By JOEL BAILEY Saturday, March 29 2008

LEADING FOOTBALL administrator Jack Austin Warner yesterday slammed Sports Minister Gary Hunt for what he described as his failure to assist the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation (TTFF), and most local sports in general.

Warner, the TTFF special advisor, FIFA vice-president and president of CONCACAF and CFU, made his charge at a reception at Banquet Hall, Queen’s Park Oval in Port-of-Spain to welcome the Soca Warriors team following their 2-2 draw on Wednesday night against Jamaica in Kingston.

“Since last December the TTFF has been living by the grace of God, equally I can say by the grace of Jack, because the Government has failed to deliver,” Warner said. “Not a single nickel.”

He noted that the football team will continue to play their scheduled friendly matches since “the show must go on.”

“That is why (yesterday) morning I was able to go to a bank to take a property of mine, to mortgage it for a second time, to keep the dream alive,” Warner admitted.

“Thirty years ago, I mortgaged a property for a tournament in Arima and my house was saved when Russell Latapy scored a goal.

“Who knows, possibly the young footballers today may save the property I mortgaged (this) morning,” he continued.

“The Ministry of Sport, under no condition, must frustrate the efforts of the Federation.

“Let the Ministry of Sport pursue, persevere and push power-boat fishing, golf and go-kart racing and discriminate against football, basketball and even boxing, whom they gave $450,000 (on Thursday) for a (fight tonight),” Warner said.

With regards to Hunt’s predecessor Roger Boynes, Warner said the ex-minister, “based by the present standards, is a blessing in disguise”, while he picked Manohar Ramsaran and Muriel Donowa-Mc Davidson as TT’s best Sports Ministers.