the beureaucratic bulls*** the TTFF and JAck Warner up to
to jack warner--even though respect hadda be given for his contributions financially to the sport he does make the other negative stuff into a sort of game it seems...
if it eh so...well the media is boss at playin it up that way...
but he always seems to be in this position...how he still have that position i eh know
is time for him to go
Tiger Phillips..take over!
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team for the gold cup will be
williams/ince
edwards tallman teles daniel
baptiste/johnson hardest touissant/pacheco/noel/david tiger/rahim/jagdeo
glasgow/roberts scotland
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team for the gold cup will be
williams/ince
edwards tallman teles daniel
baptiste/johnson hardest touissant/pacheco/noel/david tiger/rahim/jagdeo
glasgow/roberts scotland
TI,
rahim? ent he retire to go back to school.
who the ass is jagdeo? a chutney singer?
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team for the gold cup will be
williams/ince
edwards tallman teles daniel
baptiste/johnson hardest touissant/pacheco/noel/david tiger/rahim/jagdeo
glasgow/roberts scotland
TI,
rahim? ent he retire to go back to school.
who the ass is jagdeo? a chutney singer?
i hear rahim on jabloteh now and jagdeo played against japan for the national team... :beermug:
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why don't all the world cup players take a stand...it would make such a bigger difference..... :-\
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SUE DEY Sc**t!!
I hope the public will stand by the players, in the end that is what will assist them to be reselected.
This is what happened back in the late 80s, when Jack outlawed a number of palyers in Arthur Suite's league. Desperation and a lack of fan support for a TT B Team made him call them back.
Imagine a national team back then without Alibey, La Forest, Spann, Faustin, H. Charles, Brian Williams etc.
Peace,
VB
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why don't all the world cup players take a stand...it would make such a bigger difference..... :-\
agreed, i made a similar comment in the Carlos thread
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team for the gold cup will be
williams/ince
edwards tallman teles daniel
baptiste/johnson hardest touissant/pacheco/noel/david tiger/rahim/jagdeo
glasgow/roberts scotland
TI
I never speak out against you before pardna but, ah find you overs the World Cup Warriors real quick in this debate, you only focused on who could get to sweat now.
That kinda harsh in my books, yes no matter who take the field is the Soca Warriors and we go support them, but it seems to me that you not even sparing a thought as to how these fellas have been treated. You done picking squad and ting already.
Maybe you have spoken out about this elsewhere on the forum, but today in this thread, it seems you cuold care less bout them men now.
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Fight Jackula/TTFF but support the warriors at the same time eeven though yuh feel dat Jack geyyin' de last laugh whe yuh go to de stadium. It seems conflicting but it could be done and many of us are diung it. Just bide yuh time. He is hoping that we geh confuse with this choice.
Latas and Yorke always knew that Jackula was a back stabber. Latas did not rejoin de warriors for Jack, he did it for his country and his true buddy Yorkie. They bided their time but they were always going for Jack's throat eventually. Doh watch dem slight when dey seemed to be only enjoying deyself grinnin'.
Because dey name allegedly not in the lawsuit...... doh worry. More stories to come. Yuh have to be unpredictable in dis rounds
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team for the gold cup will be
williams/ince
edwards tallman teles daniel
baptiste/johnson hardest touissant/pacheco/noel/david tiger/rahim/jagdeo
glasgow/roberts scotland
TI
I never speak out against you before pardna but, ah find you overs the World Cup Warriors real quick in this debate, you only focused on who could get to sweat now.
That kinda harsh in my books, yes no matter who take the field is the Soca Warriors and we go support them, but it seems to me that you not even sparing a thought as to how these fellas have been treated. You done picking squad and ting already.
Maybe you have spoken out about this elsewhere on the forum, but today in this thread, it seems you cuold care less bout them men now.
For real...I didn't want to say it myself...
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Groden also threatened to ignore the Warriors and, instead, use players from the local Pro League and national youth teams to “form the nucleus of our team for 2010”.
Theobald, the present captain, was the only World Cup player used at the 2007 Digicel Caribbean Cup tournament and it is now uncertain whether he will be allowed to keep his place for upcoming friendly matches against Panama and Costa Rica. Trinidad and Tobago competed without most of its regular players at the regional competition and ended in second spot after a 2-1 loss to Haiti in the final.
This leave a bitter taste in the mouth. We like to shoot we self in the foot. TTFF must be made accountable andown up to their indiscretions. I long for the day when that administration is replaced.
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As a result of this, I guess bleeder getting dropped as captain and off the team? ???
