Jack: England’s Euro omission not surprising.
TT Newsday Reports.[/size]
FIFA vice-president Jack Austin Warner is not at all surprised by England’s failure to qualify for the 2008 Euro Championship. Warner is currently in London on his way to Durban, South Africa, for the 2010 preliminary World Cup draw.
England were beaten 3-2 by Croatia on Wednesday, knocking them out of next year’s series, confirming their absence from a major tournament for the first time since the 1994 World Cup in the United States.
Earlier this month UEFA president Michel Platini told the BBC he was far from certain that England deserve to host the football World Cup in 2018.
Platini said then, he would definitely back a European bid but that England still needed to “convince” him.
This followed just weeks after Warner expressed similar sentiments on a BBC programme which was subsequently widely criticised. Warner is advising that the English should take a closer look at themselves.
“I’m not surprised because in football England has not been having good days of late and if Mr (Andrew) Jennings and his friend in Trinidad would spend more time analysing the errors of English football and less on the FIFA and me, they will be doing English football much good service,” Warner stated.
“The England economy has just lost £2 (two) billion by failing to qualify according to English marketing expert Jeremy Baker and that tells you about the power of football and that is one that every Government should take note of.
“As of now I will head off to the draw which I hope will be a very good one for the teams in Concacaf and especially Trinidad and Tobago and even England. I also intend to meet with Mr (Sepp) Blatter and discuss with him several matters affecting Concacaf including the poor state of refereeing.”
