‘No funds wastage’

Former President of the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Football Federation (SVGFF) St. Clair Leacock is claiming that had the current Football Executive taken his advice pertaining to a parcel of land purchased by his Executive, it would have cost them less.{{more}}

Leacock was responding, on the Nice Radio programme: “Sports Highlights”, last Sunday evening, to allegations that were made on another radio station the previous night, which pointed to wastage of funds over the said land for a proposed Goal Project under his watch.

The Leacock led administration had bought a piece of land in the Quarry area, with the intention of constructing an Administrative Complex as its Goal Project One.

But Leacock said last Sunday, even though he rarely delves into Football matters, he had cause to do so now.

Leacock said that it was a case of a forged signature, which led to the title of the land having to be settled in court.

“It had nothing to do with the Football Executive, more than someone had done something unlawful, which was discovered by our lawyers,” Leacock emphasized.

“I am not going to take blame and name for things that are wrongly done,” the former SVGFF President added.

Leacock contended that there was “no incompetence, irregularity or mismanagement by the previous Executive.”

He said his Executive had bought the land for EC$120,000, but in the melée, another $50,000 was needed to clear the issue in an easier and timely manner.

“Our lawyer went to America and had discussions with the parties in getting the matter rectified,” Leacock revealed.

Leacock, who was voted out of office in October 2007, which paved the way for the Joseph Delves Executive to take charge, said he gave the new Executive advice on how to proceed on the matter, which he said they “objected” to.

“The existing Executive has had to spend $60,000 more, to do the same thing that I had recommended when I left Football at the time,” Leacock said.

Since the matter has been cleared, a Technical Centre at the Brighton Playing Field has been identified as the preferred choice of the current Executive, as it embarks on utilizing the US$400,000 set aside as grant funds by Football world’s governing body FIFA for such an undertaking.

At the launch and sensitization of the Project three weeks ago, at the Brighton Methodist Church, Delves stated that it took them $74,000, to get the legal tangles unwound.

Leacock, last Sunday evening, said he thought that the current Executive missed out on two bites of the cake, as they would have had the Administrative Centre and would be on the way to their present project of the Technical Centre.

“Had the Football Federation proceeded, we would have been on the way to the second Goal Project; they have not only lost time, but another million dollars between the period of time,” Leacock opined.

Leacock, who is also an Opposition Senator within this country’s Parliament, in making reference to any intent of making a return to Football administration, said: “I have no interest in going back there”. (RT)