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Reports on GOAL Project groundless – Jones
Ronald Jones
Colin Klass
By Rawle Welch
Barbados Football Association (BFA) President Ronald Jones came out in defence of his beleaguered counterpart Colin Klass, who has been accused by some sections of the society of misuse of FIFA funds.
Jones was speaking with Kaieteur Sport from his Le Meridien Pegasus Hotel room last Wednesday shortly before returning to Barbados after attending the Council for Human and Social Development Conference which was held at the International Conference Centre.
The BFA President, who is also the Deputy Prime Minister of the small Caribbean island and Minister of Education and Human Resource Development said that all the talk and media reports of embezzlement of the US$400,000 FIFA GOAL Project funds leveled against Klass are groundless and unmistakably false since the World Governing Body for the sport would not release such an endowment to any Federation/Association until certain decisive factors are satisfied and they include: (1) an Agreement between the national Federation and Consultants or Contractors and (2) a copy of the transport and title for the land is presented to them.
Jones said he experienced a similar situation a few years ago in his country where accusations were leveled against him of misusing funds, but has since been able to change the views of some of the individuals who formed those perceptions.
“FIFA has an arrangement to pay the Consultant directly and that contract has to be signed under Swiss Law (the home of FIFA is in Switzerland) so nothing passes through the National Federations ‘Associations and anybody who doesn’t believe that can make a call to FIFA’s Head Office and ascertain the facts, ”Jones advised.
Touching on the other issue of contention that is the US$250,000 grant that is given annually to all affiliates, the BFA President revealed that no country in CONCACAF or even the Caribbean can honestly develop football with that meagre sum.
FIFA specifically mandates that the money received must be spent in the following areas and they are: Men, Women and Youth development, FUTSAL, referees, technical development, Administration and coaching and according to Jones any attempt to vary from that directive must seek approval from the World Governing Body.
He referred to his own Association which requires around US$750,000 to run their affairs every year whereas FIFA only offers one third of that budgeted figure and 15% of that FIFA’s contribution must be dedicated to the development of women’s football.
“In order for us to operate with some amount of efficiency, we have to rely on support from the government, business entities, the Barbados Olympic Association and another governmental input known as the Sports and Ask Funds. And they help augment the FIFA grant,” Jones disclosed.
He added that the real cost of running football in Barbados is around US$1.5 million and that is bare minimum if they are to provide the national teams with a few international friendlies, training camps, meals accommodation, travel and stipend.
“All those things are very costly. If I decide to do a three-day camp, the cost of putting the team up at some facility and providing meals is very expensive,” he explained.
“Ideally, you should play at least one international friendly per month, but in our case, we can only do that 3-4 times per year,” the BFA President admitted.
He charged that no Federation/Association could possibly build a stadium, but that responsibility is primarily that of the state and not the other way around.
“The development of sports and in this case football must be seen as a government initiative.”
He cited that case of Bermuda whose football association is provided with US$3million a year by the government to fund their 5-year development plan.
Other examples he mentioned was Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago whose respective governments are among the largest contributors to the sport.
Jones revealed that Barbados’ Technical Director is paid by the Government through the National Sports Commission and not the BFA unlike what obtains here where the Guyana Football Federation is solely responsible for his salary.
“We simply cannot afford to pay a Technical Director (TD) with the little funds that we have.”
Meanwhile Klass confirmed that in Guyana’s case, the TD is paid from the US$250,000 grant.
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