More FIFA dollars for local football

The St.Vincent and the Grenadines Football Federation (SVGFF) is poised to receive another portion of its annual draw down from FIFA through that body’s Football Assistance Programme (FAP), this after its 2005 audited statements satisfied officials of the Caribbean Football Union at the 29th Ordinary Congress held last week Saturday, March 4, in Antigua and Barbuda.

Second Vice President of the SVGFF Trevor Huggins confirmed this last Wednesday. {{more}}

Huggins and the Federation’s President St. Clair Leacock were the representatives at the meeting.

Huggins said that the officials were “well pleased” with the statements and agreed with the way the federation spent the money.

This is welcomed news for many of the creditors of the SVGFF who have been in waiting for a long time. Among them are teams and officials who participated in the inaugural National League last year. The SVGFF, saddled with numerous overheads, has had its football programme operating in a stop-start manner because of lack of funds.

The FAP funds have been the umbilical cord of the SVGFF for the past eight years.

According to Huggins, the federation is expecting additional funds early next week, after it received another portion earlier in the year.

The Vice President further disclosed that the Congress discussed the various competitions slated for the remainder of the year.

He said that with many of the territories preparing for World Cup cricket next year, several expressed uncertainty about hosting the-home-and-away format of the male Under-20 and the female qualifiers.

With St.Vincent and the Grenadines in such a predicament, Huggins revealed that St. Lucia has agreed to host the Under-20 grouping. In addition, he said that Trinidad and Tobago has come to their aid and will have the female qualifiers hosted there.

Huggins said that St.Vincent and the Grenadines was among the thirty CFU members that stood in support of CFU President, Trinidadian Austin “Jack” Warner.

The members voted unanimously in favour of a motion, calling it “ a show of solidarity.”

Warner, also the head of CONCACAF and a FIFA Vice President, was embroiled in controversy following his alleged involvement in the sale of world cup tickets for Germany in June.

Warner is also the Special Advisor to the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation.

Trinidad and Tobago qualified for the finals.

Huggins said that Warner elected to address the issue head-on, and sought advice from the FIFA Committee for Ethics and Fair Play over a potential conflict of interest.

Reports are that Warner has accepted the recommendations of the Committee and is moving swiftly to remove all aspects that are deemed conflicting.