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CFU drama
Published: Friday | November 18, 2011
by Orville Higgins
To say there is absolute confusion within the ranks of the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) is stating the very obvious. On the one hand, we have two of the highest-ranking members of the CFU, Yves Jean-Bart, the acting president, and Angenie Kanhai, the general secretary, both saying that the extraordinary congress, scheduled for this Sunday in Jamaica, was off.
Weeks ago, Mr Jean-Bart had written to the general membership saying the congress was off indefinitely, because of financial constraints, a position reiterated via a release issued a few days ago. This is, of course, the congress that will decide Jack Warner's replacement as president. Both Mr Jean-Bart and Ms Kanhai have argued that they have come to this position after consultation with the other CFU members, essentially claiming they are carrying out the mandate of the membership.
It's natural to assume this postponement is nothing more than a delay tactic. Captain Horace Burrell was always seen as Warner's natural successor to the CFU throne and is very popular in Caribbean football circles. Indeed, he was acting president, and was apparently just waiting on his rise to the position to be formalised, when he got in trouble with FIFA. Burrell is now serving, effectively, a three-month ban, and there is a significant chunk of CFU delegates who now want this extraordinary congress to be put off indefinitely. Captain Burrell's ban expires early next year, and those who are backing him are apparently prepared to do anything to wait until then to have this extraordinary congress.
Candidates not amused
The three candidates for the post, however, are not amused, and are claiming that the congress will go on, come hell or high water. Both Jamaica's Tony James and Trinidad's Harold Taylor are positive that the letters written by the acting president and the general secretary don't necessarily reflect the views of the general membership and are positive that the meeting will go on. The other candidate, Derrick Gordon of Antigua, has been far less vocal.
You can't blame the candidates for wanting to do all in their power to have the congress within the next three months. They all know that Burrell's presence significantly lessens their chances. Therefore, political expediency dictates that the smart thing to do, from their perspective, is to have the election before he is eligible to be on the ballot.
So this is clearly a power struggle - between those who are backing Burrell on the one hand, and those who aren't on the other. This proposed meeting on Sunday at the Riu in Montego Bay will determine which block has the greatest support. The numbers that turn up will tell a huge story, one way or the other. My understanding is that more than 20 rooms have been booked.
The quorum for the CFU is 10 people, approximately a third of the membership. If only 10 turn up to vote, there will be a new boss calling the shots at the CFU, but his legitimacy will definitely be questioned. If there is a huge number, say, 25 countries represented, the credibility of the acting president, Mr Jean-Bart, and his general secretary, Ms Kanhai, will forever be tarnished. Clearly, if there is a large turnout, the claim that the membership didn't want the congress would be shown up for what it was - a nice white lie!
Not the people's choice
None of them could remain executive officers after that. If there are small numbers, say, four or five people, that, too, would tell a story. It would say to the three candidates in the race that none of them was the people's choice.
Mr Taylor has said 19 countries have given him the guarantee that they will be here.
The original reason for the conference being postponed was lack of funds. Mr James, the Jamaican candidate, has said publicly that FIFA has committed funds to help stage the congress and has chided the general secretary for not sharing that information with the general membership.
Interestingly, Mr Taylor, the other candidate with a realistic chance of winning, told KLAS on Wednesday he was clearly unsure about the exact nature of FIFA's involvement. When pressed about FIFA's role in all this, he kept saying that James was the man with all the details. So not only was the information kept from the voting delegates, but apparently from at least one of the candidates as well!
Read into that what you will. Sunday will be interesting. One way or the other, football reputations will be enhanced or destroyed.
One thing's sure: Come Monday morning, the CFU will be in the news, and whatever happens, it will not be the end of this fascinating drama.
Orville Higgins is a sportscaster. Email feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com.
Published: Friday | November 18, 2011
by Orville Higgins
To say there is absolute confusion within the ranks of the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) is stating the very obvious. On the one hand, we have two of the highest-ranking members of the CFU, Yves Jean-Bart, the acting president, and Angenie Kanhai, the general secretary, both saying that the extraordinary congress, scheduled for this Sunday in Jamaica, was off.
Weeks ago, Mr Jean-Bart had written to the general membership saying the congress was off indefinitely, because of financial constraints, a position reiterated via a release issued a few days ago. This is, of course, the congress that will decide Jack Warner's replacement as president. Both Mr Jean-Bart and Ms Kanhai have argued that they have come to this position after consultation with the other CFU members, essentially claiming they are carrying out the mandate of the membership.
It's natural to assume this postponement is nothing more than a delay tactic. Captain Horace Burrell was always seen as Warner's natural successor to the CFU throne and is very popular in Caribbean football circles. Indeed, he was acting president, and was apparently just waiting on his rise to the position to be formalised, when he got in trouble with FIFA. Burrell is now serving, effectively, a three-month ban, and there is a significant chunk of CFU delegates who now want this extraordinary congress to be put off indefinitely. Captain Burrell's ban expires early next year, and those who are backing him are apparently prepared to do anything to wait until then to have this extraordinary congress.
Candidates not amused
The three candidates for the post, however, are not amused, and are claiming that the congress will go on, come hell or high water. Both Jamaica's Tony James and Trinidad's Harold Taylor are positive that the letters written by the acting president and the general secretary don't necessarily reflect the views of the general membership and are positive that the meeting will go on. The other candidate, Derrick Gordon of Antigua, has been far less vocal.
You can't blame the candidates for wanting to do all in their power to have the congress within the next three months. They all know that Burrell's presence significantly lessens their chances. Therefore, political expediency dictates that the smart thing to do, from their perspective, is to have the election before he is eligible to be on the ballot.
So this is clearly a power struggle - between those who are backing Burrell on the one hand, and those who aren't on the other. This proposed meeting on Sunday at the Riu in Montego Bay will determine which block has the greatest support. The numbers that turn up will tell a huge story, one way or the other. My understanding is that more than 20 rooms have been booked.
The quorum for the CFU is 10 people, approximately a third of the membership. If only 10 turn up to vote, there will be a new boss calling the shots at the CFU, but his legitimacy will definitely be questioned. If there is a huge number, say, 25 countries represented, the credibility of the acting president, Mr Jean-Bart, and his general secretary, Ms Kanhai, will forever be tarnished. Clearly, if there is a large turnout, the claim that the membership didn't want the congress would be shown up for what it was - a nice white lie!
Not the people's choice
None of them could remain executive officers after that. If there are small numbers, say, four or five people, that, too, would tell a story. It would say to the three candidates in the race that none of them was the people's choice.
Mr Taylor has said 19 countries have given him the guarantee that they will be here.
The original reason for the conference being postponed was lack of funds. Mr James, the Jamaican candidate, has said publicly that FIFA has committed funds to help stage the congress and has chided the general secretary for not sharing that information with the general membership.
Interestingly, Mr Taylor, the other candidate with a realistic chance of winning, told KLAS on Wednesday he was clearly unsure about the exact nature of FIFA's involvement. When pressed about FIFA's role in all this, he kept saying that James was the man with all the details. So not only was the information kept from the voting delegates, but apparently from at least one of the candidates as well!
Read into that what you will. Sunday will be interesting. One way or the other, football reputations will be enhanced or destroyed.
One thing's sure: Come Monday morning, the CFU will be in the news, and whatever happens, it will not be the end of this fascinating drama.
Orville Higgins is a sportscaster. Email feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com.
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