10 000 tickets, 40 000 applications, 30 000 vex Trinbagonians

Fan of the Warriors? Want to see them in Germany? Good luck getting tickets from the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation (T&TFF).

The T&TFF has come in for a lot of criticism lately, not least because of the lack of transparency that tends to characterise the daily handing of its affairs. This latest debacle involves the distribution of the 10,000 tickets to the 2006 World Cup that the country has been allocated.

The latest report in the Trinidad Express opens with a damning indictment of the current situation: “The Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation (T&TFF) apparently believe they need not account to anyone and give no information as to the situation surrounding the distribution of match tickets for the 2006 World Cup.”

According to the report, the T&TFF has attempted to pass all responsibility for ticket allocation to the Local Organisation Committee for Germany 2k6. Of course, the LOC has pointed right back at the T&TFF.

This is devolving into a game of bureaucratic tit-for-tat, which is both embarrassing for the country, and frustrating to the citizens who are anxiously awaiting news of whether or not they’ll be in Germany in 116 days.

This is also not the first time there’s been a dispute over ticket distribution mechanisms. The furore has largely died down now, but in December and early January there was a fair bit of controversy over whether Simpaul’s Travel Agency, which is affiliated with Jack Warner, had in fact purchased the exclusive rights to all 10,000 tickets.

I’ve been following that particular story pretty closely, and I’m still not quite certain what the facts of the matter are.

A bit of background might be useful:

Simpaul’s Travel Agency is based in Trinidad, and is owned and operated by the Warner family. In December last year, Trinidad Express reporter Lasana Liburd launched a three-part investigation into the relationship between Warner and Simpaul. The agency had been running a series of adverts in local media which claimed that only by purchasing one of its TTD $30,000 (US $4,800) World Cup travel packages could T&T nationals obtain tickets to the games in June and July. Given Warner’s pecuilar status – as FIFA vice-president, president of CONCACAF and ’special advisor’ to the T&TFF, there was more than a whiff of scandal to the story.

For several days, Warner and Liburd exchanged words in the press, with Warner defending himself and his company and Liburd continuing to present his case that, at the very least, there were some serious irregularities with the ticket distribution.

Midway through January, FIFA finally got involved, hiring Ernst & Young to act as independent auditors charged with investigating the legal, if not ethical, facts of the case. Seemingly in response, Simpaul updated its website with the disclaimer that its ‘exclusive’ package no longer included tickets to the games.

Are you confused yet? Everyone in Trinidad is, and I’m no exception.

In the meanwhile, Warner continues to insist that he’s ‘done no wrong’ (and is the victim of a political conspiracy, but that a whole other blog); Liburd is continuing his investigations; there’s been no official word from FIFA and the T&TFF is maintaining its tried and tested policy of “no comment.”

So, want to see the Warriors play in 2006? Better start making some English, German or Paraguayan friends.