Ricketts places doubt on Anderson’s JFF role

Re-elected president of the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF), Michael Ricketts, will ponder with members of the newly-minted executive, to compose the various committees, with his challenger in yesterday's elections, Raymond Anderson, likely to be left on the sidelines.

The elections produced an overwhelming win for Ricketts, as he tallied 39 votes to Anderson's 17 to gain another four-year term in office. Ricketts previously defeated Stewart Stephenson to complete the JFF's 2015-2019 term after the death of then-president Captain Horace Burrell in 2017 and was re-elected in 2019 to a full four-year term.

Ricketts, after the elections yesterday, was blunt in his response to what will be Anderson's role in the JFF.

"I have no idea. The new board will look at composing respective committees. We will meet privately tomorrow morning (today) to put the committees in place and start the process," Ricketts said.

Anderson was a long-standing executive of the JFF with approximately 40 years in senior positions and a vice-president during Ricketts' tenure.

The president, however, is not throwing out the possibility of members of Anderson's slate contributing to the JFF.

Anderson, who before the elections yesterday, was upbeat and media-friendly during the process, vanished quickly after the results were declared.

Meanwhile, Ricketts stated that he was confident of victory, in the elections, which were first set to be held in January, but was delayed because of court challenges from former JFF affiliate, Beach Soccer Jamaica.

"There was absolutely no doubt in my mind I would win. We canvassed these numbers a million times. We fell short by one because we were canvassing for 40-16, but came up with 39-17," Ricketts said.

Likewise, delegate Kenneth Williams had confidence in the work that Ricketts delivered since taking office as president.

"I have worked with Anderson and there is no doubt he can be compared to Ricketts. The process was long at the election, and even before today, it was long, because of the delayed tactics of going to court and all of that by the Anderson team.

"I voted for Ricketts, to get the football moving right where it is and moving forward," Williams stated.

Ricketts, meanwhile, thanked the delegates who returned him to govern the affairs of the JFF.

"I must express my absolute gratitude to everyone who supported me. I was torn down, treated like an outcast and disrespected, but my work was vindicated. I was vindicated today. Thank you to those who gave me words of encouragement and voted for me," Ricketts said.