International Football
DISGRACED FORMER FIFA CHIEF, WARNER SUES TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION FOR $2.3 MILLION
BY TED PAYNE
Disgraced former FIFA vice-president Jack Warner is suing the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) over nearly TT$16 million (£1.9 million/$2.3 million/€2.1 million) in loans he claims he provided to the body while at its helm.
Warner alleged the TTFA had acknowledged the loans but had not repaid them, as reported by the Trinidad and Tobago Guardian, with a lawsuit filed at Port-of-Spain High Court.
The newspaperreported that Warner’s court filings claimed to have provided loans over 15 years, with the money “allegedly used to cover the association’s expenses, including the successful 2006 World Cup qualification campaign”.
It is claimed that the TTFA acknowledged the debt in its financial statements between 2007 and 2012, while TTFA President Raymond Tim Kee reportedly wrote to Warner to assure him the money would be paid back when the cash-strapped association’s financial position improved.
The Trinidad and Tobago Guardian reported that “the debt was eventually written off in the Association’s 2015 financial statements, as it was claimed the debt was statute-barred and it had no obligation to pay”.
But Warner’s documents said: “These accounts were published after the date of both letters from President Raymond Tim Kee, who had on two separate occasions acknowledged the debt to the claimant… at no time did the claimant inform the defendant that they were no longer under an obligation to repay the debt.”
Warner is “seeking repayment of the money advanced, plus interest calculated using a prime commercial lending rate”, according to the Trinidad and Tobago Guardian.
Earlier this month, Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) won a case against former President Warner, which could see the organisation recoup more than $20 million (£15 million/€17 million).
CONCACAF had launched a lawsuit against Warner and the late Chuck Blazer, the organisation’s former late secretary general in April 2017.
The lawsuit argued the pair had claimed millions of dollars in exchange for their votes for FIFA World Cup hosts.
It was also argued both Blazer and Warner had received kickbacks over the award of broadcast rights for tournaments.
That case against Warner was separate to one filed by the United States Justice Department.
Warner could finally be extradited to the US to face corruption charges after he lost an appeal in Trinidad and Tobago earlier this month.
He has not left Trinidad and Tobago since he was named in the indictment in May 2015 and remains on $2.5 million (£2 million/€2.2 million) bail.-insidethegames
Well-travelled Portuguese coach Paulo Duarte has been named as Guinea’s new coach, less than a month before their next round of World Cup qualifiers.
Duarte, 56, has twice previously coached Burkina Faso and taken charge of Gabon and Togo, while also coaching at clubs in Portugal, France, Tunisia, Angola and Saudi Arabia.
Guinea’s football federation gave no contract details when they made the announcement on Monday, but said they would be looking for Duarte to “restructure their national team”.
Guinea trail leaders Algeria by eight points in their World Cup qualifying group with four games remaining, leaving them with only a slim chance of qualification.
They play Somalia away on September 5 and then Algeria at home on September 8 in their next two qualifiers although a stadium ban means Guinea have moved their home game to Casablanca, Morocco.
-Reuters
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Veteran coach Louis van Gaal says he has been cured of cancer and is keen for a return to the higher levels of the game.
The 73-year-old announced three years ago that he was suffering from prostate cancer, but told a Dutch television talk show, “I’m no longer bothered by cancer.”
When he announced his illness, Van Gaal was the coach of the Dutch national team, but he has not worked since the last World Cup in Qatar in 2022.
“Two years ago, I had a few operations. It was all bad then. But it all worked out in the end. I have check-ups every few months, and that’s going well. I’m getting fitter and fitter,” he said.
Van Gaal, whose career has included stints at Ajax Amsterdam, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Manchester United, reiterated a lack of interest in returning to club management but said becoming the national coach of a top-tier country could tempt him back.
He now serves as a special advisor to Ajax.
-Reuters
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In a compelling twist of football destiny, Davide Ancelotti is stepping into his own spotlight as he begins his first head coaching role at Brazilian club Botafogo—just months after parting ways with his legendary father, Carlo Ancelotti, at Real Madrid.
The 35-year-old has been appointed as Botafogo’s new manager, the club announced on Tuesday, following the sacking of Renato Paiva. Davide, who has spent the last decade working alongside his father at some of Europe’s top clubs—including Bayern Munich, Napoli, Everton, and Real Madrid—has signed a one-year deal with the Rio-based team.
This marks a significant milestone for the younger Ancelotti, whose career has long been shaped by his father’s influence, but who now faces the challenge of carving his own identity on the touchline.
The move comes shortly after both father and son departed Real Madrid at the end of last season, with Carlo taking over the Brazilian national team. Now, in a poetic alignment, father and son find themselves on different paths within Brazilian football—one leading the Seleção, the other steering the fortunes of a storied domestic club.
Botafogo’s decision to appoint Davide follows a controversial parting with Paiva, who was dismissed just days after their exit from the Club World Cup. Though he oversaw a stunning win over Champions League holders Paris Saint-Germain, a 1-0 extra-time loss to Palmeiras in the round of 16 proved to be his final act after just four months in charge.
As Davide Ancelotti begins this new chapter, all eyes will be on whether the son of one of football’s most decorated managers can step out from his father’s shadow—and perhaps, in time, build a legacy of his own.
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