By Daraine Luton, Staff Reporter 
Boxhill
PRESIDENT OF the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF), Crenston Boxhill, said the elimination of the Reggae Boyz from the 2006 World Cup Finals campaign has caused his organisation to lose sponsorship.
The Boyz, who made history in 1998 by becoming the first English-speaking Caribbean island to play in the World Cup Finals, came up short in their CONCACAF semi-final round group fixture after finishing third behind the United States of America and Panama.
Boxhill, with whom The Gleaner spoke yesterday, said he is still feeling the effects of that disappointment.
"It turns out be a lot of pressure when you consider that we lost a lot of the sponsorship we would have gotten had we gone further in the campaign," Boxhill revealed.
SPONSORSHIP MONEY
The Boyz would have benefitted to the tune of $100 million in sponsorship money from Red Stripe had they booked a ticket to Germany. However, based on the conditions stipulated in the sponsorship agreement with the JFF, Red Stripe paid out $30 million to the Boyz for getting to the semi-final round.
Last week though, Red Stripe injected $2 million into the Boyz' coffers to help in the development of the island's football programme, a contribution which Boxhill said "could not have come at a better time".
Boxhill also pointed out that the federation is trying its best to fulfil its goal of developing the sport.
"We are embarking on the development programme right now that is aimed at rebuilding the country's football," he said.
Meanwhile, Boxhill dismissed as false, rumours that factions within football are looking to have him removed from the sport's hierarchy.
"I don't know where that came from but as far as I am concerned, it is not true," he stated.
Boxhill was, on November 23 last year, elected JFF president, defeating Captain Horace Burrell by 54 votes to 49 at the congress held at the Starfish Resort in Trelawny.
