Austin "Jack" Warner

Austin "Jack" Warner (born January 26, 1943), a Trinidad and Tobago football executive and businessman, is FIFA Vice-President and CONCACAF President. A former school teacher (history), he is the owner of Joe Public F.C., a professional football club based in Tunapuna, Trinidad and Tobago. [cite news |last=James|first=Jennie|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,238575,00.html |title=Last Man Standing |publisher=Time Inc. |date=2002-05-19|accessdate=2007-05-31]

Jack Warner has been a member of the FIFA Executive Committee since 1983, and CONCACAF President since 1990. His Presidential term will end in 2011. [cite news | title=Jack Warner re-elected as CONCACAF President | date=2007-03-14 | publisher=CONCACAF | url =http://www.concacaf.com/view_article.asp?id=3744 | accessdate = 2007-03-21]

In October 2007 Warner was appointed United National Congress Alliance chairman and co-leader, to lead the party into Trinidad and Tobago's 2007 General Election. [cite news | last=Chan Tack|first=Clint |url=http://www.newsday.co.tt/news/0,65391.html |title=Panday, Warner lead UNC Alliance | date=2007-10-05 | publisher=Daily News Limited | accessdate = 2007-10-19] Warner was elected as the Member of Parliament for Chaguanas West. The UNC-A won 15 of 41 seats.

Corruption

Black market ticket sales

Warner has been accused of corruption on BBC's Panorama for repeatedly taking advantage of his position for financial gain. FIFA's auditors, Ernst & Young, estimated that his family made a profit of at least $1 million from reselling 2006 World Cup tickets that Warner had ordered. [cite news |last=Jennings|first=Andrew |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/panorama/5076282.stm |title=The Beautiful Bung: Corruption and the World Cup |publisher=BBC |date=2006-06-11|accessdate=2006-12-10] [cite news |last=Norman-Culp.|first=Sheila |url=http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?click_id=19&art_id=nw20070323192724719C190400&set_id= |title=Blatter denies involvement in graft probe |publisher=The Associated Press|date=2007-03-23|accessdate=2007-03-28]

Minutes of FIFA’s executive committee indicate that a fine of almost $1 million, equal to the expected profiteering, was imposed on the family. [cite news |last=Jennings|first=Andrew |url=http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/sport/football.html?in_article_id=441852&in_page_id=1779&ct=5 |title=FIFA chief's son in $1m scam fine |publisher=Daily Mail |date=2007-03-13|accessdate=2007-03-13] Despite numerous reminders from FIFA, only $250,000 has been paid. [cite news |last=Jennings|first=Andrew |url=http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/sport/football.html?in_article_id=404756&in_page_id=1779|title=FIFA chief's World Cup ticket scam|publisher=Daily Mail|date=2006-09-12|accessdate=2006-12-12]

Request for personal payments

After Trinidad and Tobago visited Scotland for the friendly match on May 30, 2004 at Easter Road, Jack Warner asked SFA President John McBeth for the cheque for the game to be made out to him personally and not the FA of Trinidad and Tobago. McBeth refused to issue the cheque to Warner. Warner also approached several members of staff at the Scottish Football Association in an attempt to get the money due to the T&T FA. [cite news |last=Jennings |first=Andrew |url=http://www.sundayherald.com/sport/shfootball/display.var.1775342.0.warner_asked_me_to_make_a_cheque_out_to_his_personal_account_i_said_we_dont_do_that.php|title='Warner asked me to make a cheque out to his personal account. I said we don't do that' |work=The Sunday Herald|publisher=Gannett Co., Inc.|date=2007-10-21|accessdate=2008-01-19] [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/panorama/7056420.stm BBC NEWS | Programmes | Panorama | Fifa and Coe ] ]

Controversy

Trinidad and Tobago 2006 World Cup bonuses

Before the 2006 FIFA World Cup, Warner, as special advisor to the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation, brokered a deal between the Federation and the players on Trinidad and Tobago's 2006 World Cup team to share the proceeds from their participation in the World Cup. After the tournament the Federation declared revenue of TT$18.25 million, costs of TT$17.9 million and offered the players a split of TT$5,644.08 per player. The players rejected this figure, disputing the Federation's numbers. Warner criticized the players for refusing to accept the T&TFF's unaudited statement, saying “What Trinidad is suffering from is from a situation whereby 16 or 18 players are holding a country and a federation to ransom because of greed.” [cite news |last=Herborn|first=Michael|url=http://playthegame.org/News/Up_To_Date/Trinidad_and_Tobago_Football_Federation_said_to_understate_World_Cup_earnings_by_USD25_million_21092.aspx |title=Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation said to understate World Cup earnings by USD 25 million|publisher=Play the Game |date=2007-09-24|accessdate=2007-10-22] [cite news |last=Liburd |first=Lasana |url=http://www.trinidadexpress.com/index.pl/article_news?id=161203191 |title=T&TFF got more than $173m |work=The Trinidad Express |date=2007-09-15|accessdate=2007-09-30]

Shaka Hislop, the interim president of the Football Players Association of Trinidad and Tobago responded with a letter to Warner writing “You have continually proven yourself heavily biased and opinionated in this matter.”

