Jack meets President Chirac of France

FIFA Vice President Jack Warner recently met with President of France, Jacques Chirac in Paris. The Trinidadian was in the French capital for the FIFA Congress where he received the organisation’s Centennial Order of Merit. Warner was among seven FIFA founder members to receive the Order of Merit. The awards were handed out last Friday as the world governing body for football celebrated one hundred years to the day —- May 21, 1904—- it was founded.

Representatives from 203 of 204 member associations were present on the second day of Centennial Congress. Also receiving similar awards  were Asian Football Confederation secretary Peter Velappan; Confederation of African Football secretary Mourad Fahmy (posthumous); CONMEBO president Nicolas Leoz; Oceania Football Confederation former president, now honorary president Charles Dempsey; and UEFA president Lennart Johansson. On receiving his Order of Merit accompanied by thunderous applause for the elevation of CONCACAF under his stewardship, Warner said he was elated.

“I accepted it in all humility and my success in CONCACAF has been based on the collective efforts of all of its members as well as its administration,” Warner said on Monday when he met with members of the TT team at the White House Hotel, Telford in England. Warner also met French President Chirac at his Elysees Palace on the occasion of his award of the French Legion of Honour to FIFA President Sepp Blatter. The TTFF Special Adviser journeys to Montreal, Canada to view the CONCACAF Women’s Under-19 qualifiers where TT will face Costa Rica on Friday. He then travels to Edinburgh, Scotland to watch TT men play Scotland on Sunday.