Warriors to play for UN Secretary-General

TRINIDAD and Tobago will stage a football match in honour of UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan. This promise was made to the UN chief by FIFA vice-president Jack Austin Warner when the two met at FIFA House, headquarters of the governing body for world football in Zurich, Switzerland yesterday. Warner, Special Advisor to the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation, was in Zurich for Annan’s visit, on the invitation of  FIFA president Joseph Sepp Blatter. Also attending the meeting on Blatter’s invitation was UEFA president  Lennart Johansson.

After the meeting Warner said, “When we met, he (Annan) reminded me that he was in Tobago on a brief holiday two years ago and enjoyed it thoroughly. “He said he recalled his stay there (Tobago) particularly when he realised Trinidad and Tobago had qualified for the World Cup Finals. “I extended an invitation to him to come visit us again and promised when he does, I will organise a match in his honour.” Blatter said the FIFA family was deeply honoured to have Annan visiting them. “We are deeply honoured to have the UN Secretary-General join us in the home of FIFA,” Blatter added.

“Our long-standing partnership (with the UN) has helped to bring football to the world and make it a better place,” the FIFA boss said. And Annan in reply said  he had high regards for the game. “Sport has an incredible capacity to work as a catalyst for positive change in the world and I can’t think of anything that can bring people together like football. For 90 minutes at a time, people become one nation,” Annan added. Warner returns home today before heading off to Mexico tomorrow for the final stages of the CONCACAF Women Under-20 Qualification Tournament.