'Mum' shouldn't be the word for the Captain

Saturday, January 21, 2012

LIKE so many others, including the numerous football-loving supporters, we, too, were left disappointed that Captain Horace Burrell, the iconic leader of the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF), chose to remain silent on details relating to his three-month suspension imposed by the FIFA Ethics Committee last October.

Captain Burrell and other high-ranking Caribbean officials received suspensions by FIFA, following a meeting in Trinidad last May when then FIFA presidential candidate Mr Mohamed Bin Hammam allegedly offered US$40,000, plus other gifts, to each association to support him against the incumbent Joseph 'Sepp' Blatter in the elections of last summer.

Captain Burrell was slapped with a six-month ban (three months suspended for two years). To date, FIFA has refused to specify the alleged breach.

But prior to Captain Burrell's sanctioning, he had denied accepting the money or any other gifts, and we took his word.

So we were hugely surprised when sanctions were brought against the JFF president and his general secretary Mr Horace Reid, particularly because Jamaica was never identified as one of the countries under investigation.

At the time Captain Burrell accepted the decision of the FIFA Ethics Committee and refused to appeal because he said he understood the reason behind it. "Even if some of the sanctions are very severe, I understand that FIFA needs to put an end to individual wrongdoing and bad practice if the evidence proves that individuals have engaged in reprehensible conduct."

The JFF boss had added that his initial decision not to co-operate with the foreign investigators was an error on his part. "Those of us who live the Caribbean reality will understand my reluctance, while people who are unfamiliar with our Caribbean history will take offence, which is what happened, and for which I now suffer the consequences."

Based on the suspicious nature in which a proud man like Captain Burrell was sidelined he was expected to defend himself and set the record straight immediately upon his return.

On Tuesday when he briefed the media he squandered that opportunity, his obvious FIFA ambitions notwithstanding, as there remains a sense of uncertainty surrounding the entire episode.

"Today is a day for telling you exactly how we're going to move forward. We're not going to be speaking a lot about the past because as far as FIFA is concerned, all that took place in May is now closed, so said the president of FIFA, Joseph 'Sepp' Blatter," Captain Burrell said on Tuesday.

Administratively, the visionary JFF leader has been the face of the nation's football on the global stage going on two decades and his renowned capacity to market football is being heavily relied on by his association to help raise the US$5-million needed to propel the senior Reggae Boyz in their quest for the Brazil 2014 World Cup qualifications programme, which begins in June.

In such circumstances we are happy to see that the football fraternity, by and large, has pulled together and shown a united and well-organised front.

But even as Captain Burrell enjoys the full support and backing of the football hierarchy, it is important that he commands the same level of confidence from other sectors, such as government, corporate Jamaica, and fans in general.

Good governance entails accepted ethical standards, which create an environment of trust, transparency and integrity. This must be distinct if the football programme is to succeed, and we don't think it's too late for Captain Burrell to make an about-turn and finally set the record straight.

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'Mum' shouldn't be the word for the Captain