Warriors to share US$1.6M bonus

This was agreed upon at a meeting in London on Sunday between a Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation team headed by Jack Austin Warner and including secretary Richard Groden and manager Bruce Aanensen. But how the bonus will be paid out will be worked out between Aanensen, the players and their representatives.

Aanensen remained in London for an additional day to finalise the distribution of the bonus.

He will also discuss what bonus will be paid to the players should they reach the second round at the World Cup Finals in Germany.

The Soca Warriors are in a group with Sweden, England and Paraguay and will play the Swedes first on June 10 in Dortmund. Players will also be given a bonus for playing in forthcoming international friendlies.

TTFF have agreed to put forward their best effort to facilitate the players’ families in getting the opportunity to them in action in World Cup matches in Ger-many.

A schedule of training and practice matches have also been drawn up by coach Leo Beenhakker and was handed over to the players, which included the warm-up match against Iceland in London on February 28.

This is to be followed by a match-up against Peru on May 10.

The Soca Warriors leave here on May 13 for Manchester, England for the first of several camps from May 14-21 before heading to Germany via Austria. They leave on June 3 for Bremen, Germany, where they will be based.

Meanwhile, FIFA told West Ham United striker Bobby Zamora he is not eligible to play for the Soca Warriors. Zamora met with Warner who sought clarification from FIFA, who pointed out he represented England on at least four occasions, and did not utilise the one-year window when a reversal of his status could have been possible.

It was a distraught England-born Zamora, whose father is from Carenage, who thanked Warner for his efforts. But new Soca Warrior, Anthony Warner, Fulham’s new goalkeeper, whose father is from San Juan, is moving swiftly to complete paper-work so he will be available for the Carnival Tuesday match against Iceland in London.

In another move, the TTFF appointed player-agent Mike Berry as a consultant for International Affairs with special reference to football in England and Europe.