Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) President Michael Ricketts says he is eager to mend fences with the Sports Development Foundation (SDF) despite the agency withholding the monthly $3.5-million subvention to the federation.

The State-run SDF did not release the June allocation to the JFF after the federation failed to reimburse approximately half of the US$105,000 owed to Chris Williams, the Professional Football Jamaica Limited chairman and PROVEN Management Limited co-founder.

Williams had assisted the federation with funding a charter flight for the Jamaica senior men’s football team to return from Suriname from a Nations League game in early June. Williams was compensated by the SDF on the behalf of the JFF with an agreement the federation would reimburse the government agency.

“I think we were unfairly treated,” Ricketts told the Jamaica Observer on Wednesday.

“But I really don’t want to have a strained relationship with any sponsor at all. SDF is an agency that has supported the JFF over the decades and we clearly would want to establish some kind of reconciliatory relationship. We want to ensure that we maintain that level of respect for each other,” he said.

The JFF boss, who played down the discord between the parties, said he was taken aback when news emerged of the suspension of the $3.5-million allocation, which is used towards staff wages.

“I am very surprised, because I heard it in the media and the arrangement we had with the SDF, which was documented, was a far cry from what it turned out to be. We had an arrangement with the SDF… the next thing I heard in the media is that we didn’t pay back the money and they have held on to the subvention.

“It’s nowhere near as bad as people are making it out to be. The arrangement was that as soon as we drew down [funds due to the JFF] from Fifa we’d reimburse them [the SDF]. It was never a situation that we wouldn’t pay them,” Ricketts said.

If the SDF also withholds the subvention for July, it would recover the remaining amount owed to it by the JFF.

Ricketts, who said he was uncertain when the payment from world governing body Fifa would arrive, noted that he wants to have an open line of communication with the SDF to plot a way forward.

“We’ll discuss with them whatever option will work out best. Affordability right now would be an issue, but we’ll have discussions with them and whichever way is feasible and acceptable we’ll go with it. We’d rather pay, but that’s dependent on when we get the draw down from Fifa,” he told the Observer.

In the meantime, a source close to the federation, who requested anonymity because that person did not get approval to speak on the matter, confirmed that, while monthly salaries were delayed, staff members were eventually paid on Monday, June 27.

“There was notification to say salaries were to be paid July 1, so for them to be paid on Monday was not a bad thing,” the source said.

“That subvention from the SDF meant that you could meet your obligations timely, so you can pay staff because that’s what it’s earmarked for. As it turned out, it was more a matter of salaries being paid late,” the source added.

— Sanjay Myers