Do you think Warner would allow any Concacaf employee to earn a
penny from all those Concacaf tournaments in Trinidad and Tobago?
Hell, no!
But, Warner can talk the talk now because Trinidad and Tobago has
qualified for the World Cup and he is riding the crest of that wave
with political impunity.
All this “nonsense” about Warner investing “his”
money into the Soca Warriors Qualifying “Jump Up” is
a bunch of hogwash, because long before Lasana Liburd (bless that
boy), journalists with the stones to hit Warner on the chin were
knocking him for the wholesale plunder of this nation’s TV
rights.
But now it’s “his” money to invest?
If the PNM had any credibility, the Jump Up in Germany would not
be getting one red cent of our Petro dollars, especially with so
much cash going to the Tarouba Transgression.
It is a wanton waste of taxpayers’ money.
Housing Minister Keith Rowley is quite right to use this opportunity
to kick a ball into the FIFA goal about the award of contracts for
the four stadia built here for the FIFA Under-17 World Cup in 1992,
but even as one minister is calling for a probe, another is preparing
to hand over $55 million to the man who would be the subject of
the probe.
Getting FIFA to approve Press accreditation for Liburd is one thing,
but to get FIFA to expel Warner is another matter entirely.
But Warner knows how to milk this PNM cow, so he can “mouth-off”
big in front of the Kaiser; however, he won’t be honest in
assessing the Jumpers and Wavers, who got home at the death, beating
Bahrain 1-0 in the second round leg match after drawing 1-1 at the
Hasely Crawford Stadium a few days earlier.
Those goals by Chris Birchall and Dennis Lawrence in the Bahrain
showdown have caused many to take leave of their senses, and there
is a lot of “nonsense” talk going around that the Jumpers
and Wavers, first time qualifiers for the World Cup, can upset the
apple cart and defeat the “Brits”.
Of course, this is usually followed by an alcohol-induced appraisal
of Sweden, which rates the Swedes being of no consequence, and naturally
Paraguay, qualifiers from the formidable South American Confederation,
won’t be even on the same radar as Dwight Yorke and his merry
band.
Warner, pandering to the gullibility of local fans and the weakness
of his political opponents, said this week: “… when
we beat England” that victory would be like winning the World
Cup for him.
It’s great media.
But outside of a newspaper headline, it’s not worth the sheet
of paper it was written on.
Let me tell you, sports fans, it isn’t going to happen!
Sorry to burst your bubble, but Warner and the other lunatics who
are fantasising about the Jumpers and Wavers making any sort of
impact on the field of play at the World Cup are in for a sobering
dose of reality.
Leo and the boys have done well for a team from our neck of the
woods, but we are going to get spanked. We are going to be taught
a lesson in World Cup football.
Franz Beckenbauer was here earlier this week patronising us and
nobody seems to have picked up on it.
The Kaiser thinks we can spring a surprise but the only surprise,
I reckon, is how many goals will be going into the back of Kelvin
Jack’s net.
Sure, Leo will try to have the team play an ultra-defensive game,
hoping for a miracle on a swift counter attack but we are just too
heavily outclassed.
England and Sweden are in the same league and Paraguay has progressed
to the finals by absorbing the best of Argentina and Brazil.
Excuse me, Soca who?
If TnT was to score a World Cup goal … one goal, a deflection
off a defender, anything that gets into the net, an own goal by
any of our opponents, that will be like winning the World Cup to
me.
Amazingly, while Warner clowns his way through the corridors of
CONCACAF and FIFA, sounding like a buffoon whenever a testy question
is put to him by those in the media with the courage to deliver
it, the man is still capable of pulling off a political coup like
Ato Boldon.
Gee whiz, how did Warner get Boldon to pick up the UNC torch and
run with it?
Can you imagine what it would be like to have Boldon as our next
Youth and Sports Minister?
Known as a straight shooter on most matters of national importance,
Boldon is also articulate, confident and courageous.
The problem is, can the political landscape with these gigantic
egos towering over all else handle someone like that?
There are interesting times ahead and it’s going to be a lot
of fun seeing Ato run again.
Run, Ato, run!
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