Burrell paints grave picture of JFF's finances

Everard Owen

Tuesday, March 09, 2010

HIGHGATE, St Mary -- President of the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) Captain Horace Burrell told delegates at an ordinary congress here on Sunday that the federation's atrocious financial state will lead to sweeping changes and further cutbacks unless a light appears at the end of the tunnel.

"It is because of this serious financial crisis why the Executive Board decided that we have to look at all our programmes and to cut some of these. One of the first areas that has been cut is the female senior football programme," said Burrell as he addressed the local football parliament at the St Mary High School.

Burrell said in light of the realities facing the federation, the Olympic programme could be next to face the knife unless appeals to government and corporate Jamaica fall on friendly ears.

The Board, it is said, will be forced to make a decision on Olympic qualifiers as soon as week's end.

The JFF currently funds nine national teams, and Burrell singled out the significant costs associated with flying these teams around for preparation and competition.

"It has been an extremely challenging year as we have found ourselves in a position at times that we can hardly operate because of a lack of finances. And the business we are able to conduct is made possible by the very hard working and committed group of JFF staff," said Burrell.

Among the cutbacks that have already been done, stipends to JFF executive officers have also felt the axe.

"This was a painful decision, but we are in crunch time," said the CONCACAF Executive Committee member.

Faced with the crippling effects of the global economical downturn, the JFF had already reduces staff and has cut the wages of existing ones.

Treasurer of the financially burdened body, Garfield Sinclair, cited the difficulties managing the accounts as potential revenues went up in smoke with the senior Reggae Boyz's failure to advance to the South Africa FIFA World Cup and the heavy debt bag it drags around.

The congress approved the draft audited reports for 2008/2009.

POST A COMMENT

You must first register and then login to be able to post a comment.

HOUSE RULES

1. We welcome reader comments on the top stories of the day. Some comments may be republished on the website or in the newspaper – email addresses will not be published.

2. Please understand that comments are moderated and it is not always possible to publish all that have been submitted. We will, however, try to publish comments that are representative of all received.

3. We ask that comments are civil and free of libellous or hateful material. Also please stick to the topic under discussion.

4. Please do not write in block capitals since this makes your comment hard to read.

5. Please don't use the comments to advertise. However, our advertising department can be more than accommodating if emailed: advertising@jamaicaobserver.com.

6. If readers wish to report offensive comments, suggest a correction or share a story then please email: community@jamaicaobserver.com.

7. Lastly, read our Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy, and before commenting you need to register, conveniently, by clicking the link above.

COMMENTS (1)

Omolyn Davis
3/9/2010

This is a very unfortunate situation for both the JFF and the Senior Women's Team. While I understand the reality of where the JFF is coming from, I think the JFF needs to understand that by cutting women’s sport will not help the situation. The JFF needs to find a way to ensure that the female programs are funded too, because If they don't, this will regress back to the times when women’s sport receive little or no funding. It is supposed to be about equal people, or at least, as equal as reasonable probable. Why cut all the female teams? I believe in equal opportunity, and cutting the Women’s senior team would destroy hope, dreams, and equality. The Reggae Boys has failed Jamaicans many times now and we still continue to have faith in them, the JFF needs to give the females a chance to shine too. Why not keep both the reggae boys and the senior women’s team?
I believe the government need to put in place a law that will promote equality for both sexes as it regards to sports in Jamaica. This could never happen in the US, as they have laws that provided equality for both sex in sport. In the USA, they have a law that’s called Title IX. This law states: “No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance”(US Department of Education). This is a shame for the JFF!

Did you watch American football's Super Bowl on Sunday?
	Yes, but just for the advertisements
	Yes, just for the game itself
	Yes, for both the game and advertisements
	No, I did not watch the Super Bowl.

View Results
Results published weekly in Sunday Finance

Username:
Password: