Viewpoint: Clubs have the power to change CIFA
Football Guy writes: Towards the end of August CIFA, the local football governing body, will hold its annual congress and elections. If it were not for the events of the past 4 months, we could let this event slide as another boring predictable election where the same people serving on the CIFA executive remain per the past 15 years.
This time there is at least a reason why things should be different. CIFA desperately needs a change for the better. Clubs have more than vented their frustration at how they have been treated and the lack of progress in football, particularly with respect to Cayman’s youth football development over the past 20 years.
But CIFA’s situation is looking more and more like a microcosm of the broader issue with elections in Cayman. Apparently, people do care about the issues but they tend to demonstrate very little courage to change the leaders. At every opportunity, it seems, we act as if we are intimidated to vote against our true wishes. The fact that politicians (including football ones) pave the way for our votes with ‘favours’, as tempting as that may be, is no longer an excuse to vote for the status quo. Change will absolutely not occur unless we make it happen.
There is already some evidence, if you are to believe the murmurs, that some local clubs are reluctant to vote for change because they fear what might occur if the persons or group they don’t support gets elected.
Sounds familiar?
Local clubs that whine quietly about their unhappiness with CIFA but vote for the status quo out of fear are absolutely the source of the problem. If they vote together for such change they are unstoppable as a force for change, because that change will occur. When that change occurs the intimidation stops. But ironically, their lack of courage to do what’s right together could leave them in the same position as before: beholding to a system and set of leaders who rule as they wish, giving out the occasional favour to pacify a voting club when it’s needed and, worst of all, doing next to nothing for the sport’s development and advancement.
CIFA may not need a complete overhaul. And we should never change simply for change’s sake. But CIFA does need a convincing reorganization and that cannot happen without new leadership. Those who have served for many years must be recognized for dedicating their personal time and efforts over the years. But unfortunately many of them have had their chance to help the sport evolve and, sadly, they have failed at do so. So, respectfully, it’s time for them to step aside and give others the opportunity to affect that change.
There is no true opportunity for new leadership if we don’t elect new leaders. And when these new leaders fail to serve us they too should suffer a similar fate. But we will never evolve unless we make the changes because our actions are what makes these leaders, old and new, accountable.
Hopefully the local clubs who have all the power and influence to make this change will muster the courage to act together and use their votes in the upcoming CIFA congress to improve the sport of football in the Cayman Islands for all stakeholders, including schools, sponsors, referees, coaches, parents and, most importantly, the hundreds of players who love the beautiful game.
Category: Community, Local News, Viewpoint
I see no mention of female appointees to CIFA. That is somewhat curious, given that soccer is really a game for the girls.
Well said Kayman. Jeff for the last 20 years has cultivated the type of mentality, that football locally was and is no more than a social and recreational weekend gathering of various groups of teams who compete against each other from September to May for a token cash prize and a few flimsy trophies. I am now observing the contest between the two CIFA current administrators Bruce Blake who is the acting Prisident and Renard Moxam who is CIFA Director of National Teams vying for the Vice President Position come August 29th. Neither individual has any history of contributing to change the above Jeff Webb football culture. For Bruce defense like the rest of CIFA Exicutives they was just filling these positions to fulfill CIFA constitution requirements, because CIFA was Jeff Webb and Jeff Webb alone. The question is can Bruce given a chance to head CIFA without the dictatorship control of Jeff reform and change the above mentality of the game locally. For Renard he was one of the best players of his generation and also the first player from cayman to go pro. But what has Renard contribution been to local football in the last 25yrs. Did his company Island Companies ever contribute to football over the years in terms of sponsorship of a club or a youth league etc. As National Director of Football never heard or saw a a report on why all of our National Teams men and women from U17 to seniors never advanced out of the CFU preliminary qualifying rounds for FIFA worlds cups and Olympics football tournament this year. Why also the three most successful coaches Gillie Seymour, Elbert McLean, and Coach Huta in local football for the past ten years from youth level to seniors was never invited to be part of the national coaching staff by Mr Moxam. Why also the two young caymanian U17 boys national team coaches was phased out from the national coaching setup and that program was completely phased out after their U17 World Cup qualification games in Jamaica. This is the same Team and coaches that done our Island so proud in the first Concacaf U15 boys tournament here two years ago. According to the emotional outcry from Jeff to the minister of sports and the public this was the football team for the future and there was no stone going to be left unturned in keeping this team together to build all our future national programs around. But Mr Moxam did not share that same sentiment, he surrounded his self with non English speaking foreign coaches and disbanded the team. Now Mr Moxam is pursuing to become the leader of local football. With the above performance of being national director of local football for the past year would you the public say he is the person to change the present culture of our so called national sport. You don’t have to form a opinion of of this letter either way do your own research on the above topics that has briefly been highlighted. More to come.l
So, if you did not contribute in the last 15-20 years you cannot contribute now? To the best of my knowledge Renard contributed quite a lot as a player and as a coach for a number of years.
