In any other country where the national team was set to do battle in its first qualifier to the 2014 World Cup, the national mood would be one of at least heightened expectation, and more likely euphoric excitement and sizzling emotion, as the hopes and dreams of the nation followed the footsteps of the young warriors who were going out to represent the best the nation has to offer in football on the world stage, the World Cup qualifiers.
But in Belize, there is presently more focus on last night’s NBA finals, yesterday’s Super League football playoffs, and today’s commencement of our own basketball U-20 and Senior championship finals at the Belize Civic Center.
That’s because on the home front, Belizeans are not excited about Belize’s participation in this World Cup, not the way they have been in the past. As a matter of fact, the names of players who are supposed to be a part of the Belize national team have not even been released by the Football Federation of Belize (FFB).
In keeping with its secretive tradition, the FFB has held no press conferences to introduce its team to the nation; no tours of the national team to help fans become acquainted with the players; no television interviews or visits on the talk show circuit, except for an appearance by FFB vice-president Bernaldino Pech on the Opposition Vibes radio last Friday to rail against the action of the National Sports Council.
There is additional reason this year why the FFB is silent on the home front, and continues to conduct its business in secrecy at its FIFA financed Football Academy in Belmopan. That is because, following its persistent failure to satisfy the registration requirements of the National Sports Council of Belize, the FFB has been informed by the Ministry of Sports that it is not authorized to represent Belize in football.
In a letter dated June 8, Minister of Sports Hon. John Saldivar informed FFB General Secretary Marguerite Hulse that, “I have been informed by the National Sports Council that your Federation has failed to meet the requirements for registration with the Council, as the national body for the administration of football in Belize.”
He continued, “As a consequence, I wish to inform that your Federation is not authorized to represent this country in any local or international competition or in any other forum for football on behalf of the Government, people and nation of Belize.” The letter was copied to CONCACAF, FIFA and UNCAF.
Well, that same day the FFB fired back in typical arrogant fashion, addressing the Minister of Sports as “Mr. John Saldivar” (without the usual “Hon.”) and “Mister Minister”, challenging the Ministry “as to who makes the decision to represent a country;” and declaring that, “The FFB does not represent the Government; we represent players of Belizean origin.”
In a letter the same day addressed to FIFA President Sepp Blatter, Minister Saldivar reminded the FIFA president that on his recent visit to Belize, our Prime Minister “mentioned to you that our country had some serious concerns about the administration of football in our country and in particular in regards to the Football Federation of Belize (FFB).”
He continued, saying that, “…the situation has further deteriorated…” and that “…the National Sports Council no longer recognizes the FFB as the organization representing association football in Belize.”
He ended his letter by expressing the hope that “together we can take the necessary measures to save football in Belize…”
Not surprisingly, what followed was a response from the FIFA Deputy Secretary General Markus Kattner acknowledging the communication from Minister Saldivar, and reminding the Minister that, should the Sports Council’s “decision be confirmed and implemented, it would constitute a clear governmental interference and thereby infringe the FIFA Statutes…”
The Deputy Secretary General advised that “FIFA is presently in contact with the BFF (sic) in order to discuss possible solutions,” and concluded, “we are convinced that good will from all concerned parties will contribute to the settlement of the current issues.”
But it seems that that is where FIFA and FFB may be wrong this time. There is not much “good will” left in Belize for the FFB, and the evident damage it has wreaked on the national spirit where football is concerned is most clearly evident by the complete lack of any public outcry or demand from the populace that the FFB be excused for its various transgressions.
Rather, World Cup notwithstanding, the defeat of the FFB tyranny would be as much welcomed by the Belizean “football family” as the defeat of any opponent on the football field.
And the sacrifice of possible FIFA suspension for abstaining from the World Cup is viewed by many as a worthwhile price to pay for ridding the nation of the yoke of this current FFB tyrannical leadership.
Minister Saldivar’s response, once more addressed to President Blatter, reiterated his position that “it is the responsibility of the Government of Belize to ensure that our laws are respected,” and urged him to “convince the Football Federation of Belize to become compliant with the Sports Act, Chapter 46 of the Laws of Belize.”
He advised the FIFA president that our Government is “fully conversant with the contents of article 13 of FIFA’s Statutes and its implications, and the current decision has been arrived at after careful deliberation and consideration.”
That last communication was on Friday, June 10, but today, Monday, June 13, three separate news releases on the FIFA website fifa.com made no mention of problems with Belize, and gave the impression that all is well, and Belizean players and fans are all hyped up for the Wednesday, June 15, scheduled World Cup 2014 preliminary qualifier between Belize and Montserrat.
This afternoon, we contacted sports administrator in the Ministry of Sports, Ismael Garcia, and he maintained that the position has not changed with regards to the FFB. He said the FFB is certainly not authorized to represent the nation of Belize in Wednesday’s game, and if FIFA persists in accommodating the FFB as Belize’s representative, the Ministry of Sports is seeking legal advice on its next move.
The irony of the present situation is that based on Montserrat’s last place status in the CONCACAF ranking, the FFB is confident that it can find enough willing players “of Belizean origin” to “look good” at the Larry Gomes Stadium in Trinidad, where the Montserrat game is supposed to be played.
No doubt, the FFB head honchos are banking on the power and allure of the game to distract attention from its present predicament, and perhaps pressure the Ministry of Sports to back down. Right now, that does not seem likely.
Meanwhile, former Belize national team captain Shane Orio, who is presently on contract with 1st division club Marathon in Honduras, gave a long interview to fifa.com, where Shane expressed great optimism about the Montserrat game, and was not quoted with any comment about the situation at home with the FFB.
FIFA cannot claim ignorance to the present situation between the FFB and the Belize Government, but its website has focused on the game only, with three separate articles dated June 13: “Moody-Orio: Let’s re-write history books,” “Minnows take marks on the road to Rio,” and “Montserrat to kick off preliminary competition for 2014 FIFA World Cup.”
The questions right now are, will players “of Belizean origin” appear under the FFB banner to “represent” Belize against Montserrat in Trinidad on Wednesday, and will that “Belize” team be allowed by FIFA to represent the nation on Wednesday?
And perhaps the biggest question will be: will the Belize government stand firm in telling FIFA that the FFB does not represent Belize in football at this time, and will the game on Wednesday, if it is played, be legitimate even though its organizers know that the Belize government, the country’s supreme authority, has said that the team has no authority to represent Belize?