Warner's family firm monopolises FIFA World Cup tickets.
By Lasana Liburd (Express).Part ILasana Liburd probes FIFA VP Jack Warner's relationship with the T&TFF in a three-part series. Trinidad and Tobago football fans desperate to see the national team's historic debut appearance at the 2006 World Cup tournament in Germany must wait a bit longer to discover why it is so expensive to do so and if they are being exploited by a suspect alliance.
FIFA vice-president and Trinidad and Football Federation (T&TFF) special adviser Jack Warner and T&TFF president Oliver Camps refused to say whether it was ethical for the country's ticket allocation to be diverted to Warner's private company and exactly how many tickets were sent by FIFA.
Camps, who is responsible for the country's share of tickets, told the Sunday Express that he did not know whether Warner owned Simpaul Travel Service-the company which has claimed to have purchased all Trinidad and Tobago's World Cup tickets.
"I do not know that is happening," said Camps, when asked why Warner was allowed to divert tickets to his own private company. "Do you know who the owner of Simpaul is? Let us not go there."
Camps refused further comment and claimed that he was sworn to silence by a gag order from his T&TFF subordinates on the executive committee.
"The (T&TFF) executive asked that no one answer any questions at the moment," said Camps.
Camps suggested that the T&TFF will allow questions in a future media conference, although he did not yet know the time or place.
Warner was also in no mood to be questioned on Trinidad and Tobago's tickets and whether it was ethical for his company to profit on tickets that only he could obtain. 'You write what you want to write,' said Warner. "I have nothing to discuss with you."
A company search at the Ministry of Legal Affairs confirmed that Warner is a director of Simpaul Travel Services Limited along with his wife Maureen and sons Daryan and Darryl Warner. Former owner, Simone Petit, also confirmed that she sold her travel agency to Warner in the mid-1990s. But the word "Simpaul" prompted curt responses from anyone involved in the T&TFF or the Warner family.
Maureen Warner, a company director, claimed to be overcome by a combination of fatigue and flu when asked about Simpaul's stranglehold over the Trinidad and Tobago's World Cup tickets at 4.45 p.m. on Wednesday.
"You caught me sleeping," said Warner (M). "I have the flu and I am sleeping."
Trinidad and Tobago's distribution of World Cup football tickets is in stark contrast to its fellow 2006 competitors.
The Football Federation of Australia (FFA), whose only other World Cup final appearance came 32 years ago, informed Australian fans that 8,500 tickets for its opening three group matches would be made available before they went on sale on December 20.
Fans had the option of buying tickets individually, select seats from four categories, purchase all three group tickets in one package or acquire an all-inclusive package, which included airfare and accommodation.
Three Category One group tickets-situated near the half line at both sides of the field-were offered to fans at $528 (Australian dollars) or TT$2,475, which allowed the FFA a profit of TT$204 for each ticket sold.
In Trinidad and Tobago, though, Simpaul insisted that fans must purchase all three tickets along with accommodation-even in cases where fans already made their own arrangements for shelter in Germany.
Simpaul's package costs $30,000, which is exclusive of airfare and ground transport while all hotel rooms are double occupancy. The travel agency's price also ignores the fact that some of its tickets are for Category Two seats, which are situated near the field's corner flags.
At a cost of $2,254 for three Category One tickets, according to the FIFA website, Trinidad and Tobago football fans must pay an additional $27,746 for 12 nights accommodation in Germany.
The Sunday Express contacted Germany's Best Western Hotel, a reputable three-star hotel, which has rooms available from $751. Twelve days, at that rate, would cost $9,012.
Minus a supporter shirt, wristband, flag and travel bag, generously estimated at $400, and the Warner family can rake in $18,334 for each package sold.
If they sold a similar allocation as the FFA, the Warners could be $50 million richer from ticket sales alone. Simpaul is yet to reveal which hotels would house its clients.
On December 13, Warner claimed, in a T&TFF press conference, that Simpaul-his company-paid the T&TFF, the organisation he helps run, $500,000 to be its official travel agent.
