SDF’s Wilks says JFF has repaid debt, monthly subvention restored
The Sports Development Foundation (SDF) has restored the monthly subvention to the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF), SDF General Manager Denzil Wilks has said.
The SDF normally assists the cash-strapped JFF with a $3.5-million monthly subvention. However, the June allocation was withheld as the JFF failed to honour its commitment to pay its portion of the cost of chartering a flight to return a delegation of players and officials from Suriname due to a breakdown of travel arrangements, amounting to US$50,000.
The Reggae Boyz had travelled to Suriname for a Concacaf Nations League match, but the players were almost left stranded as the JFF struggled to find the US$105,000 needed to charter a plane to return home.
Professional Football Jamaica Limited’s Chairman Chris Williams, who is also the CEO of investment company Proven, provided the funding with a commitment from the JFF and the SDF to share the repayment cost.
But it was the SDF that ended up paying the entire US$105,000, which meant that the JFF owed US$50,000 to the foundation, which prompted the withholding of the June subvention.
“I must say it’s back to normal. We have received the payment and the agreement was that once they did that, we would revert to providing them with their normal subvention which we withheld for June,” Wilks revealed.
He continued: “But if they hadn’t paid, we would have withheld for July also, in order to fully compensate for the outstanding sum.”
The SDF had made it clear that the withholding was specifically related to the Suriname situation.
The SDF — a State-run agency — has allocated $135.6 million in subventions for the 2021 final year to 40 sporting bodies across the island.
Of that amount, the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) received $42m, which is 31 per cent.
The SDF also spent more than $117 million in the last financial year to provide 20 playing surfaces in schools and communities.
— Howard Walker