Jack brings South African sports minister

FIFA Vice President Jack Warner yesterday announced that South African Minister of Sport Ngconde Balfour will join the delegation on a visit to Trinidad and Tobago and Grenada this week. Over the past week, the CONCACAF President has been meeting with South African President Thabo Mbeki, former leader Nelson Mandela along with Sports Minister Balfour and other South African Government officials.

Originally the visiting party included Mandela, Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Danny Jordaan, Chief Executive Officer of the South Africa’s 2010 Bid Committee. But on Warner’s persuasion, Balfour has now decided that he will make the journey on which he plans to meet with Trinidad and Tobago’s Minister of Sport and Youth Affairs, Roger Boynes. “I have decided, following discussions with our good friend,  Mr Warner, that I will join the delegation on the trip to Trinidad and Tobago and Grenada this week. This long journey will be well worth it and I intend to meet with my counterpart, your minister of sport when I come to Trinidad,” Balfour said.

“My intentions are to discuss ways in which we can establish good sporting relationships between my country and Trinidad and Tobago and develop a memorandum of understanding in this regard. I will do the same in Grenada,” Balfour said from Johannesburg yesterday. Balfour is currently involved with the South African bid for the 2010 World Cup and was also  part of his country’s hosting of  the ICC Cricket World Cup in 2003. Warner also confirmed the arrival of FIFA President Sepp Blatter to Trinidad and Tobago tomorrow from which time  he will accompany Mandela’s delegation at every point while here and in Grenada.