Trinidad and Tobago appeal over World Cup bonuses

September 11 - The Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation (TTFF) have launched an appeal against the decision that they must pay country’s 2006 World Cup squad, including Stern John, multi-million dollar bonuses they claim they were promised.

The TTFF have served notice in the High Court in Port-of-Spain that they are planning to appeal against the decision last month by Acting Justice Devindra Rampersad that ordered them to pay the bonuses and admonished them for time-wasting, running up a legal bill of more than T$3 million (£310,000) that they will also have to pay.

The proceedings were filed in November 2008 by 16 players who had demanded that they enforce the judgement of the London-based Sport Dispute Resolution Panel (SDRP), who had found in their favour.

The TTFF and its President Oliver Camps are formally listed as the defendants.

The TTFF, who will be represented by QC’s William McCormick Kelvin Ramkissoon and Om Lalla, are challenging Rampersad’s ruling on findings of fact and law.

McCormick and Lalla have both both represented FIFA vice-president Jack Warner, now Trinidad’s Minister for Works, in earlier court cases.

Warner, a special adviser to the TTFF, is blamed by the players for being behind the campaign to stop them receiving their bonuses.

Rampersad’s decision backed the earlier verdict by SDRP arbitrator Ian Mill QC that the TTFF had to pay the Warriors “50 per cent of the revenues derived from the ‘Road to Germany 2006’ campaign”.

The players, who include Premier League Stoke City’s new record £8 million signing Kenwyne Jones (pictured), claim that each is owed between T$1.9-$3.4 million (£210,000-£370,000).

The TTFF attempted to block the judgment on the grounds that a Trinidad Guardian article was in breach of the arbitration’s confidentiality agreement.

The TTFF and the players accused each other of the leak.

Francis Joseph, the author of the article, now works under Warner at the Ministry of Works.

The TTFF claim that they have eight grounds of appeal, including that Rampersad “was wrong in law to order that the Defendants’ application be dismissed and that the High Court proceed to take an account as to any sum due to the Claimants” and “the Learned Judge misdirected himself as to the law applicable to deciding whether the breaches complained of were repudiatory”.

Michael Townley, the players’ London-based solicitor, is disappointed but not surprised by the latest move.

“It’s shocking that any national football federation can behave like this,” he told the Trinidad Express.

“FIFA members are governed by a code of ethics and not paying your debts is generally considered unethical.

“Yet all they have ever done since they made that commitment is avoided paying, using every delay tactic they can think of.”

Townley is trying to determine whether the TTFF have a right of appeal.

The players are represented locally by George Hislop, the father of World Cup goalkeeper Shaka Hislop.

“I am investigating with my colleagues whether the appeal is admissible at all,” Townley told the Trinidad Express.

“It would be out of time in the English courts and also they would need permission from a judge to even make an appeal here.”