Home »

FIFA vice-president Jack Austin Warner has "adopted" the Haitian national Under-17 football team

Saturday, July 12 2008

FIFA vice-president Jack Austin Warner has "adopted" the Haitian national Under-17 football team and has pledged to fund their preparations for the 2008 Caribbean Football Union Youth Cup scheduled to kick off here next month.

The CONCACAF president revealed his decision at end of a meeting held in Haiti with the country's football and government officials yesterday .

Warner also promised to approach a company in Trinidad to generate sponsorship to assist the Haitian girls team.

The Chaguanas West MP was highly impressed after observing the Haiti Goal Project Centre which hosts approximately 350 children and said he will use his influence to make the programme even more successful.

"Never in my life have I seen such a success story... never have I seen a country with so little being able to achieve so much.

"I saw some 300 kids in a technical centre and school being fed daily, being taught how to play football. They live together and they talk about football. There is a school for them where the teachers are being paid by the government." "But what touched me most was the fact that the Under-17 team was a bunch of poor but ambitious players. And I will adopt them and provide them with everything they need to try and be successful," he said.