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Jack Warner (football executive)

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The Honourable
Austin Warner

MP
Minister of Works and Transport
Incumbent
Assumed office
28 May 2010
Prime MinisterKamla Persad-Bissessar
Preceded byColm Imbert
Member of Parliament
for Chaguanas West
Incumbent
Assumed office
05 November, 2007
Preceded byConstituency established
Majority18,352 (93%)
May 24, 2010
CONCACAF President
Incumbent
Assumed office
1990
Personal details
Born (1943-01-26) 26 January 1943 (age 81)
Arouca, Trinidad and Tobago
Political partyUnited National Congress (UNC)
Alma materUniversity of the West Indies

Austin "Jack" Warner (born January 26, 1943) is a Trinidad and Tobago football executive and businessman and a FIFA Vice-President and CONCACAF President. He is also the Minister of Works and Transport of Trinidad and Tobago and an elected member of that country's parliament. A former school teacher (history), he is the owner of Joe Public F.C., a professional football club based in Tunapuna, Trinidad and Tobago.[1] He also is acting prime minister of Trinidad and Tobago whenever the prime minister is out of the country.

Warner has been a member of the FIFA Executive Committee since 1983, and CONCACAF President since 1990. His Presidential term will end in 2011.[2]

Education

Austin Jack Warner attended secondary school at the Presentation College Chaguanas, located in central Trinidad, where he grew up. He later attended the Teachers Training College and then went on to graduate with a BA degree from the University of the West Indies at St Augustine and subsequently earned a Diploma in International Relations from the same institution.

Football

Corruption Charges

Black market ticket sales

Via a private family company, Warner owned shares in Simpaul, a travel and holiday company. In late 2002, various global media publications alleged that Warner had made a profit of $350,000 selling 2002 FIFA World Cup tickets.[3]

In a series of exposes, during Christmas 2005 the Trinidad and Tobago Express exposed that Simpaul was offering $30,000 packages to the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany, which effectively marked-up match tickets at a high rate.[4] In response to the expose, Simpaul removed the cost of the tickets from their packages, by reducing the cost of the packages by $3,000. They then referred clients to the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association, who at that time had an exclusive distribution deal for local and World Cup tickets with Simpaul.

In response, FIFA started an investigation, and asked their auditors Ernst & Young, to investigate. In a report submitted to FIFA in March 2006, E&Y estimated that Warner's family had made a profit of at least $1 million from reselling 2006 World Cup tickets, that Warner had directly ordered or sold on behalf of the T&TFA.[5][6] In consequence of being found guilty of breaking FIFA's Article 5, minutes of FIFA’s executive committee indicate that a fine of almost $1 million, equal to the expected profiteering, was imposed on the family. Warner also agreed to severe all family links with Simpaul immediately.[7]

However, Warner's son Daryan remained a director of Simpaul throughout World Cup 2006, while his personal assistant remained the company secretary of Simpaul.[3] Despite numerous reminders from FIFA, only $250,000 has been paid.[8] The BBC's Panorama repeated the allegations in a November 2010 programme during the week Warner and his fellow FIFA ExCo members voted to decide the hosts for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.

Request for personal payments

After Trinidad and Tobago visited Scotland for a friendly match on 30 May 2004 at Easter Road, Edinburgh, Jack Warner asked SFA President John McBeth for the cheque for the game to be made out to him personally and not the FA of Trinidad and Tobago. McBeth refused to issue the cheque to Warner. Warner also approached several members of staff at the Scottish Football Association in an attempt to get the money due to the T&T FA.[9] [10]

Controversies

Trinidad and Tobago 2006 World Cup bonuses

Before the 2006 FIFA World Cup, Warner, as special advisor to the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation, brokered a deal between the Federation and the players on Trinidad and Tobago's 2006 World Cup team to share the proceeds from their participation in the World Cup. After the tournament the Federation declared revenue of TT$18.25 million, costs of TT$17.9 million and offered the players a split of TT$5,644.08 per player. The players rejected this figure, disputing the Federation's numbers. Warner criticized the players for refusing to accept the T&TFF's unaudited statement, saying “What Trinidad is suffering from is from a situation whereby 16 or 18 players are holding a country and a federation to ransom because of greed.”[11][12]

Shaka Hislop, the interim president of the Football Players Association of Trinidad and Tobago, responded with a letter to Warner writing “You have continually proven yourself heavily biased and opinionated in this matter.” In 2010, Hislop added that ""Jack Warner, though not on the TTFA officially, makes every single decision: how much bonus should be paid, who is the right coach."[13]

The Trinidad and Tobago government revealed that the Federation received in excess of TT$173 million for their part in the tournament in Germany.

