I DO believe that the current financial crisis which is facing the Jamaica Football Federation, stems from poor management. They have been blinded by their dreams. Based on what is happening, I get the feeling that we were only bent on qualifying for France 1998 World Cup finals. Before the programme had developed in any real way, we had begun to live big; we began to live lavishly and now we have turned to begging. I honestly think that the office the JFF owns in New Kingston should be sold and the proceeds used to acquire something more humble and for re-igniting the programmes.
What is more, I also believe that the snags in the programmes have come about because the football authority lacks creativity. It seems they do not have a plan working with and therefore there is the absence of a real focus. We have made so many positive strides since the 1999 finals, yet we have learnt very little. The current tactics now being employed of playing 'panic friendly internationals' just to maintain a useful FIFA's ranking is foolishness, it shows clearly we have fallen short of ideas. Furthermore, it's wasting money and embarrassing the nation.
In addition, football is a business and it should be treated as such. It requires not cash alone but it requires planning, vision, honesty and an effective level of communication for progress to be made. The JFF has fallen into a deep pit of dependency, how long was it expecting the 65 per cent subvention to last? What kinds of investments do they have in place? Why not invest in a company that produces nutritional products? We must seek out dynamic investment opportunities to earn the money to offset the costs of running the football programmes. The Government and the private sector can do so much and no more!
