EX-FIFA vice-president Jack Warner says that in 1998 he was awarded the World Cup television rights for Trinidad and Tobago by FIFA for a mere US$1.
Warner made this revelation in a press release yesterday and noted that the rights were awarded following a “brutal campaign” for FIFA presidency in which Blatter emerged victorious with the critical support of Warner.
The ex-CONCACAF boss revealed that he was also the recipient of the television rights for the 2002, 2006, 2010 and 2014 editions of football’s biggest showpiece.
Warner, who resigned from FIFA earlier this year during a FIFA investigation of a controversial meeting among CFU officials in Trinidad, believes that the sale of the rights for the 2002 and 2006 World Cup was “no doubt in appreciation of the work he did (with bin Hammam) for his (Blatter’s) re-election.”
He argued, however, that following the withdrawal of his support for Blatter’s bid for presidency at the 2011 FIFA elections, they withdrew the television rights for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil and revoked the rights for the 2018 and 2022 tournaments.
He noted that the Caribbean FIFA Development Office in Trinidad was also closed and alleges that Trinidadian FIFA Referee Development Officers were also dismissed.
“In 2011, in exchange for my support (and by extension the support of the CFU and the CONCACAF) in the FIFA presidential election, the FIFA again offered me the sale of the World Cup Rights for 2018 and 2022 as a ‘gift’ at a nominal fee.
“The FIFA also agreed to pay for the re-grassing of the Marvin Lee Stadium at the Dr Joao Havelange Centre of Excellence and as well as to grant two-five (sic) hundred thousand US dollar Goal Projects as a gift to the CONCACAF to do with as we wished.
“Notwithstanding the inducements offered, I…refused to endorse Sepp Blatter for the 2011 FIFA presidential election and the rest is now history,” Warner declared. According to Warner, FIFA, who usually sell World Cup television rights directly to broadcasters, or sub-contracts companies to negotiate sales, usurped the third party route in 2002 and sold it directly to him.
“Having won the 2002 election for the FIFA presidency, president Blatter, sold me, not the CFU, the World Cup TV Rights for 2002 and 2006,” he revealed. The 2010 and 2014 World Cups were sold to Warner but this time through the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) which Warner was also president of.
Warner states that the sales were all used to develop football throughout the Caribbean.
The 68-year-old, who promised a “tsunami” to hit FIFA following his resignation from the world governing body earlier this year says he will reveal next week why he did not support Blatter’s bid for re-election and also comment on the Normalising Committee appointed by FIFA to govern CFU affairs in the interim.
