Breaking football’s federation

After his problems with FIFA and the subsequent ban on his involvement with football in any form as one of the terms of his departure from that organisation, the question arose in the minds of local football fans, “What happens to local football after Jack Warner?” The answer came last week, accompanied by marshals of the court and police officers. The famous quip by Dr Eric Williams, “one from ten leaves zero,” seemed applicable to the reversed fortunes of another federation entirely.

Apres Warner, the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation (TTFF) found itself levied on for unpaid money owed to the 13 footballers who played for Trinidad and Tobago at the 2006 World Cup, this country’s first appearance at the prestigious soccer competition. The baker’s dozen had pursued a long legal road to settle their arrangements with the TTFF, culminating in a high court judgement by Justice Devindra Rampersad on January 12, 2012 which directed the football body to make a second payment of TT$4.6 million to the players.

Payment was originally due three months earlier, and the January directive resulted in a High Court order to pay. The footballers had been paid TT$7 million as an interim award in February 2011. When the footballers appeared at the TTFF offices on Wednesday, acting president Lennox Watson asked for an hour to find the money. That didn’t happen. A release from the TTFF on the matter noted that “The TTFF had hoped that 2006 World Cup Local Organizing Committee (LOC) accounts of which Mr Warner was the sole arbiter, would have been reconciled and payments would have been made to the players. This unfortunately has not occurred. The TTFF on its own does not have the resources to fulfil this request for such payment.”

Jack Warner, enjoined by FIFA to stay out of football matters, attempted to avoid requests for a statement by the media, but couldn’t keep irritation out of his responses. Facing a microphone held by television journalist Juhel Browne, Warner snapped, “You here pushing Sancho head?” In a subsequent radio interview, the former FIFA boss would let his vitriol flow. “These are 13 guys who are consumed by greed,” he said, “What have they done for local football since?”

This remains a matter to be settled before the courts, but there remains the frisson of shock and disappointment at the collapse of the relationship between our most successful team and the local body with authority for football management. As Brent Sancho told Wired868.com, “Just a couple of years ago, we were in the World Cup and today we are here doing this.” Further confusing matters is the lack of accounts for the World Cup effort to guide the payment process. Warner was to provide accounts of the initiative to the courts on Friday before the players and the TTFF return to the High Court tomorrow.

In an affidavit filed before the court in August 2011, former TTFF president Oliver Camps noted that: “I have no information or records for (LOC Germany) as this was under the control of special advisor, Mr Jack Warner. The executive and I have made repeated requests for Mr Warner to provide accounts.” The debacle of the property of the TTFF being loaded onto trucks is likely to be only the most public humiliation that the federation is likely to face in the wake of this court action. Jack Warner is not interested in providing any more money to pay the footballers, having, he says, borrowed the $7 million they were paid in their first tranche.

Sports Minister Anil Roberts made it clear that taxpayers money will not be used to bailout the cash strapped TTFF, though the Government’s funding support for the Under 17 and Under 23 football teams will continue. As an autonomous association, the TTFF will have to either sort out its business to the satisfaction of the plaintiffs and the court or face the possibility of financial collapse and that can’t possibly be good for local football.