Adrian Frater, News Editor
Captain Horace Burrell ... "The west needs a rebirth and it must begin now." - file
Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) boss Captain Horace Burrell has expressed much disappointment with the state of football in western Jamaica, saying situations such as Sunday's relegation of Seba United from the National Premier League (NPL) competition is symptomatic of the region's downward spiral.
"We have been seeing a significant decline in western Jamaica within recent times and the relegation of Seba is as disappointing to the west as to all Jamaica," said Captain Burrell, while launching the second-leg 2010 Word Cup qualifier between Jamaica and The Bahamas, which will be played at the Trelawny Multi-purpose Stadium on Wednesday, June 18.
Rebirth
"Montego Bay's football is in a sad state without Seba and Wadadah in the NPL and what is urgently needed is a rebirth," added Captain Burrell.
An unapologetic Burrell made no bones about his unhappiness with the football leadership in the west, which includes JFF Vice-President Bruce Gaynor and the federation's Executive Officer Lorraine Scringer, saying that they need to get cracking in restoring the region's football to a position of pride.
"There is no shortage of qualified administrators in this region because several of the top executives of the JFF are based here in the west," he noted. "Your administrators must understand that they cannot continue the way they have been going. Things must change because what is now happening is affecting national football."
Unity
As a first step to arrest the decline, Captain Burrell called for unity among the administrators, noting that a unified approach is needed to rebuild the image of the football in the west. He said the JFF would be doing its part by bringing international football to the region to help sustain interest in the game.
"Come Wednesday, June 18, we will be taking the 2010 first-round World Cup qualifier between Jamaica and The Bahamas to the Trelawny Multi-purpose Stadium to show our commitment to keeping the west in the picture," he said. "This will be the first time in over a decade that we will be playing a World Cup qualifier outside of Kingston."
Daze
Fans in western Jamaica have been seemingly in a daze since Seba United's relegation from the NPL. Unless Wadadah FC, which recently won the Western Confederation elimination tournament, earn qualification through the upcoming NPL playoffs for the 2008-09 season, St James will be without a team in the NPL for the first time in the history of the competition.
"The west needs a rebirth and it must begin now," stated Captain Burrell adamantly. "What is happening cannot continue."
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