Wow, this means, ince, williams and phillips are our keepers...
lawrence, teles, makan,marshall, james, jack and daniel are our defenders....
midfielders will be edwards, hardest, baptiste, touissant, pacheco, tiger, tinto, wiltshire, noel, leon, david, jagdeo, josh johnson and maybe rahim...
strikers will be: glasgow, roberts, bailey, scotland, findley,elcock and sealy...
These players will have a chance to make our team for 2010 bc of the friction between the ttff and the players mentioned, i doubt they will wear the national colours again, sadly...
God is de BOSS...
You would love that would'nt you? All you care about is Hardest, you don't care about we football.Think about it if FIFA get involved in this shit alot more than fines could take place even bans and i don't think hardest will get to play anytime soon if a ban was to take place.
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team for the gold cup will be
williams/ince
edwards tallman teles daniel
baptiste/johnson hardest touissant/pacheco/noel/david tiger/rahim/jagdeo
glasgow/roberts scotland
TI
I never speak out against you before pardna but, ah find you overs the World Cup Warriors real quick in this debate, you only focused on who could get to sweat now.
That kinda harsh in my books, yes no matter who take the field is the Soca Warriors and we go support them, but it seems to me that you not even sparing a thought as to how these fellas have been treated. You done picking squad and ting already.
Maybe you have spoken out about this elsewhere on the forum, but today in this thread, it seems you cuold care less bout them men now.
and hardest starting no matter what :rotfl:
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why don't all the world cup players take a stand...it would make such a bigger difference..... :-\
licks it could be a number of things....
certain men not taking no stand on de matter cause dey get bigger $ than men who complaining
certain men decide they done make nuff $ in dey professional career that it not worth it
certain men doh want to ruin dey chances of getting selected in de future so dey biting de bullet(in public,but,cussing behind closed doors)
certain men have fear injected in them by count you know who..maybe because he was instrumental in kick starting their career etc..so they owe him a bamcee lick..
the list goes on...
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As a result of this, I guess bleeder getting dropped as captain and off the team? ???
Wow, this means, ince, williams and phillips are our keepers...
lawrence, teles, makan,marshall, james, jack and daniel are our defenders....
midfielders will be edwards, hardest, baptiste, touissant, pacheco, tiger, tinto, wiltshire, noel, leon, david, jagdeo, josh johnson and maybe rahim...
strikers will be: glasgow, roberts, bailey, scotland, findley,elcock and sealy...
These players will have a chance to make our team for 2010 bc of the friction between the ttff and the players mentioned, i doubt they will wear the national colours again, sadly...
God is de BOSS...
You would love that would'nt you? All you care about is Hardest, you don't care about we football.Think about it if FIFA get involved in this shit alot more than fines could take place even bans and i don't think hardest will get to play anytime soon if a ban was to take place.
I would to see all players playing but i love my country first and us qualifying for the world cup, right now our focus has to be 2010.... I support any fight against unfair practises....
God is de BOSS...
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team for the gold cup will be
williams/ince
edwards tallman teles daniel
baptiste/johnson hardest touissant/pacheco/noel/david tiger/rahim/jagdeo
glasgow/roberts scotland
TI
I never speak out against you before pardna but, ah find you overs the World Cup Warriors real quick in this debate, you only focused on who could get to sweat now.
That kinda harsh in my books, yes no matter who take the field is the Soca Warriors and we go support them, but it seems to me that you not even sparing a thought as to how these fellas have been treated. You done picking squad and ting already.
Maybe you have spoken out about this elsewhere on the forum, but today in this thread, it seems you cuold care less bout them men now.
For real...I didn't want to say it myself...
to answer both midknight and mr mc, I would want nothing better than fairness and justice to prevail, i support all those who have been treated unfairly, but I love my nation first and i also want continued success with our national team, i want us to qualify for 2010 and continue to grow once more, thats why i am quick to name a squad, we need to focus on what lies ahead and that is 2010 and it has been a blessing in disguise that other players have come to the forefront and now our team has the depth we have always dream of having, so i not complaining, right now jw is de head still and we cant do nothing, what we could do is support what we have and concentrate on winning the next 2 games and the gold cup, in prep for qualifying, ah feel fellahs not studying we nation bc of this, dont lose sight, we have another world cup to qualify for in 2010... let the maker decide the players faith in the next 2 years...
God is de BOSS....
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As a result of this, I guess bleeder getting dropped as captain and off the team? ???
Wow, this means, ince, williams and phillips are our keepers...
lawrence, teles, makan,marshall, james, jack and daniel are our defenders....
midfielders will be edwards, hardest, baptiste, touissant, pacheco, tiger, tinto, wiltshire, noel, leon, david, jagdeo, josh johnson and maybe rahim...
strikers will be: glasgow, roberts, bailey, scotland, findley,elcock and sealy...
