Ends justify the means
Fazeer Mohammed
Wednesday, April 16th 2008
ON HIS FEET: FIFA vice-president Jack Warner addresses the audience at last week's Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation function at the Banquet Hall, Queen's Park Oval. -Photo: ROBERTO CODALLO
You're right on the ball, Jack. We are indeed a bunch of cowards, for if there was any real semblance of integrity in the media here, there would be no chance of you wielding so much influence over local football.
Don't get me wrong (although I suppose you have already). Doing whatever it takes to give us that extra edge or entrance through the back door onto the global stage reflects a willingness to advance the cause of Trinidad and Tobago. Still the manner in which you go about things-condemning everyone left, right and centre one minute, only to embrace them all again in another poignant "yesterday was yesterday, today is today" moment-should not be tolerated in a country that seeks to operate on the basis of accountability, transparency, structure and process.
Problem is, we're not one of those countries, never mind all the tripe about aspiring to Developed Country status by 2020. No sir, this place is all about the classic crabs-in-a-barrel mentality, where anything and everything goes and by whatever means you get to the top of the pile, well, good for you brudder man.
Like the FIFA Ethics Committee, our Integrity Commission is an elaborate, expensive joke, a weapon deployed to persecute political and other opponents. Just as the victory in the second cricket Test against Sri Lanka would appear to be a justification for the decision not to select a specialist spinner in the eyes of many, most of us are firmly in the business of the ends justifying the means.
So all the shenanigans and erratic behaviour by all concerned are forgotten, or at least temporarily overlooked, whenever we achieve something. It must really be tough being such a powerful and influential football and political person. People who wouldn't usually give you an extra dollar for the more expensive doubles because of your party affiliation will nevertheless swallow their pride (and the kutchela) just for you to smile upon them favourably in your capacity as one of the undisputed jefes of world football.
You really believe that the great England are coming all the way here to play little old us on June 1 because they appreciate how significant an occasion the centenary of the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation is? I suppose your status as boss of CONCACAF and the fact that the English are bidding to host the 2018 World Cup finals has nothing to do with it. But, as we say, what wrong with that?
And, as you know only too well, some of those trailing in your considerable wake hoping desperately to collect a few grains of channa include practitioners in that ever-growing, seething mass of personalities that constitutes the local media. A free trip here or there, an expensive bottle of grog or even some cold macaroni pie wrapped in aluminium foil and some of us are solidly on the side of whoever is making the offerings.
That's why you could ramajay as you did last Friday night at the Queen's Park Oval, hitting more sixes than the two teams managed in the two One-Day Internationals combined, in lambasting the media for not showing solidarity to TTFF media officer Shaun Fuentes, tearing into Jamal Shabazz for the women's team's failure to reach the last four of the CONCACAF tournament in Mexico and giving Zoran Vranes advance warning that he will also get his share if the Under-20s disappoint as hosts of their CONCACAF qualifiers.
There is no-one that I know of in the local media, yours truly included, who will take a stand on principle in the face of the childish antics of a Gary Hunt, a Patrick Manning, a Basdeo Panday or even (and these names are in ascending order), a you.
Principle before a story, or better yet, the favour of a sawatee? Nah man. That cannot happen. Certainly not here.
When Express sportswriter David Brewster was denied a media pass for Leslie Stewart's successful world title fight against Marvin Johnson in May, 1987 (the now deceased journalist had raised legitimate questions about the officials for that fight), I don't recall any other branch of the venerable media saying publicly that this was utter nonsense, far less refusing to cover the event.
About a month ago in London, a media relations functionary for some brand or the other was cut down to size for daring to suggest that their spokesperson, new English rugby sensation Danny Cipriani (a fella with Trini roots by the way), would not be taking questions on anything other than his involvement with the programme being launched.
Compare that with Dwight Yorke, amid frenzied speculation about him being on the verge of joining Manchester United, not being questioned about it by our obedient crop on the say-so of some English organiser of an obscure exhibition tournament for has-beens and never-wases in July, 1998. That is, until some nowherian got up and asked what doltishness is this?
Whether it was 21 years ago, ten years ago or just the other day, the principle of non-engagement remains the same because, at the end of the day, who is really interested in integrity, consistency and accountability anyway? It only succeeds in getting your name off the invitation list for the big drink-up at the end of the year.
So Jack, you just keep on keeping on and say it as it is, or at least as you see it, and leave us cowards to wait for the next channa to drop.
fazeer2001@hotmail.com
