8461
Football / Re: USA TODAY ANALYSIS
« on: January 24, 2006, 10:21:20 AM »
That is the general consensus outside of the caribbean everybody just going by the numbers and writing TnT off. We will have the element of surprise big time.
April 18, 2024, 06:58:01 AM
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8462
Football / Warner Denies WC Ticket Allegations
« on: January 23, 2006, 07:57:34 PM »
<a href="http://www.soccer365.com/US_NEWS/Concacaf/page_187_113618.shtml>Warner Denies WC Ticket Allegations[/url]
soccer365
24/01/06
FIFA Vice President Jack Warner, in response to the St Lucian media following the initiation of their FIFA Goal Project on Friday, on questions of the reports in Trinidad and Tobago about an alleged ticketing scandal for its World Cup matches, has said that he has nothing to worry about regarding the false allegations.
“I have been fighting for T&T football for over 25 years. I am not trying to make this about Jack Warner but there is nobody who has made a contribution to T&T football more than I but I have done this because I have always felt inferior to be a Vice President of FIFA and to be a deputy chairman of a FIFA finance committee among my colleagues in FIFA as someone who comes from a country that has never qualified for FIFA’s highest competitio n. When we couldn’t quality, I at one time beg the Government to host one which we did successfully in 2001. The fact is I had passion for qualifying. I felt it would have a spin off effect in a positive way for the country and so on. As such we went on to qualify and as we qualified, we had two weeks of honeymoon. I was King, they said Jack for Prime Minister and so on and then it was felt that this kind of popularity was of course catapulting the opposition and I was being seen as a threat (as also deputy leader of the Opposition Party), bringing all the people together. To fast track it, it just went on to the local newspapers who got one of their journalists to carry on the task.
“Simpaul’s travel service is one which the Warner family has a beneficial interest offering World Cup packages since 1994. Simpaul’s Travel Agency began paying 20,00 for the rights in years before to $500, 000 a couple months ago. In connection with European tour operator then put some packages on the market for sale. They paid in July and August and September t for those rights and such therefore it was advertised. No one believed the team could qualify other than Jack Warner. In other words even if the team did not qualify, those tickets would have been on sale. When the team qualified now the whole hype built up and everyone wanted to be on the bandwagon and wanted tickets and they said Simpaul’s had all the tickets in a monopoly,” Warner said.
“The fact is, and hear me well, the Federation did not apply for its tickets until last week. December 25 when every newspaper would say Merry Christmas to its readers, there was a big headline - Warner family hits jackpot. The whole intention was to tarnish me and they then sent the story worldwide, At the end of the day it does not affect Jack Warner because my skin and this wall has the same thickness but when you go to the family I have a problem, Then on January 3 I made my response which they have since tried to investigate and they can’t find anything, because at the end of the day the tickets Simpaul’s is offering the market have nothing to do with the T&T allocation.
”Its allocation came only last week but this was done to destroy Jack Warner in some way. They believe I am close to Mr (Sepp) Blatter, which I am, and they are bringing out this book, but let FIFA deal with that. I sleep very sound at nights. They have also spoken about scandal and corruption. He (The Writer from T&T) had applied for accreditation and he was turned down and there’s a big story in today’s papers and again they are attacking Jack Warner. How could you attack the FIFA, Jack Warner and Blatter in the worse way and then want to cover the sport that these people administer,” Warner said.
“But there are two mistakes that they have made. In the first case they did not know that the TTFF applied for its tickets only last week. They thought it was since November or December and they thought this was now the Simpaul’s tickets and then they didn’t know that Simpaul’s had paid since July for their tickets and I had the receipts to show. In some ways I have a loyalty with FIFA and they have to me that these people cannot dismantle. I have been fighting for the region, CONCACAF and Trinidad and Tobago and not one day have I fought for me, so the records are there to show you,” Warner added.
Prior to this, there had been reports in a Trinidad newspaper that Warner and his family had been involved in Simpaul’s ticket package for T&T’s matches in which they were using tickets allocated to the T&T Federation as a qualified member and that these tickets were only being sold as part of packages in which Warner stood to make millions in profits.
soccer365
24/01/06
FIFA Vice President Jack Warner, in response to the St Lucian media following the initiation of their FIFA Goal Project on Friday, on questions of the reports in Trinidad and Tobago about an alleged ticketing scandal for its World Cup matches, has said that he has nothing to worry about regarding the false allegations.
“I have been fighting for T&T football for over 25 years. I am not trying to make this about Jack Warner but there is nobody who has made a contribution to T&T football more than I but I have done this because I have always felt inferior to be a Vice President of FIFA and to be a deputy chairman of a FIFA finance committee among my colleagues in FIFA as someone who comes from a country that has never qualified for FIFA’s highest competitio n. When we couldn’t quality, I at one time beg the Government to host one which we did successfully in 2001. The fact is I had passion for qualifying. I felt it would have a spin off effect in a positive way for the country and so on. As such we went on to qualify and as we qualified, we had two weeks of honeymoon. I was King, they said Jack for Prime Minister and so on and then it was felt that this kind of popularity was of course catapulting the opposition and I was being seen as a threat (as also deputy leader of the Opposition Party), bringing all the people together. To fast track it, it just went on to the local newspapers who got one of their journalists to carry on the task.
“Simpaul’s travel service is one which the Warner family has a beneficial interest offering World Cup packages since 1994. Simpaul’s Travel Agency began paying 20,00 for the rights in years before to $500, 000 a couple months ago. In connection with European tour operator then put some packages on the market for sale. They paid in July and August and September t for those rights and such therefore it was advertised. No one believed the team could qualify other than Jack Warner. In other words even if the team did not qualify, those tickets would have been on sale. When the team qualified now the whole hype built up and everyone wanted to be on the bandwagon and wanted tickets and they said Simpaul’s had all the tickets in a monopoly,” Warner said.
“The fact is, and hear me well, the Federation did not apply for its tickets until last week. December 25 when every newspaper would say Merry Christmas to its readers, there was a big headline - Warner family hits jackpot. The whole intention was to tarnish me and they then sent the story worldwide, At the end of the day it does not affect Jack Warner because my skin and this wall has the same thickness but when you go to the family I have a problem, Then on January 3 I made my response which they have since tried to investigate and they can’t find anything, because at the end of the day the tickets Simpaul’s is offering the market have nothing to do with the T&T allocation.
”Its allocation came only last week but this was done to destroy Jack Warner in some way. They believe I am close to Mr (Sepp) Blatter, which I am, and they are bringing out this book, but let FIFA deal with that. I sleep very sound at nights. They have also spoken about scandal and corruption. He (The Writer from T&T) had applied for accreditation and he was turned down and there’s a big story in today’s papers and again they are attacking Jack Warner. How could you attack the FIFA, Jack Warner and Blatter in the worse way and then want to cover the sport that these people administer,” Warner said.
