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'''Austin "Jack" Warner''' (born January 26, 1943) is a [[Trinidad and Tobago]] [[football (soccer)|football]] executive and businessman and a [[FIFA]] [[Vice-President]] and [[CONCACAF]] [[President]]. He is also the Minister of Works and Transport of Trinidad and Tobago and an elected member of that country's parliament. A former school teacher (history), he is the owner of [[Joe Public F.C.]], a professional football club based in [[Tunapuna]], Trinidad and Tobago.<ref>{{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}}</ref> He also is acting prime minister of Trinidad and Tobago whenever the prime minister is out of the country.
'''Austin "Jack" Warner''' (born January 26, 1943) is a [[Trinidad and Tobago]] [[football (soccer)|football]] executive and businessman and a [[FIFA]] [[Vice-President]] and [[CONCACAF]] [[President]]. He is also the Minister of Works and Transport of Trinidad and Tobago and an elected member of that country's parliament. A former school teacher (history), he is the owner of [[Joe Public F.C.]], a professional football club based in [[Tunapuna]], Trinidad and Tobago.<ref>{{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}}</ref> He also is acting prime minister of Trinidad and Tobago whenever the prime minister is out of the country.


Warner has been a member of the FIFA Executive Committee since 1983, and CONCACAF President since 1990. He was re-elected for a new term in the spring of 2011.<ref>{{cite news|title=Jack Warner re-elected as CONCACAF President, unopposed|date=2011-05-04|publisher=Sport Illustrated|url =http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/soccer/05/04/jack.warner.concacaf.president/index.html?sct=sc_t2_a5|accessdate = 2011-05-04}} </ref> Warner's tenure as an excutive of Fifa and Concacaf has been nothing short of nortorious, whereby he has been implicated in numerous corruption allegations that reach back as far an the 1980's. On May 24, 2011 Fifa's ethics committee began officially proceedings against Warner concerning at least three seperate corruption and bribary charges. <ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/13559384.stm |title=Email Adds to Pressure on Fifa's Warner |date=2011-05-27 |work=BBC News |accessdate=2011-05-27}}</ref>
Warner has been a member of the FIFA Executive Committee since 1983, and CONCACAF President since 1990. He was re-elected for a new term in the spring of 2011.<ref>{{cite news|title=Jack Warner re-elected as CONCACAF President, unopposed|date=2011-05-04|publisher=Sport Illustrated|url =http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/soccer/05/04/jack.warner.concacaf.president/index.html?sct=sc_t2_a5|accessdate = 2011-05-04}} </ref> Warner's tenure as an excutive of Fifa and Concacaf has been nothing short of nortorious, whereby he has been implicated in numerous corruption allegations that reach back as far an the 1980's. On May 24, 2011 Fifa's ethics committee began officially proceedings against Warner concerning at least three seperate corruption and bribary charges. <ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/13559384.stm |title=Email Adds to Pressure on Fifa's Warner |date=2011-05-27 |work=BBC News |accessdate=2011-05-27}}</ref>. And he is A bloody corrupted son of the bitch.


==Early life==
==Early life==

Revision as of 11:26, 29 May 2011

The Honourable
Austin Warner

MP
Minister of Works and Transport
Incumbent
Assumed office
28 May 2010
Prime MinisterKamla Persad-Bissessar
Preceded byColm Imbert
Member of Parliament
for Chaguanas West
Incumbent
Assumed office
05 November, 2007
Preceded byConstituency established
Majority18,352 (93%)
May 24, 2010
CONCACAF President
Incumbent
Assumed office
1990
Preceded byJoaquin Soria Terrazas
Personal details
Born (1943-01-26) 26 January 1943 (age 81)
Rio Claro, Trinidad and Tobago
Political partyUnited National Congress (UNC)
Alma materUniversity of the West Indies

Austin "Jack" Warner (born January 26, 1943) is a Trinidad and Tobago football executive and businessman and a FIFA Vice-President and CONCACAF President. He is also the Minister of Works and Transport of Trinidad and Tobago and an elected member of that country's parliament. A former school teacher (history), he is the owner of Joe Public F.C., a professional football club based in Tunapuna, Trinidad and Tobago.[1] He also is acting prime minister of Trinidad and Tobago whenever the prime minister is out of the country.

