FIFA vice-president at the centre of ticket scandal

Over Christmas, journalist Lasana Liburd of the Trinidad Express exposed how Jack Warner owns the travel agency that allegedly has purchased all Trinidad and Tobago’s World Cup tickets and now is selling them on at exorbitant prices. FIFA has later denied Lasana Liburd accreditation to cover the World Cup matches in Germany.

4800 US dollars for trip to Germany
Football supporters in Trinidad and Tobago are looking forward to this year’s World Cup with particular anticipation as the country’s national team, the Soca Warriors, has qualified for the first time.

But according to Lasana Liburd’s research, fans would have to pay dearly for the privilege of being present in Germany for the first round.

In December 2005, Jack Warner told the local press that Simpaul Travel was the only guaranteed seller of World Cup Tickets and had paid the equivalent of 80.000 US dollars for that privilege. Before the newspaper exposure, Simpaul Travel would only sell tickets for the first three matches if the buyer also took the accommodation packet offered by the agency. Total price for 12 nights in shared accommodation: approximately 4800 US dollars. Plus the airfare. It was not possible for fans to buy tickets separately and make their own travel arrangements.

The tickets for the three matches would cost approximately 360 US dollars at FIFA prices, so the accommodation offer is particularly pricy, and Lasana Liburd easily located hotels in Germany at a third of the price. The journalist estimates that Simpaul Travel was set to make up to 2900 US dollars in profit on each package sold.

Fans would have not have the option of buying travel packages elsewhere as other travel agencies would also have to purchase tickets through Simpaul Travel.

Complete confusion and lack of transparency
Following the exposure, Jack Warner has admitted that he owns Simpaul Travel agency but in a public statement made on 3 January 2006 he denies that application for World Cup tickets of any kind has been submitted yet to FIFA by the local football federation (TTFF) or himself:

“As a consequence, no World Cup Tickets of any category or price has been assigned to Simpaul’s or to any other organisation and/or person in Trinidad and Tobago or the TTFF, “ Jack Warner said.

At the same time, the offer on the Simpaul Travel agency’s website has been changed. People can still buy the accommodation package for approximately 4400 US dollars but the site warns that “match tickets are not included and you must source these directly from TTFF (Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation) or via the FIFA Web site.”

Nevertheless, representatives of Simpaul Travel have told journalists that the agency still has World Cup tickets and can still sell the original package.

Lasana Liburd says to Play the Game:

“It is impossible to say if anything has changed. The facts are that a company owned by a FIFA vice-president is still selling World Cup tickets, and the TTFF's method for distribution is sorely lacking in transparency.”

Warner sees no conflict of interests
Apart from being a vice-president of FIFA and president of the regional confederation CONCACAF, Jack Warner is also special adviser to the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation for which Simpaul Travel is the official travel agency.

Warner told a press conference in Port of Spain that he saw no conflict of interest with such a close involvement with FIFA, CONCACAF, the TTFF and their preferred World Cup travel partner.

He said:”It's not a crime to be successful, even for people like me,” and that since he had “given selflessly for the cause of football” no one should “attempt to impute improper business practices and conflicts of interest to me.”

Read Lasana Liburd in The Trinidad Express