FIFA Vice President Jack Warner says he will no longer be financially supporting the Soca Warriors.
By Anna RamdassIn a telephone interview with the Daily Express yesterday, Warner, who is still in Germany, said for the past two years, he had been shelling out the money to the team so skipper Dwight Yorke's men could achieve their goal of reaching the 2006 World Cup.
However, he says he is no longer willing to shoulder that burden.
"I am no longer prepared to foot the bill as before,'' Warner said as he explained that he would no longer be paying Dutch coach Leo Beenhakker's salary, living and travelling expenses.
Ironically, at the time of the interview, Warner said he had spoken to Beenhakker yesterday morning and they had agreed to hold further discussions in person later on in the day when the Soca Warriors camp was closed.
Warner said Beenhakker had expressed a desire to stay on and coach the team. Warner said, however, that he intended to make it clear to Beenhakker that he would not be forking out any money for the team in the future.
"It is the end of the line... I have funded the team for the past two years. I have many things to be thankful for, I have no regrets," Warner said.
He said he had had faith in the team and took them as far as the World Cup in Germany. He admitted, though, that he had no aspirations the team would go beyond the preliminary stages of the prestigious tournament.
Warner did not disclose how much money he had spent over the past two years, but last year he had said the team would need some $79 million to take them through to the World Cup.
He said he would be "vulnerable" to the society if he disclosed the amount he spent on the Soca Warriors.
When asked whether he was in debt, Warner immediately said no and noted he did not regret spending any money on the team. He reiterated, though, that he is no longer prepared to continue doing so.
Asked if he thought the Soca Warriors would have had a better chance in Tuesday's crucial match against against Paraguay, had Russell Latapy been brought in earlier, Warner said he never discussed the team's technical plays with Beenhakker. He did admit that it may have been an error on his (Beenhakker) part to send Latapy in as late as he did.
As for what he thinks is a deserving reward for the team, Warner said he preferred to remain mum on this.
Government, he said, had made promises to athletes in the past and never fulfilled them.
On Tuesday following the game, Prime Minister Patrick Manning, at a news conference at Whitehall, Port-of-Spain, had said that the Cabinet would discuss the country's sporting policy and ensure that various areas in sports, such as football, cycling, cricket and athletics, are funded,
Noting that the Government had had many policies before, Warner said if the Government wishes to fund the Soca Warriors and ensure they make it to the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, they would have to put a proposal to the Football Federation.
Warner said he would be returning home on Monday for a three-day stay, after which he would return to Germany for the rest of the World Cup.
