PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad (CMC) – Former national security minister Austin ‘Jack’ Warner Wednesday dismissed as political, a newspaper article that the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) was seeking compensation from him over the purchase of the Centre of Excellence..
Media reports said that CONCACAF had filed three documents in the Trinidad and Tobago High Court challenging Warner’s rights to ownership of the Centre which also comprises a Stadium and a swimming pool.
The media said that Warner, who held the offices of Vice president of FIFA and President of CONCACAF until his suspension and eventual resignation, is reported to be seeking a purchaser for the Centre of Excellence on the international market.
Warner has claimed the land on which the Centre of Excellence stands was a gift from former FIFA president Joao Havelange.
But in a statement, Warner, the Interim leader of the Independent Liberal Party (ILP) said he had been aware of the newspaper article by “former “Cabinet colleagues” long before it was published.
He said he had “promised never to respond to any article written about Jack Warner in relation to CONCACAF and FIFA” but the two articles in the Wednesday editions of the Express and NEWSDAY newspapers, which he described as “nothing more than blatant and outright lies have forced me to respond.
“The contents of these articles I was told by some of my former Cabinet colleagues were discussed in Cabinet only last week Thursday. So now that the Government is in trouble it does not surprise me that a Jack Warner/CONCACAF story is their medium for distraction.
“The truth is, if anyone can come forward with an iota of evidence to support that the Centre of Excellence is being sold by Jack Warner to any consortium of businessmen, local or foreign, I will sell all my worldly possessions to that person for one dollar.”
Warner said he was not fazed “because I was told by my friends in Government that this is just the beginning of many attacks to be leveled against Jack Warner to discredit me as a person and as a threat to the political landscape.
“My sources have even told me that this is a personal attack against me by the Attorney General and advised that I should not be shocked if he himself called CONCACAF to pursue this action. That an Attorney General can influence the local media to such an extent is simply frightening,” Warner said.
“However, if CONCACAF indeed has filed a caveat against me all I can say is that both CONCACAF and FIFA have unlimited funding and they can spend their money as they wish if they want to do that.
“But if FIFA and CONCACAF wish to allow this People’s Partnership Government to influence them to become embroiled in the locally immoral and corrupt politics, this is sad and disturbing,” Warner said, reminding the media here that they must “emerge as a credible institution.
“This is the same local Press that cannot even inform us about outstanding stories such as e-mailgate, the multi-million dollar drug bust, the hit and run of a Chaguanas West constituent by the Attorney General’s driver, the use of confidential information from a police file, among many others,” Warner said in reference to issues confronting the coalition government, adding “I wish to state categorically that the Centre of Excellence is not for sale.
“Let me also state that CONCACAF does not have any equitable interest in the Centre of Excellence and has no claims to ownership. I also wish to state that the Centre of Excellence is not in financial trouble.”