The T&TFF proposed that the bonus dispute be heard before the UK Sports Dispute Resolution Panel and the players agreed. Arbitrator Ian Mill QC heard the case and ruled that Warner had “the authority of the TTFA to commit it to financial transactions" and that the players were entitled to 50 per cent of the FIFA World Cup participation money and the commercial revenues gained from Trinidad and Tobago's qualification, as well as half the net income from World Cup warm-up matches.[14]

The players' lawyer, Michael Townley, said "At the moment, the players have not received a single cent" and alleged that the T&TFF defaulted on its payment to the arbitration body.[15]

England World Cup bid

Warner once again caused controversy in an interview with the BBC about England's chances of holding the 2018 FIFA World Cup. He asserted that "England invented the sport but has never made any impact on world football" despite being one of only (then) seven nations to ever lift the world cup, "For Europe, England is an irritant", and that "Nobody in Europe likes England". Furthermore Warner proposed that, if the World Cup were to be held in Europe, it should be held in Italy, Spain, or France (countries that last hosted the competition in 1990, 1982 and 1998 respectively). He said that he would "battle to bring...the tournament to his region"[16] where the US last hosted the finals in 1994. Mexico hosted in 1970 and 1986.[17][18]

However, on February 14, 2008, Warner retracted this stance. England's Football Association agreed to visit Trinidad and Tobago to play a friendly against the Trinidad and Tobago national football team on the condition that Warner apologize.[19]

Warner argued that, "The time has come. The fact is they invented this sport [...] They last held the World Cup 42 years ago. That is almost two to three generations. There are guys in England who have never seen a World Cup on English soil." Warner maintained that the choice of England would not be popular among mainland Europe though.[20]

During the bidding process to host the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cup's Warner continually supported the English bid, promising to vote in England's favour at the draw in December 2010. Warner approached the England bid team through David Beckham, offering to hold off on bringing out the vote for Russia in exchange for promises in relation to CONCACAF.[21][failed verification] Russia won the vote to hold the FIFA World Cup in 2018, with Warner widely reported to have voted for the Russian bid.[22]

Dwight Yorke

In September 2008, after Sunderland player Dwight Yorke had withdrawn from the Trinidad and Tobago national football team, Warner attacked the club and the manager, Roy Keane. In a letter leaked to the press, Warner accused Keane of disrespecting "small countries" and having a "mean streak".[23][24] Keane responded by repugning the allegation, accusing Warner of being a "clown" and a "disgrace", and insisted that Yorke was retired from international football.[25]

Political career

In October 2007 Warner was appointed United National Congress Alliance chairman and co-leader, to lead the party into Trinidad and Tobago's 2007 General Election.[26] They won 15 of 41 seats and Warner was elected as the Member of Parliament for Chaguanas West. Patrick Manning's PNM government, which had comfortably won the 2007 election, called an election less than three years into its mandate. Warner's UNC party formed a coalition with four other parties and won the 24 May 2010 elections by a landslide margin of 29 of 41 seats in parliament. Warner was re-elected in Chaguanas West with the highest national vote total. Warner has described the previous Trinidadian administration as the "most corrupt ever", and has pledged to enforce hanging as a method of execution. Warner has said that it is "It is inconceivable to have 295 on death row awaiting the hangman...when no one is trying to apply the law".[27]

