CIFA nomination trouble worries sports minister
Sports Minister Osbourne Bodden
(CNS): Osbourne Bodden said he was concerned to hear the Cayman Islands Football Association had rejected the nominations of two challengers for official CIFA posts in what he said sounded like a very undemocratic process. The sports minister told CNS that he was not only surprised by the decision but confused as to what provisions they were using to reject the nominations. He warned that government would need to look at its level of support for CIFA, as he raised concerns about the entrenchment of the current administration and the public call for change.
Renard Moxam recently announced his plans to run for the top CIFA job in the wake of the FIFA corruption scandal, which has embroiled the former football boss, Jeffrey Webb, saying it is time for change in local football. Moxam believes the current entrenchment is stifling football development in Cayman, and Sharon Roulstone had also made a decision to stand to breathe new life into the association. The challengers were nominated by two local football clubs ahead of the upcoming association elections, Moxam for first VP/acting president, currently held by Bruce Blake, and Roulstone for the assistant general secretary’s post, currently held by Mark Campbell.
Moxam told CNS that he had checked with the acting general secretary, Paul Macey, that the two nominations from Academy Sports Club and Savannah Tigers Football Club were in order before submitted the challenge to Blake and Campbell. The nominations were received and accepted well before the deadline, Moxam said. But out of the blue and well after the deadline he received a letter from Macey rejecting the nominations, based on the Articles of Association, he said.
However, Moxam maintains that Macey’s reasons for rejecting the only two challengers to any of the CIFA positions were flawed. He said the articles state that in order to stand in CIFA elections, individuals need two people — a nominator and a seconder — not four, as Macey has suggested.
Seeking a legal opinion on the rejection of the nominations, Moxam said he was concerned the rejection was due to the “narrow minded insecurities” prevalent in an entrenched administration that has lost its way.
A huge fan of the sport, having been a player and involved for many years, Moxam said he was running for office because he thinks the prevailing attitudes have contributed to the “stagnation of growth” in the sport and it was time for some more broad-minded people to serve.
As it now stands, however, here will be no challengers to any of the administrative posts at the elections due to be held on 29 August, causing wide concern, given all that has happened on the administrative side of football in the last three months.
CNS caught up with Bruce Blake at the airport Tuesday evening as he welcomed back the U15 boys team from St Maarteen and asked him if he would be comfortable getting re-elected under the current circumstances, but he refused to comment.
However, the sports minister, who was also at the airport, said he was taken by surprise over what had happened.
“It doesn’t bode well for a democratic process and I am a bit concerned, as minster of sport, that it looks as though the current administration is somewhat entrenched and we certainly have to look at that going forward,” Bdden said. He believes that the public really wants to see change and the administration needed to give other people a shot and chance to drive the sport forward.
“There is a mad rush now to put things in place that should have been done a long time ago, which is unfortunate,” the minister said, saying that he was “not liking” what he was seeing and government would need to take a closer look at its support for CIFA.
Category: Community, Local News
So the current exec are terrified that anyone new and not ‘hand picked’ by Jeff Webb will get access to information that will confirm that:
1. They were a part of Webbs corruption, or are still involved in ongoing corruption, or were so incompetent that they could not see it
2. They have been completely out of touch with the actual game of football for very many years now and are just in it for themselves, with no attempts to further the sport at any level
3. They are completely oblivious to the domestic and international damage that they have caused, with then impact being felt for many years to come.
So they panicked.
This was a wrong move gentlemen. It will backfire.
“I am a bit concerned”. Really? Just a bit? The organisation is in the middle of a huge international scandal alleging that FIFA individuals have abused their position to to use it for fraud and self advantage, the CIFA president is under arrest for in connection with that, and his parent organisation (which not only provided hid platform within FIFA but has been in receipt of over $5m in FIFA money to say nothing of CIG contributions) is seeking to limit the election of management members without a competitive vote, overseas enemies seeking to elide the obvious issues of football corruption with the Cayman Islands financial sector, and you are a “bit concerned”? What will it take for you to be really concerned, I wonder? CIFA saying the dump should be moved to BT? SMH. If it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, guess what – pretty good chance its a duck.