Warner has been a member of the FIFA Executive Committee since 1983, and CONCACAF President since 1990. He was re-elected for a new term in the spring of 2011.[2] Warner's tenure as an excutive of Fifa and Concacaf has been nothing short of nortorious, whereby he has been implicated in numerous corruption allegations that reach back as far an the 1980's. On May 24, 2011 Fifa's ethics committee began officially proceedings against Warner concerning at least three seperate corruption and bribary charges. [3]. And he is A bloody corrupted son of the bitch.

Early life

Austin Jack Warner was born in Rio Claro, south Trinidad on January 26, 1943. One of three brothers and three sisters, they were brought up almost single handedly by their mother Stella.[4] After gaining a scholarship from Trinidad Clay Products, he attended the College of St Phillip’s and St James, which in 1958 became Presentation College, Chaguanas. After attending Teachers Training College, he then graduated with a BA degree from the University of the West Indies at St Augustine, and subsequently earned a Diploma in International Relations from the same institution.[5][failed verification]

In 1971, Warner became a teacher at North Eastern College, and was also at this time until 1973 a part time sociology lecturer at UWI. From 1972 until 1993, he was a lecturer in history at the Polytechnic Institute.[6]

Football administrator

In 1966, Warner became General Secretary of the Central Football Association, and from 1971–1973 was General Secretary of the Central St. George Football Association.[6]

Warner became the secretary of the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation (TTFF) in 1973. In 1990 he was elected President of the Caribbean Football Union, resigning his post at TTFF but was immediately appointed a special advisor, a position that he still holds.[4]

In 1983, Warner became a CONCACAF Vice-President and also joined the FIFA Executive Committee.[6] Warner was elected CONCACAF President in 1990, unseating Joaquin Soria Terrazas who had held the seat for twenty years.[7] Warner and the new CONCACAF General Secretary, Chuck Blazer, took over an organization with US$140,000 in annual revenue[8] and Blazer has claimed that they now have revenue of more than US$40 million. Warner was appointed as a FIFA Vice-President in 1997.[6] In 2010, Warner stated his intent to stand for re-election in 2011, he highlighted CONCACAF's financial strength and the federation's resulting ability to provide support to its members.[9]

Jack Warner is the chairman of the Joe Public Football Club which he founded in 1996, in the aftermath of Trinidad and Tobago's failed World Cup qualifying campaign. Warner also helped to found Trinidad and Tobago's Professional Football League (PFL), then the first professional football league in the Caribbean, which has since been superseded by the TT Pro League.

In 1998, Warner purchased the Scarlet Ibis Hotel in St Augustine for TT$6 million,[10] which he renovated and renamed the Emerald Apartments and Plaza. Run by Warner's son Daryl, the Emerald Apartments and Plaza sponsor local football competitions, including the 2010 Eastern Football Association Emerald Apartments & Plaza Cup. Warner also owns Kantac Plaza[10] in Arouca, which was used as the base for Trinidad and Tobago's successful 2006 World Cup qualifying campaign.[11] Warner had other real estate holdings in the twin island republic, including the offices used by TTFF and CONCACAF. CONCACAF pays Warner "nearly a third of a million dollars a year" rent.[12] Warner also claims business interests in Costa Rica and the United States. Warner states that his investments were funded from "the salary and allowances I received from FIFA".[10]

Controversies

Trinidad and Tobago 2006 World Cup bonuses

Before the 2006 FIFA World Cup, Warner, as special advisor to TTFF, 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 TTFF'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.”[13][14]

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.” In 2010, Hislop added that ""Jack Warner, though not on the TTFA officially, makes every single decision: how much bonus should be paid, who is the right coach."[15]

