ROWLEY HITS BACK AT JACK

Yesterday Rowley called on FIFA to disclose the extent of its involvement in the construction of the four stadia and the renovation of the Hasely Crawford Stadium, projects executed during the UNC’s tenure. The contract which was originally $165 million under the PNM, was increased to $348 million under the UNC.

FIFA was appointed project manager at that time, Rowley said.

Speaking at a news conference yesterday, Rowley said the increase was allegedly to include expenditure for bleachers, spectator seating, playing fields, floodlighting and scoreboards.

He said he could not understand how these facilities were not originally included in the budget and (even if they weren’t) how their inclusion justified a $200 million increase in budget. Rowley called on FIFA to say if Concacaf and FIFA were involved in the construction of the four stadia and the renovation of the Hasely Crawford Stadium, how much money they were paid, and what services they provided.

Noting that FIFA was named at one point as the project manager, Rowley said FIFA should state specifically whether it was involved as a contractor or whether its name was used "to facilitate certain aspects of money management." He also wanted FIFA to state how the contract was terminated and if it was aware that it ended up with a company called concacaf and whether this company was related to regional football administrator Concacaf.

Speaking at a news conference at his offices yesterday, Rowley said, "Mr Warner is seeking to cast aspersions on me (saying) that he didn’t sell any land (a reference to Landate). I didn’t sell any land. But secondly I was not aware that selling land in Trinidad and Tobago was a crime. But their (the UNC) attitude is to create these smokescreens in the hope that you would back off from these very real issues, which the UNC still has to answer." He said the UNC was trying to remake themselves as paragons of virtue while trying to tarnish other people’s names in the hope that "all of us could be put in a basket that all of us conduct public business this way."

Asked if he would consider approaching FIFA directly, Rowley said he was talking to FIFA through the national media. Contacted for comment, Warner repeated his statement that Rowley was a Rottweiler outside of the PNM, and a "Pompek and a dustbin terrier" inside (the party). He asked why Rowley didn’t investigate the stadia contract on his own. "Why is he going quite to Zurich (for answers). FIFA cannot do for the PNM, what the PNM can’t do for itself," Warner said. He said if Rowley was interested in ethics, he would investigate the matter himself.

"After all they are famous for setting up Commissions of Inquiry," he said. Warner said he had no fear of any probe. "I am not trembling in my shoes. He wants to investigate? Fine. No problem," he said.