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211

Football / Peltier's family crushed... Jabloteh star promises quick recovery.

« on: August 04, 2007, 07:04:45 AM »

Peltier family crushed.
By: Lasana Liburd (Express).[/size]

Jabloteh star promises quick recovery.

“I don’t mind if (Lester Peltier) didn’t get through with his work permit because he didn’t have enough caps or he didn’t have enough international exposure,” said Ann-Marie Peltier, mother of promising CL Financial San Juan Jabloteh attacker Lester Peltier. “But don’t tell me it is just a letter of recommendation that a big man had to put aside his petty vendetta to write.”
The Peltier residence was rocked by news, on Thursday, that the 18-year-old Lester is unable to finalise a four-year deal with England Premier League football club, Portsmouth, after being denied a work permit by the British Home Office.
But Ann-Marie is particularly peeved that, according to Jabloteh coach Terry Fenwick, Lester’s work permit appeal was not supported by national under-23 coach Michael McComie and senior team boss Wim Rijsbergen.
Lester must now wait another 12 months before he can re-apply in England .
Jabloteh have not enjoyed a good working relationship with the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation over the past year after clamping down on the release of club players for training outside the FIFA international window.
Fenwick claimed the two parties came to an agreement over an international training schedule that the T&TFF broke. He hinted that Peltier might have suffered as a result.
McComie promised to explain his actions soon while Rijsbergen stated that it was not the business of the Trinidad Express.
Ann-Marie, an unemployed chef and mother of six, was inconsolable. She said that she had only just stopped crying.
“We are talking about a young fellah from Carenage or let’s say the ghetto,” she said, “who has a chance to help himself and maybe his family and because of petty differences between two sides, he can’t get that chance. You cannot explain that to me in any words.
“This is not about Fenwick or McComie. They already have their nice cars and big houses and have their futures intact. But they are taking away my son’s future.
“It is madness, distasteful, disgraceful… I don’t know enough words to describe it.”
Ann-Marie, who voiced her appreciation for Fenwick ’s role in Lester’s career, urged her son to bounce back stronger from the setback and he seemed to have taken it in stride.
Lester, who is known as “Corn Curls” in Carenage after his favourite childhood snack, said that, although disappointed, he is already focusing on his next trials. He is no longer a member of McComie’s under-23 squad because of the friction between national and club coaches but he insisted that he still wants to represent Trinidad and Tobago .
“It is a pleasure to represent your national team,” said Lester. “I would go in the morning if they asked me.”
He is suspended from today’s Pro League clash at the Hasely Crawford Stadium which pits leaders Jabloteh against defending champs, Joe Public—coached by McComie—but revenge was not on his mind.
“I really wanted to play,” said Lester, “because I want to show McComie that I am supposed to be in the national under-23 team right now.”
Ann-Marie vowed that her son would not be denied his dream.
“No one can keep him down,” she said. “What is to be his will be his, although it could have started from (Thursday).”
Lester has no intention of wasting time on self-pity.
“I have to keep my feet on the pedal,” said the versatile attacker, “so that, next time I get an opportunity, I will be ready.”

212

Football / Peltier loses Portsmouth move.

« on: August 02, 2007, 09:31:37 PM »

Peltier loses Portsmouth move.
By: Lasana Liburd (Express).[/size]

Jabloteh claim sabotage by national coaches.
 
