F.F.B. promises to pay players by July fifteenth

Ruperto Vicente

On Thursday, we showed you the results of a two-million dollar facelift on the football field and facilities at the F.F.B. headquarters in Belmopan. The works are scheduled to be completed by July second, in time for the Champions League. At the same time, the F.F.B. will be pulling in the National Team for training as it engages in talks to employ a new coach from Mexico. But there’s the little pesky detail of at least two thousand dollars owed to Team Belize players since June last year. F.F.B. President Ruperto Vicente told us that by July fifteenth, those players will receive what’s owed to them.

Ruperto Vicente, President, Football Federation of Belize

“We must pay the players as I have said to you before, it is our responsibility to pay these players, so come around the fifteenth of July we are going to pay these players their monies that is owed to them, so we are committed to that. So we still owe the players about two thousand dollars each and that bill is going to be paid off because it is my intentions to pay these players. And I must emphasize though that the federation was forced into signing this contract with these players to get them into the United States, they were aware that the federation does not have that kind of money to pay them so they forced the federation into signing that contract with them but matters be we are going to pay them and give them that money and that is my commitment to them.”

Mike Rudon

“In getting them to come together once again, you said this weekend they are coming here. Was there any discussion, was there any…not hard talks but did they kind of press your hand for that money?”

Ruperto Vicente

“Not really the players have been very understanding, they know that the federation does not have that money and so they have been waiting. I have spoken to many of the players and some of them are even coming to the federation and saying we know that the federation doesn’t have the money and if we are can come up with a deal, you pay us some and we forget about the rest. Even Shane Orio said I think we should forget about that money because we know the federation does not have that money. The players have been good to us so we got to give them some of that money or all of their money.”

Since the jaguars played in the Gold Cup qualifier, super striker, Deon McCauley has been signed with the Atlanta Silverbacks and has been holding his own.