Battle for ‘Soca Warriors’

ANOTHER major controversy is brewing following the qualification of the Trinidad and Tobago football team for the World Cup Finals in Germany next year. This time it involves the “Soca Warriors” brand name which the team has adopted leading up to their historic debut in the 32-team competition which starts on June 9. Well-known sports commentator and events co-ordinator Selwyn Melville yesterday claimed that he was the first to coin the name “Soca Warriors” and is urging the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation to acknowledge this. Melville, who has been broadcasting sports for more than two decades said he is upset that correspondence to the TTFF informing them of his right to the name “Soca Warriors” and seeking clarification on their use of it has gone unanswered.

As a result he has sought the advice of several legal luminaries who have suggested a course of action which he said he is not yet ready to reveal or embark upon. Meville said he has been prompted into action for no other reason but to earn the acknowledgement of the football authorities that he was the one who put out the “Soca Warriors” name into the public domain. “It’s all about respect and giving one his due. The name is an intellectual property and no one should have the authority to snatch it away and run with it. I am not allowing this to take place,said an indignant Melville yesterday. Melville produced a copy of a newspaper clipping dated September 10, 1999 when he said he first used the name “Soca Warriors” to describe the Trinidad and Tobago football team in a report of their match against Colombia in the Orange Bowl tournament in Miami.

“I dare anyone to bring some other proof of the use of the name ‘Soca Warriors.’ It was something that I had been thinking about and played around with before actually putting it out in public,” said Melville. He said many people are unaware of the origin of the name and he is in the first instance seeking to be recognised as the person who came up with the name which he said “represents the colour and pageantry of the country.” Melville said that following the failure of  the Strike Squad to qualify for the Italia 1990 World Cup Finals he started thinking up a new name for the national football team since he wanted to establish a clean break from the Everald “Gally” Cummings squad. “The name was to be used in my football commentary and in stories that I would write later on. I first thought about using ‘Calypso Warriors’ but after discussion with a close friend who was working with Nestle I decided to use ‘Soca Warriors,” Melville said.

“I even discussed it with calypsonian Ronnie McIntosh lyrics of a tune that would be used to hype up the team but that effort did not make much headway,” said Melville. But in 1999 he first put it out in his report from Miami and since then he said “Soca Warriors” has been used to refer to the team without any acknowledgement of his involvement. Melville said he was also amused by a report two weeks ago that the Football Federation has “registered” the name internationally to protect its usage especially by pirates and counterfeiters looking to cash in on the team’s success. He said the name gained acceptance leading up to the 2002 World Cup qualification campaign though the efforts of Peter Miller who was then a top official in the football administration.

At that time, Melville said, a cash offer was made to him as the originator of the brand name but nothing further came out of the negotiations. He said however he did get a grudging response from an influential figure close to the Football Federation that he deserved some kind of compensation for his intellectual property. Melville admits that he never registered the name “Soca Warriors” but he said that honesty and morality in public affairs should dictate the appropriate response from those in charge of football in Trinidad and Tobago. He said he was very happy that the “Soca Warriors” qualified for the World Cup Finals for the first time in history and was even more elated that they will be carrying the name across Europe. However he wants the Football Federation to officially admit that they are using someone else’s property as their own.