The Simpaul saga

On December 13, 2005, FIFA vice-president Jack Warner announced at a press conference that Simpaul’s Travel Service had paid the T&TFF TT$.5 million (63,860 Euro) to be the official World Cup ticket distributor for the 2006 World Cup.

Warner is the T&TFF’s special advisor—an ambiguous position he created for himself with the cooperation of compliant president Oliver Camps. Camps was twice employed as national team manager while Warner was general secretary of the local football organizing body and always allows his former boss to make important announcements as well as speak last at functions.

I did not attend that particular press conference but my head whirred once the news went public. The ownership of Simpaul’s had long been subject to a whispering campaign as the company was clearly a preferred business partner of the T&TFF. But there had never been an inquest.

A thousand excuses could be offered for the failure of the media to shine light into such areas. The truth is that conflicts of interest are not uncommon in Trinidad and Tobago society. In football, though, I felt that the 63-year-old Warner made it into a mission statement. 
 
Warner is the T&TFF’s special advisor—an ambiguous position he created for himself with the cooperation of compliant president Oliver Camps. Camps was twice employed as national team manager while Warner was general secretary of the local football organizing body and always allows his former boss to make important announcements as well as speak last at functions.  

I did not attend that particular press conference but my head whirred once the news went public. The ownership of Simpaul’s had long been subject to a whispering campaign as the company was clearly a preferred business partner of the T&TFF. But there had never been an inquest. 

A thousand excuses could be offered for the failure of the media to shine light into such areas. The truth is that conflicts of interest are not uncommon in Trinidad and Tobago society. In football, though, I felt that the 63-year-old Warner made it into a mission statement.

When Trinidad and Tobago hosted the 2001 FIFA World Youth Championship, for instance, Warner and his immediate family benefited with multi-million dollar contracts for everything from catering and IT to travel packages and construction.

There were audible grumbles but Warner bullied critics into submission. Their envy, he suggested, might be heard in Zurich and then FIFA would surely be upset and take football back from the tiny twin-island republic of just over 1.2 million people.

To prove his point, FIFA president Sepp Blatter turned up and seemed indifferent to the allegations of corruption. The general public decided, one sensed, that Warner’s opulence did not make them poorer and normal service resumed.  

"Ticket or leave it!"
Fast forward to November 2005. Trinidad and Tobago was in raptures at the team’s historic qualification for the World Cup final. A sea of fans in red and white dress awaited the team at the PiarcoInternationalAirport after the decisive win over Bahrain on November 16.

Goodwill and gratitude washed over everything loosely related to the self-titled “Soca Warriors” including the controversial and enigmatic Warner. Trinidad and Tobago was dreaming of a brighter future and prepared to forgive to achieve it.

How did Warner respond to his sudden popularity boost in his homeland?

First, he asked the local government for a “blank cheque”—to help the team’s preparation, of course.

I responded negatively to his request in an editorial, in firm but respectful tones, and so did the government.

Then came the Simpaul saga and an announcement from the travel agency that anyone who wished to see T&T play in Germany would have to pay TT$30,000 (3,832 Euro) for the privilege.

“Ticket or leave it!” screamed the advertisements.

I knew then that a wolf could never become a vegetarian. And, as a journalist, I would do my duty by allowing the general public access to information that was denied them.

Three-part series exposed Warner's ownership of Simpaul
At this point, I began work on a three-part series that would not only prove the ownership of Simpaul but also scrutinize the relationship between the T&TFF and Warner and the way it impacted on the country and local football.

The first signs of dissent were beginning to be manifest by the odd complaint casting aspersions on Simpaul’s ownership in the letters pages of the Trinidad Express Newspaper.

The first part of my series made front-page news on Christmas morning. The trickle of disapproving letters about Warner’s conduct turned into tide of outrage by the New Year. This time, Warner’s actions affected the public directly and they took the opportunity to vent.

On the street, I was congratulated for my bravery but warned of the backlash. I was fully aware of the possible repercussions.

Before my first story was published, a former editor, who I respect very much, advised me not to go through with it for fear that I would be denied accreditation for the World Cup. My career needed the fillip of writing from the prestigious tournament while, he reasoned, the gains from such a piece would be minimal at best. FIFA officials, he explained, are not dictated to by the conscience of individual journalists.

