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« on: January 23, 2006, 12:24:51 AM »
The right to write.
By: Lasana Liburd.
It is going on 11 years since I first covered a sporting event as an accredited member of the Trinidad and Tobago press.
My first assignment, I remember clearly, was an international friendly football match between Trinidad and Tobago and Norway at the Queen's Park Oval, Port of Spain.
At the time, I wrote for the Trinidad Guardian's youth magazine called Zone and witnessed a superb individual performance by our own midfield star Russell Latapy who scored a hattrick in a 3-2 win for the host nation.
I never missed an international game-at any age group or sex-since unless events overlapped or I was out of the country, as has been the case for much of the past two and a half years.
For the past decade, I covered three senior World Cup qualifying campaigns, the 2002 CONCACAF Gold Cup finals, the 2001 FIFA World Youth Championship, the 2002 CONCACAF Congress and more senior Caribbean Cup tournaments and youth, girls and women's matches than I can readily recall.
I have also worked at multiple English and Scottish Premier League, Nationwide League, League Cup, FA Cup and Scottish Cup matches at venues from Old Trafford and Anfield to Ibrox and Hampden Park.
My first accreditation refusal came last November during Trinidad and Tobago's First Leg FIFA Play-Off against Bahrain at the Hasely Crawford Stadium. An administrative mix-up, at the time, meant my press request went a day after the deadline but early enough for the assigned FIFA press officer to express surprise that I was turned down.
FIFA vice-president and Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation (T&TFF) special advisor Jack Warner boasted about this refusal at a press conference on January 3, 2006, and I was subsequently denied accreditation for the 2006 Germany World Cup tournament as well.
T&TFF press officer Shaun Fuentes explained that I had been "blacklisted" by FIFA while his counterpart, Dave Lamy, confirmed that Warner personally vetoed the accreditation request, which was made by the Trinidad Express Newspaper on my behalf.
The following is an exchange of e-mails between FIFA and the Trinidad Express addressing the issue:
From: Lasana Liburd
Sent: Freitag, 20. January 2006 15:30
To: media office
Subject: FIFA media blacklist
Good Day,
I am a senior sport writer for the Trinidad and Tobago Express Newspaper. I am also deemed persona non grata by FIFA, if I were to take CONCACAF's word for it.
After a series examining the sale of Trinidad and Tobago's World Cup tickets through a package deal including hotel but exclusive of airfare for roughly TT$30,000 (6,218 CHF), I was warned by FIFA vice-president Jack Warner and CONCACAF president that my company's television rights could now be in jeopardy as was my accreditation.
T&TFF/CONCACAF confirmed that my accreditation to cover the World Cup was rejected although I have covered every tournament Trinidad played in for the past decade.
Pay particular notes to the following quotations as I know my colleagues in the international press will.
CONCACAF and T&TFF press officer Shaun Fuentes:
"We've been advised by FIFA that he would not be accredited to FIFA tournaments. Apparently he's in their black book, I can't say for sure."
Germany 2006 LOC media officer Dave Lamy (when asked why I was not accredited):
"I don't have to tell you that. That's internal. That's Mr Warner's business. Anything like that you ask him. I have to report to him, not to you or anybody else."
Am I on FIFA's blacklist?
Does FIFA ban journalists who ask difficult questions?
Please explain why I have been banned.
FIFA media committee member Emmanuel Maradas can confirm that I was similarly victimised during the first leg of T&T's Play Off against Bahrain. Maradas, at the time, ensured me that I would have no problem with accreditation for the World Cup as that was up to FIFA.
I look forward to a speedy response.
Regards,
Lasana Liburd,
Sport Writer,
Trinidad Express Newspaper
Subject: RE: FIFA media blacklist
Date: Fri, 20 Jan 2006 16:16:24 +0100
From: "Andreas Herren"
To: Lasana Liburd
Dear Mr Liburd,
I refer to your e-mail below (ABOVE).
Please note that FIFA does not have a black book nor ever had one. One journalist (Andrew Jennings whom as I understand you know) was declared persona non grata for FIFA events a few years ago due his various allegations levelled at FIFA and its President.
Otherwise, all journalists and photographers are eligible to apply for accreditation in accordance with the procedures.
For general information's sake, please refer to the attached media information, sent out in early October 2005, which explains the overall procedure.
As for all associations, FIFA had to set a quota for the number of journalists and photographers that can be accredited. You can well imagine that FIFA cannot accredit an indefinite number of media, otherwise there would be no space left for the public. Some 7% of the stadium's capacity is occupied by media.
The quota is allocated based on criteria such as:
- finalist country / non finalist country
- size of media landscape (Englande.g. has more media outlets than T&T and gets a bigger quota)
- previous allocations / attendances at FIFA World Cups
In addition to the association's quotas, FIFA also itself takes care of the accreditation of the major international news and photo agencies, international freelance media, websites and so-called non-rights holding broadcasters. The overall number of journalists accredited for the FWC is around 4,500 and 1,100 photographers.
Regarding the distribution of the quota in any given country, the association is responsible to handle this in cooperation with the sports writers' association. 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.
I trust that this will be of use to you.
Yours sincerely,
FIFA
Andreas Herren
Head of Media Department
Date: Fri, 20 Jan 2006 15:40:48 +0000 (GMT)
From: "Lasana Liburd"
Subject: RE: FIFA media blacklist
To: "Andreas Herren"
Dear Mr Herren,
I appreciate your swift response. But you can see how lines between T&TFF, CONCACAF and FIFA might be blurred in this case. Particularly when an accrediting officer says he is acting to instructions from a FIFA vice-president who is also the CONCACAF president and T&TFF special advisor.
So, you would appreciate that it is all quite confusing for the Trinidad and Tobagomedia and football fans as well as interested third parties globally.
Since I am indeed applying to cover a FIFA event rather than a T&TFF or CONCACAF one, would FIFA then intervene on a point of "fair play", which is one of your organisation's mottos. By intervene, I mean will FIFA ensure that qualified journalists from reputable newspapers within your 32 participating member associations are allowed access to follow their respective teams at Germany 2006.
Might you also say whether FIFA is inclined to request of its member association, the Trinidad and TobagoFootball Federation (T&TFF), that decency, fair play and transparency reigns as regards to its general accreditation processes even beyond Germany 2006.
Thanks again for your speedy response.
Regards,
Lasana Liburd,
Sport Writer,
Trinidad Express Newspaper
Date: Fri, 20 Jan 2006 20:28:06 +0000 (GMT)
From: "Lasana Liburd"
Subject: press accreditation request
To: "Andreas Herren"
Good Day,
Can I still apply for press accreditation directly from FIFA? If so, can you tell me the procedure for doing this?
Regards,
Lasana Liburd,
Sport Writer,
Trinidad Express Newspaper
Subject: RE: press accreditation request
Date: Sat, 21 Jan 2006 11:33:08 +0100
From: "Andreas Herren"
To: "Lasana Liburd"
Dear Mr Liburd,
You may submit your request directly. However, we would need a formal request on your behalf by your publisher/editor-in-chief on official stationery of your paper.
Kindly send the relevant documents to fax
+41-43/222 7373
to the attention of the undersigned.
FIFA
Andreas Herren
Head of Media Department
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