Tony BeccaJAMAICANS, particularly those who have always believed that the big man in Jamaica's football should always have been a Jamaican, are happy that Carl Brown is the Jamaica Football Federation's new technical director.
As happy as they are, however, they appear to be divided on one issue. Based on the debate around town, some believe that Brown should be paid no less than what Brazilian Clovis de Oliveira was paid while some do not agree.
According to those who believe that he should be paid the same salary or more, including perks, the job is what is important - not whether the man doing the job is a foreigner or a Jamaican.
According to those against, however, it is normal in any business for the foreigner to be paid more and to be afforded certain perks.
There are good arguments on both sides. A man should be paid for the job he does regardless of where he is from. At the same time, however, there are certain obvious inconveniences for someone on contract in a foreign country that may justify a special offer if he is really good.
On top of that, what is offered may well depend on what can be afforded at a particular time, and Brown's salary may well depend not on what the job is worth on the international market, not on what the Jamaica Football Federation would have had to pay a foreigner, not on what it paid de Oliveira, but on what it can afford at this time.
In fact, there are those who believe that Brown got the job, not only because of the difficulty to find good foreigners because of the lack of proper facilities, but also because the JFF probably could not find the money to tempt a good foreigner to come here.
There is, however, another problem. The JFF, through president Captain Horace Burrell, has said that Brown will be paid a salary commensurate with the position, but even if it can find the money to do so, it could well depend on the reaction of Jamaicans.
The JFF has never confirmed it but it has been reported that de Oliveira was paid some US$30,000 per month, that suggests that Brown will be paid somewhere in that region, and unless the JFF is able to fund it, such a salary for Brown would certainly be a problem.
Football is a popular sport, and in many ways it is good for Jamaica. It is not that vital that its technical director should be paid so much money, however, and based on the whispers floating around, professionals in the public service - doctors, teachers, police etc - would never agree to taxpayers money paying a football coach and the other sports would certainly not sit by and allow the Sports Development Foundation to spend so much not only on one sport but also on one man and at their expense.
Maybe it is not right that de Oliveira should be so well paid and Brown not so well paid. The reality, however, is that this country cannot afford such a salary, and it should not, not even through the SDF, subsidise such a salary.
In fact, even if football can afford it, in the interest of the society, football, as part of the society, should not pay such a salary - certainly not to someone who is part of the society.