Eighteen-year-old CL Financial San Juan Jabloteh attacker Lester Peltier was denied a dream move to the England Premier League yesterday when the British Home Office rejected a work permit application, which would have facilitated his move to Portsmouth on a four-year deal.
Trinidad and Tobago national senior football team coach Wim Rijsbergen and his under-23 counterpart Michael McComie received the brunt of Jabloteh coach Terry Fenwick’s criticism though as he slammed the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation (T&TFF) employees for allegedly refusing to support Peltier’s application.
Peltier represented the national under-20 team last November during the Caribbean Football Union qualifying tournament although coach Brian Williams omitted him from the squad for the subsequent Play Offs. Williams, a former “Strike Squad” star, wanted to keep his squad together to prepare for their next assignments against Jamaica but Jabloteh insisted that their players’ commitment, outside the international calendar, lay with their employers.
The club versus country dilemma has soured Jabloteh’s relationship with the T&TFF over the past year—particularly in Rijsbergen’s preparation for the 2007 Caribbean Cup—and might have claimed its first major casualty.
Peltier, who is yet to represent the senior team, does not have the necessary international senior team exposure to satisfy the Home Office. However, Fenwick, a former England international, insisted that, due to his tender age, the British authorities would have accepted a recommendation from the T&TFF as to the worth of the player—as they did for Manchester United’s new Brazilian teenaged signing, Anderson.
“McComie consistently refused to write a recommendation for Peltier,” said Fenwick, “although he features prominently with his under-23 squad. I picked up the phone to Wim Rijsbergen and asked him if I could have one for Peltier and his response was ‘no Terry, you cannot (get a recommendation)’…
“I am absolutely disgusted that a young boy from Carenage, who is growing up in such a tough neighbourhood, was not given a great opportunity to play in the Premiership and better his life.”
Peltier would have been the fifth Trinidad and Tobago player to be attached to a Premiership club and the youngest since World Cup hero, Dwight Yorke, moved to Aston Villa at the same age. Shaka Hislop, Clint Marcelle and Stern John also have Premiership experience while Carlos Edwards should make his debut in the top flight this season with Sunderland .
McComie, a former Under-20 World Cup player and the Joe Public caretaker coach, did not deny that he refused to help Peltier’s appeal but promised to explain his actions in a personal interview today rather than over the telephone. He suggested that the situation was complicated.
“Mr Fenwick is not interested in youth development concerning football in Trinidad and Tobago ,” said McComie. “As such, a more detailed light will be put on this soon.”
Rijsbergen was less articulate when asked whether he attempted to help Peltier’s move to Europe —something he has consistently urged local players to do.
“That is none of your business,” Rijsbergen told the Trinidad Express. “Do not stick your nose into things that do not concern you.”
Fenwick insisted that the opportunity for Trinidad and Tobago citizens to earn an honest, lucrative wage should be of paramount concern to the national public and was incensed that “politics” denied Peltier the chance to do so.
He refused to accept that Jabloteh let down their own player by not allowing him to train with the national team at its coach’s discretion. Instead, he claimed that Jabloteh officials met with FIFA vice-president and T&TFF special advisor Jack Warner, T&TFF president Oliver Camps, Pro League CEO Dexter Skeene and national team manager Sam Phillip and arranged a training timetable in January 2006
Fenwick charged that it was McComie and not Jabloteh who broke their agreement by putting direct pressure on the club’s players to attend sessions beyond the initial schedule, which stipulated one practice per week outside the FIFA international window and during the Pro League regular season.
“We asked for dates outside the FIFA window which they agreed to,” said Fenwick, “and then they did not stuck to their own schedule. This is incompetence and extremely unprofessional…
“We have a responsibility to our own club and our managers and directors to compete as best as we can.”
At present, Jabloteh are on top the 2007 Pro League standings while the club’s under-19 team defeated the national under-23 outfit 3-1 in a friendly last month.
Fenwick should have met Peltier yesterday evening to tell him about the Home Office’s decision. Jabloteh are stipulated to wait 12 months before they can again appeal the player’s case.
“This might be a once in a lifetime opportunity that he was denied,” said Fenwick. “But we will try to console him and help him further his career.”
Jabloteh are undecided about whether to continue with similar appeals for two other teenaged players, Khaleem Hyland and Atullah Guerra, to join Portsmouth and might be forced to look at alternative leagues with less stringent work permit laws.
Fenwick was scathing in his verdict on the T&TFF.
“We get a fantastic opportunity like this and the T&TFF can’t be bothered to do a kid a favour,” he said. “If he got into Portsmouth , I am sure he would be in (Rijsbergen’s) national senior team and yet he says that it is none of his business (now).
“We were linking ourselves with a top seven Premiership club. Surely, they have to see that as a wonderful opportunity for local football.
“We, at Jabloteh, are trying to develop the local game and the youngsters for the future of Trinidad and Tobago. People at the highest level should take a long, hard look at themselves.”
McComie has promised a speedy defence although it is unlikely to console Peltier.Peltier family crushed.
By: Lasana Liburd (Express).[/size]

Jabloteh star promises quick recovery.

