CONCACAF president Jack Warner has called it a sad day for Caribbean football because of a decision by Jamaica to host a one-week camp for Bahrain, the team which is vying with Trinidad and Tobago for a place in next year's World Cup.
By Ian PrescottWarner said that while Guatemala had turned down a similar offer in solidarity with their CONCACAF opponents, Caribbean neighbours Jamaica had gone as far as to suspend their local league, so that the best Jamaican footballers could play a game with Bahrain, who face T&T on November 12 and 16 in a home and away play-off.
Warner's information is that the Middle East country had piled heaps of money before the struggling Jamaican Football Federation, which is desperate for cash.
"It's a sad day for Caribbean football and Caribbean unity," said Warner yesterday at a Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation (T&TFF) press conference at the Hasely Crawford Stadium.
"Even if they (Bahrain) had paid one million for that facility, it should not have been enough."
Warner said he had been contacted by Crenston Boxhill, president of the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF), who enquired whether Warner had a a problem with Jamaica playing a game with Bahrain on November 2.
Yesterday, Warner told the media he had no objection to the initial request, since it gave Trinidad and Tobago's coach Leo Beenhakker the chance to see the Bahrain team in action.
However, Warner is now peeved that Boxhill has since also agreed to facilitate Bahrain for an eight-day camp and given the Middle East contenders the best opportunity to beat Trinidad and Tobago.
Guatemala, who lost out to Trinidad and Tobago in the battle for CONCACAF's fourth World Cup qualifying spot, had also been approached by Bahrain, who felt they might be able to help them adjust to Trinidad and Tobago's style.
Bahrain were seeking two warm-up matches on October 26 and 27, but Warner said Guatemala informed him that, in solidarity with Trinidad and Tobago, they would not play the games.
Warner said he is unwilling to ask Boxhill to reconsider the Jamaicans' course of action, but hinted at repercussions by stating there were other ways of dealing with the matter.
The FIFA vice-president said Bahrain had suspended their own local league and had also gotten Qatar to release seven of their professionals so that they could have specialised training before the play-offs with Trinidad and Tobago.
He said because 90 per cent of Trinidad and Tobago's national squad play abroad, they are in the unfortunate position of having to stick to FIFA statutes and will only have their players released five days before the qualifying matches. However, Warner said he will petition FIFA in Zurich on Monday to have yellow cards against players of both teams lifted.