References

  1. ^ James, Jennie (2002-05-19). "Last Man Standing". Time Inc. Retrieved 2007-05-31.
  2. ^ "Jack Warner re-elected as CONCACAF President". CONCACAF. 2007-03-14. Retrieved 2007-03-21. [dead link]
  3. ^ a b Andrew Jennings (12 September 2006). "FIFA chief's World Cup ticket scam". Daily Mail. Retrieved 2010-12-05.
  4. ^ "Simpaul's Travel under FIFA scrutiny". TTGapers.com. 1 January, 2006. Retrieved 2010-12-05. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  5. ^ Jennings, Andrew (2006-06-11). "The Beautiful Bung: Corruption and the World Cup". BBC. Retrieved 2006-12-10.
  6. ^ Norman-Culp., Sheila (2007-03-23). "Blatter denies involvement in graft probe". The Associated Press. Retrieved 2007-03-28.
  7. ^ Jennings, Andrew (2007-03-13). "FIFA chief's son in $1m scam fine". Daily Mail. Retrieved 2007-03-13.
  8. ^ Jennings, Andrew (2006-09-12). "FIFA chief's World Cup ticket scam". Daily Mail. Retrieved 2006-12-12.
  9. ^ Jennings, Andrew (2007-10-21). "'Warner asked me to make a cheque out to his personal account. I said we don't do that'". The Sunday Herald. Gannett Co., Inc. Archived from the original on 2007-12-24. Retrieved 2008-01-19.
  10. ^ "Fifa and Coe". BBC News. 2007-10-29. Retrieved 2010-05-05.
  11. ^ Herborn, Michael (2007-09-24). "Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation said to understate World Cup earnings by USD 25 million". Play the Game. Retrieved 2007-10-22.
  12. ^ Liburd, Lasana (2007-09-15). "T&TFF got more than $173m". The Trinidad Express. Archived from the original on 2008-02-09. Retrieved 2007-09-30.
  13. ^ "How Fifa vice-president Jack Warner failed to deliver on promises". The Guardian. Guardian News and Media Limited. 2010-11-29. Retrieved 2010-12-03.
  14. ^ Liburd, Lasana (2008-05-21). "Hislop relieved over SDRP judgment". The Trinidad Express. Retrieved 2008-06-15. [dead link]
  15. ^ Liburd, Lasana (2008-05-21). "'let's start with $44m'". The Trinidad Express. Retrieved 2008-06-15. [dead link]
  16. ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/internationals/6939170.stm Fifa man opposes England 2018 bid
  17. ^ - Potential CONCACAF hosts discussed
  18. ^ US touted as a possible for 2018
  19. ^ "England FA wants apology from Warner...or no friendly against Warriors". The Trinidad Guardian. Trinidad Publishing Company Limited. 2008-02-14. Retrieved 2008-06-15. {{cite news}}: line feed character in |work= at position 13 (help)
  20. ^ "Warner backs England 2018 Cup bid". BBC SPORT. 2008-02-14. Retrieved February 14, 2008
  21. ^ "Jack Warner blasted over failed England bid - Alleged to have switched support". Jamaica Observer. 03-12-2010. Retrieved 03-12-2010. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
  22. ^ Gibson, Owen (4 December 2010). "World Cup 2018: The men who betrayed England and why they did it". The Guardian. London, United Kingdom: Guardian News and Media. Sports, p. 2. Retrieved 5 December 2010. Jack Warner, the Concacaf president who has revelled in his status as kingmaker of the English bid, shook hands with Cameron, had his picture taken with Prince William, then promptly took his three votes to Russia.
  23. ^ "Warner slams Keane for 'disrespect'". The Trinidad Express. 2008-09-10. Retrieved 2008-09-12. [dead link]
  24. ^ "Keane calls FIFA VP Jack Warner a 'clown'". USA Today. 2008-09-12. Retrieved 2010-05-05.
  25. ^ Taylor, Louise (2008-09-13). "Keane attacks 'clowns' Warner and Yorke over Trinidad saga". The Guardian. London: Guardian News and Media Limited. Retrieved 2009-04-14.
  26. ^ Chan Tack, Clint (2007-10-05). "Panday, Warner lead UNC Alliance". Daily News Limited. Retrieved 2007-10-19.
  27. ^ Julien, Joel (2010-07-07). "Jack: Hangings will curb crime". Trinidad Express Newspapers. Retrieved 2010-07-13.

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