PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC – Football here was plunged further into chaos yesterday when police and a court-appointed marshall swooped down on the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation offices to seize its assets.
The action was taken following the TTFF’s failure to honour a High Court order to dish out TT$4.6 million (US$724 000) to 13 national players who were part of the country’s historic campaign at the 2006 World Cup in Germany.
Paraphernalia such as chairs, computers, desks, refrigerators and microwaves were taken from the Dundonald Street location and were expected to be auctioned off.
Acting TTFF president Lennox Watson tried to avert the action by asking for an hour to come up with the money but failed to meet his own deadline, Wired868.com reported.
“Just a couple of years ago, we were in the World Cup and today we are here doing this but we feel we had no other choice. They had every opportunity to pay this money,” one of the aggrieved former players, Brent Sancho told the website.
“The next step is the liquidation of the Federation and after that we are going after (former TTFF President Oliver) Camps. We would still like to join (Works Minister and former TTFF Special Advisor) Jack Warner to the case. But we leave that in the hands of the judge.”
The deadline to settle with the players passed last October, forcing the parties to head back to court last month. Subsequently, the players decided to move on the federation’s offices.
Thirteen players – Kenwyne Jones, Shaka Hislop, Stern John, Kelvin Jack, Avery John, Cornell Glen, Collin Samuel, Aurtis Whitley, Evans Wise, Cyd Gray, Atiba Charles, Anthony Wolfe and Sancho – took the TTFF to court after claiming that Warner had failed to keep his promise to pay the players half of all revenue coming out of the World Cup campaign.
Warner, at the time a powerful FIFA vice-president and president of the Caribbean Football Union and CONCACAF, has since resigned all these posts.
Now a government minister, he has been asked by the court to provide the financial details of the income relating to the 2006 World Cup by tomorrow.
Jones, Samuel, Wolfe and Glen are the only players still in professional football.