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

TTFF proposed that the bonus dispute be heard before the UK Sports Dispute Resolution Panel, which the players agreed to. 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.[16]

The players' 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.[17]

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 (then) seven nations to ever lift the world cup, "For Europe, 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"[18][19]

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.[20]

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.[21]

During the bidding process to host the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cup's Warner continually supported the English bid, promising to vote in England's favour at the draw in December 2010. Warner approached the England bid team through David Beckham, offering to hold off on bringing out the vote for Russia in exchange for promises in relation to CONCACAF.[22][failed verification] Russia won the vote to hold the FIFA World Cup in 2018, with Warner widely reported to have voted for the Russian bid.[23]

Dwight Yorke

In September 2008, after Sunderland player Dwight Yorke had withdrawn from the Trinidad and Tobago national football team, Warner attacked the club and the manager, Roy Keane. In a letter leaked to the press, Warner accused Keane of disrespecting "small countries" and having a "mean streak".[24][25] Keane responded by repugning the allegation, accusing Warner of being a "clown" and a "disgrace", and insisted that Yorke was retired from international football.[26]

Corruption Charges

Black market ticket sales

Via a private family company, Warner owned shares in Simpaul, a travel and holiday company. In late 2002, various global media publications alleged that Warner had made a profit of $350,000 selling 2002 FIFA World Cup tickets.[27]

In a series of exposes, during Christmas 2005 the Trinidad and Tobago Express exposed that Simpaul was offering $30,000 packages to the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany, which effectively marked-up match tickets at a high rate.[28] In response to the expose, Simpaul removed the cost of the tickets from their packages, by reducing the cost of the packages by $3,000. They then referred clients to the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association, who at that time had an exclusive distribution deal for local and World Cup tickets with Simpaul.

In response, FIFA started an investigation, and asked their auditors Ernst & Young, to investigate. In a report submitted to FIFA in March 2006, E&Y estimated that Warner's family had made a profit of at least $1 million from reselling 2006 World Cup tickets, that Warner had directly ordered or sold on behalf of the T&TFA.[12][29] In consequence of being found guilty of breaking FIFA's Article 5, minutes of FIFA’s executive committee indicate that a fine of almost $1 million, equal to the expected profiteering, was imposed on the family. Warner also agreed to severe all family links with Simpaul immediately.[30][31]

However, Warner's son Daryan remained a director of Simpaul throughout World Cup 2006, while his personal assistant remained the company secretary of Simpaul.[27] Despite numerous reminders from FIFA, only $250,000 has been paid.[32] Andrew Jennings the presenter of FIFA's Dirty Secrets, an edition of BBC's Panorama repeated the allegations in a November 2010 programme during the week Warner and his fellow FIFA ExCo members voted to decide the hosts for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.

Request for personal payments

Scottish Football Association President John McBeth said Warner asked that monies owed to the TTFF be sent to Warner's personal account. According to McBeth, after Trinidad and Tobago visited Scotland for a friendly match at Easter Road, Edinburgh on May 30, 2004, Warner asked that the cheque for the game be made out to him. McBeth told Warner, "we don't do that" and noted that Warner also approached other members of the Scottish FA following the game in an attempt to collect money due to the TTFF.[33][34]

2018 World Cup bid

On May 10, 2011, former chairman of the Football Association, Lord Triesman, accused Warner and several others of asking for compensation in return for votes for England's 2018 World Cup bid. Warner reportedly asked for £2.5 million that would go toward building an education centre in Trinidad.[35][36] Sir Dave Richards, the chairman of the Premier League, who was present at the meeting, confirmed that the intention of cash for votes was implied, although it was not explicitly stated.[37] However, Warner described the allegations as "a piece of nonsense".[38]