“But there are two mistakes that they have made. In the first case they did not know that the TTFF applied for its tickets only last week. They thought it was since November or December and they thought this was now the Simpaul’s tickets and then they didn’t know that Simpaul’s had paid since July for their tickets and I had the receipts to show. In some ways I have a loyalty with FIFA and they have to me that these people cannot dismantle. I have been fighting for the region, CONCACAF and Trinidad and Tobago and not one day have I fought for me, so the records are there to show you,” Warner added.
Prior to this, there had been reports in a Trinidad newspaper that Warner and his family had been involved in Simpaul’s ticket package for T&T’s matches in which they were using tickets allocated to the T&T Federation as a qualified member and that these tickets were only being sold as part of packages in which Warner stood to make millions in profits.
8463
Football / Re: Group B Friendlies so far
« on: January 23, 2006, 04:37:56 PM »WE ARE ALSO PLAYIN CZECH REPUBLIC ON THE 3RD OF JUNE.dat will be the "FRIENDLY" of the year!!!!
http://fifa.com/en/mens/fixtures/index/0,3721,4-ALL-ALL,00.html
but is ONLY when whistle blow and ball kickoff, den I go believe it
Apparently the Czechs will also play Paraguay on May 27, which could help us guage them.
8464
Football / Re: Group B Friendlies so far
« on: January 23, 2006, 03:37:53 PM »
Jordan holds Sweden to 0-0 today. We could take them at this rate. This is the squad they played:
Played: 1 John Alvbåge - 2 Matias Concha, 3 Olof Persson (14 Andreas Granqvist 54'), 4 Teddy Lucic, 5 Max von Schleebrügge (13 Christoffer Andersson 46') - 6 Stefan Ishizaki - 7 Niclas Alexandersson (K), 8 Dusan Djuric, 9 Jeffrey Aubynn (18 Anders Svensson 58') - 10 Mattias Jonson (19 Fredrik Berglund 74'), 11 Stefan Selakovic (17 Tobias Hysén 58').
Bench: 12 Eddie Gustafsson - 15 Karl Svensson, 16 Martin Ericsson, 20 Yksel Osmanovski.
edit: Here's a short match report:
Jordan holds Sweden to a 0-0 tie
Associated Press
ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates - Jordan held World Cup qualifier Sweden to a 0-0 tie in an exhibition game Monday.
Sweden goalkeeper John Alvbage blocked a close-range shot from Mahmoud Shellaieh in the 52nd minute and near the end of the game parried a hard shot from substitute Amjad Al Shuaibi, who was set up inside the penalty area by Badran Shagran on a counterattack.
Sweden, which is using only Scandinavian based players on this tour, was held to a 1-1 tie last week by fellow World Cup qualifier Saudi Arabia. Sweden plays England, Paraguay and Trinidad and Tobago at the World Cup.
edit 2: another match report:
Jordan hold Sweden in friendly
By Amith Passela
25 January 2006
ABU DHABI — The 2006 World Cup qualifiers Sweden were held to a scoreless result by Jordan in a friendly football international here at Al Nahyan stadium on Monday.
The Swedes were unimpressive and got nearly beaten by the Jordanian side, who were more creative and enjoyed a boost in the build-up to their opening 2007 Asian Cup Group C qualifier over Pakistan on February 22 and an away clash against Oman on March 1.
Mahmoud Al Gohary’s side proved to be the more creative side in their match against an unimpressive Sweden side consisting only of Scandinavian-based players. However, the Jordanians were denied victory by Swedish goalkeeper John Alvbage, who was in excellent form.
Alvbage blocked a close range shot from Mahmoud Shelbaieh in the 52nd minute and near the end of the game, he parried a rocket from substitute Amjad Al Shuaibi, who had been set up by Badran Al Shagran on a counter attack.
The Swedes were confined to the midfield for almost the entire first half and though they made some inroads into the Jordanian goal on resumption, they offered few real threats. Their only scoring opportunity occurred in the 57th minute when following a fumble by Jordan ‘keeper Amer Sabbah in his goalmouth, substitute Tobias Hysin fired wide with his first touch of the ball.
It was the second consecutive draw for the Swedes following their 1-1 draw with Saudi Arabia last weekend.
Sweden in group B of the 2006 World Cup in Germany open their campaign with a clash over debutants Trinidad and Tobago on June 10 followed by fixtures against Paraguay and England.
Played: 1 John Alvbåge - 2 Matias Concha, 3 Olof Persson (14 Andreas Granqvist 54'), 4 Teddy Lucic, 5 Max von Schleebrügge (13 Christoffer Andersson 46') - 6 Stefan Ishizaki - 7 Niclas Alexandersson (K), 8 Dusan Djuric, 9 Jeffrey Aubynn (18 Anders Svensson 58') - 10 Mattias Jonson (19 Fredrik Berglund 74'), 11 Stefan Selakovic (17 Tobias Hysén 58').
Bench: 12 Eddie Gustafsson - 15 Karl Svensson, 16 Martin Ericsson, 20 Yksel Osmanovski.
edit: Here's a short match report:
Jordan holds Sweden to a 0-0 tie
Associated Press
ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates - Jordan held World Cup qualifier Sweden to a 0-0 tie in an exhibition game Monday.
Sweden goalkeeper John Alvbage blocked a close-range shot from Mahmoud Shellaieh in the 52nd minute and near the end of the game parried a hard shot from substitute Amjad Al Shuaibi, who was set up inside the penalty area by Badran Shagran on a counterattack.
Sweden, which is using only Scandinavian based players on this tour, was held to a 1-1 tie last week by fellow World Cup qualifier Saudi Arabia. Sweden plays England, Paraguay and Trinidad and Tobago at the World Cup.
edit 2: another match report:
Jordan hold Sweden in friendly
By Amith Passela
25 January 2006
ABU DHABI — The 2006 World Cup qualifiers Sweden were held to a scoreless result by Jordan in a friendly football international here at Al Nahyan stadium on Monday.
The Swedes were unimpressive and got nearly beaten by the Jordanian side, who were more creative and enjoyed a boost in the build-up to their opening 2007 Asian Cup Group C qualifier over Pakistan on February 22 and an away clash against Oman on March 1.
Mahmoud Al Gohary’s side proved to be the more creative side in their match against an unimpressive Sweden side consisting only of Scandinavian-based players. However, the Jordanians were denied victory by Swedish goalkeeper John Alvbage, who was in excellent form.
