JFF withholding FIFA funds from FAs – Beckford

Danny Beckford, president of the St Ann Football Association (SAFA), has accused the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) of withholding the second of their two FIFA COVID-19 relief allocations, promised to the 13 parish football associations.

But general secretary Dalton Wint insists each association would receive their disbursement as long as they meet up to the requirements.

Beckford pointed that more than J$2 million was earmarked for parish associations from the US$1.5-million COVID-19 FIFA relief funds the federation received from FIFA last August.

He recalled that the JFF said they would receive the funds in two tranches, the first in October and the second allocation in January.

But Beckford said when January came and he enquired when the associations would be receiving the second allocation, the answer he received from Wint was not to his satisfaction.

"The general secretary is going to look at me and tell me that no money has come as yet so we won't get any money in January.

"I asked him how can he say that the money hasn't come and he told us that it came and he disbursed some already," he said.

But still no satisfactory response was forthcoming, he added.

He noted that the parish associations were instructed to get themselves organised as they would have to meet certain criteria to access their portion of the funds.

He said they even put pen to paper on this agreement, so hearing that from the general secretary was quite disturbing for him.

"You signed contracts with the parish associations saying that we are going to adhere to certain things and now they are breaching their part of the bargain. So they can get themselves in trouble if the parish associations are serious," he said.

One other parish association executive, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said they received $1 million last year but are yet to receive the more than $1 million they were scheduled to receive last month.

However, he said they are unable to say what is causing the hold-up.

Meanwhile, Wint has insisted that there is no deliberate withholding of funds but that each parish association knows what is required to gain access to their money.

"They will get their money. There are certain things that they must do and they know what it is they are supposed to do," he stated.