“I don’t mind if (Lester Peltier) didn’t get through with his work permit because he didn’t have enough caps or he didn’t have enough international exposure,” said Ann-Marie Peltier, mother of promising CL Financial San Juan Jabloteh attacker Lester Peltier. “But don’t tell me it is just a letter of recommendation that a big man had to put aside his petty vendetta to write.”
The Peltier residence was rocked by news, on Thursday, that the 18-year-old Lester is unable to finalise a four-year deal with England Premier League football club, Portsmouth, after being denied a work permit by the British Home Office.
But Ann-Marie is particularly peeved that, according to Jabloteh coach Terry Fenwick, Lester’s work permit appeal was not supported by national under-23 coach Michael McComie and senior team boss Wim Rijsbergen.
Lester must now wait another 12 months before he can re-apply in England .
Jabloteh have not enjoyed a good working relationship with the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation over the past year after clamping down on the release of club players for training outside the FIFA international window.
Fenwick claimed the two parties came to an agreement over an international training schedule that the T&TFF broke. He hinted that Peltier might have suffered as a result.
McComie promised to explain his actions soon while Rijsbergen stated that it was not the business of the Trinidad Express.
Ann-Marie, an unemployed chef and mother of six, was inconsolable. She said that she had only just stopped crying.
“We are talking about a young fellah from Carenage or let’s say the ghetto,” she said, “who has a chance to help himself and maybe his family and because of petty differences between two sides, he can’t get that chance. You cannot explain that to me in any words.
“This is not about Fenwick or McComie. They already have their nice cars and big houses and have their futures intact. But they are taking away my son’s future.
“It is madness, distasteful, disgraceful… I don’t know enough words to describe it.”
Ann-Marie, who voiced her appreciation for Fenwick ’s role in Lester’s career, urged her son to bounce back stronger from the setback and he seemed to have taken it in stride.
Lester, who is known as “Corn Curls” in Carenage after his favourite childhood snack, said that, although disappointed, he is already focusing on his next trials. He is no longer a member of McComie’s under-23 squad because of the friction between national and club coaches but he insisted that he still wants to represent Trinidad and Tobago .
“It is a pleasure to represent your national team,” said Lester. “I would go in the morning if they asked me.”
He is suspended from today’s Pro League clash at the Hasely Crawford Stadium which pits leaders Jabloteh against defending champs, Joe Public—coached by McComie—but revenge was not on his mind.
“I really wanted to play,” said Lester, “because I want to show McComie that I am supposed to be in the national under-23 team right now.”
Ann-Marie vowed that her son would not be denied his dream.
“No one can keep him down,” she said. “What is to be his will be his, although it could have started from (Thursday).”
Lester has no intention of wasting time on self-pity.
“I have to keep my feet on the pedal,” said the versatile attacker, “so that, next time I get an opportunity, I will be ready.”

213

Football / Liburd: Caledonia tame Public.

« on: August 02, 2007, 06:01:24 AM »

Caledonia tame Public.
By: Lasana Liburd (Express).[/size]

… Defending champs flounder.
 