Warner refused comment on the ethics of such a deal.
In a further twist, the Sunday Express unearthed a Simpaul Travel legal document which allowed accountant Kenny Rampersad to act on its behalf.
Rampersad is the director of accounting firm, Kenny Rampersad and Company, which audits the T&TFF.
Warner also boasted that 150 persons from Washington, USA, had booked for Simpaul's package as of December 13. If so, his company could already made $2.25 million on its investment.
In the same press conference, Warner said the T&TFF's estimated budget of $75 million might be insufficient to get the "Soca Warriors" to the World Cup and warned that their participation was at risk.
"Our federation is in serious financial difficulties right now,"Warner told the press. "f we do not pay down money for our stay in Germany, when the finals come around, some other team could have taken up our space." Simpaul Travel has no such feelings of insecurity.
Simpaul official Gerald Baptiste, the project manager for the World Cup package, claimed to have no idea whether the Warners were involved with the company and refused to say how Simpaul arrived at the present valuation for its package and whether it was overpriced.
Rival Trinidad and Tobago travel agencies look on with awe.
Anthony Harford, head of All Sports Promotion, planned a charter for Germany and already has 300 willing clients. However, Harford, who arranged Trinidad and Tobago's charter to Bahrain for a decisive qualifying match, claimed to be stunned at Simpaul's coup.
"I learned like everyone else that everyone who has to buy tickets has to buy through Simpaul," said Harford. "I am trying to get Simpaul to sell me from their allocation and I am still in the process of negotiating with them."
Despite Baptiste's protests of ignorance about the Warners' influence, Harford revealed that he was engaged in cordial negotiations with Daryan Warner and Baptiste about the tickets.
Harford doubts that a plausible compromise can be met.
"Simpaul's package does not include things like ground transport, airfare or sight seeing,""he said. "When you add all those costs, it has to be affordable to my clients."
Nigel Camacho, founder of the Trini Posse supporters' group, had also planned a charter to take his supporters to Germany but claimed that things got very complicated when Simpaul Travel was named as the authorized ticket distributors.
"I am a little bit confused about what is going on," Camacho told the Sunday Express. "It raises a few eyebrows but I don't think anything illegal has been done."
There might be questions regarding ethics and conflicts of interest though. Warner similarly cashed in when Trinidad and Tobago hosted the 2001 FIFA World Youth Cup. Then, his companies controlled exclusive contracts to supply air tickets to all competing foreign teams as well as catering and IT deals for all the stadiums. Camps and the Warner household are not ready to discuss the matter just yet.
Jack Warner: A very special adviser.
By Lasana Liburd (Express).Part IITrinidad and Tobago still reverberates to the 'thud' of Dennis Lawrence's headed goal against Bahrain, which booked the country a historical berth at the 2006 FIFA World Cup football tournament in Germany.
On November 16, Trinidad and Tobago became the smallest country ever to qualify for a FIFA senior World Cup and Prime Minister Patrick Manning, President George Maxwell Richards and the rest of the population swore their love for the team, dubbed the "Soca Warriors".
More than a month later, the national players have not received a cent as tangible reward for the accomplishment.
FIFA vice-president and Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation (T&TFF) special adviser Jack Warner is not so patient or charitable.
Warner's family owned company, Simpaul Travel Services Limited, emerged without any public tender as the authorised ticket sellers for the World Cup tournament. And tickets that FIFA priced at $2,254 and $1,339 are being sold, by Simpaul, for $30,000 with the addition of lodging for 12 days in Germany and a national flag, replica shirt and wristband.
Oliver Camps, president of the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation (T&TFF), was given the chance to explain the deal between his organisation and Warner and whether patriotic fans were being financially exploited.
Camps refused on the grounds that he was told not to speak to the press just yet.
Trinidad and Tobago football fans, it appears, are at the mercy of someone who has no tangible post within the local running body.
The post of "special adviser", which falls under the category of "honorary member" in the T&TFF constitution, is not allowed to vote at general council meetings or make decisions.