He had a business to run and perhaps that took him away from the game more than what he would have like it, although I believed he was involved in the pee wee league for years. He ran a successful business and it appears as if he now has time to get back to the game. Should we punished him for not helping before?
On the subject of coaches, all the coaches mentioned above are capable and have done lots of work in the local scene, however, we can always benefit from having other expertise from which we can draw from, the head coach currently at CIFA is very experienced and knowledgeable specially in the Caribbean and CONCACAF area, where we compete.
I know for a fact that the players, both male and female enjoy working under his meticulously prepared modern training sessions.
I don’t think CIFA will restore credibility with sponsors if the leader is not a new person. But I feel that a few of the existing ones can still serve on the board.
Guys everything’s gonna be all right. I just need for my existing mafia to keep the fort locked up until I can get back there :–)
Sorry folks but the man that voted for sepp blatter is vying for one of the top positions. He needs to go!
Out with the old!
I think its ‘out with the arrogant’.
Out with the old, arrogant, discredited, Blatter-voting junket monkeys.
Football guy, when is the date of these CIFA elections and can anyone from general public attend?
Football in Cayman died in 1990’s when top coaches like Ed Wilson, Ed Bush, JC, Alistair Murphy and Winston Chung stopped being involved in football . They were important in promoting young players not just as footballers but as good, honest men. They invested so many hours an CIFA and numerous governments decided to stop investing in sports.
I was a member of the first Cayman football youth team to reach the last four of the Miami Classic that was in 1987. I remember football matches being played at Annex and Town Hall field with CNB vs Scholars, Boca vs Strikers, Innkeepers vs East End as classic matches that was rivalry with crowds of 2,000 watching and a big part of Cayman sports/culture today you’re lucky to get 50 spectators.
We’ve now lost a great man and coach in Huta who has now moved to US after years of frustration. So sad Jeff Webb destroyed football for the love of greed and power and isn’t a lover of the beautiful game, he never invested in grassroots programs and development. I really hope that Blake, Webb and all their honchos need to step aside and I hope Cheeky, Virgil, Neil Murray, Richard Hew and Barry Martinez will form part of the CIFA EXCO.
Football is certainly not dead, just simply drive around any day and you will see the interest for the game here in Cayman, unfortunately since the 1990’s a new breed of people took over the game and eventually forgot who the game is for. We have a large number of kids who love to play the game, unfortunately the game has lost credibility and therefore community involvement and over the years it has not been managed or marketed properly. I was a part of the CNB vs Scholars or Striker or East End games, those were wonderful occasions. We need to change the current leadership at CIFA with one that supports the clubs and the players and get credibility back, the fans and support will be back at the games.
The clubs can vote to keep the status quo if they want . But don’t whine and bitch afterwards about the same crappy leadership you had for the past 15 years.
Now if you convince Mr Haines to take on football as well as Rugby, I hear he likes a challenge.
At least the corruption will not be tolerated.
Football is now and has always been an unnecessary drain on our resources. Once we accept that it’s only legitimate role is a social one, we may be able to move forward.
On top of the 100+K which CIFA receives by way of Government purchase order annually, many of the clubs coaches are in fact paid Civil Servants working in theory for the Department of Sports.
Who decides which clubs receive such perks and why? A few other select clubs receive Government funds by way of purchase order separate from the already excessive CIFA grant.
Cayman Islands football will never be competitive on the Concacaf level, let alone the global stage. large team sports in general are a waste of our resources.
Football has a role in society, just not the one these power hungry, money grubbers want it to be for their own gains.
Peace.
It’s time to clean house completely, although it will be difficult to find people with a passion for football who are both competent and of strict morals, and who would be willing to take the risk well knowing that they will be viewed with suspicion by all and sundry.
