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Minister accused of deceiving Parliament The Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation (TTFF) today turned the tables on Sport Minister Anil Roberts and insisted that the TTFF marketing manager and All Sport Promotions director Anthony Harford was being honest and not the Congress of the People (COP) MP over World Cup 2014 funding.

And, in a statement signed by acting TTFF president Lennox Watson, the football body asked Roberts to withdraw his statement.

“The TTFF is satisfied that All Sport has received only the funds agreed,” stated Watson, “and that the company has worked tirelessly to improve the standard of administration of the game, through a professional and dedicated team…

“All Sport has funded four camps and travel for the national teams in the absence of government or other funding. In the circumstances, the TTFF feels the Minister should withdraw his statement.”

Roberts accused Harford, during the budget debate last Friday, of failing to account for over $5 million in taxpayers’ money and improperly transferring funds to All Sport.

“When Mr Harford presented to the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Sport, who is the accounting officer, the account of the 11 million dollars (spent),” said Roberts. “There were some discrepancies and (a) lack of information…

“(And) when the Auditor General went through the statement, it was seen that Anthony Harford as head of the authorization committee, when given $11 million of taxpayers’ money went on to pay himself $936,250.

“He paid himself to himself.”

National Security Minister and former TTFF special advisor Jack Warner further slammed Harford in Parliament yesterday for taking a 15 percent administrative fee for his marketing duties.

Arguably, Warner and Roberts have taken contradictory stances.

If Warner knew about All Sport’s 15 percent commission, then why did Roberts say he did not although the Sport Minister was the feature speaker when Harford’s new role in football was revealed at a press conference on 12 August 2011?

In any case, the TTFF rubbished all three assertions from both People’s Partnership Ministers and insisted that Roberts was being untruthful in his recollection.

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