PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC – Tony Harford said the financial affairs of the Trinidad & Tobago Football Federation are perfectly in order. But they could not account for the money they received from corporate sponsorship from the 2006 World Cup.
Harford, one of the principal advisors to the new T&TFF administration, said there were accounts controlled by former special advisor Austin “Jack” Warner about which they do not have the complete details.
“That is the account in question,” he told the Trinidad Express newspaper. “The truth is that the T&TFF does not know. That is what is holding up and tarnishing the relationship (between the Federation and the players) and the issues. “The parallel accounts, the LOC accounts are the ones in question. Therefore, the T&TFF find themselves in an embarrassing position.” Harford’s comments came against the backdrop of a threat from protesting members of 2006 T&T World Cup squad that they would launch bankruptcy proceedings against the national federation. The threat stems from the players’ legal challenge following the T&TFF’s failure to pay them an agreed portion of sponsorship money for their qualification and participation in the 2006 World Cup in Germany.
Harford said he recommended that the T&TFF come out and talk straight with the players. “Say ‘listen we can’t account for this, we surrendered complete authority to our special adviser,” he said. “Now that he is departed, we are left to this thing and we can’t account for it’.”