Alvbage blocked a close range shot from Mahmoud Shelbaieh in the 52nd minute and near the end of the game, he parried a rocket from substitute Amjad Al Shuaibi, who had been set up by Badran Al Shagran on a counter attack.
The Swedes were confined to the midfield for almost the entire first half and though they made some inroads into the Jordanian goal on resumption, they offered few real threats. Their only scoring opportunity occurred in the 57th minute when following a fumble by Jordan ‘keeper Amer Sabbah in his goalmouth, substitute Tobias Hysin fired wide with his first touch of the ball.
It was the second consecutive draw for the Swedes following their 1-1 draw with Saudi Arabia last weekend.
Sweden in group B of the 2006 World Cup in Germany open their campaign with a clash over debutants Trinidad and Tobago on June 10 followed by fixtures against Paraguay and England.
8465
Football / Re: No pre-sold W/Cup tickets, say TTFF
« on: January 23, 2006, 09:37:35 AM »
Has anyone seen the original TTFF press release mentioned in the article? edit: never mind I see arrow's post.
unbelievable that this is what they consider an application process.
unbelievable that this is what they consider an application process.
8466
Football / 55 players to get World Cup $$
« on: January 22, 2006, 09:12:05 PM »
<a href="http://www.thetobagonews.com/index.pl/article?id=5444320>55 players to get World Cup $$[/url]
tobagonews
Monday, January 23rd 2006
Members of the  National Senior Team were to receive their World Cup bonus payments after they were approved by the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation on the weekend.
A total of 55 players, who had been in the national squad dating back to T&T's first qualifying match against Dominican Republic, were to receive payment to the total of US$1,636,357 which was approved by and will be paid off to them by TTFF Special Advisor Jack Warner. The TTFF have not yet received the payment of qualification earnings from FIFA.
It was agreed with the players that they would receive half of the six million Swiss francs to go to the TTFF for qualifying for Germany 2006.
However, at the point in time the proposal was presented to the players, which came after three final round matches when T&T held one point, the agreement was that players who were part of the final round squad  would benefit  from the amount.
Warner then agreed with the players' committee that the other players who were part of the team in the second round (T&T had a first round bye) and semi-final round would also receive a bonus payment.
As is the case for Federations and Associations of all qualified countries, 26.1 per cent of the six million Swiss francs is also withheld by FIFA for German taxes and insurance for injured players during the World Cup.
According to a TTFF Media release, the overall payment structure was one based on a points per match system and players' overall international appearances which was mutually agreed upon by the TTFF and the players. Following that, a balance of US$36,822, the players have decided, will go towards local charities. They themselves will meet to discuss how this is carried out.
The five-man player committee, consisting of Dwight Yorke, Stern John, Dennis Lawrence, Brent Sancho, Shaka Hislop and Kelvin Jack, felt good about the process.
"The players committee and the players in general are very happy about the way things went and how quickly it happened. They (TTFF) did extradite very well," spokesperson Sancho said.Â
The committee further added: "People have tried to change this into a political game as well but it's not a situation where we are trying to pressure the Government into getting things done. But we prefer rather if there would be some sort of communication from them with the players committee rather than just reading in the press about what they plan to do.
"We definitely appreciate their intentions but we prefer to get this out of the way before we start playing our football again as a team and concentrating on playing in Germany 2006."
tobagonews
Monday, January 23rd 2006
Members of the  National Senior Team were to receive their World Cup bonus payments after they were approved by the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation on the weekend.
A total of 55 players, who had been in the national squad dating back to T&T's first qualifying match against Dominican Republic, were to receive payment to the total of US$1,636,357 which was approved by and will be paid off to them by TTFF Special Advisor Jack Warner. The TTFF have not yet received the payment of qualification earnings from FIFA.
It was agreed with the players that they would receive half of the six million Swiss francs to go to the TTFF for qualifying for Germany 2006.
However, at the point in time the proposal was presented to the players, which came after three final round matches when T&T held one point, the agreement was that players who were part of the final round squad  would benefit  from the amount.
Warner then agreed with the players' committee that the other players who were part of the team in the second round (T&T had a first round bye) and semi-final round would also receive a bonus payment.
As is the case for Federations and Associations of all qualified countries, 26.1 per cent of the six million Swiss francs is also withheld by FIFA for German taxes and insurance for injured players during the World Cup.
According to a TTFF Media release, the overall payment structure was one based on a points per match system and players' overall international appearances which was mutually agreed upon by the TTFF and the players. Following that, a balance of US$36,822, the players have decided, will go towards local charities. They themselves will meet to discuss how this is carried out.
The five-man player committee, consisting of Dwight Yorke, Stern John, Dennis Lawrence, Brent Sancho, Shaka Hislop and Kelvin Jack, felt good about the process.
"The players committee and the players in general are very happy about the way things went and how quickly it happened. They (TTFF) did extradite very well," spokesperson Sancho said.Â
The committee further added: "People have tried to change this into a political game as well but it's not a situation where we are trying to pressure the Government into getting things done. But we prefer rather if there would be some sort of communication from them with the players committee rather than just reading in the press about what they plan to do.
"We definitely appreciate their intentions but we prefer to get this out of the way before we start playing our football again as a team and concentrating on playing in Germany 2006."
8467
Football / No pre-sold W/Cup tickets, say TTFF
« on: January 22, 2006, 09:07:56 PM »
No pre-sold W/Cup tickets, say TTFF.
T&T Express Reports.
The Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation (TTFF) have been allocated less than one-third of the 34,777 tickets requested as a qualifying nation for the 2006 football World Cup in Germany in June.
A media release yesterday from the (TTFF) quoted the number tickets as 10,769, noting also that "there have been no pre-sold tickets" and that successful applicants will be informed of the status of their applications by Thursday.
The release also disclosed that FIFA have also advised applicants to follow the instructions given by football's World governing body, and that "failure to do so shall result in the automatic loss of the said approval".
Persons purchasing tickets have also been asked to submit the name, passport number, date of birth and nationality of each ticket holder as tickets are being personalised, and 50 per cent of the cost of the ticket must be paid by February 2, with a March 2 deadline for payment of the second half.
On February 3, there will be a second allocation of tickets if an approved ticket purchaser fails to meet the initial deadline for downpayment.
According to the TTFF release, "As stated by FIFA, tickets will be personalised for security reasons. This measure is intended to support the basic principle of a fair and open sales procedure. It will also serve as an effective deterrent to black market trading. However, the embedded chip will store access information only. Personal information such as names will not be stored.'"