From a completely different look, Ray Singh was one of the best sports managers, and is still on-island, and rumor had it CIFA has asked him to work with the Beach Soccer programmes. Why not eliminate the politics from this sport, and bring Singh in to do what he did for Kings several years ago. The indoor league was huge at one point and had more players that the outdoor leagues, and it was built on a shoestring budget. A board is needed eventually, but Ministry of Sports, this is worth a look at from your standpoint. CIFA would benefit, the players would benefit, especially the kids, the clubs would be benefit, and the National teams would definitely benefit. Singh can clean up the game, rebuild into a solid programme and then turn operations back over to a board to manage. Get rid of the politics for a period and bring in someone who can elevate the game.
No need to take a closer look Mr. Minister, the smell will tell you it is rotten from a mile away. Cut the funding off now!
As long as the current executive committee remains in place Mr. Jeffery Webb is CIFA PREZODENT 4 LIFE!
Government should tie their ongoing support and funding to a requirement that CIFA appoints an independent accounting firm to oversee its financial affairs and account for how Government funds are being spent.
That would help in bringing some accountability and expose any underhanded deals that may going on
Captain Cowcod, brave defender of Cayman against the evil “driftwood”. SMDH
6.04. Are you one of those on the Gravey Train, or you don’t want your suppliers to hop off? Always trying to pull the wool over the eyes, while deceiving and plundering the country. Corruption needs no encouragement. Let’s clean slate and let honesty and fairness prevail. Build our country on forward thinking, and eliminate bias and greed, that has put the world in the spin experienced since May 2015,
To which gravy train do you refer? The Jeff Webb gravy train? The Mackeeva Bush/NBF gravy train? Or the Bryce Merren, almost flooded Cayman with a boatload of cocaine, gravy train?
If you want to “clean the slate”, best you look into the inherent corruption, bias, and greed, of your own Caymanian people.
I believe in honesty, integrity, fairness, and up front with whatever it is. I hate dishonest, greedy, devious people. I am Caymanian and it doesn’t matter whether it is local or expat, I prefer to deal and work with honest, decent people. Devious individuals should be eliminated.
Bryce Merren? LMAO, guess you never heard about the infamous Lee Ritch!
True. Caymanians have short memories.
You write as if Caymanians started corruption, or are the only ones in the world that are corrupt. While you’re on the subject of corruption, bias, and greed, why don’t you also mention Eric St. Cyr (Canadian), Joshua vanDyk (American), Dave Bryan (Jamaican)?
bruce or renard it wouldn’t make any difference all cut from the same cloth.
At least we know Bruce is not any good for the organisation, we have not seen how renard will be, maybe he can do better.
You are correct, at the very least we know the current first VP is not capable of running CIFA, not without Jeff Webb by his side. At this time Renard is the only other person willing to throw the hat in the ring, clubs have the responsibility to make the change, if it does not work, they can always replace him also.
Wonder how certain people can sign off on any legal docs for their employers, given this association, or am I naive and this is exactly what the ‘group’ looks for in their hires and evidence of their social skills?
Not fair to judge Renard before he is given a chance! Sorry, but as usual everybody is being generalized because of Webb and his associates; simple ignorance.
If the AG is not busy for his last few weeks maybe he can write a quick opinion on CIFA on his way out.
Yes, 2:09pm- That would be great. He has done a fine job so far. It would be very much appreciated if he could just give the Cayman Islands a (little) more before his departure.
I hope he’s reading this.
Ossie seems to have lost some weight…
1.42 How silly can people be. We are dealing with an situation that has caused tremors around the world. Address the situation at hand and stop displaying stupidity. Your reflection has shrunk.
If two people who are not so smart start an argument – how would an outsider know which one is less smart?…
Guess Ossies reflection has shrunk as well
What does weight have to do with stamping out corruption. Get your head out of the ground, and you will be Smart, by seeing, hearing and understanding what is corruption from within.
Every stakeholder of football should be very concerned with this undemocratic process, none more so than the clubs members of CIFA representing the players given what has taken place in the last few months? It is their duty to make sure CIFA is managed properly.
