http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/sports/html/20070817T220000-0500_126407_OBS_WARNER_S_WARNING.aspWarner's warning
CFU boss vows action against JFF for Youth Cup forfeiture
Saturday, August 18, 2007
WARNER... ultimate sanction will be taken against the JFF
Caribbean Football Union (CFU) boss, Austin 'Jack' Warner, said the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) will be subject to sanction in its failure to send a team to the CFU Under-15 Youth Cup which kicks off in Trinidad & Tobago today.
Warner, a FIFA vice-president, said "ultimate sanction will be taken against the JFF", but referred the Observer to the CFU secretariat for the specific action. Efforts yesterday to reach Angenie Kanhai of the CFU were unsuccessful.
Warner, who is also CONCACAF president, did not mince words in highlighting his disappointment with JFF's failure to get the team to the tournament. "My concern and grief really go out to those Jamaican kids though... all of whom have now been denied a chance of a lifetime due, no doubt, to gross administrative bungling," Warner said.
At press time yesterday, JFF general secretary Burchell Gibson, said the matter "is now under the bridge", suggesting that the Under-15s will not be participating in the regional tournament.
The JFF saw their last ditch effort to send the nation's youngsters to the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) Under-15 Youth Cup in the twin-island republic evaporate, after the football administrators failed to secure emergency appointments at the US Embassy in Kingston so visas could be issued to facilitate travelling through Miami.
Having failed to secure seats on Caribbean Airways, the JFF was forced to resort to taking the delegation through the USA, but hit a brick wall as they sought to acquire the requisite US entry visas.
However, the earliest appointments for US visas were in November, and despite several visits to the US Embassy by the JFF hierarchy, nothing fruitful emerged.
The JFF got entangled in a chain reaction of events after they were forced to give up seats originally booked for a direct flight on Caribbean Airways to Port of Spain, because they could not finalise a squad on time, and the airline needed to confirm bookings going into the present peak period.
The late appointment of a coach for the team triggered the delay in selecting a training squad, and ultimately the final squad, which was chosen late last week.
It was at this point that it was discovered that the majority of the players did not have passports, but emergency appointments were made at the Ministry of National Security and passports were issued earlier this week.
With one problem solved, another emerged as it was learnt that there were no available seats on other Caribbean flights to Trinidad.
The embarrassing blunder has dealt another massive blow to the embattled Crenston Boxhill-led administration.
The tournament, which kicks off today, had Jamaica scheduled to play their first match tomorrow against Guyana.
Jamaica won the Caribbean segment of the inaugural Under-15 tournament in 2005, but finished third overall behind champions Canada and runners-up Guatemala, who were invited guest teams.
The CFU Youth Cup alternates between Under-15 and Under-16 in preparation for the FIFA Under-17 World Cup Finals.
