T&T looks to 2010 - we playing Japan in August

[Small Magician aka Wazza]

Trinidad Guardian
Tuesday 4th July, 2006
Boynes wants urgent meeting with TTFF

Minister says delay is not an option in this matter; needs estimate of Warriors’ expenses to prepare for South Africa in 2010

BY JUHEL BROWNE

Sports Minister Roger Boynes is requesting an urgent meeting with the T&T Football Federation (TTFF) before the end of this week to discuss the costs of the national football team’s campaign for the Fifa 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

The allocation for the team, officially dubbed the Soca Warriors, must be included in the Sports Ministry’s budget request for the Government’s 2007 national budget.

Boynes made the disclosure in an interview yesterday.

“I need to meet with them before the week is over. Delay is not an option in this matter. That is why we need to be in a position to meet with the TTFF now.

"I need to put it in my budget in the Ministry of Sports now,” Boynes said.

“All the ministries are preparing for the (2007) budget now.”

In the Face-to-Face interview published in the Sunday Guardian, Fifa vice president and TTFF adviser Jack Warner said if the Government did not meet with the federation within the next 15 days, this nation would not qualify for the 2010 World Cup.

“I understand Mr Warner has indicated there is a need for speed. I have also signalled, since last week, that there is a need for speed, so we are talking the same language,” Boynes said.

“I am in the process of sending out a letter today (yesterday) to the TTFF, asking for an urgent meeting to discuss the way forward.

"So if Mr Warner had mentioned there is a need for speed I want to agree with him.”

Warner had warned that if the Government did not meet the 15-day deadline, all the available top coaches around the world would be hired by other countries, including the T&T national team coach Leo Beenhakker.

Boynes said his meeting with the TTFF was meant to clarify the exact status of Beenhakker and his assistant coaches with the national team, so that the Government would know how much it would cost to keep them on board.

“We don’t want to lose any of the coaches,” Boynes said.

“We have a deadline for which we can get the information submitted for our budget.”

Boynes said the Manning administration's football development plan, which is being managed by its technical director Lincoln Phillips, was well underway.

He said the plan involved everything the team needed, including the coaches.

Prime Minister Patrick Manning has invited Warner, Beenhakker and Soca Warriors team captain Dwight Yorke to be a part of discussions to determine the role of the Government in getting T&T to the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

While Warner has since expressed willingness to serve on a Government team on football, he has also declared his reservations in doing so.

Warner has, to date, received no financial or any other reward for his contribution to the Soca Warriors' 2006 World Cup first round qualification.

Beenhakker, his three assistant coaches and the team’s 24 players all received rewards totalling $31 million.

Beenhakker and the 24 players who represented T&T at the World Cup in Germany also each received the nation’s second highest award—the Chaconia Gold Medal.

 

©2005-2006 Trinidad Publishing Company Limited

encouraging...

[doc]

This is too much politicing. All this is not about football, the good of the game nor sports in general. Let them sort out the government funding and break that story. The TTFF should be indicating the way forward in terms of it planning goals and objective. What is the way forward? 

[trinbago]

When yuh want certain things in life...yuh does have no choice but to get yuh hands dirty

[grskywalker]

Hope this not a lot of political hot air again!