The TTFF have warned that should T&T fail to make it to the second round of the tournament, the right to use conditional tickets for second round matches "will be lost, and a refund will be provided".
The TTFF have also established a special ticket bureau at the TT/Germany 2006 Ltd office at 102 St Vincent St, Port of Spain for the processing of all successful applications. The bureau can be contacted at 627-1029, 625-8607 or via fax at 627-3304.
T&T Express Reports.
The Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation (TTFF) have been allocated less than one-third of the 34,777 tickets requested as a qualifying nation for the 2006 football World Cup in Germany in June.
A media release yesterday from the (TTFF) quoted the number tickets as 10,769, noting also that "there have been no pre-sold tickets" and that successful applicants will be informed of the status of their applications by Thursday.
The release also disclosed that FIFA have also advised applicants to follow the instructions given by football's World governing body, and that "failure to do so shall result in the automatic loss of the said approval".
Persons purchasing tickets have also been asked to submit the name, passport number, date of birth and nationality of each ticket holder as tickets are being personalised, and 50 per cent of the cost of the ticket must be paid by February 2, with a March 2 deadline for payment of the second half.
On February 3, there will be a second allocation of tickets if an approved ticket purchaser fails to meet the initial deadline for downpayment.
According to the TTFF release, "As stated by FIFA, tickets will be personalised for security reasons. This measure is intended to support the basic principle of a fair and open sales procedure. It will also serve as an effective deterrent to black market trading. However, the embedded chip will store access information only. Personal information such as names will not be stored.'"
The TTFF have warned that should T&T fail to make it to the second round of the tournament, the right to use conditional tickets for second round matches "will be lost, and a refund will be provided".
The TTFF have also established a special ticket bureau at the TT/Germany 2006 Ltd office at 102 St Vincent St, Port of Spain for the processing of all successful applications. The bureau can be contacted at 627-1029, 625-8607 or via fax at 627-3304.
8469
Football / Re: When are the T&T jerseys really coming out?
« on: January 21, 2006, 11:23:28 AM »ey eman send us a link wey u saw the "fugly shirt" cuz i jus went on an saw nun bout no shirt
I was referring to the patch, the emblem, not the shirt. Are they using the old TTFF logo or the new Soca Warriors shield that was unveiled recently.
8470
Football / Re: Comic relief for world
« on: January 21, 2006, 09:05:42 AM »
Aside from the fact that this bacchanal is going on this is a great article. And from the Guardian, too!
8471
Football / Re: When are the T&T jerseys really coming out?
« on: January 20, 2006, 09:20:04 PM »
As I said in the other post, I went to the adidas store in New York yesterday. The guy I spoke to was very knowledgeable about the unveiling of the shirt deal back in November, and said the shirts were in mass production now, but he wasn't able to give me an ETA. Be nice if it was Feb.
I think we can generally expect a shirt with the same cut and pattern as the rest, just with Trini's colors. I wonder about the patch - will it be the old one or the new fugly one they just unveiled (as on socawarriorstt.com)
I think we can generally expect a shirt with the same cut and pattern as the rest, just with Trini's colors. I wonder about the patch - will it be the old one or the new fugly one they just unveiled (as on socawarriorstt.com)
8472
Football / FIFA distances itself from Warner
« on: January 20, 2006, 09:08:33 PM »
FIFA distances itself from Warner.
By Lasana Liburd (Express).
FIFA, the world governing body for football, continues to distance itself from the business dealings of its own vice-president and Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation (T&TFF) president Jack Warner after revealing that Simpaul's Travel Company's 2006 World Cup ticket package was improper according to its guidelines.
Simpaul's Travel-which is owned by Warner, his wife, Maureen, and sons, Daryan and Darryl-is offering a World Cup package including match tickets but exclusive of airfare for $30,000 each. Its advertisement reads "Ticket or leave it".
However, FIFA press officer John Schumacher said that Simpaul's package might be improper according to laws governing ticket issued to Participating Member Associations (PMA) like Trinidad and Tobago.
"Packaging tickets with other services is not permitted," said Schumacher, via e-mail.
This is addressed in Article 3.7 of Exhibit B (FIFA Regulations relating to Tickets) of the Participating Member Association (PMA) Ticketing Allocation Agreement (TAA), which states:
"Tickets may not be sold as a part of a package, or made available on the condition that other product(s) and/or service(s), including without limitation, catering, accommodation and/or transportation, are also purchased."
Schumacher explained that newly appointed auditors, Ernst & Young, would investigate to ensure "transparency and correctness in all aspects of FIFA World Cup ticketing".
"It would be premature to speculate as to any disciplinary actions concerned with breaches of the TAAs," wrote Schumacher, "as we in the Media Department are not in a position to pre-judge something that would be a matter for the relevant body to decide upon, after careful consideration of all the facts."
The FIFA Media Department refuted the claim by Warner that the T&TFF did know how many tickets they were allocated for local fans wishing to attend matches at the 2006 World Cup in Germany.
"At this point in time, no one in T&T really knows, except perhaps a creature called Liburd who in T&T will get World Cup tickets, what quantity they will receive or the criteria which will be used in the determination of ticket allocation," Warner said at a press conference on January 3, 2006.
FIFA insisted that the T&TFF have known otherwise for the past three months.
"The Participating Member Associations (PMAs) received the Ticketing Allocation Agreement (TAA) in November 2005," wrote Schumacher.
Andreas Herren, the head of FIFA's media department, also denied the assertion by T&TFF press officer Shaun Fuentes that I was blacklisted by FIFA or that the international body played any role in denying accreditation.
"We've been advised by FIFA that (Liburd) would not be accredited to FIFA tournaments," Fuentes told the Express on Thursday. "Apparently he's in their black book, I can't say for sure."
Herren admitted that English writer Andrew Jennings was declared "persona non grata" after "various allegations levelled at FIFA and its President". But he insisted that FIFA has not made any such decision as regarding any other writer.
"Please note that FIFA does not have a black book nor ever had one," said Herren, via e-mail. "One journalist (Andrew Jennings whom as I understand you know) was declared persona non grata for FIFA events a few years ago...Otherwise, all journalists and photographers are eligible to apply for accreditation in accordance with the procedures...
"FIFA does not at all make the call to which journalist/photographer the accreditations are allotted nor do we issue any advice in this respect to the associations."
By Lasana Liburd (Express).
FIFA, the world governing body for football, continues to distance itself from the business dealings of its own vice-president and Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation (T&TFF) president Jack Warner after revealing that Simpaul's Travel Company's 2006 World Cup ticket package was improper according to its guidelines.
