T&T is the only country which allows government to interfere with the business of the Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), says Works and Infrastructure Minister Jack Warner. Warner said this while responding to questions before a tour of areas of Port-of-Spain with Mayor Louis Lee Sing. The statement was his response to questions about a video recording being investigated by Attorney General Anand Ramlogan in which he allegedly encouraged members of the Caribbean Football Union to accept funds from then FIFA presidential candidate Mohamed bin Hammam.
The video was recently released by London’s Telegraph newspaper and the matter was subsequently forwarded to Ramlogan by Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar. Warner said he had spoken to Ramlogan about the matter but said it would not be prudent for him to discuss the issue. “You know I have to really laugh because in Fifa there is a thing that says if government interferes in football business in any country, the country will be suspended but here in T&T the Opposition wants to interfere in FIFA business,” said Warner.
Warner said people were laughing at the country because of the interference. He said he could understand that some people had a political agenda but they should not make a fool of themselves. Warner also commented on the resignation of Oliver Camps last week as the president of the T&T Football Federation. Warner said Camps should be commended for doing the right thing. “Camps did what this country has failed to do, he understood where the whole culprit of this whole thing is, at the level of FIFA in Zurich,” said Warner.
Source-GM
