Warner calls for Trinidad to play cup games abroad
PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad (AP) — FIFA vice-president Jack Warner has requested that Trinidad and Tobago play all of their World Cup qualifiers abroad because of an ongoing dispute with the government over stadium fees.
Warner, who was also a special adviser to the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation, filed the request with FIFA this week.
Should Trinidad get past Bermuda in their second-leg match tomorrow, having lost 2-1 at home in the first leg, it's possible that future games might be moved to another Caribbean country or to US cities with a high concentration of Trinidadians, such as New York, said federation spokesman Shaun Fuentes.
"We do not want it to go that way," he said. "We want a positive outcome for the fans.
"Negotiations are ongoing with the Ministry of Sport at the moment, but there are no positive developments to report."
The federation and the ministry clashed over an increase in stadium fees before the friendly against England on June 1 at Hasely Crawford Stadium. When the sold-out match was under threat of being cancelled, the court ruled the federation had to pay US$24,000 in fees.
But the judge also ruled that the Ministry of Sport could not charge 10 percent of gate receipts as they had demanded.
Warner has said it's "ludicrous" to charge the same rent for a game against England as for Bermuda.