Burrell
RESPONDING TO articles published in the July 10 editions of the Daily Gleaner and STAR tabloid, headlined 'Mutiny on JFF Ship' and 'Mutiny' respectively, the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) has presented evidence of its financial standing and procedures.
Answering claims of insolvency, a JFF letter to The Gleaner said the Federation's unaudited balance sheet showed "cash in the bank and on hand of $3,106,284 plus accounts receivables of $6,126,901.00 as at June 30, 2002".
"The JFF therefore has adequate cash resources to meet its current liabilities of $6,130,028.00," the letter emphasised.
The JFF was recently forced to suspend the national football programme after two members of its coaching staff quit, "unable to operate on a drastic salary cut", caused by what it stated was a 65 per cent reduction in subvention from the Sports Development Foundation.
Outlining its decision to suspend the programme then, the JFF said "great efforts were made to secure adequate financing...but to date there has been no success in alleviating the financial crisis".
Addressing the matter of match tickets and transparency raised in the articles, accompanying correspondence from accounting firm KMPG Peat Marwick supported the JFF's letter which stated, "under the stewardship of Captain Burrell and Horace Reid, the JFF has established and adhered to an effective and transparent system for the printing, delivery and sale of match tickets".
The JFF also presented correspondence between KPMG Peat Marwick and KPMG Fides Peat of Zurich, Switzerland, in which the local accounting firm, referring to a sum of US$250,000 received from FIFA, stated the money "was used by the national association in accordance with the terms of the relating application approved by FIFA".
Concerning further allegations from the said articles, suggesting the JFF "made nothing" from broadcast rights, the Federation's audited financial statements, as at March 31, 2001, showed earnings of $17,005,140 and $8,024,506 for the years 2001 and 2000 respectively.
In addition, JFF treasurer Peter Reid has denied allegations that he is bypassed during the ticket-handling procedure ahead of games. "As treasurer of the JFF, I categorically deny the allegation that I am not involved in matters concerning tickets for games," Reid wrote The Gleaner in a letter dated July 19.
"I am intimately involved with the tickets for games, as I am a member of the Finance Committee of the JFF," he said, adding: "At meetings of this committee we discuss ticket printing, distribution, sales, reconciliation and the review of the KPMG Peat Marwick Audit Report on this exercise."
APOLOGY
ON JULY 10, 2002, The Gleaner Company Ltd. published an article captioned "Mutiny on JFF Ship" in The Gleaner, and an identical article captioned "JFF executives not on board with Burrell" in The Star.
These articles spoke of financial insolvency, lack of transparency with respect to the handling of match tickets and a FIFA grant, and insinuations of financial mismanagement and impropriety on the part of Captain Horace Burrell and Mr. Horace Reid, the JFF's President and General Secretary respectively.
Prior to publishing these articles, The Gleaner Company Ltd. did not provide Captain Burrell and Mr. Reid with an opportunity to respond to these allegations.
The Gleaner Company Ltd. apologises to Captain Burrell, Mr. Reid and the JFF for any embarrassment or injury which these articles may have caused.