But Warner boasts of hiring and firing coaches, paying players and receives cheques on behalf of the Federation.
FIFA's motto is "For the good of the game" but it is possible that Warner, one of 13 FIFA vice-presidents, might have modified this watchword.
Exactly what is the relationship between Warner, Camps (as T&TFF head) and the general public, though? And how did it become thus?
Warner, a former school teacher and football linesman, emerged on the national scene in 1974 "soon after T&T's infamous and unsuccessful attempt to qualify for the 1974 World Cup in Germany" and served as general secretary for nearly two decades before reinventing his role to that of special adviser.
The honorary position gave Warner the ability to peer into T&TFF affairs but not to affect it. For Warner to maintain his influence, he needed a supportive president.
Camps, who replaced Peter O' Connor as president in 1992, had just taken the reins and the pair quickly formed an alliance.
Warner publicly supports Camps and declared that, were the president to be ousted, he would immediately insist on collecting money owed to him by the T&TFF and, quite possibly, force the local organisation into bankruptcy.
It is virtually impossible to quantify the money owed to Warner for several reasons.
The T&TFF books are audited by Kenny Rampersad and Company, a small accounting firm.
Article 13.2 of the T&TFF Constitution explains that the local body must hire "a firm of qualified accountants" who hold no office in the Federation for obvious reasons of transparency.
Although Kenny Rampersad is not a T&TFF member, Express investigations did unearth a document authorising the accountant to act on behalf of Warner's Simpaul Travel business.
The T&TFF is therefore relying on a man who, at the least, acted as Warner's business partner in the past to give them credible information on how much is owed to Warner.
Considering Warner's relationship with Camps, T&TFF affiliates may also be concerned by a possible conflict of interests when they are briefed on the Federation's financial position.
There was a notable change to the T&TFF constitution as well under Camps' stewardship. In 1994, local clubs lost their right to vote at the general elections. Instead, only regional football associations and "properly constituted bodies" like the Trinidad and Tobago Football Coaches Association and Football Referees' Association are allowed to vote.
In the 1980s, Warner almost lost his position when clubs, buoyed by the financial promise of the Arthur Suite League, tried unsuccessfully to unseat the veteran administrator.
Former Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) president Captain Horace Burrell was ousted from his post after cries of financial mismanagement from the country's club teams soon after the Reggae Boyz appeared in the 1998 World Cup.
Eleven years ago, Camps-possibly with help from a clever adviser-ensured that it could never happen here and even a vibrant local professional football league could never threaten his position. At present, Camps is the longest consecutive serving president in the history of local football.
While Camps got the power, Warner benefited financially.
The T&TFF constitution allows the general council to "delegate any of its powers to any committee or sub-committee". More often than not, committees are set up outside the T&TFF offices when large sums of money are involved like the Football Company of Trinidad and Tobago (FCoTT) and the 2006 World Cup Local Organising Committee (LOC). The now defunct FCoTT and the present LOC were both chaired by Warner.
The administrator repeatedly boasts of the money he has put into the game without offering a detailed accounting report. This report, done by an impartial accountant, should provide information on the money flowing into the game such as television rights, sponsorship deals, gate receipts and endorsement contracts.
Simpaul is the highest profiled example of a Warner-owned company benefiting directly from the T&TFF. But the Jamad Limited cleaning company, Emerald Plaza and Coal Pot restaurant also received good business from local football.
The Express continues to investigate other companies regularly associated with the T&TFF.
There is still much about the T&TFF that requires explanation in spite of-or precisely because of-our qualification for Germany. Camps is not saying anything just yet.
Finding out Jack.
By Lasana Liburd (Express).[/size]
Part IIIThe Trinidad and Tobago national football team had hoped for a better Christmas season.
Six weeks ago, the self-titled "Soca Warriors" created history by qualifying for their first senior FIFA World Cup tournament and, in the process, became the smallest country ever to play at such a high level.
But there was nothing in team captain Dwight Yorke and his teammates' stockings on Christmas Day. Not so much as a "Happy Christmas" card.
