Football Federation Continues Suspension of Corozal President
John Palacio
The Football Federation of Belize has suspended the chairman of the Corozal Football Association after it was discovered that Frank Sutherland had been misappropriating funds used to pay the monthly rent. Sutherland was reportedly presenting fraudulent receipts to the federation purporting that the rent was being paid in a timely manner. When the landlord queried with F.F.B. why those payments were delayed, it was discovered that the rent was outstanding, despite the fact that the monies were being disbursed on a monthly basis. Last Tuesday, the F.F.B. met with four members of the local association to chart the way forward.
John Palacio, Communications Director, F.F.B.
“The Corozal Football Association as we speak is without their chairman. The situation there was that there was misappropriation of funds at the chairman’s behalf, the chairman who is Mister Frank Sutherland. The federation found out that following giving him monies for rent of facilities—their office space—he was not paying the rent, but actually providing receipts. So the individual, who he was supposed to be paying rent to, actually called asking how come rent wasn’t being paid. The federation backed up by saying that monies had been given and proven that monies had been given to the chairman there, but the chairman eventually brought receipts back to the federation saying that the rent was paid, when in reality it was not; so it was fraudulent receipts.”
Isani Cayetano
“What happens now and going forward?”
John Palacio
“Well the Football Federation of Belize met with the remaining four executive members of the Corozal Football Association on Tuesday of last week to chart their way forward. Concerns were brought up by the members saying that there were a lot of things that they had no knowledge about and those concerns were dealt with by the F.F.B. And at that time, the Football Federation of Belize actually named the vice chairman, Jose Alcoser, the interim chairman for the time being. And in terms of football activities in Corozal; that is still ongoing…nothing has stopped. When situations like this would happen, the Football Federation of Belize always tries to mend situation by putting in somebody who could eventually deal with the job. At this particular point the F.F.B. found Mister Alcoser, who is the vice chairman, to take care of chairman duties until the next ordinary congress for the Corozal Football Association, which is supposed to be next year, around this same time.”
F.F.B. officials also met with team owners and managers in Corozal District who expressed their concerns.
