Investigation into F.F.B. complete; executive troubles
Miley Garcia
And though there is a cordial relationship among the F.F.B., the Ministry of Sports and FIFA, there is still the issue of an investigation into the affairs of the F.F.B. That investigation is complete and has been compiled into a report by Commissioners Gerald Henry, Oswald Twist and Chairman Joseph McGann. The commission reports that except for the Belize District, the member organs of the F.F.B. did not provide any convincing evidence that they have been following the statutes of the F.F.B. with regards to the conduct of elections for members of their executives and hence cannot be said to have been properly constituted over the last four years. It goes further to say that the president interfered in the operations of the district associations by appointing district chairmen rather than convening general meetings of the district. And since 2005, the report says that chairmen of the Belmopan, Cayo, Corozal, Orange Walk, Toledo and Stann Creek Associations have either been suspended or appointed by the President or the Executive Committee of the F.F.B. According to the National Sports Administrator, all that will change and elections in the districts will start on Friday.
Jose Sanchez
“I have received a copy of I believe about ninety-two pages of a report, investigation into the F.F.B. There are allegation of elections not being held according to the statutes, interference by the upper management of the F.F.B. What were the main issues that you found in the report that was out.”
Miley Garcia, National Sports Administrator
“The report seems to be the focus of where the discussions are now. I think Mister Primo Corvaro who came from FIFA has had a chance to look at it—that was part of the springboard for the discussion today. And what is going to happen now is that after that meeting with the F.F.B. when the new statutes will be approved by the F.F.B. congress. Once those statutes have been approves and the electoral commission is elected and the electoral code is put in place, the electoral code and the new statutes will be submitted to the national sports council for ratification. But subsequent to that, there will be elections in every district for the members of the F.F.B. as you know, the F.F.B. has eight voting members traditionally—seven football districts and the BPFL which is the top league. Now tomorrow, the seven members will be there. there is still a little point of contention because the BPFL had withdrawn from the F.F.B., but we are sure that will be worked out at tomorrow’s meeting at three o’clock at the F.F.B. headquarters in Belmopan. What will happen is that immediately after tomorrow the elections will start in the districts for the executive members of the members of the F.F.B. and before the December tenth deadline, these member will all come together and they will elect a new executive for the F.F.B.”
Jose Sanchez
“Can the current executive be nominated or come back for another turn?”
Miley Garcia, National Sports Administrator
“Certainly, anybody can contest those elections. You have to understand that football is run by the F.F.B. which is the affiliate of FIFA and there is no effort or attempt by the ministry to run football in Belize. The process came to a head because the footballers came to the ministry and said we believe our affairs are not being run properly and we believe that you are the only people who can intervene on our behalf. And so we are at a point now where there is a conversation going on between FIFA and the government of Belize and the F.F.B. which is something that we were told before that could not happen—that FIFA did not speak to governments. We have now been shown that this dialogue can exist and that yes football does need the support of the national government and even though affairs of the F.F.B. will be run independently by the F.F.B., there needs to be a healthy dialogue and working relationship between government and the football federation in Belize so that football can grow in this country.”
One of the persons to challenge Bertie Chimilio is said to be Sergio Chuc of Westline, who you will remember from the bus controversy earlier this year.
