FIFA boss visits to spread wealth, make peace
It’s a sporting organisation that counts its revenues in the billions–that’s billions with a “b”–and today the man at the top paid a visit to our shores. The ostensible reason was to dedicate a new training facility; the more immediate concern, however, was the rift that threatens to kill the sport.
Janelle Chanona, Reporting
Today, Joseph Blatter, the king of football, a.k.a. the President of FIFA, visited Belize as part of a Central American tour of member associations.
After meeting with FIFA’s Belizean representatives, the first order of business was a little face time with Prime Minister Said Musa.
Blatter, accompanied by President of CONCACAF, Jack Warner, was in Belize to officially mark the opening of the Football Federation of Belize’s new headquarters and training facility just outside Belmopan.
According to the F.F.B., the institution will be used to train Belize’s future football stars, be they players, referees or coaches.
Bertie Chimilio, President, F.F.B.
“With a mission and a vision in place, we are well on our way with these facilities to see Belize’s participation in the 2010 FIFA World Cup.”
Janelle Chanona
“The visit of FIFA President Joseph Blatter comes in the middle of a breakaway move by the Belize Premier League from the Football Federation of Belize. Blatter is expected to broker an agreement between the parties.”
Joseph Blatter, President, FIFA
“Football is specifically starting at the basis, which is education, and therefore the whole family must go together.”
Janelle Chanona
“So how will the renegade league be brought back into the football family since there obviously is a problem between both sides, and the players are the one that are taking the brunt of it because they won’t be able to participate in FIFA endorsed matches?”
Joseph Blatter
“I think it is common sense that will prevail and it is a question also of the level of the organisations and the national associations with the elected and FIFA recognised President Chimilio with his office bearers. They are our representatives and all the other they have to find a solution how they can play football in this country.”
Jack Warner, President, CONCACAF
“I know that to make an omelette you have to crush egg. I know that you have crushed the eggs in the last few months and weeks. Today you have the omelette here in this facility and I will use my best efforts with President Blatter to see if we could not bring peace to this loving football land once again.”
Bertie Chimilio
“We know one thing in football, there are rules and regulations, there’s a hierarchy, and if you want to belong to football, then you have to respect the hierarchy even if you don’t like it. You need to respect it and if you don’t respect it, then you’ll need to play football somewhere else.”
Janelle Chanona
“President Blatter spoke about getting them to come back, unifying the league. What will it take for the F.F.B. and the B.P.F.L. to come back as a unity?”
Bertie Chimilio
“We have offered them that ever since they started with their part of the controversy. We’ve opened the doors for them, we’ve been talking to them, not necessarily me, but my vice presidents have, and they have one thing in mind, they want to remove me from my seat.”
With both FIFA and CONCACAF lending support to the F.F.B., it appears that the fate of Belizean football will be determined by the decision of the B.P.F.L. to compromise…or not.
But by late this evening, a meeting between the Football Federation of Belize, the Belize Premier Football League and Presidents Blatter and Warner had not produced a quick fix to the on-going dispute. According to the B.P.F.L.’s Reynaldo Malik, the present executive of the F.F.B. is one relative in the football family with whom they can’t get along.
Reynaldo Malik, Deputy Commissioner, B.P.F.L.
“We don’t have a problem per se with how the present executive was elected. What we have a problem with is that the job that they were elected to do, they have not been doing this job, and this is the way it works, this is how democracy works, it works the same way with the government; if you’re not happy with the government of the day if functioning, then when election time comes around, you afford yourself the opportunity to go to the polls and remove them. Unfortunately, we did not see that we could wait out the entire term of office of this present executive, and we took some more steps, some drastic steps needless to say, but we took those steps because we felt that it was necessary that we make a move now and try to rectify the football situation in Belize.”
Janelle Chanona
“What would you say to the contention that the players, the Belizean football players are the ones taking the brunt of this executive argument?”
Reynaldo Malik
“Unfortunately, they are the ones that are taking the brunt, or feeling this brunt of this argument between the B.P.F.L. and the F.F.B. case in point, the cancellation of the impending game between the Belize National Team and the Reggae Boyz. However, it is for these players that we are taking these steps and I think that fact that these player have chosen to remain with the B.P.F.L. should say to the public in general that these players also believe in what the B.P.F.L. is trying to accomplish.”
The FIFA delegation departed Belize City late this evening en route to Guatemala City.
