Bascombe to challenge for football presidency

Elections for executive positions of the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Football Federation are due by May 31, this year, and one person has announced his intention to challenge for the post of president.

Larry Bascombe told SEARCHLIGHT last Monday that he has interest in the top post currently held by St. Claire Leacock.{{more}}

Bascombe said that he will base his campaign in the upcoming months on “the development plan and the stipend given to executive members.”

A peeved Bascombe referred to the stipend as a “ salary.”

“ I want them to suspend the idea of the stipend and put it into a special fund to provide transportation for players wanting to attend training for national teams.”

“Let them find creative ways to manage football in this country if they want a stipend,” Bascombe added.

“ They go on overseas trips on football business, that’s enough for them,” he advanced.

The executive members’ stipend ranges from $400 to $1800 per month.

If Bascombe holds true to his words, it will be the second time he will face affiliates in a bid to be elected. In a three-way race in 2001, Bascombe and Seymour Waldron lost to Leacock.

Bascombe though served as a committee member of the SVGFF from 1999 to 2001, under the Louis Daisley led executive.

Leacock is serving his third term in the president’s chair. He was re-elected in 2003, in a bitter battle with Leopold Dopwell. Immediately following the elections, Leacock appointed Dopwell as a committee member.

Dopwell has since been elevated to the First Vice- President last year – a position that was vacant for almost two years. The previous custodian, Ian Sardine resigned in September 2004.

The Leacock led executive which is serving a four-year term, recently unveiled its four-year development plan; a plan that was created from a long term planning workshop held in November 2006.