Warner back in the dock over unpaid 2006 World Cup bonuses

By Andrew Warshaw

February 16 – A High Court judge is expected to decide tomorrow what action to take against former FIFA vice-president Jack Warner over the long-running 2006 World Cup payments dispute.

Earlier this month, office equipment was seized in a raid on the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation (TTFF), for whom Warner used to be a special advisor, following consistent complaints by 14 former squad members that they never received millions of dollars of outstanding bonuses promised to them for both qualifying for and playing in the finals in Germany six years ago.

The TTFF has, in turn, laid the blame for the problem squarely with Warner, who has distanced himself from the dispute.

In an 11-page ruling earlier this year, Justice Devindra Rampersad said that the TTFF should direct Warner in writing – with copies to the attorneys for the players – “to file an account of all monies received by him” as the TTFF’s agent “in relation to all income, donations, gifts, grants or benefits whatsoever and all expenditure therefrom arising out of the World Cup 2006”.

When the matter came up in court again earlier this week, Warner was not present.

The dispute is complicated by the fact that Warner, who was president of both CONCACAF and the Caribbean Football Union, resigned from all footballing matters last year rather than be sanctioned by FIFA’s Ethics Committee probing the cash-for-votes scandal.

Brent Sancho, spokesman for the players, said the judge told the TTFF to appear back in court Friday to discuss what legal proceedings to take against Warner.

The players are seeking an account of all the monies received by Warner and/or former Federation president Oliver Camps and general secretary Richard Groden “individually or together, legally or beneficially and/or by to an agent acting on their behalf or any other party under the effective ownership or control of or serving as agents” of the TTFF, Camps, Warner or Groden.

A letter from Warner to the court claimed he had returned all the revelant documents in his possession.

This has been denied by Camps.

Sancho said he hoped that, finally, “commonsense would prevail.”

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