Bonuses and tangible signs of appreciation might still be on their way to the national football team. But, on the evidence of the past month, the visual picture of the country's sporting heroes has become blurred.
On November 16, the Trinidad and Tobago footballers beat Bahrain1-0 to snatch a spot in the 2006 World Cup tournament in Germany. Yet, it is FIFA vice-president and Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation (T&TFF) special adviser Jack Warner and his cohorts who appear to be making the lucrative lap of honour.
Warner stands to considerably enhance his personal wealth from the success of the country's football team even before a fitting tribute is paid to the players. It goes against the principle of sport administration, which is catered towards serving the athlete.
The manner in which contracts were passed out-and, in particular, a deal authorising Simpaul Travel to act as the T&TFF's official ticket distributor-without public tender is particularly disturbing.
Eyebrows were sure to be raised when the T&TFF handed such a plum contract exclusively to Simpaul, which is owned by Warner and his wife, Maureen, and sons, Daryan and Darryl.
The Trinidad and Tobago public needed convincing that Simpaul was indeed the best organisation to distribute tickets and the interests of football fans were sacrosanct.
Instead, Warner announced Simpaul's coup at a press conference without once mentioning that he was a company director while Simpaul official Gerald Baptiste and T&TFF president Oliver Camps also pleaded ignorance of the fact.
And worse, fans interested in purchasing World Cup tickets at a street value ranging between $780 and $2,254 were told to pay $30,000.
For Warner and the Trinidad and Tobago public, it is the continuation of a love-hate relationship that stretches back almost two decades.
In 1989, Warner-as he later admitted in his biography-printed 16,500 additional tickets for the country's crucial 1990 World Cup qualifying match against the United States despite repeated claims to the contrary at the time. It created a potentially dangerous situation at Port of Spain's National Stadium which was overfilled while thousands of fans with paid tickets were unable to get inside.
Warner claimed he was not trying to cash in on the success of the football team, who were then referred to as the "Strike Squad".
The team then comprised of mostly local-based amateur players who went unpaid.
A promise of housing for players by the ruling NAR party went unfulfilled as did a deal for a share of gate receipts in the aftermath of the failed 1990 campaign. At present, retired magistrate George Hislop, whose son Shaka is a current national player, claims that the Strike Squad is still owed $100,000 from the local organising body.
Four years ago, Trinidad and Tobago was again dizzy from World Cup fever as the country staged the 2001 FIFA Under-17 Youth Championship.
Warner was a key member of T&T's bidding committee to host the tournament, which brought talented young players like Florent Sinama Pongolle (Liverpool/France), Carlos Tevez (Corinthians/Argentina) and Fernando Torres (Atletico Madrid/Spain) to local shores.
Again, controversy swirled around his family businesses such as Simpaul Travel, De Coal Pot and the Emerald Plaza Hotel which copped lucrative deals while his son, Darryl, landed a handsome IT contract supplying internet kiosks to all five stadia.
Warner, the deputy chairman of FIFA's Finance Committee, is known internationally for his wheeling and dealings as well.
From 1984 to 1998, under ex-FIFA president Joao Havelange, Warner received television rights for the Caribbean region for just $1 which he sold on to regional television stations.
Warner stands to earn much more from Trinidad and Tobago's participation in Germany. His right to make a living for himself and his family is unquestioned.
Yet surely, Warner's position within FIFA and the T&TFF should make him especially careful not to give the impression of someone abusing his influence for personal gain.
The average Trinidad and Tobago football fan is caught in the crossroads.
Trinidad and Tobago's focus on the 2006 World Cup has shifted from two dozen talented, determined players and an expectant nation to an administrator. Fans might be more concerned about Simpaul than England's Steven Gerrard. The powers-that-be should ensure that T&T's World Cup dream does not become a nightmare long before the first ball is kicked.
Related flash-back News.Caribbean question turns Sepp into silent type.Time for a clean-up - Blatter accused of corruption.
