Port-of-Spain (Trinidad): A high court judge said Jack Warner denies any knowledge about the whereabouts of the Trinidad and Tobago accounts from the 2006 World Cup amid a dispute over bonuses owed to players from that national team.
Justice Devindra Rampersad said on Tuesday that Warner, who once led Caribbean football for more than two decades, submitted a letter stating his position.
Former defender Brent Sancho, the leader of the players’ group, said the letter contradicts what was said last year by Oliver Camps, the ex-president of the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation.
“He told the court that Mr. Warner was the only person who held the accounts of the 2006 world cup and the TTFF never had them,” Sancho said.
Thirteen players who represented Trinidad and Tobago during its 2006 World Cup run say they are owed millions in bonuses. Earlier this month, several of them seized office equipment from the TTFF.
The dispute began when then-captain Dwight Yorke and 12 teammates announced they would quit the team in 2006 before the World Cup unless the TTFF rewarded the players with 50 percent of the profits generated from its run to the event in Germany.
The players later withdrew their threat, saying their lawyers would fight the case in court.
The smallest country in size and population to qualify for any World Cup, Trinidad was eliminated in the first round.
Last week, Warner acknowledged he had promised the players a 30 percent bonus. The players say he met an initial payment ordered by the court last year but a second one has still not been paid.
Warner was a FIFA vice president until resigning all his duties last June to avoid a FIFA investigation into alleged election bribery. He remains a powerful government lawmaker in Trinidad.
Rampersad adjourned the hearing to give the TTFF more time to make a final decision on what it will do to make the overdue payments.
Bureau Report
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.