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FIFA says yes to relocation of Academy
... to approve sale of Malvern property
Ian Burnett, Sport Editor
burnetti@jamaicaobserver.com
Friday, April 25, 2008
Zurich, Switzerland - FIFA president Joseph 'Sepp' Blatter, yesterday approved in principle the Jamaica Football Federation's (JFF's) request to dispose of the unfinished FIFA Goal Project and Football Academy in Malvern, St Elizabeth, and agreed to grant the local body a second Goal Project to be constructed at a new venue.
At the same time, the FIFA has favourably responded to extending courses for administrators at the parish level, as well as lending technical assistance generally, and helping with youth development programmes. These courses will be arranged for both Kingston and Montego Bay.
"They (JFF) have requested from FIFA different courses, which will be done," Blatter told the Observer following the meeting at the new, elegantly styled Home of FIFA in Zurich, Switzerland, yesterday.
"In principle FIFA is there to help, but homework must be made in the national associations and now we have the big worker (Captain Horace Burrell), one who has a vision of football, and I am very happy that in the meeting today we were able to find ways and means of how to go out of a situation which was not a good one, but now let's speak about the future, which I believe will be brilliant, because everybody believes in what the Jamaican football can do," added the FIFA boss, who exhibited a sense of delight.
The JFF executives, represented by president Captain Burrell and general secretary Horace Reid, were special guests of the FIFA president, his secretary general Jerome Valcke, and other FIFA officials.
The JFF duo has been on a hectic one-week, three-nation European tour which saw them successfully negotiating the write-off of a £153,431.94 debt to the English FA at a meeting at the Wembley Stadium on Tuesday afternoon; and the inking of a lucrative US$1.77- million two-year sponsorship kit deal with Kappa in Turin, Italy, on Wednesday.
President Blatter appeared less than amused at the lack of a Goal Project on the island after breaking ground for one in Portmore, St Catherine, in November 2003, but he was calm and assured in an utterly professional response.
"Definitely it is a pity that it (Goal Project) has not been realised, but now we have to look forward in the future and to make sure that this Goal Project is realised and... in the right place, where it can be at the service of the football in the country," he said, before lavishly praising of his colleagu Burrell.
"Captain Horace Burrell came back in the office of the president and I am very happy about that, and I am sure that the whole family of the football of the JFF, they are happy as well."
Burrell was a picture of contentment when he spoke to the Observer yesterday, especially after completing his third major football coup in as many days and as many countries.
"Today's meeting was a complete success," beamed Burrell. "I am extremely happy.
"We came here to meet president Blatter and the other FIFA officials, as we want to press ahead with the Goal Project in our country. We need new training grounds in urban areas to improve our work with youngsters. Also, we want to further promote training courses at youth level and organise other courses such as administration and Com-unity. This is why we came to FIFA, to speed up the necessary developments.
"We're very grateful that we had the opportunity... to exchange ideas, and I'm totally confident we will take a great step forward with the support of FIFA," he said.
"The president has given his blessings to our requests and the other members have made it clear that they are going to help Jamaica build back its football that would cause it to take off in the fast lane," he added.
Meanwhile, Urs Kluser, Member Associations Director, MA & Development Division at FIFA, tried to simplify yesterday's discussions.
"We have discussed the possibility of changing the location of the Goal Project and we have pre-discussed this with the appropriate committee member here in FIFA and in principle we agree in changing the location and changing the project.
"Of course there will be certain points that have to be solved, among others, the lands for the old project will have to be sold, but this will have to be approved by the Goal Bureau, which is the commission that approves the Goal Project.
And at the same time the Jamaica Federation will apply for a second Goal Project and again the project will have to go through the proper channels, but as usual we try to suport these requests as quickly as possible.
FIFA will supervise these projects through the Goal Project manager here in FIFA, Serge Dumortier, who will oversee the selling of the lands for the old project in order to get the best deal for FIFA.
The FIFA had funded the first Goal Project to the tune of US$734,000 (US$400,000 from the Goal Project; US$173,000 from the Financial Assistance Programme and US$161,000 from Association).
Kluser added: "The JFF has also put forward their intention to organise courses for their parish administrators and we find this very interesting. We could also do other things for the coaches and other technical developments, so we will finalise this and we will also work very closely with the people from the federation to get courses that benefit their administrators best and we will give all the support that we can."
The Member Associations Director also said he would recommend the Com-unity seminars, which bring together all the stakeholders of football around a certain issue that is the most important for the JFF. He said the JFF will have to decide how to arrive at that issue.
"In the past we have done it on youth development, we have done it on marketing, they bring together people from marketing, people from the government, people from the press, whatever issue is most important to the federation," he explained.
