TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO FIFA WORLD CUP PLAYERS

Early day motion 149, tabled 20 November 2006 by Derek Wyatt (Labour). Signed by 22 members.

That this House congratulates the UK-based members of the Trinidad and Tobago World Cup squad, the Soca Warriors, on their spirited performance in Germany against England, Paraguay and Sweden; is dismayed that payments to the team from sponsors, including British Gas, Adidas, ebay and Kentucky Fried Chicken, as well as television networks, have allegedly disappeared into a company controlled by FIFA vice-president Jack Warner and his son Daryll and that each member of the team has been offered a derisory share of only £494; calls upon FIFA president Sepp Blatter to intervene and force the Warner family to open their accounts to an independent auditor so that the team can be fairly recompensed; invites British Gas, Adidas and other sponsors to state whether they were aware that one-third of their sponsorship monies were to be withheld from the team to fund the Trinidad and Tobago campaign to qualify for the 2010 World Cup; and calls upon FIFA to accelerate the tardy pace of its investigation into the well-documented revelations by auditors Ernst & Young of the dealings by Mr Warner and his son Daryan into thousands of World Cup tickets, including 900 offered to England fans at premium prices.

Signatures by party: Labour 13, DUP 4, Liberal Democrat 2, Conservative 1, Plaid Cymru 1, UUP 1.