The National Lotteries Control (NLCB) has decided to cash in on this country’s Journey to Germany campaign and has offered a sponsorship deal to the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation worth $5 million over the next five years.
This was announced at a media briefing at the Marriot Hotel on Friday.
NLCB chairman Louis Lee Sing said his entity was in many ways convinced that the current senior team was in every way worthy of such assistance and felt that Jack Warner should not be left alone in financing a cause by which the country would end up benefiting from on a whole.
Several other announcements were made including the setting up of a Warriors Pride Appreciation Fund in which members of the public can now pt forward whatever funds they see fit towards the players on the Senior team.
The committee is chaired by Dr Iva Gloudon with Clive Pantin as secretary and also includes Mary Suibert, Sedley Joseph and Anil Roberts who came forward with the initiative to set up the fund. FIFA Vice President Jack Warner got the fund going with a $10,000 contribution. Fans can make their deposits to account #9011017317 at any Royal Bank of Trinidad and Tobago branch.
Gayelle TV also pledged to contribute $1000 for every goal scored by the “Warriors” on November 12 against Bahrain.
It was also announced that through negotiations by Warner the cost per head for the charter flight to Bahrain which leaves Piarco at 1 am after the November 12 game has been cut to $15,000. So far some six seats have been taken with another 140 remaining. Further information can be obtained or bookings can be made through All Sports Promotions.
The following is the address given by NLCB chairman Lee Sing.
This event would not have been possible had it not been for a newspaper report I read in which I got the distinct impression Mr. Jack Warner, Vice President of FIFA was publicly begging.
What also struck me from that report was that Jack Warner on a rare occasion was accounting to – the people of Trinidad and Tobago, when he documented in some detail his expenditure for the current World Cup Campaign and above all outlined his revenue figures.
I have always felt that Mr. Warner through his own hard work and efforts had become a very wealthy man and so when he indicated that he was NOT a rich man; but he had used some $17 million of his own pocket money for the 2006 Campaign I felt a tinge of sympathy for him, as I genuinely felt he had spent much more than the sum indicated – and that he was good for it.
But getting a big man like Jack Warner to beg publicly caused us at the Board of Directors of NLCB to begin discussions on an appropriate intervention.
At the NLCB we have tried to be aggressive, fair and balanced in what we do.
We believe too many state enterprises operate in too much of a bureaucratic mode while some simply don’t know or appear not to understand their true roles in a society as dynamic as ours.
But I can understand their dilemma. Yesterday I saw a bit of correspondence from a lawyer representing an artist which sought to suggest and communicate that sponsorship at the NLCB had to be given based on a criteria of race.
What utter nonsense. Some, for reasons best known to themselves suggest race at every turn. If “yuh” give Steelpan, you have to give Tassa and so on.
At the NLCB under the watch of the present Board of Directors it is either a product is compatible with our goals and objectives or it is not. It is simply about mind share, nothing more, nothing less. And equally annoying is the general view of our people that Government must provide everything. I can’t help but feel something must be wrong with this approach.
I have listened to the debates over the last weeks and you are led to believe the only entity responsible for addressing crime in Trinidad and Tobago is the Government of our country.
We say NO. There are fundamental social issues that have been created by elements of our business sector that has everything to do with a level playing field.
Many are denied entry into the productive stream owing to a lack of funding. Notwithstanding your documented track record and the brilliance of your project. Financial institutions simply refuse to facilitate you, due largely, to a combination of who you are and very restrictive lending policies.
We declare obscene profits, but little if anything at all is given to unifying programmes in our country.
Given the declared profits of the leading businesses in this country during the last 10 years, a big man like Jack Warner should never, ever, have to be begging for the sport that seems to have a totally unifying effect on our population.
For business to do well in any country you require an environment of stability.
We ask why is it the business community has not fully embraced football and worked in a consistent way to build on the unifying effects of football.
Looking back on the National Spirit, prior to, during and following each game, you appreciate the magic of our football and its relevance to life in Trinidad and Tobago. For carrying the burden of this assignment for so long we owe a debt of gratitude to Mr. Warner and his Team.
We believe if each business in this country were to set aside less than .01 percent of its annual budget for football – getting to World Cup would be much easier.
In any event it could be charged back to the expenses of the Company.
We at the NLCB are convinced we will be playing in Germany next year. And so at this time we must begin the long, unforgiving task of finding the best young players Trinidad and Tobago has, wherever they are in the villages across our country.
It is this process that we are interested in, but we have to get our share in return.
We hope to do so in two ways (1) in being part of the process and (2) the attendant possible mind share of out stable of products.
The NLCB’s support of football at this time has much to do with encouraging the re-engineering of our National Football programmes to ensure the confusion directly related to the short-term rather than long-term planning will become a thing of the past.
We believe that for our football to continue to produce the magic it seems to have once each decade it must be given sustained care and attention.
We can’t be part time lovers to our football. It is too important to this society not to ensure it has all the required resources.
And so we have selected to enter into a five-year agreement, which takes us beyond the World Cup of 2006.
It is our hope that our business sector will see their roles in this regard and match the State Lottery in supporting football.
I wish on behalf of our Board of Directors, Management and Staff to congratulate the National Team on its performances to date and to wish our Team the very best in their immediate task.
May we all enjoy our football as we vanquish Bahrain both at home and abroad.