Simpaul's Travel-which is owned by Warner, his wife, Maureen, and sons, Daryan and Darryl-is offering a World Cup package including match tickets but exclusive of airfare for $30,000 each. Its advertisement reads "Ticket or leave it".
However, FIFA press officer John Schumacher said that Simpaul's package might be improper according to laws governing ticket issued to Participating Member Associations (PMA) like Trinidad and Tobago.
"Packaging tickets with other services is not permitted," said Schumacher, via e-mail.
This is addressed in Article 3.7 of Exhibit B (FIFA Regulations relating to Tickets) of the Participating Member Association (PMA) Ticketing Allocation Agreement (TAA), which states:
"Tickets may not be sold as a part of a package, or made available on the condition that other product(s) and/or service(s), including without limitation, catering, accommodation and/or transportation, are also purchased."
Schumacher explained that newly appointed auditors, Ernst & Young, would investigate to ensure "transparency and correctness in all aspects of FIFA World Cup ticketing".
"It would be premature to speculate as to any disciplinary actions concerned with breaches of the TAAs," wrote Schumacher, "as we in the Media Department are not in a position to pre-judge something that would be a matter for the relevant body to decide upon, after careful consideration of all the facts."
The FIFA Media Department refuted the claim by Warner that the T&TFF did know how many tickets they were allocated for local fans wishing to attend matches at the 2006 World Cup in Germany.
"At this point in time, no one in T&T really knows, except perhaps a creature called Liburd who in T&T will get World Cup tickets, what quantity they will receive or the criteria which will be used in the determination of ticket allocation," Warner said at a press conference on January 3, 2006.
FIFA insisted that the T&TFF have known otherwise for the past three months.
"The Participating Member Associations (PMAs) received the Ticketing Allocation Agreement (TAA) in November 2005," wrote Schumacher.
Andreas Herren, the head of FIFA's media department, also denied the assertion by T&TFF press officer Shaun Fuentes that I was blacklisted by FIFA or that the international body played any role in denying accreditation.
"We've been advised by FIFA that (Liburd) would not be accredited to FIFA tournaments," Fuentes told the Express on Thursday. "Apparently he's in their black book, I can't say for sure."
Herren admitted that English writer Andrew Jennings was declared "persona non grata" after "various allegations levelled at FIFA and its President". But he insisted that FIFA has not made any such decision as regarding any other writer.
"Please note that FIFA does not have a black book nor ever had one," said Herren, via e-mail. "One journalist (Andrew Jennings whom as I understand you know) was declared persona non grata for FIFA events a few years ago...Otherwise, all journalists and photographers are eligible to apply for accreditation in accordance with the procedures...
"FIFA does not at all make the call to which journalist/photographer the accreditations are allotted nor do we issue any advice in this respect to the associations."
8473
Entertainment & Culture Discussion / Kitch: Mas in Germany
« on: January 20, 2006, 05:55:22 PM »
I just got a hold of an old LP from '73, Kitch's "We Walk 100 Miles". It has a track on it called "Mas in Germany"
I'm trying to get a turntable to play it and digitize it.
Anyone know what the lyrics are about or have have it in mp3 already?
edit:
well I found part of the lyrics online:
"This year after Carnival
I'm heading for north
Right there,
up in Germany
That's where,
I am bound to be
Ah goin' with a mission,
my only intention
is preaching carnival
I just have the feeling
We should be spreading
This creole bacchanal."
I'm trying to get a turntable to play it and digitize it.
Anyone know what the lyrics are about or have have it in mp3 already?
edit:
well I found part of the lyrics online:
"This year after Carnival
I'm heading for north
Right there,
up in Germany
That's where,
I am bound to be
Ah goin' with a mission,
my only intention
is preaching carnival
I just have the feeling
We should be spreading
This creole bacchanal."
8474
Football / Re: The New Site
« on: January 20, 2006, 11:42:08 AM »
It is a shame though, that Jack Warner, Shaun Fuentes, Oliver Camps, and others didn't see it prudent or lack the vision to have THEIR website as the one that could have served the purpose that socawarriorstt.com serves. That site is an embarassment to an organisation that portrays itself as soo organised and competent. Go see for yourself www.tnt.fifa.com. What a shame!!!
Worse is going to www.ttff.com and getting that broken message board or whatever it's supposed to be.
8475
Football / Tri Star to celebrate Carnival and Soca Warriors
« on: January 20, 2006, 11:23:06 AM »
Tri Star to celebrate Carnival and Soca Warriors
newsday
Tri Star Promotions will be going out in a big way to celebrate the Soca Warriors during Carnival 2006.
Addressing the crowd at the launch of its Carnival activities at City Hall on Wednesday, MC Tamara Williams said that there’s a chance to win tickets to Germany while partying with TriStar Promotions during the entire Carnival season.
Earlier, there was the unveiling of the promotion’s logo for this year which is in the form of a football, which provides information on the various events to be hosted by the outfit, beginning tomorrow with its "Unite" fete at the UWI Centre for Creative Arts in St Augustine.
At every one of these fetes, one lucky person will be the recipient of a door prize that is a return ticket to Germany courtesy Mikon Travel, hotel accommodation at the Hi Holiday Inn Aachen, Category 2 tickets to the Soca Warriors games, ground transfers to/from the airport and games, and a premium Soca Warriors supporter bag.
At the launch on Wednesday, the first lucky patron was presented with her ticket from TriStar’s Boxing Night fete. However, on the night of the Soca Warriors’ fete, five similar packages will be given away. That fete will be hosted by American pop star Janet Jackson. The fete takes place at the Paddock of the Queen’s Park Savannah, and for that night VIP tickets will be available for $350.
A stellar cast of artistes has been contracted to perform at multiple TriStar fetes. They include Machel Montano and Xtatik, Alison Hinds Show, Shurwayne and Traffik, KMC with Red, White and Black, Rupee and Dot Com and Kess The Band. The final event for the season will be the much — anticipated Alternative Concept 4 featuring Machel Montano and Xtatik to be held on February 18.
Organisers are keeping the venue close to their chests for now, as well as the two international acts listed to appear at the event.
newsday
Tri Star Promotions will be going out in a big way to celebrate the Soca Warriors during Carnival 2006.
Addressing the crowd at the launch of its Carnival activities at City Hall on Wednesday, MC Tamara Williams said that there’s a chance to win tickets to Germany while partying with TriStar Promotions during the entire Carnival season.
Earlier, there was the unveiling of the promotion’s logo for this year which is in the form of a football, which provides information on the various events to be hosted by the outfit, beginning tomorrow with its "Unite" fete at the UWI Centre for Creative Arts in St Augustine.
