Horace Burrell

REELING from a recent 65 per cent cut from the Sports Development Foundation (SDF), the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) has suspended with immediate effect all its national programmes due to inadequacy of funds.

According to a release issued yesterday, the cash-strapped local governing body for football referred to its financial situation as a "crisis", hence the decision to suspend all programmes until it "finds a way forward".

"Consequently, the women's team who have been preparing at GC Foster for their World Cup qualifiers on July 13 and July 23, and the senior men's team preparing for the tour to England later this month are being sent home until further notice," a JFF release stated yesterday.

"In January of this year, the Jamaica Football Federation received a heavy blow when the Sports Development Foundation announced its reduction in its subvention to the Federation," the release read in part.

"The 65 per cent cut has led to the departure of two members of the coaching staff -- goalkeeper coach, Paul Campbell, and Brazilian fitness trainer, Glydistan Ananias."

The JFF said that both coaches "have been unable to operate on a drastic salary cut and will leave the island this Saturday".

According to the Captain Horace Burrell-led administration, "the JFF has made great efforts to secure adequate financing for its national programmes including seeking additional sponsorship, requesting government to reinstate the monthly subvention through the Sports Development Foundation, but to date there has been no success in alleviating the financial crisis".

The release said that to compound matters for the JFF, "gate receipts from international games played at the Stadium cannot be realised due to the renovation programme underway".

The women's team apart, there are three other teams presently in training for various international competitions -- some of them World Cup qualifying matches.

The Under-20s start their qualifying campaign this month for the 2003 World Youth Cup, while the Under-17s start theirs in October for their World Cup finals, which will also be staged next year.

The senior team, meanwhile, in addition to the proposed tour of England, was preparing for a series of qualifying matches for the prestigious Gold Cup tournament in November.

"Importantly, since the sudden reduction of the subvention in January the JFF has continued to fund the salaries of all coaches, and all the national programmes. However, the funds are now depleted," the JFF said.

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