Just over a month after collecting part of their salaries for representing the Soca Warriors in international matches, members of the team were fully compensated by the Sport Company of T&T (Sportt).
This was confirmed by Sportt chairman, Rhett Chee Ping yesterday. However, a source close to the players said they were still not satisfied as the payments still did not cover what was expected.
Last Christmas eve, a number of the players based locally ventured to Sportt, Henry Street, Port-of-Spain office to collect their cheques for matches played.
These matches ran from July 2010 to the Digicel Caribbean Cup Finals in Martinique which ended on December 5 and included: Antigua & Barbuda (two), Jamaica (two), Belize, St Lucia, Guyana (two), St Vincent and The Grenadines, Haiti, Cuba, Grenada and Martinique.
During that same period the lone match for which the players and some staff members were paid was the away international friendly to Panama on September 7. Three days later, T&T also played away to Belize but the players were not paid.
In addition to the players, most of the technical staff have also gone close to a year without payments from the T&T Football Federation. Upon collecting their cheques, the players revealed the figures received were way short of what was really owed to them.
However after a number of discussions and meetings and the exchanging of documented information which verified their involvement in matches, Sportt was able to fullfill its agreement to pay the remainder of the salaries owed to the players.
Prior to Christmas, the players were paid just over US$40,000 while a further US$155,000 was still to be paid. Commenting on the matter, Chee Ping said, “We had informed the players that once the necessary paperwork was brought to us with regards to correcting the amount of monies they were owed they would be compensated the rest of their salaries.
“In the end all the players were able to get the remainder of their salaries owed to them, ended Chee Ping who refered the Trinidad Guardian to Errol Ashby, Sportt’s Legal Corporate Secretary for further details, however he was not in office.
Asked how soon members of the technical staff can look forward to also being paid, Chee Ping said it all depended on the T&TFF presenting the written contracts. A former national triathlete, Chee Ping said: “We have not seen the necessary paper work for the technical staff members which I believe is close to eight of them.
“I have asked the T&TFF to see the written contracts for the staff members but we have not seen them as yet and until them we at Sportt will not be paying blindly because they say to do so.”
“We did received some documents from the T&TFF which informed us of the staff members and their roles but some more information is needed including the written contracts.
“We just want to make sure we are doing the right time and while we have the names of the staff members we need to get proper written contracts stating.