PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad (CMC):

A High Court is expected to decide on Friday what legal action could be handed down to have the former special adviser to the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation (TTFF), Austin Jack Warner, provide 'all relevant documents' regarding all the finances relating to the country's participation in the 2006 World Cup.

In an 11-page ruling earlier this year, Justice Devindra Rampersad said that the TTFF should direct Warner in writing, and copy to the attorneys for the players, "to file an account of all monies received by him" as the TTFF's agent "in relation to all income, donations, gifts, grants or benefits whatsoever and all expenditure therefrom arising out of the World Cup 2006".

When the matter came up in court yesterday, Warner was not present and no documents were handed to the court.

legal proceeding

The players' spokesman Brent Sancho told reporters the "judge has given the TTFF an ultimatum that on Friday they will reappear in court at 9:30 a.m. and discuss what legal proceedings they are going to take against Warner.

"They have to make it a legal proceeding obviously," he said, adding "if they don't go down the legal route against Mr Warner then we will all have to come back to court ... ".

In last month's ruling, the judge said that "such account was to be verified by affidavit deposed to by Mr Warner exhibiting all relevant documentation".

The ruling followed a claim filed by 14 former national footballers including former international goalkeeper Shaka Hislop and Stoke City striker Kenwyne Jones, seeking a number of reliefs, including an account of all sums due from the TTFF under an agreement made "at a series of meetings" between the representatives of the players and the national governing body.

legally or beneficially

They were also seeking an account of all the monies received by Warner and/or former Federation president Oliver Camps and general secretary Richard Groden "individually or together, legally or beneficially and/or by to an agent acting on their behalf or any other party under the effective ownership or control of or serving as agents" of the TTFF, Camps, Warner or Groden.

On September 11 last year, the players filed an application for Warner, who is now a senior cabinet minister in the T&T government, to be joined as a party to the proceedings.

In his affidavit, Warner said that he was prepared to provide to the TTFF the information or documentation "relevant to the takings of the account between it and the claimants in so far as the same was within his knowledge or control".