At every one of these fetes, one lucky person will be the recipient of a door prize that is a return ticket to Germany courtesy Mikon Travel, hotel accommodation at the Hi Holiday Inn Aachen, Category 2 tickets to the Soca Warriors games, ground transfers to/from the airport and games, and a premium Soca Warriors supporter bag.
At the launch on Wednesday, the first lucky patron was presented with her ticket from TriStar’s Boxing Night fete. However, on the night of the Soca Warriors’ fete, five similar packages will be given away. That fete will be hosted by American pop star Janet Jackson. The fete takes place at the Paddock of the Queen’s Park Savannah, and for that night VIP tickets will be available for $350.
A stellar cast of artistes has been contracted to perform at multiple TriStar fetes. They include Machel Montano and Xtatik, Alison Hinds Show, Shurwayne and Traffik, KMC with Red, White and Black, Rupee and Dot Com and Kess The Band. The final event for the season will be the much — anticipated Alternative Concept 4 featuring Machel Montano and Xtatik to be held on February 18.
Organisers are keeping the venue close to their chests for now, as well as the two international acts listed to appear at the event.
8476
Football / Re: Germany Announces Visa Restrictions For Fans Travelling With Their National Team
« on: January 20, 2006, 11:08:59 AM »Nothing new here. These are just the countries that needed visas all the time anyway. Hopefully, they actually will cut out some of the usual paperwork.
horse, watch the ride very carefully...see who missing -
you know what mexicans have to do to cross the border right here by me, and you telling me they doh need no visa to go to Germany.
if our leaders had any balls they would do like Brazil and anytime we get a raw deal like this, put their citizens through the same hoops. Dat does get dem real mad.
Mexican nationals have not needed a visa in Germany for a 90 day visit. Hey I grew up in California and know all about the border.
See the complete list
http://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/www/en/willkommen/einreisebestimmungen/liste_html
8477
Football / Re: The rot continues
« on: January 19, 2006, 09:21:17 PM »i could not read the whole thing, what the FACK is he rambling on about???
It is pretty much just rambling.
8478
Football / Re: Germany Announces Visa Restrictions For Fans Travelling With Their National Team
« on: January 19, 2006, 09:10:18 PM »
Nothing new here. These are just the countries that needed visas all the time anyway. Hopefully, they actually will cut out some of the usual paperwork.
8479
Football / The rot continues
« on: January 19, 2006, 09:07:47 PM »
The rot continues
trinidadexpress
Fazeer Mohammed
Friday, January 20th 2006
Symptoms of a chronic illness. Tony Cozier writes what he believes is a scoop and Joey Carew is embarrassed by the premature revelation on the West Indies cricket captaincy. Leo Beenhakker refutes suggestions of wholesale changes to the national football team for the finals in Germany and Lasana Liburd highlights another curious twist in the tale of World Cup tickets.
And just so we don't get carried away believing that our local sporting, social and political issues-both uplifting and deflating-are of paramount importance to us, much noise is made and much visual prominence given to a Soca Warriors fete being hosted by a foreigner who struggles to keep certain body parts to herself.
Listening to all of the trumpeting, pontification and sermonising emanating from liming spots and media houses alike, you would think the sky is falling. But just as one of the principals in one of these dramas said last week, not only was yesterday yesterday and today today, tomorrow is also tomorrow, when much of the recent hot air would have evaporated and been replaced by another series of apparently critical, earth-shaking issues that will surely be the stuff of fire and brimstone, at least for tomorrow.
Cozier, as a journalist and broadcaster covering West Indies cricket for almost 43 years, needs no advice from me on how to cope with the fallout of a big story backfiring. It's just one of those things. Carew, as convenor of selectors, just has to take the licks being dished out as a result of his slip of the lip while also avoiding eating poteegal for the next week or so.
Why? Because, as I found out when set up by a sworn enemy in primary school before a game of hide-and-seek, it is impossible to keep a low profile having eaten the pegged fruit.
Incidentally, I have learnt indirectly from a French teacher that the colloquial name of the said fruit is not derived from Portugal (as most of us seem to believe) but from the two French words "part egale", literally meaning equal parts, and obviously referring to the almost identical pegs of this popular aromatic fruit.
By the way, how come, in a country where we can enjoy poteegal, guava, mango, sapodilla and soon-to-be-in-season pommerac from our own backyards, are we so obsessed with apples and grapes?
I suppose that attitude also explains the Janet Jackson hype.
Why am I making light of what are being described as raging controversies? Simple. None of this is new, even for someone with relatively little experience in the ways of the world.
The only difference between the latest issues and similar ones previously is that there is more noise and clamour about it from the media, the end result still being that very little in terms of fundamental change takes place.
People quarrel and get on, callers call in, statements are released, media conferences are held, then everything boils down like bhaji and we light the fire under the next pot pretending not to notice that all the hasikara made over the last issue resulted in not one iota of difference.
Meantime, the almost irreversible decay continues.
Liburd is doing what his journalistic instincts and principles demand that he should, which is to seek out what he perceives to be the truth, even if it is unpopular.
But this is a culture of expediency. Even the ugliest sores can be covered with baby powder for a while, and in an environment where the lessons of history leave no lasting impact, no one will take notice of what lies beneath so long as they are sharing in the wealth, at least until the sore erupts again.
Tickets for sale. Tickets not for sale. Tickets overpriced. Tickets oversold. Nothing new, although I have to say I much prefer local journalists doing the investigating than having to read Andrew Jennings' take on the whole issue last week in that condescending, corner-of-the-mouth, wink-of the-eye manner that the British seem to have perfected after centuries of telling us what is best for us.
Even as we hear that there may be dissension in the ranks of the West Indies Cricket Board over the selectors' nomination of Shivnarine Chanderpaul for the captaincy again, the overriding feeling remains one of cynicism that all will appear fine and dandy in a couple of days, that everyone will eventually toe the line humming the mantra of collective responsibility.
Whether it is Chanderpaul, Wavell Hinds, Brian Lara or Tantie Merle, one man (or one woman with a pretty parasol) will not make a significant difference in the fortunes of the senior regional side.
Fish rots from the head, but strong leadership- either on the field or in the boardroom-can still lay the foundation for real change later down the road, however.
Yet true leaders are thin on the ground, while the handful with even a modicum of inspired, principled thinking are mentally beaten into submission by the hordes of mindless followers, preoccupied only with fighting for the scraps thrown in their general direction.
West Indies cricket will continue to struggle for the foreseeable future, with or without a Cozier scoop.
More bacchanal will follow Trinidad and Tobago to Germany, even if Liburd gives up his job tomorrow. That's just the way it is.
