A planned 10-day camp in Spain to aid Jamaica’s Under-17 footballers in their preparation for the FIFA World Cup this summer in Mexico has been scrapped.

Last night a vexed Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) president Captain Horace Burrell said he was ashamed for Jamaica over the fact that the deadline for the teenage team to confirm their participation at Spanish giant, Valencia FC, had passed yesterday “without a red cent” in hand to facilitate the trip.

If they were able to take up the offer, the Young Reggae Boyz would have departed on Saturday for the European nation.

Burrell was unsparing in blasting the government for what he called “their unresponsiveness” in fulfilling promises he claimed they have made to support the Under-17 programme, in particular, and the football programme in general.

“We have sought on many occasions to have audience with the Minister of Sports to discuss Jamaica’s football, but up to this day we cannot get a meeting… we have written, e-mailed and telephoned, begging the government through the Sports Development Foundation (SDF) for help,” said the businessman.

When reached last night, Bunny Pommells, a member of a five-man interim team overseeing the state-run SDF, which had its board dissolved recently, said the organisation was doing its best to assist football in particular and sport in general in an atmosphere of “financial constraints”.

“We are aware of the JFF’s plans to send the Under-17s to Spain, and we recognise the importance of football, but there is not much we can do at this time,” Pommells told the Observer.

He revealed that only yesterday the finance committee of the SDF signed off on an increase of $600,000 in the monthly subvention to the JFF to assist specifically with the Under-17 programme. The total amount the JFF will now get is $2 million.

Burrell, on his second stint as head of the JFF, said he recognised that times are hard financially, but “I think the government can do more than they are doing”.

The JFF was seeking US$70,000 (about J$5.8 million) that would have covered airfare, lodgings and meals for the squad, coaches and support staff.

“I am so disappointed that we will not be able to take up this camp because this was the only window of opportunity before the youngsters return for their exams, now their pre-tournament preparation has been greatly compromised,” noted Burrell.

The Under-17s, who qualified for the FIFA World Cup for Mexico from June 18 to July 10 from the CONCACAF Championship in Montego Bay in February, were to be integrated into the Valencia youth programmes for the duration of the camp.

“This camp would have provided the youngsters with invaluable experience that would have helped them to be more competitive against their peers at the World Cup… now if they don’t do well it would be unfair for us to be harsh on them,” argued Burrell, who also serves on CONCACAF’s executive committee.