By Elton Tucker, Assistant Editor, SportPRESIDENT OF the Jamaica Football Federation, Crenston Boxhill, has expressed dissatisfaction with revenue collection at the Jamaica, Uruguay friendly international at the National Stadium on February 18.
At a news conference called yesterday at the Federation's headquarters against the background of reports that there was massive fraud at the gates, Boxhill said the JFF will now have to "reassess and revamp" procedures at matches.
His comments were in response to a 'confidential' KPMG (Peat Marwick) match report which described a general breakdown at some bleachers gates before the first major friendly match staged by the new administration.
The report said at bleachers gates one and two children were seen entering without tickets, a man was seen on the inside posing as a ticket-taker and taking tickets.
It also said patrons refusing to be searched got past the gate with their tickets and minutes before the kick-off several spectators at one gate forced themselves past ticket collectors and two policewomen as they stormed the gate.
Boxhill said a meeting has already been held with "key components" of all the parties involved in the staging of the match JFF staff, contracted security, the police and Independence Park personnel.
DESTRUCTIVE ASPECTS
"It was a frank meeting, one in which we were able to put our hands on the loophole as well as discuss the measures which would be necessary to limit as much as possible in the short term and eradicate in the long term those financially destructive aspects contained in a general match report submitted by our auditors, KPMG (Peat Marwick)," Boxhill said.
Treasurer Carlton Barclay said that despite the large crowd the JFF were left with a small loss of just over $215,000.
The JFF treasurer said revenue from ticket sales amounted to $10.2m while sponsorship income was $7.9m. It cost the JFF approximately $18m to stage the game.
Barclay added that the financial results were far in excess of what the JFF was anticipating from a midweek match but the small loss could have been a profit and new measures had to be put in place for the next game.
General manager of Independence Park Limited (IPL), Michael Hall, who expressed concern that "beating the gate" was a popular pastime in Jamaica, said a volunteer working for IPL has since been dismissed after he was seen facilitating the entry of persons without tickets into the game.
Hall said part of the problem at the National Stadium was that people attending events usually arrived at the last moment thus putting pressure on ticket-takers at the gates.
Hall added that patrons going to the bleachers tended to enter at the same two or three gates for matches and in future tickets will have designated gates listed on them.
"This may be in batches of 2,000 for each gate and this could help to prevent congestion," Hall said.