I retorted that I would rather watch the World Cup on television than be untrue to myself.

The investigative series was not written to bring attention to myself or for money—I asked for no more than my usual freelance rate. It was done out of professional pride. Warner did what he felt he could and I responded by doing what I felt was my obligation to the profession.

The word was out that Simpaul’s sales had slowed considerably. Naturally, I was pleased although more for my countrymen than myself. I was happy that they were making themselves heard in the only way they could.

Warner must respond now. I expected him to tell the public that Simpaul’s prices—Warner would pocket near TT$16,000 (2,044 Euro) profit per package sold—were an error and make a concession to satisfy fans who wanted to go to Germany; not protest. He would then, I felt, mock my series as a gross exaggeration and then matter would be closed.

I would view as success any change in the price and manner in which tickets allocated by FIFA forTrinidad and Tobago fans actually reached them.

Attack by press conference
On January 3, the T&TFF staged a press conference without giving any particulars about its content. I turned up early to face the consequences head on and, sensing that something was up, the entire local media as well as some regional wire services showed up as well.

Warner barely finished acknowledging the audience before he slung his first barb at me. Forty-five minutes later, Warner was still talking and I was the focal point. I was called everything from “a creature” to “an inveterate liar” and “political hatchet man” while derogatory references were made towards all from my schooling to my patriotism.

I giggled at first. Stunned by the ferociousness and immaturity of the attack and its glaring inaccuracies and untruths.

Much of the local media, I sensed, smirked in their seats. There are just three local newspapers. At the Trinidad Guardian, sport editor Valentino Singh wrote Warner’s first biography and was already working on the second. The FIFA bigwig had similarly cosy relations, I felt, with many of my compatriots.

I would be lying if I did not admit to looking around the room with disgust although there were brave and probing questions too from a few fellow reporters.

Warner, after a 50-minute rant, offered the press just 15 minutes to pose questions. I wanted to correct the inaccuracies regarding my person but decided to avoid making the issue a personal one. I felt he had not adequately addressed the concerns expressed in my series.

Was he not abusing his power and bringing FIFA and the T&TFF into disrepute? Why were Trinidad and Tobago fans being charged so much?

Warner thundered that he not abused his power and even suggested the T&TFF was the real winner by having a business partner who could appreciate and sympathise with its problems. As for Simpaul’s purchase of the country’s World Cup tickets, he assured me the company had done similar business for the last three successive World Cup tournaments.

As far as confessions went, I felt that would do quite nicely.

Curiously, Warner also claimed that Simpaul had not received a single ticket from the T&TFF as yet and did not even know how many would be allocated. He insisted that the tickets Simpaul had already sold were purchased from a mysterious “European tour operator”.

I had another question. Why, as he claimed, would FIFA allow Germany, as the host nation, to tax 21 percent of income owed to all football associations at the tournament?

“Jesus Christ!” Warner shouted, in mock exasperation at a question too stupid to possibly respond to.

The press conference was promptly brought to a close.  

In the following day’s paper, I responded to his personal attacks in roughly two paragraphs but again sought Warner’s indulgence in responding to the more serious points that were raised. It is a stance I tried to maintain throughout.

The whole world gets involved
There was one change to the climate. The international media had caught wind of the stink. In Trinidad, only one daily paper—my own—followed the story as fellow columnists showed their solidarity in the face of Warner’s attacks while our counterparts turned their backs. Now global reporters were doing their own calculations and Warner’s maneuvering space had shrunk.

Ten days after the infamous press conference, FIFA announced that Ernst & Young would act as independent auditors to investigate possible misconduct in World Cup ticket sales. On February 16, Warner appeared before the FIFA Ethics and Fair Play Committee to answer to a charge of conflict of interest.

I might have been more popular but my personal situation had worsened. My employers, CCN, owned the television rights for the 2006 World Cup and Warner openly hinted that their future business with CONCACAF—he is also president of the confederation—could be in jeopardy if they continued to employ me.

I was also denied the right to apply for accreditation for the World Cup. I was, according to the T&TFF press officer, now deemed “persona non grata” by FIFA.

