Attempted Suspension of F.F.B. President Will Not Stand

Ruperto Vicente

Embattled F.F.B. President Ruperto Vicente’s ad hoc suspension has been ruled invalid.  A legal team representing FIFA flew into the country over the weekend and met with three executives from the Football Federation of Belize to discuss a number of internal issues plaguing the organization.  Those concerns included an attempt by First Vice President Sergio Chuc, Marlon Kuylen and Cruz Gamez to suspend Vicente.  Based on documented evidence presented by the trio on Sunday, there is an extensive list of misconducts under Vicente’s leadership.  Despite alleged proof of such wrongdoings, a motion to take disciplinary action against Vicente has been ruled unconstitutional by FIFA’s lawyers.  They maintain that he should have been allowed to call a meeting of the executives within a twenty-one-day period, in accordance with existing regulations.  Instead, they erred substantially when they moved to suspend him.  It’s a crucial blow being dealt to the trifecta.  According to Chuc, they are all disappointed.

Marlon Kuylen

Marlon Kuylen, Executive, F.F.B.

“We prepared a binder with evidence of wrongdoing, breaches in statutes, breaches in the electoral code and we presented it to them.  We spoke about all that has happened over the four years and trying to plan a way forward.  As to the suspension of the president, we had authority to do so based on the statutes but we erred in, we did not give him the amount of days needed for him to convene the meeting.  So therefore, in their interpretation the president stands as he is not suspended.”

Reporter

“Sir, is that disappointing news for you all?”

Sergio Chuc

Sergio Chuc, First Vice President, F.F.B.

“Well certainly it’s disappointing because we had looked at the statutes properly.  We had seen all the violations that had occurred.  We knew it was the right thing to do and our interpretation was when it said within twenty-one days, that we called the meeting within twenty-one days.  It says the agenda had to go fourteen days before the meeting and so we put out our two points that we wanted on the agenda and we invited the president to also include whatever he deemed necessary to be on the agenda.  But because of the technicality that we did not give him the twenty-one days then so definitely we are disappointed because our interpretation at this point still is that we were well within our rights.  The president went on national media to say that we did not have the power to do it.  It’s a vindication of sorts but still disappointing because the legal people from FIFA and from CONCACAF have said that, yes you were within your powers, you had the power to suspend him.  The only thing is that you should have given him to decide on the twenty-one days.  You should not have gone ahead and set the exact date within those twenty-one days, he had the power to do that, not us.”

Marlon Kuylen

“Let me just add to that.  What they are basically saying is that we should have given him, we should have waited for him to call the meeting and if he did not, as we knew he wouldn’t have within those twenty-one days then we had the right to go ahead and then suspend him.”