Please remember this is the same administration that did not allow our national team to compete for more than 4 years, it is only now that Mr Moxam is the Technical Director that our teams are competing at different levels, male and female, we can not afford to stop now.
Lets stand up and demand and election, if the majority wants change that it is what it need to happen or we will continue the way of refused comments which is the normal now without any repercussions of any kind. You are absolutely correct Mr. Bodden, government must take a good look at this development.
me need more driftwood in cifa ossie……seriously!
Bruce Blake may well be happy to stand again but it seems to is afraid of anyone standing against him. To Bruce and the rest I say; CIFA is not your personal fiefdom. Do you not get it. CIFA has been rocked by a world wide scandal or did you and your cronies not notice it. You need stand down and let a new group who know something about the game take over and put football in Cayman where it should be.
Moreover the public as well as Government want transparency. They demand to know where the $1.8m sent by FIFA has gone. They need to know why much of it was sent to Black Holding Ltd, a company that never even had a TB licence. They want to know who owns that company. They want to know which members of the Executive Committee benefited from the contracts. They want to know why only one new pitch is used when money was sent to build two.They want to know why the audited accounts lack disclosure and why the 2014 audit has not been completed. They want to know who benefited from the World Cup tickets and who paid for all the Swiss jollies. Above all they want to know how the current executive had no clue as to what was going on. After all CIFA is full of lawyers and accountants. Do any of you know what a red flag is? No, it is not one used by the linesman at Manchester United.
Why do you not just stand down and let a better candidate take over or at least grant him a chance to be elected. By taking your current course of action you are raising yet an other red flag. You are offside and should be redcarded.
At least the projects are listed as “active”, which is far more than we can say about CIFA.
http://www.fifa.com/development/facts-and-figures/association=cay/index.html
I am truly, truly shocked at the amount of money supposedly gifted to CIFA by FIFA in the link above. HOW could it cost $450,000 to build that small headquarters, (granted in 2002 manother $412,000 in 2008 to complete and add a pitch) and HOW could so much money be spent afterwards to construct football pitches that never materialized. Then more money again until finally they decide on the latest method….The current AstroTurf project has been going on for months now, with not one piece of green laid, but tons and tons of fill piled on top of tons and tons of fill…flattened and then re flattened….then tons more fill…the cycle seems endless….the “turf” is sitting at the edge of the area hopefully not rotting away….(it is artificial after all). But really someone, whether by fair means or foul, is making a lot of money out of these project, and particularly this one, form the suppliers of fill to the contractors who wander up and down with survey equipment checking that it is level…declaring it is not we presume, and then ordering more fill and more flattening….
Over 2.25 million dollars????? Since 2002 and not a playable pitch yet..(But a lovely looking HQ building)
The question(s) you need to ask are all about how the contracts were awarded. Were they given out based on kickbacks like the CONCACAF television rights?
$2.25 million dollars in Goal Project assistance since 2002 is only part of the story, if you take a look at the Financial Assistance Programme (FAP), it has been and additional $2.6 millions dollars since 2011 for things like Men’s competitions, Women football, planning and administration,technical development, “bonus”, etc., this in a country where football is played at social/amateur level and all the facilities are facilitated by the government and our senior national teams only ‘compete” once every four years?
We have our own “CIFA-GATE”!
(Someone call 911!…..or a special prosecutor!!!)
5:31 you are right on the money, but it’s only the tip of the iceberg so to speak.. CIFA has been a recipient of the FAP Grant since 1999 and the figure collected from this Grant alone is around 5 to 6 million U.S. I welcome this National debate on our National Sport. This was a long time coming. Irrespective who heads up CIFA we the concerned public must continue to hold them accountable for their actions going forward. We must also pressure the football clubs to be more involved with the way football is run administrationly. Clubs should form their own association which will give them more leverage in dealing with CIFA. As it is now CIFA has too much power over the clubs, because the majority of clubs has no interest in how CIFA is run administrationly, and as a result of this there has been a tremendous abuse of privilege in the past. Here is just one of the many examples. CIFA is or just one of the few national associations that sponsors it own leagues throughout the CFU and Concacaf region. Most if not all of the various football leagues in these respective countries is sponsored by the private sector and the sponsorship money is administered by the clubs association not the governing body.