So what do you do? Have a poteegal. It reminds me of happier times.
fazeer2001@hotmail.com
trinidadexpress
Fazeer Mohammed
Friday, January 20th 2006
Symptoms of a chronic illness. Tony Cozier writes what he believes is a scoop and Joey Carew is embarrassed by the premature revelation on the West Indies cricket captaincy. Leo Beenhakker refutes suggestions of wholesale changes to the national football team for the finals in Germany and Lasana Liburd highlights another curious twist in the tale of World Cup tickets.
And just so we don't get carried away believing that our local sporting, social and political issues-both uplifting and deflating-are of paramount importance to us, much noise is made and much visual prominence given to a Soca Warriors fete being hosted by a foreigner who struggles to keep certain body parts to herself.
Listening to all of the trumpeting, pontification and sermonising emanating from liming spots and media houses alike, you would think the sky is falling. But just as one of the principals in one of these dramas said last week, not only was yesterday yesterday and today today, tomorrow is also tomorrow, when much of the recent hot air would have evaporated and been replaced by another series of apparently critical, earth-shaking issues that will surely be the stuff of fire and brimstone, at least for tomorrow.
Cozier, as a journalist and broadcaster covering West Indies cricket for almost 43 years, needs no advice from me on how to cope with the fallout of a big story backfiring. It's just one of those things. Carew, as convenor of selectors, just has to take the licks being dished out as a result of his slip of the lip while also avoiding eating poteegal for the next week or so.
Why? Because, as I found out when set up by a sworn enemy in primary school before a game of hide-and-seek, it is impossible to keep a low profile having eaten the pegged fruit.
Incidentally, I have learnt indirectly from a French teacher that the colloquial name of the said fruit is not derived from Portugal (as most of us seem to believe) but from the two French words "part egale", literally meaning equal parts, and obviously referring to the almost identical pegs of this popular aromatic fruit.
By the way, how come, in a country where we can enjoy poteegal, guava, mango, sapodilla and soon-to-be-in-season pommerac from our own backyards, are we so obsessed with apples and grapes?
I suppose that attitude also explains the Janet Jackson hype.
Why am I making light of what are being described as raging controversies? Simple. None of this is new, even for someone with relatively little experience in the ways of the world.
The only difference between the latest issues and similar ones previously is that there is more noise and clamour about it from the media, the end result still being that very little in terms of fundamental change takes place.
People quarrel and get on, callers call in, statements are released, media conferences are held, then everything boils down like bhaji and we light the fire under the next pot pretending not to notice that all the hasikara made over the last issue resulted in not one iota of difference.
Meantime, the almost irreversible decay continues.
Liburd is doing what his journalistic instincts and principles demand that he should, which is to seek out what he perceives to be the truth, even if it is unpopular.
But this is a culture of expediency. Even the ugliest sores can be covered with baby powder for a while, and in an environment where the lessons of history leave no lasting impact, no one will take notice of what lies beneath so long as they are sharing in the wealth, at least until the sore erupts again.
Tickets for sale. Tickets not for sale. Tickets overpriced. Tickets oversold. Nothing new, although I have to say I much prefer local journalists doing the investigating than having to read Andrew Jennings' take on the whole issue last week in that condescending, corner-of-the-mouth, wink-of the-eye manner that the British seem to have perfected after centuries of telling us what is best for us.
Even as we hear that there may be dissension in the ranks of the West Indies Cricket Board over the selectors' nomination of Shivnarine Chanderpaul for the captaincy again, the overriding feeling remains one of cynicism that all will appear fine and dandy in a couple of days, that everyone will eventually toe the line humming the mantra of collective responsibility.
Whether it is Chanderpaul, Wavell Hinds, Brian Lara or Tantie Merle, one man (or one woman with a pretty parasol) will not make a significant difference in the fortunes of the senior regional side.
Fish rots from the head, but strong leadership- either on the field or in the boardroom-can still lay the foundation for real change later down the road, however.
Yet true leaders are thin on the ground, while the handful with even a modicum of inspired, principled thinking are mentally beaten into submission by the hordes of mindless followers, preoccupied only with fighting for the scraps thrown in their general direction.
West Indies cricket will continue to struggle for the foreseeable future, with or without a Cozier scoop.
More bacchanal will follow Trinidad and Tobago to Germany, even if Liburd gives up his job tomorrow. That's just the way it is.
So what do you do? Have a poteegal. It reminds me of happier times.
fazeer2001@hotmail.com
8480
Football / Re: TTFF gives "unscrupulous retailers" 72 Hours to remove fake SW merchandise
« on: January 19, 2006, 09:05:37 PM »
What is the arrangement between TTFF and this site using "socawarriors"? Is there something official? I know they link to here. Just wondering.
8481
Football / Re: Christoph_Germany
« on: January 19, 2006, 08:58:00 PM »is this a serious story? "Scandal! Fifa calls our WM Gala off"
"The opening Gala on 7 June in the citizen of Berlin olympia stadium is called off."
"With a 20-minute mini celebration before the prelude play Germany against Costa Rica (9 June) in the alliance arena.
Yeah this is all over the news. The reported reason: they think it will destroy the turf in the Olympic stadium:
http://news.google.com/news?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&rls=DVXA,DVXA:2005-11,DVXA:en&q=world%20cup%20gala&sa=N&tab=wn
8482
Football / Re: The New Site
« on: January 19, 2006, 08:53:42 PM »I have to admit fellaz,.....I am impressed
Both sites cater to two different genres of people so it doesn't matter...
At the end of the day, competiton only makes thing better and it will make TnT better..
IT's all good !!!
Right, it's by the tourist board who should ostensively be promoting tourism. So their target audience should be tourists - people who see T&T in the Cup and end up taking an interest.
But SWO will always be for the real football fans.
8483
Football / Re: FIFA blanks Liburd
« on: January 19, 2006, 08:47:21 PM »
Boy they good.
We should verify that each nation's FA can only accredit 21 reporters.
The only reason he's on FIFA's blacklist is because Jack is a VP and he put Liburd on it himself. Otherwise I doubt FIFA would care so much.
And looks like they admit Jack running things. "I have to report to him, not to you or anybody else." So obviously Camps is not in charge, don't even have to report to him, ent
We should verify that each nation's FA can only accredit 21 reporters.
The only reason he's on FIFA's blacklist is because Jack is a VP and he put Liburd on it himself. Otherwise I doubt FIFA would care so much.
And looks like they admit Jack running things. "I have to report to him, not to you or anybody else." So obviously Camps is not in charge, don't even have to report to him, ent
8484
Football / Re: bad translation of Swedish ticket process Jan10-24
« on: January 19, 2006, 08:40:11 PM »Quote
Nationality: check box for Swedish or write in other nationality
Passport no.
you don't think your passport # will sell out that you're not swedish?
