Western Bureau:

In last week's column under the caption, 'Awaiting the latest StJFA money scandal', I indicated that serious allegations were doing the rounds that the St James Football Association (StJFA) was being plagued by financial irregularities and that a major scandal was looming.

At the time of writing that article, I had what I considered credible information that a high-ranked FA official and businessman was so ticked off by the escalating irregularities that he was contemplating calling a press conference to tell all and announce his resignation.

While nobody associated with the StJFA has sought to refute the claims outlined in the article as well as fresh claims of more hanky-panky. I believe the time has come for the official to break his silence because the ugly insinuations cannot be good for the parish football, which is already at its lowest ebb.

As a former long-serving member of the StJFA, I must register my personal disgust with the board's eerie silence, especially that of the official, who more than all is accountable to the affiliates and the general public by virtue of being the guardian of the FA's funds. If there is hanky-panky taking place with the board's resources, he should realise that if he values his reputation, he cannot afford the luxury of silence because the buck stops with him. As the guardian of the funds, any failure to speak up amounts to dereliction of duty on his path.

It would also be interesting to hear from the FA's president, Gregory Daley, who came to office during a period of internal turbulence with a promise of transparent leadership. As the leader of the team, Daley has an obligation to safeguard the association's name.

While I have no empirical evidence to single out any particular individual for wrongdoings at this time, the recent history of impropriety in western Jamaica's football, including the celebrated case of a former administrator, who was forced to acknowledge putting his hands in the proverbial cookie jar after being caught, would suggest that the idea is not far-fetched.

criminal action

Like in that much-celebrated case of the administrator, who was forced to resign in disgrace, I strongly believe that any board member who spends the FA's money without proper authorisation should face criminal action without hesitation. The FA's coffer contains the public's money and is not a piggy bank for unscrupulous persons.

As I have been stating in this column over the past 20 years, sports is arguably our most important nation-building tool, so whatever funds come to sports, be it from government or the private sector, it should be used for the development of the nation's youth. Any misuse should be deemed an act of sabotage and dealt with accordingly.

With its mandate to promote and develop national football, I am calling on the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) to devise a system that would require that all parish associations observe fiscal discipline and accountability, as the federation stands to be exposed to embarrassment if an affiliate is caught in a compromising situation.

Insofar as the current situation in St James is concerned, I am again calling on the official to break his silence. Based on what I am hearing, it would be in his best interest to address the issue as his continued silence will lead to more suspicion among other things.

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