Nodley Wright, Freelance Writer
Left: JFF president Crenston Boxhill Right: Captain Horace Burrell
The much anticipated showdown between the incumbent Crenston Boxhill and the former president seeking re-election, Captain Horace Burrell, for the presidency of the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) on November 4, 2007, will not take place.
Boxhill, who has held the post since his defeat of the former army man in November, 2003, yesterday made it clear that he will not be seeking re-election for that post.
In an interview with The Gleaner yesterday, Boxhill cited the increased polarisation of the country's football and the unlevel playing field, with contender Burrell "compromising the process" by his sponsorship of a number of parish associations as major reasons for him to step aside.
"I have had consultation with my family and other football interests and taking into consideration among other things, the upcoming qualifiers for both Olympics and World Cup tournament, I have decided that in the interest of Jamaica's football not to participate as a candidate for the post of president," Boxhill told The Gleaner.
"In light of the upcoming congress, I have two major concerns, which I think are important to state publicly. Firstly, and unfortunately I do not believe that this will be a level playing field. The sponsorship of the majority of the parish associations by one of the candidates, to a large extent, will compromise theprocess," Boxhill said referring directly to the Captain's Bakery, owned by Captain Burrell, swarming most of the parish associations with sponsorship.
Boxhill added: 'Secondly, I have always been concerned about the deep divisions in the sport. The current administration has faced the most consistent effort of undermining than any previous administration and it does occupy my mind that if it is going to continue, how realistic it will be to build on the momentum, if at every step of the way one has to be looking over one's shoulders."
In every January since assuming the position, the Boxhill administration faced, previously unheard of, calls for a vote of no-confidence by factions loyal to the Captain. That, according to Boxhill, caused football followers to lose all sense of objectivity and support for the sport, which brought so much unity to a nation upon its historic qualification for the 1998 World Cup in France.
Groundwork
Despite the challenges faced, Boxhill opined that the groundwork has been laid for the programme to rebound, especially after the expected windfall from the 1998 qualifications failed to materialise.
"This is a very exciting time for anyone seeking the position of president of the JFF with among other things, the youth programme beginning to evolve and have an impact. This I believe has set the stage for the relaunching of the national football programme," he said.
"This is a legacy I hope will be followed. Even though the success of the senior programme is essential to the success of the overall programme, in order to be sustainable, remain competitive and in a position qualify continuously for major FIFA tournaments, the base must be strong," he added.
In addition to the focus on the base, Boxhill also spoke of the rise of women's football to ne and expressed the hope that that would continue. The national football academy he said, "despite the many obstacles, will open its doors before year end in an ideal location with immense possibilities".
He also spoke about the federation's new policy of assisting parishes with "financing and development at the parish level, so important in the sustainability of the sport" but most importantly, he expressed the view that that plans for the Back to Africa campaign are on track.
"The Back to Africa campaign will step up in momentum. Some high-quality sponsorship yet to be revealed, that will support, especially the senior programme, but we expect greater interest in the youth programme from sponsors, especially at this time as we continue to bask in the glory of the success of one of our youth teams at the recent Pan Am Games," he said.