These players will have a chance to make our team for 2010 bc of the friction between the ttff and the players mentioned, i doubt they will wear the national colours again, sadly...
God is de BOSS...
You would love that would'nt you? All you care about is Hardest, you don't care about we football.Think about it if FIFA get involved in this shit alot more than fines could take place even bans and i don't think hardest will get to play anytime soon if a ban was to take place.
I would to see all players playing but i love my country first and us qualifying for the world cup, right now our focus has to be 2010.... I support any fight against unfair practises....
God is de BOSS...
why come in2 this thread and contradict yourself...you said earlier in a diffrent thread with basically the same kinda topic...'that dem fellars not bigger than TT..we have players to take we to de WC again'.....now yuh come in here with a different tune bout ' i support any fight against unfair practises'.
take win...
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TI, yuh love Hardest. Punto final. Doh gimme dis smokescreen of "I love my country first" talk
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team for the gold cup will be
williams/ince
edwards tallman teles daniel
baptiste/johnson hardest touissant/pacheco/noel/david tiger/rahim/jagdeo
glasgow/roberts scotland
Like you and Wim is ring and finger now dred, how you calling team and deciding line so ::)....Show some more support for the larger picture nah man!!!
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team for the gold cup will be
williams/ince
edwards tallman teles daniel
baptiste/johnson hardest touissant/pacheco/noel/david tiger/rahim/jagdeo
glasgow/roberts scotland
TI
I never speak out against you before pardna but, ah find you overs the World Cup Warriors real quick in this debate, you only focused on who could get to sweat now.
That kinda harsh in my books, yes no matter who take the field is the Soca Warriors and we go support them, but it seems to me that you not even sparing a thought as to how these fellas have been treated. You done picking squad and ting already.
Maybe you have spoken out about this elsewhere on the forum, but today in this thread, it seems you cuold care less bout them men now.
For real...I didn't want to say it myself...
to answer both midknight and mr mc, I would want nothing better than fairness and justice to prevail, i support all those who have been treated unfairly, but I love my nation first and i also want continued success with our national team, i want us to qualify for 2010 and continue to grow once more, thats why i am quick to name a squad, we need to focus on what lies ahead and that is 2010 and it has been a blessing in disguise that other players have come to the forefront and now our team has the depth we have always dream of having, so i not complaining, right now jw is de head still and we cant do nothing, what we could do is support what we have and concentrate on winning the next 2 games and the gold cup, in prep for qualifying, ah feel fellahs not studying we nation bc of this, dont lose sight, we have another world cup to qualify for in 2010... let the maker decide the players faith in the next 2 years...
God is de BOSS....
I hear you, but this thread is about the footballers declearing war vs the TTFF,it have another time and space for naming the new squad.
if we keep letting this things slide in the name of the football have to play and the team have to pick, it will continue to happen forever and it will be 2009 JW will still be in charge and then Hardest them will be saying
we aint playing no qualifiers unless the contract is reworked cause we see what happen in 06/07.
I understand where you coming from, but I really want to see this thing resolved properly, so we dont have to face it again.
I would like to see the current crop, show some form of solidarity with the guys, but I realize it aint their fight, so its hard to ask them to do that, but it will affect them directly.
No need to talk it out here, we go just watch and pray for righteousness to prevail.
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Yuh know ah have to admit dat although it bubbling in de pot since September, yuh mean dem big
babies men at de TTFF couldn't sit down wid de players and sort dis thing out??....
Yuh mean to tell me dem think de players and by extension de fans and supporters is fools.....it was outlined (in the press for example) how much money dey was getting and from which source but all of a sudden de boy dem have to suck salt.....ssstteeuuupppss....boy dis real stinks......
And Jack (and TI by extension) really feel we could reach 2010 wid dis group?? ???.....we would have to get some of the more experience players along wid dis bunch to have a hope of going anywhere....ah really doh mean to preach doom and gloom....ah trying to be as realistic as possible.....but ah really, really goh feel it if we end up like Jamaica if we continue down dis road.......a flash in de pan.....boy dis real leaving a bitter, bitter taste in de back ah mih mouth... >:( >:(
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TI you are sooo f*cking see-through. i can't wait for the day i meet u, to crack u a hard slap.
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All I have to say remember Rosa Parks. Somebody have to stand up.
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All I have to say remember Rosa Parks. Somebody have to stand up.
well in Parks' case, she sat down. ;)
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Is a good ting she satdown sonow Stern and dem can stand up.