by EZRA STUART in Curacao

FIFA VICE-PRESIDENT Austin "Jack" Warner has blown the whistle on Caribbean governments for favouring cricket and neglecting football.

"The governments in the Caribbean are the most myopic I've seen for a long time. For several years, I've said to them privately and publicly that cricket is dying," Warner said in an interview with the WEEKEND NATION at Wednesday's launch of the 2008 Digicel Caribbean Championships in Curacao.

"In fact, it is in its last throes and unless cricket sits down and does a serious analysis and try to rebrand and reinvent itself, it will die," he added.

Warner, who is also president of the Caribbean Football Union (CFU), said wealthy entrepreneurs are now trying to breathe new life into cricket.

"The Stanfords of this world and the guys in India are doing it for them right now but cricket has not sat down and tried to reinvent itself and the governments in the region continue to waste money, continue to pour money into a pit, so to speak, for a sport that is dying," he said.

"The money that they are spending on facilities for cricket in the region, they will never regain the value for that investment in the governments' collective life-time," Warner said.

He also said he had some ideas on how to rescue cricket which he will give at the appropriate time.

Focus on football

"But more importantly, they have to turn their vision now to the world's greatest sport, football, and put some money into football, in terms of facilities and in terms of sponsorship," he opined.

He also insisted that telecommunications giants Digicel and the world governing body for football, FIFA, must not replace the role of governments in funding football.

"FIFA funds football in every country in the world. Digicel, in every country in the Caribbean and the governments feel that because that happens, they must now abdicate their role. It is wicked, it is unfair and until they come to terms with that, I say football will struggle," he said.

"In my own country where money is no problem, we have a government that seems almost heartless as far as football is concerned," he said.

But the high-ranking opposition politician warned that football will not die in Trinidad as it has a stronger will and resolve to succeed.

Warner also knocked the CARICOM Committee for Cricket, saying it was merely a talk shop and suggested a more serious committee should be established where all the stakeholders can participate and make a meaningful contribution.