Today Burrell and Reid will try to close out arguably one of the most successful periods in Jamaican football history when they visit the Gatwick Airport in the company of the Jamaican High Commissioner to the UK, Ambassador Burchell Whiteman, for a meeting with senior executives of Virgin Atlantic Airlines, regarding concessionary rates for members of the national football teams travelling to and from the Caribbean to England.
http://www.reggaeboyzsc.com/articles...283&category=1
... to approve sale of Malvern property
Ian Burnett, Sport Editor
burnetti@jamaicaobserver.com
Friday, April 25, 2008
Zurich, Switzerland - FIFA president Joseph 'Sepp' Blatter, yesterday approved in principle the Jamaica Football Federation's (JFF's) request to dispose of the unfinished FIFA Goal Project and Football Academy in Malvern, St Elizabeth, and agreed to grant the local body a second Goal Project to be constructed at a new venue.
At the same time, the FIFA has favourably responded to extending courses for administrators at the parish level, as well as lending technical assistance generally, and helping with youth development programmes. These courses will be arranged for both Kingston and Montego Bay.
"They (JFF) have requested from FIFA different courses, which will be done," Blatter told the Observer following the meeting at the new, elegantly styled Home of FIFA in Zurich, Switzerland, yesterday.
"In principle FIFA is there to help, but homework must be made in the national associations and now we have the big worker (Captain Horace Burrell), one who has a vision of football, and I am very happy that in the meeting today we were able to find ways and means of how to go out of a situation which was not a good one, but now let's speak about the future, which I believe will be brilliant, because everybody believes in what the Jamaican football can do," added the FIFA boss, who exhibited a sense of delight.
The JFF executives, represented by president Captain Burrell and general secretary Horace Reid, were special guests of the FIFA president, his secretary general Jerome Valcke, and other FIFA officials.
The JFF duo has been on a hectic one-week, three-nation European tour which saw them successfully negotiating the write-off of a £153,431.94 debt to the English FA at a meeting at the Wembley Stadium on Tuesday afternoon; and the inking of a lucrative US$1.77- million two-year sponsorship kit deal with Kappa in Turin, Italy, on Wednesday.
President Blatter appeared less than amused at the lack of a Goal Project on the island after breaking ground for one in Portmore, St Catherine, in November 2003, but he was calm and assured in an utterly professional response.
"Definitely it is a pity that it (Goal Project) has not been realised, but now we have to look forward in the future and to make sure that this Goal Project is realised and... in the right place, where it can be at the service of the football in the country," he said, before lavishly praising of his colleagu Burrell.
"Captain Horace Burrell came back in the office of the president and I am very happy about that, and I am sure that the whole family of the football of the JFF, they are happy as well."
Burrell was a picture of contentment when he spoke to the Observer yesterday, especially after completing his third major football coup in as many days and as many countries.
"Today's meeting was a complete success," beamed Burrell. "I am extremely happy.
"We came here to meet president Blatter and the other FIFA officials, as we want to press ahead with the Goal Project in our country. We need new training grounds in urban areas to improve our work with youngsters. Also, we want to further promote training courses at youth level and organise other courses such as administration and Com-unity. This is why we came to FIFA, to speed up the necessary developments.
"We're very grateful that we had the opportunity... to exchange ideas, and I'm totally confident we will take a great step forward with the support of FIFA," he said.
"The president has given his blessings to our requests and the other members have made it clear that they are going to help Jamaica build back its football that would cause it to take off in the fast lane," he added.
Meanwhile, Urs Kluser, Member Associations Director, MA & Development Division at FIFA, tried to simplify yesterday's discussions.
"We have discussed the possibility of changing the location of the Goal Project and we have pre-discussed this with the appropriate committee member here in FIFA and in principle we agree in changing the location and changing the project.
"Of course there will be certain points that have to be solved, among others, the lands for the old project will have to be sold, but this will have to be approved by the Goal Bureau, which is the commission that approves the Goal Project.
And at the same time the Jamaica Federation will apply for a second Goal Project and again the project will have to go through the proper channels, but as usual we try to suport these requests as quickly as possible.
FIFA will supervise these projects through the Goal Project manager here in FIFA, Serge Dumortier, who will oversee the selling of the lands for the old project in order to get the best deal for FIFA.
The FIFA had funded the first Goal Project to the tune of US$734,000 (US$400,000 from the Goal Project; US$173,000 from the Financial Assistance Programme and US$161,000 from Association).
Kluser added: "The JFF has also put forward their intention to organise courses for their parish administrators and we find this very interesting. We could also do other things for the coaches and other technical developments, so we will finalise this and we will also work very closely with the people from the federation to get courses that benefit their administrators best and we will give all the support that we can."
The Member Associations Director also said he would recommend the Com-unity seminars, which bring together all the stakeholders of football around a certain issue that is the most important for the JFF. He said the JFF will have to decide how to arrive at that issue.
"In the past we have done it on youth development, we have done it on marketing, they bring together people from marketing, people from the government, people from the press, whatever issue is most important to the federation," he explained.
Today Burrell and Reid will try to close out arguably one of the most successful periods in Jamaican football history when they visit the Gatwick Airport in the company of the Jamaican High Commissioner to the UK, Ambassador Burchell Whiteman, for a meeting with senior executives of Virgin Atlantic Airlines, regarding concessionary rates for members of the national football teams travelling to and from the Caribbean to England.
http://www.reggaeboyzsc.com/articles...283&category=1
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