Trinidad and Tobago’s qualification for the FIFA Under 17 World Championship in Korea next month was celebrated in lavish fashion at a reception hosted by the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation at the Dr Joao Havelange Centre of Excellence Sepp Blatter Hall on Sunday morning.
The 32 players, including the 20-man squad that got through the CONCACAF final round of qualification in May in Jamaica were all toasted along with members of the technical staff headed by head coach Anton Corneal and manager Christopher Gouveia.
Several leading officials and personalities on the local football scene as well as Honourable Minister of Sport Roger Boynes, Brian Lewis, secretary general of the T&T Olympic Committee, Victor Daniel, General Secretary of the Grenada Football Association, Zoran Vranes, head coach of St Vincent/Grenadines and T&T head coach Wim Rijsbergen were present at the gathering.
Warner, special adviser to the TTFF also used the forum to vent his feelings on the ongoing impasse between the TTFF and the majority of T&T’s 2006 World Cup squad.
But that aside, the event was hosted by the TTFF and coordinated by All Sports Promotions with the Under 17s in mind. And every member of the squad stood proudly before the audience when he was introduced and invited to take the stage.
A video highlighting the team led by Leston Paul was also on display at the event and will air on the local Football 07 program this month.
Warner said the young team presented a sense of hope for T&T.
“This is a team sport. You are playing for your team and your country and if you do that whenever the result… we shall be proud. Our aspiration is not so much of course is win the Under 17 Final but to show what a small country like T&T can produce. You are the future of sport, you are the beacon of hope for this country where of course in a sense sport and culture are the only two unifying forces in this country. You have a chance to take over where the senior players have left off. And when you leave here on August 5 bear in mind that you are now on the threshold of your career. Let this qualification mark the commencement of your football career, not its consummation. If you go there and perform as you can, then you would have serve us very proudly.”
On the topic of the “Soca Warriors” impasse, Warner added that he wanted the “public to know and for the public to judge” and that the time will come when he and the TTFF shall reveal with its figures and documents to support them. Lawyers advised him against using Sunday’s forum to do so but he promised to do it sometime in the future.
"The TTFF owes not a single player any money for any match based on any contract signed by the players.
"I could have said I didn't say so, I stammer and I talk fast," he stated. "I could have said 'all yuh misunderstand me'. Warner added saying that it was his first and last mistake referring to his verbal agreements to give the players 50 percent of the net proceeds following the team’s 0-0 draw with Sweden. “At the end of the day that is the issue. Not a single match, not a single contract. Everything has been honoured. There is no record of that (the 50 percent agreement). “I could have said I never said so.”
Warner mentioned that some of the players leading the fight were already somewhat too old to play for the country again but noted that none of them were neither Russell Latapy nor Dwight Yorke.
He added that the monies coming into the TTFF has to be used for investing for future national teams and development but not to give to players. He revealed that no country receives money from FIFA for qualifying for a FIFA youth tournament and the world governing body assists only with the airfare. He also applauded the Senior Team for its fighting display at the 2007 Gold Cup at which it did no better nor worse than previous national teams.
He said publicly it should be noted that Jamaican technical director Bora Milutinovic is receiving a salary is twice what T&T head coach Wim Rijsbergen and his assistant is receiving. And even after Jamaica suffered embarrassing results on a recent Asian tour, its Government is still supporting through payment of salaries. Yet the T&T Government has not followed up on its promise to pay the T&T technical staff. Boynes though informed Warner that the monies were approved last Friday. Warner assured Rijsbergen that he would pay his salaries for May and June.
The CONCACAF President also a presentation to former Malvern player and coach Robbie Greenidge of $3,000 a month and the use a rental car until he passes on. Greenidge recently suffered a stroke. Cas Brown was also awarded the same $3,000 per month payment.