Ball fever is what the FFB and its scheming and dictatorial President, Dr. Bertie Chimilio, have used to control and exploit players on the Belize national team for years. The love of playing is so strong that there are always players that the FFB can call upon to fill the gap if one or other national team player decides to boycott the FFB camp. The pool of talent is quite large to choose from, and in fact, few people might even have noticed that most players from the national champions BDF were missing from the “national team” that played under the Belize banner in Montserrat.
One BDF national team player who didn’t make the trip confided in me that perhaps “99 per cent” of the players on the national team would like to see a new President of the FFB. But they are all convinced that the FFB will easily find eager players to replace them from somewhere in the country of Belize. The priority for the FFB is to field a team in the mandated international competitions; winning is secondary.
But for the players who take the field, the experience is surreal and one which they take very seriously. “Each time I stand with our national team on center field, and hear our anthem play, I have to fight back the tears,” the player said. “Regardless to our feelings about the FFB President, when we take the field our national pride takes over and all we can think about is giving everything we have for Belize. We never, ever give up.”
It has become clear to players, from past experience, that the FFB President will do whatever he wants to field a “national team”, and they realize that it would require government action to stop the dictatorship, which FIFA has appeared quite comfortable with.
The World Cup qualifier is a dream for most footballers to reach, and they don’t see themselves as the ones “to move Chimilio”, as some fans seem to think. Only if all players in Belize stand together, and that is not likely.
We asked the player, how do you feel about the Government’s action to finally stop the FFB dictatorship, if it means that Belize has to drop out of the World Cup qualifiers? He said that, much as it is every player’s dream to play in the World Cup, and it is a great opportunity to advance past Montserrat and play a series of games in the Group Stage, if this is what it takes “to move Chimilio, then the sacrifice is worth it. I am ready to make that sacrifice.”
Surely, there will be some broken hearts among “national team” players if an agreement is not brokered whereby the July 10 game against Montserrat could be played.
For many years, Dr. Bertie Chimilio has wielded a “big stick” as FFB President, ignoring democracy and the Constitution of Belize, because he had the backing of CONCACAF President Jack Warner and FIFA President Sepp Blatter, and because Belize football players are not organized enough to conduct any effective boycott of the national team program.
But “every fat fowl has his Sunday,” and now that the Belize Government has finally taken action, Dr. Chim’ and his FFB cohorts might be surprised to find that most national team players are not rallying behind them against the Ministry of Sports. Now that the battle has been joined, Belize football players, ball fever and all, may have finally had their eyes opened by the process, and have come to understand that this is what it takes to remove a tyrant. They have all heard their anthem many times; and now they are called to make that sacrifice, to “let despots flee”.
I think our boys are ready to make the sacrifice. But they would much rather not have to, so they can go out there and live the dream. The difference between now and 2010 World Cup, is that it is now clear to them who is standing between them and their World Cup dreams – FFB dictator Dr. Bertie Chimilio, his able mouthpiece Vice President Bernaldino Pech, and their few selfish accomplices in their game of football exploitation. The game is over, Doc.