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English FA grants JFF extension on debt repayment
KAYON RAYNOR, Observer senior staff reporter
raynork@jamaicaobserver.com
Friday, March 28, 2008
JFF president Captain Horace Burrell (left forefront), speaks with Simon Johnson (right forefront) of the English FA on their way to yesterday's press conference at the Courtleigh Hotel in New Kingston. Looking on are Peter Hargitay (second right), senior strategy advisor for England's 2018 FIFA World Cup bid, and Jane Bateman, head of international relations for the English FA. (Photo: Lionel Rookwood)
THE Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) has received the kind gesture of an extension from the English Football Association to settle a debt of £153,431.94 (approximately $22 million) arising from ticket sales for a friendly international between both countries at Old Trafford in 2006.
Simon Johnson - the English FA's Director of Corporate Affairs - yesterday said his Association has extended its hand of friendship to the JFF to try and find a solution.
"We expressed our continuing understanding for the work that Captain Burrell, Horace Reid and others are doing with the JFF in trying to move football forward in this country and we gave him our continuing assurance that we would continue to help and assist the JFF in coming up with a way to find a mutually agreeable and acceptable solution to the difficulties that have been created in the past and to come up with a solution that we hope will be for the benefit of football here in Jamaica," Johnson said at a hastily-arranged press conference at the Courtleigh Hotel in New Kingston yesterday.
Johnson declined to give much details of the agreement, except to indicate that the matter will be settled outside of court.
Johnson, along with Peter Hargitay, senior strategy advisor for England's 2018 FIFA World Cup bid, and Jane Bateman, head of international relations for the English FA, were special guests of the JFF for Wednesday's friendly international against Trinidad and Tobago at the National Stadium. The trio was also in Trinidad to announce a friendly international between England and the twin-isle republic later this year.
They used the opportunity to meet with the JFF and discuss the way forward to resolve the current financial crisis.
But at the end of the day, outside of showing some amount of lenience, neither Johnson nor the JFF could definitively say what was agreed on at yesterday's meeting.
"This is not legal; there is a relationship of friendship between ourselves and the Jamaica Football Federation (and) these things in the football family are always best discussed as family members and that's what we've done...," Johnson said.
It was revealed that the debt arose after the previous Crenston Boxhill-led JFF administration failed to hand over to the England FA the agreed portion of sales from the 9,118 tickets they were granted to sell to Jamaican fans for the June 3, 2006 match at Old Trafford, which saw England defeating the Reggae Boyz 6-0. The tickets were to be sold for £25 each, which would total £227,950.
Of that sum, according to JFF documents obtained by the Observer, 204 tickets were unsold, which would total £5,100, and the JFF had tabled a charge of £17,518.64 for "expense to sell" the tickets. This charge was later dropped, the Observer understands. There was also a match fee of £48,648.65 and airfare and accommodation fee of £20,769.41, resulting in the current debt of £153,431.94.
"We've enjoyed a very good and constructive discussion this morning and we from the Football Association... reiterated our appreciation for the leadership of Captain Burrell and his understanding that there were problems caused from the past and that he was willing to try and address them," Johnson added.
Meanwhile, Captain Burrell, who is serving his second stint as local football boss after his first between 1993-2003, blasted the previous administration for not honouring its commitment to pay for the tickets.
In the meantime, Burrell revealed plans to stage a series of matches in the United Kingdom.
"We're still going to need tremendous help from the English FA because we intend to play a series of friendly games in England and you can't kick a ball in England unless you have the permission of the FA...," Burrell stressed.
KAYON RAYNOR, Observer senior staff reporter
raynork@jamaicaobserver.com
Friday, March 28, 2008
JFF president Captain Horace Burrell (left forefront), speaks with Simon Johnson (right forefront) of the English FA on their way to yesterday's press conference at the Courtleigh Hotel in New Kingston. Looking on are Peter Hargitay (second right), senior strategy advisor for England's 2018 FIFA World Cup bid, and Jane Bateman, head of international relations for the English FA. (Photo: Lionel Rookwood)
THE Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) has received the kind gesture of an extension from the English Football Association to settle a debt of £153,431.94 (approximately $22 million) arising from ticket sales for a friendly international between both countries at Old Trafford in 2006.
Simon Johnson - the English FA's Director of Corporate Affairs - yesterday said his Association has extended its hand of friendship to the JFF to try and find a solution.
"We expressed our continuing understanding for the work that Captain Burrell, Horace Reid and others are doing with the JFF in trying to move football forward in this country and we gave him our continuing assurance that we would continue to help and assist the JFF in coming up with a way to find a mutually agreeable and acceptable solution to the difficulties that have been created in the past and to come up with a solution that we hope will be for the benefit of football here in Jamaica," Johnson said at a hastily-arranged press conference at the Courtleigh Hotel in New Kingston yesterday.
Johnson declined to give much details of the agreement, except to indicate that the matter will be settled outside of court.
Johnson, along with Peter Hargitay, senior strategy advisor for England's 2018 FIFA World Cup bid, and Jane Bateman, head of international relations for the English FA, were special guests of the JFF for Wednesday's friendly international against Trinidad and Tobago at the National Stadium. The trio was also in Trinidad to announce a friendly international between England and the twin-isle republic later this year.
They used the opportunity to meet with the JFF and discuss the way forward to resolve the current financial crisis.
But at the end of the day, outside of showing some amount of lenience, neither Johnson nor the JFF could definitively say what was agreed on at yesterday's meeting.
"This is not legal; there is a relationship of friendship between ourselves and the Jamaica Football Federation (and) these things in the football family are always best discussed as family members and that's what we've done...," Johnson said.
It was revealed that the debt arose after the previous Crenston Boxhill-led JFF administration failed to hand over to the England FA the agreed portion of sales from the 9,118 tickets they were granted to sell to Jamaican fans for the June 3, 2006 match at Old Trafford, which saw England defeating the Reggae Boyz 6-0. The tickets were to be sold for £25 each, which would total £227,950.
Of that sum, according to JFF documents obtained by the Observer, 204 tickets were unsold, which would total £5,100, and the JFF had tabled a charge of £17,518.64 for "expense to sell" the tickets. This charge was later dropped, the Observer understands. There was also a match fee of £48,648.65 and airfare and accommodation fee of £20,769.41, resulting in the current debt of £153,431.94.
"We've enjoyed a very good and constructive discussion this morning and we from the Football Association... reiterated our appreciation for the leadership of Captain Burrell and his understanding that there were problems caused from the past and that he was willing to try and address them," Johnson added.
Meanwhile, Captain Burrell, who is serving his second stint as local football boss after his first between 1993-2003, blasted the previous administration for not honouring its commitment to pay for the tickets.
In the meantime, Burrell revealed plans to stage a series of matches in the United Kingdom.
"We're still going to need tremendous help from the English FA because we intend to play a series of friendly games in England and you can't kick a ball in England unless you have the permission of the FA...," Burrell stressed.
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