CIFA boss leaves day job at Maples
Bruce Blake, Acting CIFA President
(CNS): Bruce Blake, the acting president of the Cayman Islands Football Association, has reportedly left his lucrative position as a lawyer with an offshore firm to focus on his job at the helm of the beleaguered local football organisation. The decision comes following several months of controversy, beginning in May with the arrest of the now suspended president, Jeffrey Webb, in relation to the US corruption probe into CIFA. Since then there have been concerns over the handling of the CIFA annual election, government has pulled its grant to CIFA and its annual audit has been stalled over suspicious transactions.
A stormy time for CIFA, Blake, who is a qualified accountant and attorney, is understood to have resigned from his position with Maples and Calder, where he has worked for some 17 years, in order to concentrate on football. He was re-elected on Saturday for another four-year term as first VP of the association. But with Webb under house arrest in the US and currently suspended by the FIFA executive from serving in any official football capacity, Blake is also acting president of CIFA.
CNS has made several attempts to contact Blake this week to discuss the latest controversies surrounding the association and his recent resignation but we have been unsuccessful. On Monday Blake told Cayman27’s sports desk that CIFA would provide whatever was needed to the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), which is now looking into CIFA, the police and the auditors.
However, Philip Rankin, who conducted the CIFA audit, told CNS on Friday that the reason why the audit was stalled was because requests for the information to support the unsubstantiated transactions from CIFA had gone unanswered.
Since the recent revelations regarding the concerns raised by CIFA’s auditors and reports made to the ACC, as well as the rubber stamping exercise last Saturday to reinstall most of the existing executive, the former general secretary, Paul Macey, confirmed Monday that he had resigned, just days after the AGM. He later said recent events prevented him from being able to offer his support to CIFA.
CNS also understands that Mark Scotland, another CIFA executive, asked not to be reinstated on Saturday in his position on the committee but again calls and messages to the former sports minister have not been returned.
As the issues mount for the local football association locally, distracting the management from the game itself, the controversies are also making headlines in the international press, creating concerns not just for CIFA’s already damaged reputation but that of the Cayman Islands as well.
Category: Community, Local News
I reckon Blake is not going for any shopping trips to Miami in a hurry.
“Day job” = “job”.
If details of “loans” turned into “gifts” from CIFA “strategic partners” are true, then is looks like CIFA could have been a conduit for money laundering.
I think voting for Blatter ought to be a sackable offence.
From Deflate Gate to Blake Gate, all in one day. Bruce, score one for the Gipper!
I wonder if maples will continue to sponsor CIFA.
Maybe mr. Blake might have the last laugh. Has anyone considered he might have been promised a very lucrative position with FIFA? No one gives up a job such as mr. Blakes for a corn flakes local club.
Yes, the recent track record of CIFA officials at higher levels of CONCACAF and FIFA is impeccable.
Hmmm more than meets the eye….but time will tell I suppose.
Here again it should be clear why there are not more GOOD candidates jumping for such positions. Most volunteered positions within our small community are thankless jobs such those within CIFA and due to character assassination by vicious rumors like many I have seen in the media over the last couple of weeks.
I am glad that Bruce Blake, a bright young Caymanian has put his passion, heart and dedication for our youth rather than the almighty dollar! Far as I know, Bruce Blake is single, and having worked in a very good positions over the last 17 or so years, I am sure that he has made good money and been able to save.
Obviously there are many pressing matters to be addressed at CIFA and as the acting president, I agree that much time and attention is going to be required over the next couple of months for resolutions and brand rebuilding. I am glad to see that Bruce Blake is leading by example to give something back to his community. Hopefully, a few of the critics within the football site will offer up their time and volunteer to help out as many hands will be needed.
In this whole CIFA election process, it seems that the majority of comments are from a handful of people who are spinning a web that does not contain the whole truth. There are many pertinent questions that I would have expected to have been asked and discussed by now but as they have not been, I decided to type up a few for public consideration:
1. How is it that the two persons that were put forward for nominations did not ensure that they knew the CIFA constitutional requirements prior to the close of nomination period? The requirement for a nomination to have support from 4 teams is not new.
2. If 2 persons seeking nominations did not even know this, then how can they be better for leadership positions in Cayman football?
3. Why were the candidates seeking nomination not able to get the required 4 nominations? Maybe because the electorate did not want them? Electorate being the registered teams.
4. There are all sorts of allegations regarding conflict of interests and corruption in the existing CIFA executive, so why is it that no one has questioned the Director of National Teams why he did NOT see it fit to resign from his current paid CIFA position prior to seeking an elected post within CIFA? Maybe he did not consider that there was a conflict of interest, so did not resign? If so, what does that say for him?
5. Why would Government threaten to stop funding CIFA if CIFA did not reconsider it’s position regarding the nomination process as outlined in the CIFA Constitution for the two persons that failed to fulfill the nomination requirements? Government interfering in the running of associations seems strange but maybe the Minister of Sports was misled?
