TTFF seek funding for coach LatapyBy JOEL BAILEY Tuesday, February 9 2010
JACK AUSTIN WARNER, special advisor to the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation (TTFF), stated yesterday that Russell Latapy may be offered a new contract as national football coach, should the TTFF get financial support from either Government or the private sector.
“We have appointed a three-man committee to look into all aspects of this whole thing,” said Warner, shortly after a media conference at the Hyatt Regency Trinidad.
The committee comprise Warner, Keith Look Loy and Richard Groden and they are meeting to look at the situation.
Warner continued: “One of the considerations is funding and I cannot continue funding this thing again and find myself on a limb. I’m doing something for the women’s football because I have to and, when I’m finished, I’m finished.
“I can’t go down that route any more. I’m doing this for the past 25 years and I think I’m prepared for the Government to play its role, or corporate Trinidad and Tobago,” he said. “Until we get some kind of funding, we have to find some intermediate measures. And that’s what we’re going to be looking at.”
Warner stated that the Jamaican Football Federation has already prepared a $1 billion (Jamaican) for their 2014 FIFA World Cup campaign.
“Our budget was done a couple weeks ago and we will need the same over a four-year period,” he said. “We have to have top coaches, we have to give the guys from overseas camps, training, tours and so on. Because if we have a team, and we can’t go beyond Tobago, then we’ll be wasting time.
“It can’t be a haphazard business,” he added. “Until we can sit down and talk about this seriously, about the future of the team, we’ll have to (take) some intermediate measures, which we’re now contemplating.”
While a few CONCACAF teams, notably Canada and El Salvador, have begun planning for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, Warner admitted, “we will have to play pick-up and catch-up, because while they have had resources, funding and support, we have (little).
“The last time we got funds was September, and that was a half-month (salary),” he revealed. And we were told we’ll be given until December. That (lack of funding) doesn’t surprise me completely.”