8.11. I do share your views but not all. Associations of other Cayman sports seem to work as they do in other parts of the world. The real problem is the CIFA constitution which is outrageous and just a job for the boys that sit on the Executive Committee. Arising out of this is apathy of the clubs which arises because they realize that they cannot bring about wholesale change. They are locked in with the current incumbents. The answer is for the clubs to form a new association properly constituted with individuals who know the game and are well respected in the community. They will need the backing of both the Government and FIFA. That is a huge task for anyone.
CIFA must go and those entrenched within. By denying interested parties to stand is wrong. Obviously they have much to hide. To put a person to the lengths of taking legal advice smacks of control freaks. If Mr Macey and Mr Blake had any balls ( excuse the pun) or sense of sportsmanship they need postpone the meeting and give interested parties, such as Renards and Sharon, a new date to file amended paperwork, if the current paperwork is incomplete.
In tandem with this an investigation into all facets of CIFA is not only necessary but long overdue. If money has been paid out illegally, it must be repaid. Of particular concern is the huge mortgage on the new playing field which incidentally is not owned by CIFA, but Government. How on earth will this be repaid? Will the bank foreclose? Who knows?
In conclusion if the old guard are re-elected then football in Cayman has no chance of prospering. In effect it will be a prison sentence for Cayman football. To the football clubs I challenge you to change the game, boot the existing committee out before the real red cards get served and full time intervenes.
You are probably correct in regards to the total amount received by CIFA over the years, however, I can only speak to what is currently published by FIFA online. The other important issue is the apathy shown by the clubs in regards to how CIFA is run, many of these clubs a long standing members of CIFA and just go thorough the motions year in year out without demanding any improvements for their clubs or players and therefore robbing the players the opportunity to compete at a higher level, as long as they can field a team for a kick about on Saturday evening and call it “Premier League” they are happy. When was the last time our clubs competed regularly in the CONCACAF Champions League? The people running these local clubs must understand that they have a responsibility to the young players coming forward and have to make sure that if things are not working they are responsible to make changes. The time to change is now.
I wonder if any of Jeff’s Swiss entourage or current CIFA board members own dump trucks?
One needs to find out who the member of CIFA Executive Committee are to see what are their motives to be involved in the beautiful game, when you do you will see that these are Jeff Webb people, put there to support Jeff’s ambitions, most of them do not have a vested interest in the game itself, e.g, played the game, coach the game, follow the game or even have have young children that might benefit from development the game locally. I can tell you that i attend many local games and you rarely see any of the administrators attending any games. So what motivates them?
Blake voted for Blatter. That should make him unsuitable per se.
How many of them are shadows of Jeff Webb?
They are all Jeff Webbs shadows, that’s why their names should be posted and let the world know who they are. Their wings are broken, flights are cancelled and the bank is bankrupt.
Yes 6:32; I agree 100%
How is it Bruces fault that Renard can’t follow instructions and get properly nominated. Come see what he will do if elected if he can’t even get that right.
It’s on! You have 21 family members disliking your post.
Anyone notice that in every constructive response to this article there is one sole reader voting with a thumbs down. I just wonder whom that might be. Perchance a member of the Executive Comittee.
Well said Chris. Well said. I too want to know about this legal entity- Black Holdings Ltd. I concur with you also. It would be in order for the entire existing CIFA Exec to stand down; in the wake of the worldwide FIFA scandal, and allow a fresh group to come in. That fresh group; headed by a new CIFA President could then review the accounts; including where the $1.8M went to.
My personal view is that at this time, CIFA needs transparency and LACKS leadership!
The entire Cayman Islands needs transparency and lacks leadership!
Well said Mr. Johnson.
In every other case that I know of, Nominees for a position need 1 mover and 1 seconder, even on Boards and even in the Legislative Assembly. Why does CIFA feel they need to be different by supposedly having 2 movers and 2 seconders?
Birds of a feather flock together. They all lie down crocked.