6. Lastly, does one not find it strange that an auditor would speak to the media about the “supposedly suspicious transactions” in CIFA’s books during its audit while there is an ongoing investigation? Why has no one thought such an act to be questionable?
Hope that some answers are given.
11:16 stop wasting your precious time writing such drivel. You are not doing yourself any favors. We can see right through your post. No one needs to make up rumors people can see the truth for themselves. One only needs to browse the FIFA website to see what and when it was spent in these islands. FIFA spent over a million easy sending to CIFA for various initiatives. Your comment makes me want to puke! Stop putting your head on a chopping block for people you don’t know and obviously anyone with common sense can see Maples gave Bruce the option to resign as opposed to firing him! Would look worse firing him don’t you think? You all not fooling us, time for this shit to stop! It’s called “misappropriation of funds”, millions gone! Stop using children as a scape goat to further add to your already over-stuffed pockets! GREED is the issue and they thought no-one would catch them! HA! 24 years of investigating and these little Muppets think they can get away? Jeff, you not the only Caymanian going down down down…..more to come! And no pity needed.
Really, you must be on the gravy train yourself. Mr. Blake is willing to use his personal savings of 17 years to rescue CIFA? Wow,he should be given a novel prize together with Blatter for service to humanity and Cayman in particular. By the way, do you think Mr. Blake knows that it is a constitution requirement to present audited accounts before the AGM can take place. What do you think the auditors are supposed to do when they ask for supporting documents of suspicious transaction and they are ignored. Do you think they were some petty cash receipts?
You sound very passionate in defending Mr. Blake and nothing wrong with that but make sure you have all the pieces of the puzzles and the facts before putting your head on the chopping block for someone.
1. You asked if the two persons seeking nomination didn’t know the constitutional requirements what does that say about their leadership abilities. My question to you is what does that say about the person who accepted their applications and advised them they were in order. Didn’t he know the requirements?
2. Do you know for sure they were not able to get four nominations? Perhaps had CIFA not deliberately waited until after nominations were closed to inform them of this, they would have. It wasn’t like they had dozens of applications.
3. Can’t speak for the Government’s decision but the way I see it if the two applicants were not going to get elected because as you suggested perhaps they were not wanted then why not allow them to be nominated and not get elected in a transparent election?
The situation smells of something and it isn’t cookies. Seems like CIFA executive was perhaps concerned that possibly the apple cart could be turned over and they could lose . I believe they realised the problem with the applications and chose to wait until after nominations were closed to advise them so it couldn’t be rectified and their applications were then rejected.
They can fool some of the people some of the time but not all the people all the time.
There seems to be more than meets the eye here; many are not coming to the table with clean hands. The USA must be licking their chops while house of cards are crumbling.
Could be he has a cunning plan?
I’m sure Maples made his leave. This is not his choice at all. They are a large firm that have to be concerned about protecting their reputation.
This could never happen in the civil service……what a mess in the private sector.
Thank you for pointing that out… Capt. Obvious!
Am I the only one picturing the scene in which Darth Vader uses the Force to pin someone against the wall? And in this picture Bruce is not playing Darth Vader.
You probably are. Buy me a gin and tonic and I might see it too in a while.
Soon come! New sports reporter at Cayman 27! Oh the power…
Well,$2.6 million for the GOAL project,$2.5 million in Fifa FAP assistance, plus other sponsorship funds, locally and overseas for a football association ranked 190 out of 210 associations and one that does not provide even basic insurance or any other financial assistance to anyone representing the country and the majority of the team parcipate once every four years if lucky.
Also remember they use the government facilities free of charge for the bush league play in the island. I am sure there is a lot of funds left over!!!
Since when was the acting president of CIFA a salaried position?
It is a make your own salary position.
The “fringe benefits” at CIFA must be better than most knows or was revealed at recent AGM.
Perhaps the salary is paid in watches.
Remember, the CIFA position is a non salaried job. Does any one leaves a 17 years job at one of Cayman’s best company’s for the love of the game? Thank you Bruce!!
Maybe he is just so dedicated to promoting football in Cayman that he is willing to sacrifice a lucrative career at a prestigious law firm to help the football cause?
Bartender! No more to drink for me please… Those damn shots are wayyyy too strong…
More likely resign or be dismissed.
Emmm would it not make more sense to give up the CIFA job?
Not for Maples!
Do he leave or was he pushed out?
Did he leave with the contractual notice needed to transition his work, or for someone to replace him? OR was his departure with immediate effect?
Maples probably gave him the option to resign as they were probably going to let him go, so to save face they gave him the option to leave first. Reading the article that is what seems to be the case.
Wow! Who knew there was a firm on-island where you could make more than a Maples attorney?
11:13 CIFA!!
Smart move. Much more free money at CIFA.
That don’t make no sense at all.
LoL that didn’t take long.
Some people just don’t know when to give up, make sure you have a life jacket Bruce, your ship is going down.
Poor Bruce. it’s all closing in on him, whether he sees it or not.