Camps: Govt has given nothing

"That was just another set of talk. Nothing has come of it." Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation (T&TFF) president Oliver Camps said yesterday about Government's much-publicised plan to fund T&T's Brazil 2014 FIFA World Cup campaign. "That was only talk. We have submitted everything we were asked for, and gotten nothing."

Previously both Minister of Sport Anil Roberts and then TTFF special adviser and Works Minister Jack Warner had made a commitment to get T&T to the next World Cup.

But yesterday, Camps painted a dire picture in which he spoke of a virtually stalled national team programme. Currently, German coach Otto Pfister is having regular sessions with 16 locally-based players at the Manny Ramjohn Stadium. But, the Federation has had to cancel his first international match which was scheduled for August 8 in Haiti.

The Under-23 football team has also qualified for the penultimate round of London 2012 Olympic qualifying, but are also facing funding problems. Pfister's salary, estimated at US $50,000 per month, also has to be paid.

"At this point in time we are unable to fund any matches for the national team," Camps said. "We used to get some funding from the Sport Company, and they have said that they have no money."

Added to the funding issue, the Soca Warriors face a tough World Cup qualifying draw.

Even if T&T get by the first preliminary group which includes Bermuda, Guyana and Barbados, the Soca Warriors face an incredibly tough second round. That group will include Mexico and Costa Rica, while El Salvador is the other favoured team to enter the group. Just two of these four will qualify for the final round.

Meanwhile, all these teams have already gotten their preparation started. They have played at the CONCACAF Gold Cup, and have also been playing regular international matches.

T&T however have been inactive. The TTFF's solution is to try to raise funds. Camp said that an executive committee meeting is planned for next week, and there, he hopes a solution to the situation can be found.

And asked if the Brazil 2014 World Cup campaign dead was already dead, president Camps said: "It is not an optimistic picture. But I will fight to the end. The draw is also not the hardest I have seen, but this is the toughest period we have been through in terms of funding."

Works Minister Warner, who made a commitment to getting T&T to Brazil, is no longer involved in football. Warner recently resigned his FIFA vice-president's position after becoming involved in the bribery scandal that led to a life-ban for Asian Football Association president Mohamed Bin Hammam. Warner also resigned his post as president of the Caribbean Football Union and CONCACAF.

At a Crowne Plaza Hotel press conference in June, Warner announced the appointment of 74-year-old German Pfister as head coach of the senior team. There, he also spoke of Government's earlier commitment to get T&T to the 2014 World Cup.

"I give the commitment today that the Government will do everything in its power, financial and otherwise, to make this dream come true," Warner said.

"The Prime Minister (Kamla Persad-Bissessar) has spoken to us (Warner and Minister of Sport Anil Roberts) and said come to her with a budget that will take us to Brazil. The Government is committed to financing this project. The Minister of Sport is committed," Warner said.

Back in September 2010, Sport Minister Roberts echoed the same sentiment after the TTFF had submitted a $25,800,000 budget to the Ministry of Sport to cover the 16-month period from September 2010 until December 2011. The budget included $11,404,000 to cover the national senior men's programme. Back then, Roberts spoke of partnering with the TTFF to get T&T to the World Cup.

"You would see in the next few months the sort of investment we are going to put into it (World Cup qualification)," Roberts said. Roberts also stated that a Cabinet note would recommend that the Ministry of Sport take over the payment of salaries of the national coach and his staff from Warner and the TTFF.