Sometimes it is not worth it to even mention Jamaica’s worst-ever sports association — the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) — for it is unworthy of any spotlight, whatsoever.

The minister with responsibility for sport in Jamaica, Babsy Grange, was forced to throw figures on the table last week, in defence of the Government’s support for football, now, and in past years. She need not have done so, but the ungrateful tongues of those who run the JFF continue to spill the atmosphere with a mountain of lies to try and cover up their failures, and blame those in the ‘system’ for their folly.

According to Babsy, the JFF received $3.5 million per month in 2021, amounting to $42 million in grants through the State-run Sports Development Foundation. That did not include the $18-million grant for use of the Government’s facilities. In 2019, the JFF, overall, benefitted from a $62.4-million injection from the Government.

I guess people like Michael Ricketts, Dalton Wint, Raymond Anderson, Bruce Gaynor and the other football incompetents will want the Government to fork out a cool $1 billion a year, maybe more, for the JFF to lean back and waste.

Football is maybe the only sport that can live on its own in Jamaica. But over the years, the leaders of the JFF have not capitalised on the gold mine that they have. This current lot can do nothing to move the sport forward, and it is a sin, a real shame, that the administration remains in place while Jamaica’s national team, despite having some of the finest talent in many years, failed so miserably to qualify for the World Cup Finals in Qatar later this year.

Mark Golding’s light shines again

Mark Golding’s light shone brightly last week, as the president of the People’s National Party scored three goals over his political opponents that must have lifted his position on the points table.

Golding’s critics have labelled him as being too laid back since his elevation to the presidency of the PNP in November 2020, but he demonstrated a stout heart in unleashing three telling shots that left the crowd in a buzz.

Firstly, his offer to start a fund with US$10,000 to assist with the travel of Jamaican students holed up in war-torn Ukraine was a shot from the half line which zipped past the goalkeeper, and ripped the net.

It came from a counter-attacking move that first saw Jamaica’s minister of foreign affairs caught in an offside position when she offered a loan of up to $1 million to the beleaguered students – a foolish play that almost caused her entire political team to face a huge fine from the people who elected them to the first playing side in the nation’s Parliament.

And even when ‘chatty chatty’ Robert Morgan, basking in his golden gift from Andrew Holness as the man responsible for Government information, tried to correct the move by insisting, untruthfully, that there was no offer of a loan to the students, the referee of public opinion would have none of it.

Soon after, Holness himself found the courage to come up with a pledge of US$11,000 and change, meant to assist the students too, but Golding’s US$10,000 kick from way out had already hit the intended target.

Secondly, Golding called for psychiatric and psychological attention for the students whenever they returned to Jamaica – something that was a natural. I suppose that such a system would be in place by now, following the arrival Ash Wednesday evening of a majority of those displaced.

Golding’s third goal came from his push to assist St Mary teenager Delano Tucker of Guy’s Hill High School, by announcing living and education support for the lad and his family late in the week.

That quite popular and inspiring video of the young sixth former outlining the living conditions of his mom, dad, and sister was one that not even someone with a heart as cold as Vladimir Putin could ignore. The young man is tougher than steel. Delano’s story is inspirational, but, guess what?, there are far more people out there in similar, or even worse situations.

What transpired, from Golding’s end at any rate, was the promise of a full tuition and boarding scholarship for Delano to fulfil his desire to attend the College of Agriculture, Science and Education when he leaves sixth form, following a discussion with the principal of Guy’s Hill High. It later emerged that others had made pledges too, directly to CASE, so I suppose that Golding’s much may go into a general pool to assist others.

Delano’s mom, who has health issues, was also promised attention, from, according to Golding, a professional known to him, or even from the medical facility named after his outstanding father, Sir John.

A few items here and there to replace what Delano described in the video as ‘cuchument’ in his humble abode have also been thrown into the mix.

There was never a doubt that on the PNP team, Golding is the best player of the 14 elected by the people to form a workable squad in the House of Representatives. What was in question was whether or not he was fit to captain the other 13, plus the thousands in the wings. The jury may well be out on that one, but he has done himself a treasure of good with the three goals netted in a week of unexpected excitement.

Putin – a real savage bastard

What a piece of trash Vladimir Putin has turned out to be. How could he? How could the power-hungry terrorist have caused so much blood to be spilled in the nation of Ukraine, whose primary fault is to want to become a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization?

