BACK TO COURT
THIRTEEN Soca Warriors footballers will hold an international conference call today to plan strategy with their lawyers before heading back to court on Tuesday to renew battle against the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation (TTFF).
The players are involved in a multi-million dollar legal battle with the TTFF over 2006 World Cup revenues and on Wednesday took levy action after their former employers breached a Trinidad and Tobago High Court judgement which instructed the TTFF to pay the players who represented T&T at the 2006 World Cup, a total of US$724,000 as an interim payment.
Port of Spain High Court Justice Devindra Rampersad had given the TTFF until October 18, 2011 to make the payment. Justice Rampersad also ordered the Federation to have its former special adviser Jack Warner present all relevant documents regarding all the finances of the country's participation in the 2006 World Cup. Warner was given a Friday, February 10, 2012 deadline.
Yesterday, Soca Warriors spokesman Brent Sancho revealed that Warner had not presented them with a copy of the financial records as mandated by the High Court. He said they must now determine their next step before heading to court early next week.
"Warner was required to give the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation the financial record and also present as a copy of the records at the same time by the end of Friday. We have not received any," Sancho declared. "He did not present the financial records. So again he has defied the courts. We have a Government minister who feels that he is above the law."
The Express also contacted attorney Om Lalla, who has represented Warner and the TTFF for a long period during the ongoing legal battle. Lalla said he was not sure if Warner had complied with the court request.
"There was a request made of him. I did not deal with it," Lalla said. "It may have been done, but I cannot say for sure because I did not deal with it," Lalla said.
Efforts by the Express to contact Warner yesterday were unsuccessful.