Lasana Liburd probes FIFA VP Jack Warner's relationship with the T&TFF in a three-part series.
Trinidad and Tobago football fans desperate to see the national team's historic debut appearance at the 2006 World Cup tournament in Germany must wait a bit longer to discover why it is so expensive to do so and if they are being exploited by a suspect alliance.
FIFA vice-president and Trinidad and Football Federation (T&TFF) special adviser Jack Warner and T&TFF president Oliver Camps refused to say whether it was ethical for the country's ticket allocation to be diverted to Warner's private company and exactly how many tickets were sent by FIFA.
Camps, who is responsible for the country's share of tickets, told the Sunday Express that he did not know whether Warner owned Simpaul Travel Service-the company which has claimed to have purchased all Trinidad and Tobago's World Cup tickets.
"I do not know that is happening," said Camps, when asked why Warner was allowed to divert tickets to his own private company. "Do you know who the owner of Simpaul is? Let us not go there."
Camps refused further comment and claimed that he was sworn to silence by a gag order from his T&TFF subordinates on the executive committee.
"The (T&TFF) executive asked that no one answer any questions at the moment," said Camps.
Camps suggested that the T&TFF will allow questions in a future media conference, although he did not yet know the time or place.
Warner was also in no mood to be questioned on Trinidad and Tobago's tickets and whether it was ethical for his company to profit on tickets that only he could obtain.
'You write what you want to write,' said Warner. "I have nothing to discuss with you."
A company search at the Ministry of Legal Affairs confirmed that Warner is a director of Simpaul Travel Services Limited along with his wife Maureen and sons Daryan and Darryl Warner. Former owner, Simone Petit, also confirmed that she sold her travel agency to Warner in the mid-1990s.
But the word "Simpaul" prompted curt responses from anyone involved in the T&TFF or the Warner family.
Maureen Warner, a company director, claimed to be overcome by a combination of fatigue and flu when asked about Simpaul's stranglehold over the Trinidad and Tobago's World Cup tickets at 4.45 p.m. on Wednesday.
"You caught me sleeping," said Warner (M). "I have the flu and I am sleeping."
Trinidad and Tobago's distribution of World Cup football tickets is in stark contrast to its fellow 2006 competitors.
The Football Federation of Australia (FFA), whose only other World Cup final appearance came 32 years ago, informed Australian fans that 8,500 tickets for its opening three group matches would be made available before they went on sale on December 20.
Fans had the option of buying tickets individually, select seats from four categories, purchase all three group tickets in one package or acquire an all-inclusive package, which included airfare and accommodation.
Three Category One group tickets-situated near the half line at both sides of the field-were offered to fans at $528 (Australian dollars) or TT$2,475, which allowed the FFA a profit of TT$204 for each ticket sold.
In Trinidad and Tobago, though, Simpaul insisted that fans must purchase all three tickets along with accommodation-even in cases where fans already made their own arrangements for shelter in Germany.
Simpaul's package costs $30,000, which is exclusive of airfare and ground transport while all hotel rooms are double occupancy. The travel agency's price also ignores the fact that some of its tickets are for Category Two seats, which are situated near the field's corner flags.
At a cost of $2,254 for three Category One tickets, according to the FIFA website, Trinidad and Tobago football fans must pay an additional $27,746 for 12 nights accommodation in Germany.
The Sunday Express contacted Germany's Best Western Hotel, a reputable three-star hotel, which has rooms available from $751. Twelve days, at that rate, would cost $9,012.
Minus a supporter shirt, wristband, flag and travel bag, generously estimated at $400, and the Warner family can rake in $18,334 for each package sold.
If they sold a similar allocation as the FFA, the Warners could be $50 million richer from ticket sales alone.
Simpaul is yet to reveal which hotels would house its clients.
On December 13, Warner claimed, in a T&TFF press conference, that Simpaul-his company-paid the T&TFF, the organisation he helps run, $500,000 to be its official travel agent.
Warner refused comment on the ethics of such a deal.
In a further twist, the Sunday Express unearthed a Simpaul Travel legal document which allowed accountant Kenny Rampersad to act on its behalf.
Rampersad is the director of accounting firm, Kenny Rampersad and Company, which audits the T&TFF.
Warner also boasted that 150 persons from Washington, USA, had booked for Simpaul's package as of December 13. If so, his company could already made $2.25 million on its investment.
In the same press conference, Warner said the T&TFF's estimated budget of $75 million might be insufficient to get the "Soca Warriors" to the World Cup and warned that their participation was at risk.
"Our federation is in serious financial difficulties right now,"Warner told the press. "f we do not pay down money for our stay in Germany, when the finals come around, some other team could have taken up our space."
Simpaul Travel has no such feelings of insecurity.
Simpaul official Gerald Baptiste, the project manager for the World Cup package, claimed to have no idea whether the Warners were involved with the company and refused to say how Simpaul arrived at the present valuation for its package and whether it was overpriced.
Rival Trinidad and Tobago travel agencies look on with awe.
Anthony Harford, head of All Sports Promotion, planned a charter for Germany and already has 300 willing clients. However, Harford, who arranged Trinidad and Tobago's charter to Bahrain for a decisive qualifying match, claimed to be stunned at Simpaul's coup.
"I learned like everyone else that everyone who has to buy tickets has to buy through Simpaul," said Harford. "I am trying to get Simpaul to sell me from their allocation and I am still in the process of negotiating with them."
Despite Baptiste's protests of ignorance about the Warners' influence, Harford revealed that he was engaged in cordial negotiations with Daryan Warner and Baptiste about the tickets.
Harford doubts that a plausible compromise can be met.
"Simpaul's package does not include things like ground transport, airfare or sight seeing,""he said. "When you add all those costs, it has to be affordable to my clients."
Nigel Camacho, founder of the Trini Posse supporters' group, had also planned a charter to take his supporters to Germany but claimed that things got very complicated when Simpaul Travel was named as the authorized ticket distributors.
"I am a little bit confused about what is going on," Camacho told the Sunday Express. "It raises a few eyebrows but I don't think anything illegal has been done."
There might be questions regarding ethics and conflicts of interest though. Warner similarly cashed in when Trinidad and Tobago hosted the 2001 FIFA World Youth Cup. Then, his companies controlled exclusive contracts to supply air tickets to all competing foreign teams as well as catering and IT deals for all the stadiums.
Camps and the Warner household are not ready to discuss the matter just yet.
(Continues tomorrow)