Nah. It lets you have another nations passport. For example if you're just a resident in sweden. The way they sort you out is with their "Personnummer" which is a number that only born swedes or immigrant residents get. See above.
I actually tried putting in a fake Personnummer and got to the next page, but I'm sure in the end they would verify it.
8486
Football / Re: Where can I get this TnT Flag Jersey?
« on: January 19, 2006, 03:07:46 PM »its just my personal preference, eh!
personally I doh like dem kinda ting, I only want a replica jersey..allya can wear what allya want
when the damn jerseys coming outAYE Jack!! call Adidas for us nah man
I just got back from the adidas store here in Manhattan. They still couldn't give an exact ETA on the Trini shirts. Got my German one though.
8487
Football / Re: FIFA eyes Simpaul's
« on: January 19, 2006, 10:10:19 AM »
Why can't TTFF sell tickets like Sweden? Go to their main page and it tells you right there on the right side how many applications are in for each game. Click to the detail page and it tells you how many seats are available (their 8% for the game with us is 4,595), how many of each category, everything in detail!!!
so far their games are over subscribed anywhere from 5-1 to 10-1, but at least they know whats going on. Their application window is Jan 10-24. See my other post on their application procedure
So Camps - yeah right - I mean Jack, where's our 4,595 for the first match? Where's the rest?
so far their games are over subscribed anywhere from 5-1 to 10-1, but at least they know whats going on. Their application window is Jan 10-24. See my other post on their application procedure
So Camps - yeah right - I mean Jack, where's our 4,595 for the first match? Where's the rest?
8488
Football / Czechs plan to face Paraguay, Ticos, T&T
« on: January 19, 2006, 09:54:36 AM »
Czechs plan to face Paraguay, Ticos, T&T
Associated Press
PRAGUE, Czech Republic (AP) - The Czech Republic plans to play World Cup warmups against Paraguay, Costa Rica, and Trinidad and Tobago.
The Czech soccer federation was negotiating with its prospective opponents, all of whom qualified for the World Cup, national team spokesman Lukas Tucek said Thursday.
The federation is lining up the Paraguay match at Germany's Garmisch-Partenkirchen stadium on May 27, a day after it was likely to play Saudi Arabia, another World Cup participant, at Innsbruck, Austria.
The Czechs are scheduled to be training in nearby Seefeld, Austria at that time.
The Czechs plan to then play the last two warmups for the June 9-July 9 tournament at home in Jablonec against Costa Rica on May 31, and Prague against Trinidad and Tobago on June 3.
The Czech Republic is already scheduled to play a March 1 friendly at Turkey.
It faces the United States in its opening World Cup match before facing Ghana and Italy.
Associated Press
PRAGUE, Czech Republic (AP) - The Czech Republic plans to play World Cup warmups against Paraguay, Costa Rica, and Trinidad and Tobago.
The Czech soccer federation was negotiating with its prospective opponents, all of whom qualified for the World Cup, national team spokesman Lukas Tucek said Thursday.
The federation is lining up the Paraguay match at Germany's Garmisch-Partenkirchen stadium on May 27, a day after it was likely to play Saudi Arabia, another World Cup participant, at Innsbruck, Austria.
The Czechs are scheduled to be training in nearby Seefeld, Austria at that time.
The Czechs plan to then play the last two warmups for the June 9-July 9 tournament at home in Jablonec against Costa Rica on May 31, and Prague against Trinidad and Tobago on June 3.
The Czech Republic is already scheduled to play a March 1 friendly at Turkey.
It faces the United States in its opening World Cup match before facing Ghana and Italy.
8489
Football / £14,000 World Cup packages to sell out
« on: January 18, 2006, 08:01:39 PM »
£14,000 World Cup packages to sell out
By Rosie Murray-West
Telegraph.co.uk
(Filed: 19/01/2006)
Top-price corporate packages for this summer's World Cup are expected to sell out over the next few days, as football fans protest about the number of tickets given to companies.
The most expensive packages, including dinner and tickets but excluding flights to Germany and hotel rooms, cost about £14,000 for entry to all England games. That works out at almost £5,000 a match if the team is knocked out at the group stage.
Peter Csanadi, of World Cup hospitality partner iSe-Hospitality, said that he expected all hospitality tickets - 10 per cent of the total ticket allocation for games - to sell out.
The allocation of corporate hospitality packages has caused fury among fans who cannot get their hands on any tickets. Malcolm Clarke, chairman of the Football Supporters Federation, said that most of the people who took up the packages were not real football fans.
"I doubt many of them would be at Hartlepool on a wet December evening," he said. "For a lot of them it is a status thing. It would be interesting to know how many matches they usually watch."
He said that the large number of tickets sold for corporate hospitality "feeds the black market". On online auction site eBay yesterday, bidding had reached £1,800 for two seats for the final. The highest official price for one is just over £400.
Eight per cent of tickets for each of England's three group games, against Paraguay, Trinidad and Sweden, will be given to the Football Association and allocated to members of its fan club. Other tickets are being sold through Fifa ballots.
By Rosie Murray-West
Telegraph.co.uk
(Filed: 19/01/2006)
Top-price corporate packages for this summer's World Cup are expected to sell out over the next few days, as football fans protest about the number of tickets given to companies.
The most expensive packages, including dinner and tickets but excluding flights to Germany and hotel rooms, cost about £14,000 for entry to all England games. That works out at almost £5,000 a match if the team is knocked out at the group stage.
Peter Csanadi, of World Cup hospitality partner iSe-Hospitality, said that he expected all hospitality tickets - 10 per cent of the total ticket allocation for games - to sell out.
The allocation of corporate hospitality packages has caused fury among fans who cannot get their hands on any tickets. Malcolm Clarke, chairman of the Football Supporters Federation, said that most of the people who took up the packages were not real football fans.
"I doubt many of them would be at Hartlepool on a wet December evening," he said. "For a lot of them it is a status thing. It would be interesting to know how many matches they usually watch."
He said that the large number of tickets sold for corporate hospitality "feeds the black market". On online auction site eBay yesterday, bidding had reached £1,800 for two seats for the final. The highest official price for one is just over £400.
Eight per cent of tickets for each of England's three group games, against Paraguay, Trinidad and Sweden, will be given to the Football Association and allocated to members of its fan club. Other tickets are being sold through Fifa ballots.
8490
Football / Re: Group B Friendlies so far
« on: January 18, 2006, 01:19:31 PM »
Sweden Saudi game ends 1-1