Neal and Massy Caledonia AIA closed in on present Pro League leaders CL Financial San Juan Jabloteh on Tuesday night with a 1-0 conquest of Joe Public at the Larry Gomes Stadium, Malabar.
The result is likely to increase the pressure on Public, the 2006 Pro League champions, who are yet to get out of first gear this season.
Darryl Warner, the second son of club owner and FIFA vice-president Jack Warner, has taken on a bigger role in the operation of the “Eastern Lions” this term but it does not appear to have been a smooth transition of power.
Michael McComie led Public to their first Pro League title last season and was named the “Coach of the Year” before being re-assigned to the national under-23 squad.
Public technical director Keith Look Loy was instrumental in the recruiting of Cubans Domingo Hernandez and Manuel Rodriguez who shared Public’s coaching responsibilities at the start of the season until a 2-0 loss to Defence Force on July 10.
“The Cuban coaches… persisted in their policy of not selecting a number of the senior players who the management had brought into the club to help in our title defence and the Caribbean Club Championship,” Darryl told the TT Pro League website.
McComie was recalled as a caretaker until Darryl’s choice, Walt “Salty” Noriega, completes a coaching course in England . He is expected back in early August.
It is difficult to tell whether the instability has affected Public’s on-field performances but surely there is something amiss.
At the final whistle on Tuesday, there were few outward signs of elation from the Caledonia players or their technical staff. The result, it seemed, was just another step towards the Pro League crown.
If the FIFA bigwig was present, Caledonia ’s casual celebrations alone might have prompted a furious race into his own club’s dressing room.
Darryl might point out that Public are still third and just six points off the summit. But closer scrutiny of their results gives a different story of their 2007 title credentials.
Public have managed just four points from a possible 15 in matches this season against the main title contenders—Vibe CT 105 W Connection (4 points), Jabloteh (0 points) and Caledonia (0 points).
Caledonia have 13 points from a possible 18 and Jabloteh, eight from 15, while Connection have just four after six matches against their top rivals.
No wonder Caledonia started so confidently on Tuesday.
The passage of play was fairly even while neither team looked short on effort. But  Caledonia ’s individual players were more charismatic on the night.
Six minutes into the game, midfield maestro Marvin Oliver cheekily flicked the ball over the head of Public’s bullish defender Abassi McPherson.
“That man get cap in a phone booth boy,” shouted one excited patron.
Sheldon Emmanuel, Caledonia’s impressive captain, had a masterful moment too as he chased a loose pass in the second half and stopped the ball with a slide and flick of the booth that, simultaneously, took him past Public pursuer Jason Springer to more yells of appreciation.
Such flashes of skill do not win matches. But they can have an effect on teammates, opponents, spectators and even match officials.
Sometimes, the gods of fate like to be entertained.
Public midfielder Kerry Baptiste should have had a penalty when he was chopped down by Kerry Franklyn in the opposing box, 20 minutes into the match, but failed to get the nod from referee Ishmael Mohammed.
Caledonia again benefited from Mohammed’s leniency in the 36th minute when Kareem Joseph escaped a second yellow card after two aggressive hacks at Public winger Gregory Richardson in the space of five minutes.
And McComie would rue their misfortune when Anthony Abrams, one of a clutch of Guyanese internationals on either outfit, clinically volleyed home with his left boot in the 52nd minute after Oliver cushioned a header into his path. It was similar to his winner against Petrotrin at the same venue on July 21.
Perhaps the god of irony was getting in on the act.
Radanfah Abu Bakr, who was deployed in central midfield, should have doubled Caledonia ’s lead in the 68th minute after a clever slipped pass from Conrad Smith but failed to beat Public custodian Alejandro Figueroa.
Public did have a notable late charge. Twice, striker Nigel Pierre brought the best out of Caledonia goalkeeper Richard Reynolds with crashing strikes while Baptiste rifled one effort off the underside of the bar and poked another wide from close range in the ensuing scrimmages.
Baptiste’s latter effort condemned his teammates fate. The disappointed player bent over and held his own knees. Public were screwed.
The post-mortem between McComie and Darryl should be interesting. Public played well enough and created enough chances for all three points. But Caledonia ’s self-belief was unshakable and, in the end, won approval from the respective gods who go around deciding football matches.
Sometimes playing to win is not enough. The difference between the two teams on Tuesday was that Caledonia, coached by Jerry Moe in the absence of Jamaal Shabazz, played like winners.

Teams:

Joe Public:[/b] — Alejandro Figueroa, Sean Power, Jason Springer, Abassi Mc Pherson, Gregory Richardson, Devon Caseman (Reon Nelson), Dale Saunders (capt), Kerry Baptiste, Lyndon Andrews, Nigel Pierre, Gary Glasgow.

Coach—Michael Mc Comie.

Caledonia AIA: — Richard Reynolds, Radanfah Abu Bakr, Sheldon Emmanuel (capt), Howard Lowe, Dexter Franklyn, Charles Pollard, Stephen David, Kareem Joseph, Marvin Oliver, Anthony Abrams (Carlyle Mitchell), Conrad Smith (Marcus Ambrose).

Coach—Jerry Moe.

214

Football / Jemmott still eyes European escape.

« on: July 25, 2007, 04:38:00 AM »

Jemmott still eyes European escape.
By: Lasana Liburd (Express).

Hardest luck.

