Channel 7 News, Wed. June 18, 2008
“The 21 member Belize National Football Team left Houston today and is reportedly in Monterrey, Mexico tonight. It is big news because the players reportedly threatened to go on strike, and refused to play game 2 against Mexico in Monterrey on Saturday. Reports are that they threatened to strike because they weren’t paid for Sunday’s dramatic showdown with Mexico at the Reliant Stadium in Houston Texas.”
BELIZE CITY, Thurs. June 19, 2008
The Channel 7 News report above, though not at all surprising to those familiar with the ways of the FFB, is not good news for our Belize national team’s psychological preparation for Saturday’s qualifier in Mexico. It is left to be seen what effect this in-camp turmoil will have on the team’s performance in Monterrey.
It is important for the Belize national team to be totally focused and motivated going into Saturday’s game, because anyone with some knowledge of football politics knows that the Mexicans will be going all out to redeem themselves in front of their home fans. Although Belize never seriously threatened their goal in Houston, their team lost some “face” in that game, and will need to re-establish their credibility by piling up some goals on low ranking Belize. If they don’t, their potential for qualifying to the World Cup in South Africa will be questioned. And already they have failed earlier this year to qualify for the Olympics. The alternative deduction would have to be that Belize has improved dramatically. But the Mexican fans are not in any mood for excuses and another 2-nil win against Belize. They want more goals than that, and the 1,700 ft. altitude will aid them, to the disadvantage of our Belizean players. While winning is more than far fetched for Belize, a loss by a similar 2-goal margin would be a huge achievement for the Belize team; but the demoralizing episode with the FFB may not improve our chances.
If the Belize team suffers a let down in performance in Mexico, some very hard questions will be asked in regard to the impact of their quarrel with the FFB on the team’s morale and game readiness. While Belizean fans ride wholeheartedly with their team, they need to understand the conditions under which football is being played in Belize. And for some naïve patriots who may be inclined to praise the FFB for taking our boys to the world stage, one thing needs to be made very clear: the FFB did NOT take our Belizean players to the world stage; it is our players, with the help of an effective national coach, who took the small clique of FFB bureaucrats to the world stage, so they could make a whole bunch of money off the players’ talent and sweat, and the financial investment, efforts and sacrifice of their families, the BPFL owners, coaches and managers, and the Belizean fans who paid to see those players perform and develop in Belize.
FIFA’s millions collected by the FFB over the last decade have not been properly administered and accounted for, and none has gone to the BPFL which produced the players that made history this year. But it is the FFB that leads the delegation and collects the “cheese” in national team matches. The Belize national team players, like their former coach, have finally seen the “nakedness” of the FFB and it is bothering them. Hopefully, it is also bothering Sports Minister Cardona, who reportedly joined the Belize delegation to Houston. The Ministry of Sports reportedly contributed $40,000 to the trip to St. Kitts/Nevis, despite the FFB’s poor record of accountability or transparency in financial affairs. The BPFL owners, whose investments in the players helped to make the achievement a reality, have no say in how the big payday collected by the FFB in Houston will be spent. The FFB football development program is practically nonexistent.
On Saturday, we will all ride with our boys; nothing the FFB can do will change that. But when the ordeal is over, and the focus turns to the FFB’s great financial victory, perhaps there will be some serious collaboration by semipro executives and club owners who must contemplate digging deep into their pockets once again to hopefully create another big payday down the road for the FFB.