Sorry Renard, but anyone appointed by Jeff Webb, and anyone else who was a part of his team after the fiasco in Trinidad should hang their head in shame and never try to associate themselves with football ever again in life.
renard was in place a few months and not on the executive committee. some members of the (rather useless) committee have been in place for year and years
whether or not he has been involved in any wrong doing, Mr Blake should step down and allow Cayman football to begin the very difficult task of rebuilding its tattered reputation.
Only a change in leadership will allow this to happen.
The issue with Blake is not his integrity. its that he cannot take the higher road for the organization and see that a change without him actually gives the sport a chance to recover for the sake of our youth. This should not be about blake keeping his position of power. He has been there long enough. Its about Blake seeing that the change is necessary and with all his experience and perspective acknowledging that he should let someone else try. Come on man if it doesn’t work out in a couple of years you can always come back! you don’t need to keep the fort locked up with the old boys just because the boss asked you to do so.
Calm down people the article is not asking for everyone to change. I think they need a new treasurer to clean up the finances and a new president to be the face of change. But I think several of the others can stay and they can all work together. That’s the cayman way.
It’s more simple than this. It’s question of voting for the FIFA klan which is the existing group or voting for change.
Football clubs representatives should not only have the courage to vote for a change, they must understand that it is their duty to do so, The current CIFA exco has been in place for 20 years and any club should know that the benefits to the local game has been minimal, how do we explain the fact that since 2002 CIFA has received grants from FIFA in the amount of $2.2 million (http://www.fifa.com/development/facts-and-figures/association=cay/index.html) for the goal project and as of today it remains unfinished even with our local representatives at the highest levels of CONCACAF and FIFA, other associations have completed their projects and starting to see the benefits. When was the last time the local clubs saw a CIFA exco member at a First Division game or even at a Premier League game? They have no interest in the game itself, they only want to enjoy the first class travel and 5 star accommodations, they need to know the party is over and it is time to get back to the game. Support change.
Interesting reading at http://www.fifa.com/development/caymanislands not least the contractors awarded the projects.
In addition to the Goal Programme grants of $2.2 million dollars, CIFA received grants in the amounts of $2.6 million dollars under Financial Assistance Programme (FAP) since 2011. I understand the clubs have to provide balls for the games, however I see CIFA has also received almost 2000 adidas balls from FIFA also, interesting indeed?
It’s a bit better than you might think. I heard that quite a few clubs ARE going to vote for change.
Cayman football will never be treated seriously again if changes are not made now.
Cayman football never was and never will be treated seriously whatever happens.
Or don’t listen to barroom mumblings.
Football Guy
This is an exceptionally well written article and I congratulate you. It has been long time been coming.
The only way to remedy the problem is to close CIFA. Its relationship with the corruption with FIFA or THIEFA as I like to refer to it, is undeneighable. A new association with persons of integrity heading it up needs to be formed. How an earth will the current association be able to obtain grants from the Government, FIFA and local sponsors.
The people suffering most are the people of the Cayman Islands but above all the school children who want to enjoy the most popular sport in the Cayman Islands.
Will the current executive of CIFA kindly stand down in order that the sport can develop without the intervention of further corruption. Failing that a new association must be formed. There is no shortage of persons will throw their weight behind this.
This corruption would certainly not have happened in my day playing with Scotia against By Rites and Sapissa in the seventies. Where did it all go,wrong?
Not that I rate him highly in any way, but I don’t believe there has been anyone involved in football who cared about its organization since Tony Scott left, and Jeff Webb was probably in pampers back then.
I wote for Jeff Webb as Prezodent fo Life!
CIFA, FIFA, whatever. Does anyone even care about this crap sport anymore. Corruption on a global basis, riots at the games, racism, fan fights on the streets, prima donna players who fake a foul at every opportunity. Give me any sport other than this one.
You must come from Alaska
Just can’t handle reality can you.
A change of leadership is badly needed because they are playing with the future of our young people, and the representation of our country by making the children pawns in their political game that feeds their large EGO’s. Ask any parent who has been involved in recent times with the National teams.
Did the CIFA cowards admit to voting for Blatter yet?
Blatter-voting junket-monkeys.
I’ll put it this way…they may not all be corrupt but many may not be clean either. I wouldn’t trust the existing bunch to take football forward.
Hey Caymanians and paper Caymanians. I don’t really see anything wrong with money laundering. Do you? Your not robbing or threatening anyone lives. If it passes through the banks and the banks says its good so what is so harmful and it???
Good viewpoint. If they don’t make some changes they have only themselves to blame..
True but until serious changes are made I will never have faith in cayman football again!