On May 26, 2011 the BBC published an email from Warner to the British FA requesting funds to purchase Haiti's World Cup television rights. The above article also quotes FIFA as denying that Haiti had ever been granted television rights for this competition. This email appears to substantiate a seperate charge by Lord Triesman (formally heading the England 2018 World Cup bid) whereby Warner had requested funds from the English to (again) be sent into his personal account so that he could purchase the rights as a humanitarian gesture for the Haitian people. In return, the English bid team could expect his support during the bid process. The total sum that Warner had requested in this instance was in the region of $1.6 million. [39]

Political career

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.[40] They won 15 of 41 seats and Warner was elected as the Member of Parliament for Chaguanas West. Patrick Manning's PNM government, which had comfortably won the 2007 election, called an election less than three years into its mandate. Warner's UNC party formed a coalition with four other parties and won the 24 May 2010 elections by a landslide margin of 29 of 41 seats in parliament. Warner was re-elected in Chaguanas West with the highest national vote total. Warner has described the previous Trinidadian administration as the "most corrupt ever", and has pledged to enforce hanging as a method of execution. Warner has said, "It is inconceivable to have 295 on death row awaiting the hangman...when no one is trying to apply the law".[41]

After the 2010 election, Warner was appointed the Works and Transports minister in Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar's government. Opposition leader Dr. Keith Rowley wrote to the Integrity Commission questioning Warner's ability to be a FIFA Vice President, while also the Trinidad and Tobago Works and Transport minister.[42] Government counsel concluded that Warner was not breaking any laws, Attorney General Ramlogan also pointed out that Warner does not receive a salary from FIFA, Trinidad benefits from Warner's appointment and his two positions were unlikely to conflict.