Kerwin “Hardest” Jemmott returned to his Nelson Street home on Saturday night where he will spend the next three weeks recovering from a shoulder injury that ruled him out of a trial with a Hungary football club.
At 28, Jemmott is revered for several attributes but defiance is rarely one of them. There was encouraging news for fans of the inner-city star, though, as the gifted playmaker promised to rebound from his latest setback and continue a late push towards fulfilling his potential.
“It is a disappointment,” Jemmott told the Trinidad Express. “But it is a small injury and I will come back strong… (My goal is) to go back out there and work hard and make it big.”
The Superstar Rangers midfielder had a message for his fans too.
“Never say die.”
Jemmott was scheduled to depart for trials in Hungary tomorrow. He might have felt particularly heartened by news that, last week, his close friend and fellow Nelson Street resident Densill Theobald—the present Trinidad and Tobago captain—signed a one-year deal with Hungarian First Division team Ujpest FC.
Rangers coach Anthony Streete kept Jemmott on the bench at kick off against CL Financial San Juan Jabloteh at the Hasely Crawford Stadium on Saturday. Trailing by an early goal, Streete introduced Jemmott at the interval but he was soon on his way to the St Clair Medical after an unfortunate collision.
Rangers club owner Richard Fakoory revealed Jemmott’s deep frustration at St Clair.
“He was really upset,” said Fakoory, “especially after hearing that Rangers lost the match. He still wants to go (to Hungary ) but there is no way I can send him like that.
“The doctor he has to stay away from football for three weeks but Jemmott said ‘no way’. If it were up to him, he would be training (yesterday) morning but I have got to stop him.”
Fakoory might be afraid of Jemmott harming himself but the player’s apparent zeal to don football boots offers some reassurance to fans and skeptics alike. He might never silence doubters of his temperament but his skills are beyond reproach.
Jemmott’s silky passes and clever shuffles have made him a local hero and outweigh his actual returns in a national shirt.
Nine years ago, the then 19-year-old maestro made his international debut in a 2-1 loss to Saudia Arabia in France. Former World Cup stars Sami Al-Jaber and Saeed Al-Owairan scored for Saudia Arabia while Irasto Knights was on target for Trinidad and Tobago.
Jemmott played from the start and held his place for the 1998 Caribbean Cup tournament, three months later, alongside the likes of David Nakhid, Stern John, Clint Marcelle and captain Anthony Rougier.
Trinidad and Tobago, coached by Bertille St Clair, finished in second place after a controversial 2-1 loss to Jamaica at the Hasely Crawford Stadium.
“My first break was with Bertille St Clair and I would like to wish him my thanks,” said Jemmott. “I will never forget him for that.”
The return of Jemmott’s own icon, Russell Latapy, in 1999 seemed to diminish the former’s playing chances, though. Remarkably, the two never played together in red, black and white strip.
By then, St Clair had grown frustrated with Jemmott’s penchant for unexplained absences from training sessions. Jemmott, then 21, was signed by English lower league outfit, Oxford United, but had his move cancelled due to work permit complications and, he admitted, the disappointment affected his approach to the game.
In 2001, New York/New Jersey MetroStars offered Jemmott a chance to play professionally in the United States Major League Soccer (MLS) but had a change of heart after his slow return from Trinidad for the start of the season. Jemmott claimed that he had suffered because of a lengthy delay in getting his work permit.
His mother, Donna Jemmott, died in 2002 and Hardest temporarily quit the professional game altogether.
Donna, who worked at the Kapok Hotel as a cleaner for 15 years, had begged him to use his talent to free his family from their humble surroundings.
“My mother was really my heart,” said Jemmott. “She was my motivation and it was a lot of stress for me… She had always wanted me to make it and move from which part I am now.”
By the start of St Clair’s second spell in 2004, Jemmott had just 17 caps with no goals to show from six years of international action under seven different coaches.
His present record boasts 34 appearances with two goals—his sole item in Trinidad came from a low freekick in a 2007 Caribbean Cup 3-1 group win over eventual champs, Haiti, at the Hasely Crawford Stadium.
Dutchman Leo Beenhakker never gave Jemmott a run with the squad that eventually qualified for the 2006 World Cup but the player’s re-emergence with Superstar Rangers impressed Beenhakker’s compatriot and present coach, Wim Rijsbergen.
Jemmott was key to the Warriors’ second place finish at the recent Caribbean Cup and was earmarked for his first Gold Cup appearance when he tore his hamstring in the 2007 Pro Bowl final, which Rangers lost to Connection on penalty kicks.
The weekend’s mishap means another three weeks out for Jemmott at, arguably, a critical period in his career. But there are signs that, at 28, he is better equipped to deal with such pitfalls.
Fakoory admitted that Jemmott did allow himself the luxury of one unauthorized break last season while Rijsbergen barred him from a national session in March after another unexplained absence.
Both men accepted the player’s apology and showed faith in his slow rehabilitation.
“He had a bad patch when he missed some sessions this season,” said Fakoory, “but we sat down and talked and he settled down. I told him ‘you have to help yourself’ and I think he understands that this is his last shot to get a contract outside.
“He has been good with us. I do not know if he likes the way we handle him or if we are just lucky.
“He is a gifted player. He is my franchise player along with Errol McFarlane.”
Rangers and Trinidad and Tobago fans await Jemmott’s latest re-incarnation.

