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**Karl** · November 7, 2007, 03:59 AM

Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) in cash crisis
published: Wednesday | November 7, 2007

Audley Boyd, Assistant Sport Editor

Captain Horace Burrell gets across a point during yesterday's press conference at the Jamaica Football Federation's headquarters in New Kingston. - Peta-Gaye Clachar/Staff Photographer

PRELIMINARY estimates of the newly-installed Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) board calculate its debts at a staggering $77.5 million, president Captain Horace Burrell revealed at a press conference yesterday.

The disclosure was made at a press conference at JFF head-quarters in New Kingston following a near six-hour board meeting at which Burrell also announced a unanimous decision had been reached regarding technical director Velibor 'Bora' Milutinovic.

He also announced the suspension of the women's national training programmes for the Under-19 and senior teams which begin competition this month; the lifting of a two-year ban on English-based Reggae Boy Marlon King with immediate effect; the resumption of the Cash Plus Premier League on Sunday and also confirmed a friendly international against Guatemala at 'The Office' on Sunday, November 21.

Preliminary report
News of the JFF debt and Bora's status dominated the question-and-answer segment.

"It's a preliminary report ... we're going to do some more investi-gations," said the federation's new treasurer, Gary Sinclair.
Sinclair said payables stood at $83.4 million, which included a long-outstanding loan to Burrell ($15 million) and $7 million in bank overdrafts, against receivables of $27.7 million.

The treasurer, a new man to football, admitted that payables included salary amounts totalling $23.9 million now owing to Milutinovic, $22.5 million to the English FA for tickets sold for a match in England last November that were not paid over, statutory deductions totalling $16.4 million ($9 million for PAYE), and $13.2 million which includes debts to parish associations, premier league clubs ($5 million) and other sundries.

Financial dilemma
Of the monies owing to Milutinovic for this year's salary, the federation says it got assurances from the Government that it would pay up the $250,000 commitment, but saw no record in any JFF account of the remaining $88,000 that had been received from its partners, but not paid to the technical director, whose salary is due on November 15.

Leighton McKnight, chairman of the financial committee, said they are in a "financial dilemma" and "... will have to find ways to come out of a very deep hole."

Burrell said: "I'm so baffled at this time. It's incredible that this can be so having heard these revelations of profitability all this time on the radio, television and in the newspapers. The situation that the JFF is in now is simply frightening".

However, Rudolph Speid, who had been the JFF treasurer from February 2005 until Sunday when Burrell's team took over, defended the financials, which were published in The Sunday Gleaner. He said: "When I came, the JFF was $43 million in the red.

**Karl** · November 7, 2007, 04:03 AM

Bora's days numbered
published: Wednesday | November 7, 2007

Audley Boyd, Assistant Sports Editor

Milutinovic

THE Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) appears set to terminate the contract of technical director Velibor 'Bora' Milutinovic, thus clearing the way for the return of Brazilian René Simoes.

It has been rumoured for some time that Captain Horace Burrell has been in discussions with Simoes, who was technical director when Jamaica made its only appearance at the FIFA World Cup Finals France '98.

Captain Burrell, who began his second tenure as president of the JFF, at its voting congress on Sunday, told journalists covering a press conference at its St. Lucia Crescent, New Kingston headquarters, following a six-hour board meeting yesterday evening, that they had made a conclusive decision on a technical matter that had to do with coach Bora.

Burrell declined to state the board's final position, but made it clear he would make the decision public as soon as he had spoken with Milutinovic.
Also, well-informed sources in the JFF admitted secretly that the decision had been made to sever ties with Milutinovic.

Captain Burrell said: "The new board, having met on two occasions ... has taken a unanimous decision on the issue of technical director, the details of which I cannot reveal at this time until I speak to Mr. Bora.
"It's a very important matter and we've to deal with this matter professionally."

No definitive answer
Captain Burrell was asked specifically if Milutinovic's contract had been terminated, but he did not give a definitive answer.
"I'm not telling you that we've dismissed Mr. Bora," he offered. "We have a definitive position. As soon as I've spoken with coach Bora, I'll make the decision public."

The refusal of the generally forthright Captain Burrell to state whether Milutinovic, who resides in Mexico, will retain his position, seems to have convinced many that the Serbian-born coach would be removed.

Milutinovic was employed almost a year ago and came with glittering credentials, having coached five different nations at FIFA World Cup Finals. But under his watch, Jamaica's FIFA rankings have plummeted to a record low 103.
He was contracted to the federation at US$1 million a year and if he is fired, there are implications of a pay-out for the remaining three years of his contract by the cash-strapped JFF, which, its financial bosses said, according to preliminary investigations, is now indebted at a staggering $77.5 million.

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