Kwesi Mugisa, Staff Reporter

Stephenson

Kingston and St. Andrew Football Association (KSAFA) president, Ambassador A.B. Stewart Stephenson, remains undecided with regard to contesting the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) elections, denoting the issue as a bridge that cannot be crossed before it is reached.

"The issue is not yet a personal one. We (KSAFA) have not yet had the time to explore the issue and that has to happen before any individual can be put forward as a possible candidate," he told The Gleaner in an interview yesterday.

"It might be the case that based on the results of our discussion, we decide to challenge or we may very well support Burrell (Horace) as the best candidate for president and look to make our presence felt in other capacities, vice-president, etcetera,but we cannot know this until we have met," he added.

Demanding job

Stephenson, who is in his fourth term as president of KSAFA, has widely been considered as a viable candidate for the post of JFF boss due to the current success of the parish association.

However, according to the ambassador, the job will be a very demanding one and any decision along those lines will require careful thought.

"The job of JFF president is a demanding one because factors like time, family and other things have to be taken into consideration. It may even be a case that I'm unavailable or not interested in the post," Stephenson explained. "A lot of people have interpreted the fact that I have delayed giving a definitive answer as an indication that I will be running for the post; that is just not the case.

"I just haven't given it any real, careful thought as yet. On Monday, we will decide where we stand, gauge where the other confederations stand and then come to a decision. Whatever is decided at the meeting, we will have the issue cleared up by at least Tuesday.

No contest

The upcoming JFF elections in November was widely expected to be a race between incumbent Crenston Boxhill and former president Captain Horace Burrell.

However, that notion went out the window when Boxhill announced that he would not be contesting the election, as he did not consider the playing field to be a 'level' one.

Boxhill pointed to Burrell's sponsorship of several of the parish's major league competitions as potentially tainting the process.

"Boxhill choosing to not contest the elections was not something that we (KSAFA) expected, and it has changed the dynamics entirely." Stephenson stated.