FIFA have defused a controversy brewing in the Caribbean over World Cup ticket allocations after a local reporter who exposed a conflict of interest at the top of football’s world governing body was denied accreditation to the tournament. Lasana Liburd, a seasoned sports journalist with the Trinidad & Tobago Express, was initially told by the Trinidad & Tobago Football Federation (T&TFF), which is advised by Jack Warner, a Fifa vice-president and president of Concacaf, that he could not go to Germany where the Soca Warriors play England in Nuremburg on June 15.
The T&TFF accredited two less experienced journalists from the newspaper, saying that priority was to be given to “true supporters of the football team”, although Liburd had covered their 1998, 2002 and 2006 World Cup qualifying campaigns, as well as the 2001 Fifa World Youth Championship.
His paper suspected that the real reason Liburd had been blocked was a series of articles he had written alleging that Warner was using his position in Fifa to establish a monopoly over local ticket allocations through his travel company. Simpaul Travel, of which Warner, his wife and sons are directors, is offering packages at prices designed to net a £1,660 profit on each sale. While not illegal, it is against the spirit of Fifa’s agreements.
Warner denied any conflict of interest but was ruffled enough to embark on a public campaign to discredit Liburd. The furore surrounding the journalist’s ban prompted Fifa to grant him accreditation on Tuesday, eight days after the deadline. “Warner claimed I was blacklisted by Fifa, but they jumped in and I can now go,” Liburd said. “I stand by my story.”