Harder for me to swallow was the intense mocking that came my way from several sections of the local media who tried to paint me as unpatriotic for supposedly trying to get a fellow countryman in trouble. Never mind that the countryman in question, to my mind, was attempting to rob his own people.

I was still writing, though. One by one, I tried to hold up his public uttering for scrutiny.

There was, for instance, no Germany taxation on money paid to the 32 participating associations in the World Cup while the T&TFF were already informed of its ticket quota. Simpaul’s package deal was also declared illegal by FIFA. Simpaul also admitted to selling nearly 2,000 tickets provided by the T&TFF.

By now, my work was greatly assisted by media colleagues from England and Germany while I was grateful to support from many other organizations including “Play the Game”.

It was the encouragement from my foreign counterparts that prompted me to seek out official response from FIFA on my “blacklisting” after initially resigning myself to the cost of my belligerence. FIFA media chief, Andreas Herren, righted that wrong by accrediting me as an international journalist.

Even more, the Ethics and Fair Play Committee found Warner guilty of a conflict of interest. He was the first FIFA executive committee member to be convicted of anything and I suddenly felt that the world was not all doom and gloom.

Perhaps there was justice in the football corridors after all.

It turned out to be wishful thinking.  

Ticket prices went down but Warner is safe
A Trinidad and Tobago government minister, enthused by the possibility to be rid of a political enemy and thorn, produced documentation that suggested an extraordinary act of fraud.

In 1999, Warner created a company called “Concacaf”—not to be mistaken with FIFA’s CONCACAF—and used it to acquire $365 million (46.6 million Euro) in State funds under the pretext that FIFA was personally involved with the construction of stadia for the World Youth Championship in Trinidad and Tobago.

Warner formed another company called “FIFA Stadia Project” to hire contractors and he and his son, Daryan Warner, acted as signatories. Warner even paid himself a $6 million (766,320 Euro) consultancy fee for his troubles.

Open and shut case, I thought. But FIFA’s responses to my e-mails grew quite tense and I was told in no uncertain terms that they were not interested in pursuing the matter. I was told that my queries should be directed towards the 2001 World Youth Cup Local Organising Committee (LOC) instead.

The LOC chairman was, if no-one could guess, Warner himself.

The tide was turning.

On March 17, FIFA confirmed my fear. Warner emerged unscathed from a Zurich meeting meant to find an appropriate punishment for his indiscretion. Warner got no more than a warning and was commended for correcting the problem himself.

Prior to the meeting, Warner had his name legally removed from the list of directors at Simpaul’s Travel. There was no evidence to suggest that he had similarly sold his shares though.

Warner viewed it as a victory and another sign of his superiority and promptly celebrated by putting full page advertisements in the local newspapers trumpeting his innocence and mocking certain cynics “masquerading as sport writers”.

I wonder who he meant?

By now, though, the public was allowed to purchase tickets at virtually cost price without being forced to accept Simpaul’s package while even rival travel companies got a piece of the action.

In spite of his subsequent acquittal, I felt Warner was shown to be less of a monarch and more of a bully. His stature was no longer quite as intimidating either. I had not been crushed and I have no intention of falling under anyone’s heel in the future either.

I prefer to dwell on the positive side of the saga. I had a nagging fear that the scandal might impact negatively on my country and the region by establishing a stigma of naked corruption. It is far from the truth, particularly in sport where adrenalin and high stakes often cause men and women to betray their own nature. 

Cricket batting sensation, Brian Lara, is famous for ending his innings when he knows himself to be out—regardless of whether the umpire spotted his infraction. Football star and team captain Dwight Yorke never tries to con referees or get fellow professionals ejected. And sprint success and Olympic medallist, Ato Boldon, never degraded the many athletes he defeated not the few who flew past him.

In Warner’s case, the international public should note that his unscrupulous deeds were first exposed and condemned by his countrymen before the world governing football body gave him a lifeline.

The last year was a giddy ride between celebrating Trinidad and Tobago’s success on the field and then exposing the behaviour of its officials off it.

I would do it all over again in a flash. But I pray to God I will never have to.