The Trinidad and Tobago government later revealed that the Federation received in excess of TT$173 million for their part in the tournament in Germany.

The T&TFF proposed that the bonus dispute be heard before the UK Sports Dispute Resolution Panel and the players agreed. Arbitrator Ian Mill QC heard the case and ruled that Warner had “the authority of the TTFA to commit it to financial transactions" and that the players were entitled to 50 per cent of the FIFA World Cup participation money and the commercial revenues gained from Trinidad and Tobago's qualification, as well as half the net income from World Cup warm-up matches. [cite news |last=Liburd |first=Lasana |url=http://www.trinidadexpress.com/index.pl/article_sports?id=161326115|title=Hislop relieved over SDRP judgment |work=The Trinidad Express |date=2008-05-21|accessdate=2008-06-15]

The player's lawyer, Michael Townley, said "At the moment, the players have not received a single cent" and alleged that the T&TFF defaulted on its payment to the arbitration body. [cite news |last=Liburd |first=Lasana |url=http://www.trinidadexpress.com/index.pl/article_sports?id=161326117|title='let's start with $44m' |work=The Trinidad Express |date=2008-05-21|accessdate=2008-06-15]

England World Cup bid

Warner once again caused controversy in an interview with the BBC about England's chances of holding the 2018 FIFA World Cup. He asserted that "England invented the sport but has never made any impact on world football" despite being one of only seven nations to ever lift the world cup, "England is an irritant", and that "Nobody in Europe likes England". Furthermore Warner proposed that, if the World Cup were to be held in Europe, it should be held in Italy, Spain, or France (countries that last hosted the competition in 1990, 1982 and 1998 respectively). He said that he would "battle to bring...the tournament to his region"http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/internationals/6939170.stm Fifa man opposes England 2018 bid] where the U.S. last hosted the finals in 1994. Mexico hosted in 1970 and 1986. [ [http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=411466&cc=5739 - Potential CONCACAF hosts discussed] ] [ [http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=6&click_id=19&art_id=nw20070228161406561C255043 US touted as a possible for 2018] ]

However, on February 14, 2008, Warner retracted this stance. England's Football Association agreed to visit Trinidad and Tobago to play a friendly against the Trinidad and Tobago national football team on the condition that Warner apologize. [cite news |url=http://www.guardian.co.tt/archives/2008-02-14/sports2.html|title=England FA wants apology from Warner...or no friendly against Warriors
work=The Trinidad Guardian | publisher=Trinidad Publishing Company Limited |date=2008-02-14|accessdate=2008-06-15]

Warner argued that, "The time has come. The fact is they invented this sport [...] They last held the World Cup 42 years ago. That is almost two to three generations. There are guys in England who have never seen a World Cup on English soil." Warner maintained that the choice of England would not be popular among mainland Europe though. [cite news | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/internationals/7245623.stm | title = Warner backs England 2018 Cup bid | publisher = BBC SPORT | date = 2008-02-14 Retrieved February 14, 2008]

Dwight Yorke

In September 2008 after Dwight Yorke had withdrawn from the Trinidad and Tobago national football team, Warner attacked Sunderland and Roy Keane. In a letter leaked to the press, Warner accused Keane of disrespecting "small countries" and having a "mean streak". [cite news |url=http://www.trinidadexpress.com/index.pl/article_sports?id=161373899|title=Warner slams Keane for 'disrespect'
work=The Trinidad Express |date=2008-09-10|accessdate=2008-09-12] [http://www.usatoday.com/sports/soccer/2008-09-12-1861272354_x.htm]

Keane responded by repugning the allegation, accusing Warner of being a "clown" and a "disgrace", and insisted that Yorke was retired from international football. [http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Austin_%22Jack%22_Warner&action=edit&section=7]

References

External links

* [http://www.nalis.gov.tt/Biography/bio_JackWarner_FIFAvp.htm The house that Jack built] : From "villain" to Godfather FIFA Vice President Austin "Jack" Warner turns misfortune into dollars. 2000. Camille Moreno, "Trinidad Guardian".