'The biggest con job ever'

Jack Warner, the president of CONCACAF, the region’s footballing body and one of the most controversial figures in that sport, has launched a stinging attack on the World Cup.

"The biggest con job ever passed off on a region is this Cricket World Cup and it is one of immense proportion - not just by the organisation but by the governments as well - that have taken limited resources of their people's money and put it in a dying sport. If there is anything that this World Cup has done well is it has shown people what not to do in the future. Imagine in Antigua for a public holiday a brand new stadium is half-filled. This has been a World Cup for the organisers, the visitors and the players but certainly not for the people. That's why the stadiums are empty and that in itself is a con job."

Warner has been the subject of several media investigations and last month his conduct with regard to ticketing arrangements at football’s 2006 World Cup resulted in a firm slap. “The Executive Committee expresses disapproval of vice-president Jack A. Warner's conduct and reminds him to exercise the requisite level of care in ticketing matters in the future and to strictly abide by all directives,” a press statement said.