The Government of Trinidad and Tobago has agreed to meet the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation’s request for $13.5 million to fund this country’s qualifying drive for next year’s World Cup Finals in Germany.
Disclosing the news was TTFF Special Advisor Jack Warner at a media conference at the VIP Lounge, Hasely Crawford Stadium on Friday.
Aside from coming on board to assist the team in it’s quest for a historical qualification, the Government has also agreed to retain the services of head coach Leo Beenhakker and his assistants for two-four years in the first instance to coach National Teams and Local Coaches.
All this, according to Warner, was warmly accepted by the TTFF and the LOC Germany 2006 after being told of by Minister of Sport Roger Boynes and will be formalized this coming Monday.
“Even then, we are thankful sand highly appreciative of this gesture,” Warner said.
The Government will also fund a charter flight to take the National team and supporters to Bahrain a few hours following the match against Bahrain on November 12. Currently 200 seats are available at a cost of $17,500 each including match entrance, travelling and accommodation. All Sports Promotions is in charge of bookings.
The Government will also fund the charges to televise the batch in Bahrain on November 16 back home for viewers, costing US$50,000.
Warner further revealed that due to added support from the Government the cost of tickets for the game which kicks off at 6:30pm on November 12 will remain at $200 (covered) and $100 (uncovered) following initial intentions to raise the cost to $300 and $150.
Aside from that all, Warner was delighted to add “Yesterday Dwight Yorke called me and said to me that he wants his team and players to be focused when they come here for the game on the 8th. He says ‘Jack I am getting calls from some players about money for the two matches. He says to me ‘Jack I am not interested in money, my interest is getting this team into the World Cup and to close my career that way. But there are players on the team for whom money is important and I need your help. I said what can I do for you? He says ‘I want you to double whatever fee you pay the players for the qualifying matches so when I arrive here the players can be focused. I said to him Done Deal.”
Warner said he had to repeat it before Yorke fully understood that he would in fact double the incentives for win in each game. He further called a figure of US$10,000 as the new bonus off the top of his head but team manager Bruce Aanensen said it would be a little lower and preferred not to disclose publicly what the players were in fact taking home.
Warner said too that any sponsor willing to come on board and add to the incentives for the players were free to do so “with no strings attached”.
Warner added that he received a correspondent from the Guatemalan Federation refusing a request from Bahrain for a warm up but was later told that they had also gone to Jamaica to request a similar game. He added that he had no trouble with the “Reggae Boyz” facing T&T’s World Cup opponent inside the week before the game. But Warner’s eyebrows raised when he was informed on Friday that the Jamaican Federation agreed to accommodate the Bahrain contingent for an eight-day camp and to field a team of strong home-based players with the Jamaican League also being closed down to allow the country to field it’s best team.
The officials for the two-leg playoff will be revealed on Monday with none coming from either CONCACAF or Asia and FIFA, following a written request from Warner, will decide next week whether to wipe off all cards for both teams going into the playoffs.
And if that wasn’t enough, he then announced that officials from Adidas were in town on Friday to discuss terms and conditions of a four-year sponsorship deal with the TTFF. But nothing will be finalized, Warner said, until offers from Puma and Nike, as well as other firms expressing interest of late, are considered during the course of next week. Following that, up to 20,000 replica shirts will be printed and on sale to the public and” which we will ask you to buy in solidarity with the team for the match on the 12th. Modernized wristbands displaying images of the team will also be produced this month.
Request made to the Government of Trinidad and Tobago by the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation
| Administrative Cost (for 3 Month Period ending October 2005) | |
| Salaries (Office staff, technical staff, coaches) | |
| Rent (office and Apartments) | |
| Rental of Vehicles for Coaches | |
| Telephone (office and Coaches) | |
| Qualifying Games Costs (for 3mt Period ending) | |
| Accommodation - Teams and Officials | |
| Accreditation and Uniforms | |
| FIFA and CONCACAF Dues | |
| Insurance | |
| Players match fees | |
| Printing of tickets | |
| Refreshments | |
| Security | $7,091,200.00 |
| For Play off Matches - T&T vs Bahrain | |
| Hotel Accommodation in Trinidad | |
| Departure Tax | |
| Accomodation in Bahrain | |
| Match Fees and Bonus | $2,001,800.00 |
| Assistance with Charter Flight | $4,400,000.00 |
| Payment for Broadcast Rights for game on | |
| 16th November $50,000.00US | $315,000.00 |
| $13,808,000.00 |