After seven years of legal wrangling with the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation (TTFF), the 13 2006 “Soca Warriors” can breathe a sigh of relief that the “nightmare” is over.
So said Brent Sancho, whose voice had been chief among those seeking to recover bonuses connected with their World Cup 2006 campaign. They achieved victory in their 2007 arbitration ruling by the Sports Dispute Resolution Panel (SDRP) and subsequently two awards of interim payments in the High Court over three years ago.
But only yesterday, with the intervention of the TTFF’s most recent president Raymond Tim Kee, the matter with the players was finally settled, with previously unclaimed television rights money and other funds associated with T&T’s failed World Cup 2014 campaign, according to TTFF officials.
Sancho was front and centre with Tim Kee and new general TTFF general secretary Sheldon Phillips, who recently replaced Richard Groden after the latter stepped down from the post.
Now, with the anniversary of T&T’s first World Cup match looming—it will be seven years since T&T faced Sweden in Germany on June 8, 2006—the dreadlocked former defender says the players can finally savour memories of the occasion.
“I think this June 8 will be looked at very differently, said Sancho. “When you look back at what has transpired over these seven years when we were basically ignored by the then Federation, and the treatment that we received, I think in June we can look forward to some of the memories in Germany.
“I know that is something (great)… we’ve never been able to enjoy that. This has been a nightmare for seven years for us.”
Sancho thanked Tim Kee and the TTFF for finally settling the matter, as well as the players’ legal team, the public for their support, and even the media for keeping the matter highlighted in the public.
He also accepted Tim Kee’s apology for the “pain” the players have endured over the seven-year period, and accepted the latter’s offer to play a testimonial match against the 1989 “Strike Squad”.
“Some of us would’ve lost our international careers through blacklisting and through retirement,” Sancho said. “For many of us we never got the opportunity to leave the stage with a bow. This is a tremendous gesture. We are looking forward to the game.”
Ex-goalkeeper Kelvin Jack, who was also one of the biggest voices representing the players, called the settlement a “big relief”.
“It’s a new chapter now in Trinidad and Tobago Football,” he said. “It’s all positive, and I hope that the new Federation will lead us back to where we were back in 2006.”
Jack said T&T football has gone back “quite a long way”, but was confident that it can recover because of a wealth of talent locally. Still, he feels it will be “very, very difficult”.