215

Football / (FULL STORY) Liburd: Another Warner foe falls

« on: June 14, 2007, 05:36:14 PM »

Another Warner foe falls.
By: Lasana Liburd (Express).[/size]

...General Secretary leaves FIFA

FIFA vice-president and Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation (T&TFF) special advisor Jack Warner yesterday bid farewell to another possible adversary after the world governing body confirmed the departure of its general secretary, Dr Urs Linsi.
Linsi, who spent five years as FIFA general secretary, was not offered a contract renewal by president Sepp Blatter. He is unlikely to receive sympathy from Warner.
The two high-profile FIFA executive committee members were at odds over the controversial Ernst and Young report regarding Warner’s alleged involvement in the black market sale of World Cup tickets.
“Certain numbers of (World Cup) tickets have been sold for a value four times higher,” Linsi said last September, “but that’s what has to be investigated and found out by looking at the books of the stakeholders.”
Warner, who is also CONCACAF president, countered that Linsi, who arguably held the second highest office in FIFA at the time, had conspired to entrap him and took offence at Linsi’s “hostile tone” and “veiled threats”.
Linsi’s tenure as general secretary lasted less than two weeks after his Swiss compatriot, Blatter, was re-appointed unopposed as FIFA president on May 31. Warner is powerful political ally of Blatter by virtue of the CONCACAF’s 35 votes.
Warner was on the wrong end of several FIFA enquiries over the past 18 months but it does not appear to have diluted his power within the powerful sporting body.
Scotsman John McBeth lost his position as FIFA vice-president even before his first day on the job after he spoke of his intention to tackle corruption, particularly within Africa and the Caribbean, and made unflattering remarks aimed at Blatter—who he called a “tricky customer”—and unnamed FIFA members.
“I know two or three (at Fifa) whom I’d want to count my fingers after shaking hands with them,” he said. “If I come across corruption, I have to expose it. I must try to stay true to my beliefs and hope I don’t get seduced.
“By and large, the four British countries know what fair play is and when we are stepping out of line. But, as soon as you hit Africa, it’s a slightly different kettle of fish. They’re poor nations and want to grab what they can.
“I presume the Caribbean is much the same - they just come at it in a different way.”
Warner, supported by Blatter, immediately called for an enquiry into McBeth’s “racist” remarks.
“I don’t mind what he said about personalities – ‘he is tricky’, or whatever,” said the FIFA president. “But his (other) declarations were discriminatory against people from other continents… I think this is not tolerable.”
Britain subsequently withdrew McBeth’s nomination and replaced him with Englishman Geoff Thompson.
On February 15, 2006, the FIFA Committee for Ethics and Fair Play, chaired by Senes Erzik, came to the unanimous decision that Warner violated its Code of Ethics by the sale of World Cup tickets through his family-owned business, Simpaul Travel—as revealed exclusively by the Trinidad Express Newspaper.
Blatter replaced Erzik and his deputy chairman Mohammed Bin Hammam with Lord Sebastian Coe and Petrus Damaseb, seven months later.
Linsi too became surplus to requirements after his spat with Warner.
“Having now successfully completed his five-year mandate as FIFA General Secretary,” stated a release on the FIFA website, “Dr Urs Linsi has decided to seek new challenges elsewhere.
“FIFA hereby thanks Urs Linsi for his significant achievements in this period, most notably the restructuring of the finances of world football’s governing body and the construction of the Home of FIFA.”
Warner was not a fan of Linsi’s predecessor, Michel Zen-Ruffinen, either. On April 1, 2002, Zen-Ruffinen alleged, in a 21-page dossier, that Blatter wrote off a loan for TT$74 million dollars to CONCACAF and gave Warner another TT$8 million without “appropriate authorisation”.
Zen-Ruffinen further charged that Blatter had taken advantage of the GOAL project to “influence” member federations, especially in the CONCACAF region “where many associations are still persuaded that they will lose any financial support if they do not support the current regime”.
Zen-Ruffinen was quickly replaced by Linsi. Warner will hope for a more harmonious relationship with Dr Markus Kattner who, like Linsi, begins as Acting General Secretary.
The FIFA vice-president is expected to soon turn his attention to 16 Trinidad and Tobago national football players, including record scorer and Sunderland striker Stern John, Southampton forward Kenwyne Jones and respected Dallas FC goalkeeper Shaka Hislop, who threatened to take the T&TFF to court over 2006 World Cup bonuses.