References

  1. ^ James, Jennie (2002-05-19). "Last Man Standing". Time Inc. Retrieved 2007-05-31.
  2. ^ "Jack Warner re-elected as CONCACAF President, unopposed". Sport Illustrated. 2011-05-04. Retrieved 2011-05-04.
  3. ^ "Email Adds to Pressure on Fifa's Warner". BBC News. 2011-05-27. Retrieved 2011-05-27.
  4. ^ a b "Biography". Jack Warner. Retrieved 2010-12-05.
  5. ^ "Jack Warner". FIFA. 2010-12-05.
  6. ^ a b c d "Profile". Jack Warner. Retrieved 2010-12-05.
  7. ^ James Elected 2nd VP Jamaica Gleaner, 2 May 1990
  8. ^ "Trail Blazer" Street and Smith's SportsBusiness Journal, 7 June 2010
  9. ^ "CONCACAF President Warner to stand for re-election" concacaf.com, 24 September 2010
  10. ^ a b c "The House that Jack Built", Business Guardian , Port of Spain, 13 January 2000.
  11. ^ "Beenhakker gets down to work", The Trinidad Guardian, Port of Spain, 18 January 2006.
  12. ^ a b Jennings, Andrew (2006-06-11). "The Beautiful Bung: Corruption and the World Cup". BBC. Retrieved 2006-12-10.
  13. ^ Herborn, Michael (2007-09-24). "Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation said to understate World Cup earnings by USD 25 million". Play the Game. Retrieved 2007-10-22.
  14. ^ Liburd, Lasana (2007-09-15). "T&TFF got more than $173m". The Trinidad Express. Archived from the original on 2008-02-09. Retrieved 2007-09-30.
  15. ^ "How Fifa vice-president Jack Warner failed to deliver on promises". The Guardian. Guardian News and Media Limited. 2010-11-29. Retrieved 2010-12-03.
  16. ^ Liburd, Lasana (2008-05-21). "Hislop relieved over SDRP judgment". The Trinidad Express. Retrieved 2008-06-15. [dead link]
  17. ^ Liburd, Lasana (2008-05-21). "'let's start with $44m'". The Trinidad Express. Retrieved 2008-06-15. [dead link]
  18. ^ Fifa man opposes England 2018 bid where the US 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. BBC News (2007-08-10). Retrieved on 2011-05-27.
  19. ^ US touted as a possible for 2018. Iol.co.za (2007-02-28). Retrieved on 2011-05-27.
  20. ^ "England FA wants apology from Warner...or no friendly against Warriors". The Trinidad Guardian. Trinidad Publishing Company Limited. 2008-02-14. Retrieved 2008-06-15. {{cite news}}: line feed character in |work= at position 13 (help)
  21. ^ "Warner backs England 2018 Cup bid". BBC SPORT. 2008-02-14. Retrieved February 14, 2008
  22. ^ "Jack Warner blasted over failed England bid – Alleged to have switched support". Jamaica Observer. 03-12-2010. Retrieved 03-12-2010. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
  23. ^ Gibson, Owen (4 December 2010). "World Cup 2018: The men who betrayed England and why they did it". The Guardian. London, United Kingdom: Guardian News and Media. Sports, p. 2. Retrieved 5 December 2010. Jack Warner, the Concacaf president who has revelled in his status as kingmaker of the English bid, shook hands with Cameron, had his picture taken with Prince William, then promptly took his three votes to Russia.
  24. ^ "Warner slams Keane for 'disrespect'". The Trinidad Express. 2008-09-10. Retrieved 2008-09-12. [dead link]
  25. ^ "Keane calls FIFA VP Jack Warner a 'clown'". USA Today. 2008-09-12. Retrieved 2010-05-05.
  26. ^ Taylor, Louise (2008-09-13). "Keane attacks 'clowns' Warner and Yorke over Trinidad saga". The Guardian. London: Guardian News and Media Limited. Retrieved 2009-04-14.
  27. ^ a b Andrew Jennings (12 September 2006). "FIFA chief's World Cup ticket scam". Daily Mail. Retrieved 2010-12-05.
  28. ^ "Simpaul's Travel under FIFA scrutiny". TTGapers.com. 1 January 2006. Retrieved 2010-12-05.
  29. ^ Norman-Culp., Sheila (2007-03-23). "Blatter denies involvement in graft probe". Associated Press. Retrieved 2007-03-28.
  30. ^ Jennings, Andrew (2007-03-13). "FIFA chief's son in $1m scam fine". Daily Mail. Retrieved 2007-03-13.
  31. ^ Hughes, Rob (2006-09-19). "The stench of corruption". International Herald Tribune. The New York Times Company. Retrieved 2010-12-08.
  32. ^ Jennings, Andrew (2006-09-12). "FIFA chief's World Cup ticket scam". Daily Mail. Retrieved 2006-12-12.
  33. ^ Jennings, Andrew (2007-10-21). "'Warner asked me to make a cheque out to his personal account. I said we don't do that'". The Sunday Herald. Gannett Co., Inc. Archived from the original on 2007-12-24. Retrieved 2008-01-19.
  34. ^ "Fifa and Coe". BBC News. 2007-10-29. Retrieved 2010-05-05.
  35. ^ "Triesman accuses four FIFA members". ESPN Soccernet. 2011-05-10. Retrieved 2011-05-10.
  36. ^ "Lord Triesman accuses Fifa executives of 'unethical behaviour'". The Guardian. 2011-05-10. Retrieved 2011-05-10.
  37. ^ "Richards: Warner demands shocked me". ESPN Soccernet. 2011-05-11. Retrieved 2011-05-11.
  38. ^ "Triesman claims four Fifa members sought 2018 bribes". BBC Sport. 2011-05-10. Retrieved 2011-05-10.
  39. ^ "Email Adds to Pressure on Fifa's Warner". BBC News. 2011-05-27. Retrieved 2011-05-27.
  40. ^ Chan Tack, Clint (2007-10-05). "Panday, Warner lead UNC Alliance". Daily News Limited. Retrieved 2007-10-19.
  41. ^ Julien, Joel (2010-07-07). "Jack: Hangings will curb crime". Trinidad Express Newspapers. Retrieved 2010-07-13.
  42. ^ "Kamla: Jack stays put", [Newsday], Port of Spain, 18 June 2010.

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