Well, by now everyone, including those in Putin’s Russia, knows that he is a cold-blooded killer who doesn’t give a damn about the innocent people of a nation who did nothing to fit the crime that he has unleashed upon humans.

There are times that I, as one who has covered many disasters, have struggle to turn the television set on, for fear of seeing and hearing that more citizens of Ukraine have been killed. When you look at the physical destruction that has been heaped on the land, and increasing activities that will lead to far more, you have to wonder how much more of Ukraine will stand when this unwanted visit is all over.

I have been to Ukraine. At the time, it was part of the Soviet Union – a lovely country with friendly people all over, even though, at the time of my visit, coming through Hungary while I was a student of the Hungarian Skilled Workers and Further Training College (not sure it still exists), some of the citizens there had not seen a black man up close.

The country has grown leaps and bounds since those long years, but even if things tone down now, it will take over 20 years to rebuild or replace what was there.

The move by Russia to obviously destroy Ukraine is cruel. What is happening is not a war. It is an invasion of a nation’s privacy, and I hope that Prime Minister Holness will communicate with Russia’s Ambassador to Jamaica Sergey Petrovich, by way of a strongly-worded letter, outlining in clear terms how despicable the Jamaica Government and the Jamaican people think of Putin’s actions.

When you look at Putin, you see wickedness … evil. His appearance aside though, it is strange to see certain countries not coming right out and condemning Russia’s action. The vote taken at the United Nations General Assembly saw countries like China, India, and Cuba, in particular, abstaining from denouncing Russia’s aggression against Ukraine.

At the end, 141 countries, quite rightly including Jamaica, voted for condemnation, five voted against, but a whopping 35 abstained, to include, apart from China, India and Cuba, South Africa, of all countries; Pakistan, Iraq, and Iran.

Although the vote had no legal standing, it serves as a moral victory for Ukraine, which could have been sweeter, had some countries taken a deeper look at what was going on.

Babsy should tell JFF to ‘gwey’

Sometimes it is not worth it to even mention Jamaica’s worst-ever sports association – the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) – for it is unworthy of any spotlight, whatsoever.

The minister with responsibility for sport in Jamaica, Babsy Grange, was forced to throw figures on the table last week, in defence of the Government’s support for football, now, and in past years. She need not have done so, but the ungrateful tongues of those who run the JFF continue to spill the atmosphere with a mountain of lies to try and cover up their failures, and blame those in the ‘system’ for their folly.

According to Babsy, the JFF received $3.5 million per month in 2021, amounting to $42 million in grants through the State-run Sports Development Foundation. That did not include the $18-million grant for use of the Government’s facilities. In 2019, the JFF, overall, benefitted from a $62.4-million injection from the Government.

I guess people like Michael Ricketts, Dalton Wint, Raymond Anderson, Bruce Gaynor and the other football incompetents will want the Government to fork out a cool $1 billion a year, maybe more, for the JFF to lean back and waste.

Football is maybe the only sport that can live on its own in Jamaica. But over the years, the leaders of the JFF have not capitalised on the gold mine that they have. This current lot can do nothing to move the sport forward, and it is a sin, a real shame, that the administration remains in place while Jamaica’s national team, despite having some of the finest talent in many years, failed so miserably to qualify for the World Cup Finals in Qatar later this year.

Messy matter of garbage collection

While following sittings of the Standing Finance Committee of Parliament last week, the matter of garbage collection came up again.

It has been a sore point for many years. The usual complaint is that the State has a shortage of trucks to collect waste, and the private trucks are not always cooperative, as they have difficulty getting paid when they work.

But, look, the problem that the National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA), which is responsible for the disposal of Jamaica’s garbage, has had over the years is a politicisation of the management of the agency.

Why in God’s name is the NSWMA’s Managing Director Audley Gordon still in his job? He knows nothing about waste disposal management, but his deep link to the ruling political hierarchy has kept him making a mess of the place.

We are in deep trouble in Jamaica, because some people have to eat from the trough, and the NSWMA is a clear feeding ground.

When you look the other political side though, you shudder at the kind of thinking that has the potential of going into that section of local government, for if the shadow minister for local government and rural development Denise Daley can be complaining that people are having problems with the collection of their “garbages”, then you will realise the trash that will continue if there is a political change.