André LoweSenior Staff Reporter

RETURNING MONTEGOBay United Football Club(MBUFC) president,

Orville Powell, has called for theresignation of Premier LeagueClubs Association (PLCA) gen-eral manager, Andrew Price, forwhat he believes is a clear con-flict of interest, as the stand-offbetween several clubs and theleague administrators tookanother turn.

Powell’s MBUFC was expectedyesterday to withdraw its threatof not playing any games in thecompetition until concerns aboutthe governance, transparencyand leadership of the EdwardS e a g a - l e d P L C A w e r eaddressed.

However, hours before kick-off, they decided to honour thematch against Reno FC, underinstructions from JamaicaFootball Federation (JFF) presi-dent, Captain Horace Burrell.

Montego Bay United are oneof three clubs that wrote to theJFF noting their displeasure withthe PLCA’s stewardship of theisland’s top football competition– citing breaches on the company’sArticle of Incorporation, whichlisted Seaga as the sole directorof the PLCA; and the absence ofaudited financial reports, amongother issues.

The other clubs that protestedwere Cavalier and Sporting

Central Academy.Powell also dismissed sugges-

tions from Seaga that his posi-tion is being influenced byefforts to reinstate the JFF asadministrators of top flight foot-ball.

“JFF? That is so far from thetruth; Captain Burrell actuallybegged us to play because this

has serious implications not juston the PLCA. In fact, I thinkCaptain Burrell erred when hetold us to play and took sidewith the majority without look-ing at the issues,” Powell said.

“I resigned (as MBUFC presi-dent) because of this a couplemonths ago, because of thesesame concerns and frustrations. Icouldn’t continue under thiscondition, but I was broughtback because people felt thingswere getting worse and theyneeded me to come back,”Powell told The Gleaner.

Price recently admitted onnational television that he kept aresignation letter from Seagaaway from other directors of the

PLCA until he was able to per-suade the former prime ministerto change his mind.

“It’s a disgrace that he couldcome on national television andsay that he put it in his pocket. Itis wrong, it is wrong!” Powellexclaimed.

“The chairman resigned andwrote a letter of resignation tothe manager of the PLCA. Themanager, who is being paid byme and the other clubs, puts it inhis pocket and didn’t tell anyoneabout it. Is that operating cor-rectly?” he asked.

“As a club, we are paying thisman, who is a technical directorof another club, out of our spon-sorship money, and he is work-

ing for another club also. I seethis as a conflict of interest, butthe others in the group think it’sOK,” Powell added.

It is reported that Burrell alsosuggested that Price resign hisPLCA position, during a meet-ing last Friday between thePLCA and the ProfessionalFootball Association of Jamaica(PFAJ).

Powell is also seekinganswers around the PLCA’slegal standing, given the factthat none of the 12 PLCA direc-tors is listed on the Article ofIncorporation.

He told The Gleaner thatafter trying unsuccessfully to getcopies of the PLCA’s registra-tion documentation, a group ofclubs hired a lawyer and gotcopies of the Article ofRegistration from the Office ofthe Registrar of Companies.

“We found out that really andtruly we are just acting, but weare not directors of PLCA. Wehave no legal documents thatstate that we are,” Powell said.“Let us correct that before youtell me that I am a director of thePLCA and invite me to be a partof the AGM or anything like thatbecause as it stands, based onthe document that we just foundout we are not.”

He added: “On another note,do you expect us to come nowand put our name on this docu-ment as directors of a companythat we know nothing about ...we have not been getting anyfinancial statement for the pastseven years.

“So if there is liability, weshould just jump in and takeit?”, he asked.

“The financial statement – wejust can’t get anything fromthem. The documentations anddiscussions with sponsors – wecan’t get any information.

“Wouldn’t it be prudent for usto understand what is happeningfinancially before we move for-ward. That is all we are askingfor,” added Powell.

• www.jamaica-gleaner.com • gleanerjamaica • jamaicagleaner • SPORTSTHE GLEANER, TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2014 B3

POWELL

Powell callsfor PLCAchanges

PRICE

SEAGA

JFF distances itself from PLCAin-fightingAndré LoweSenior Staff Reporter

THE JAMAICA FootballFederation (JFF) has stronglydenied suggestions that it hasplayed a part in the currentimpasse between several clubsand the Premier League ClubsAssociation (PLCA).

Arising from the disagree-ment, Montego Bay United,Sporting Central Academy andCavalier all threatened to with-draw from the Red StripePremier League (RSPL) untilissues surrounding the running ofthe league, as well as the corpo-rate governance of the PLCA,were dealt with.

Sporting Central Academy andCavalier both played on Sundayand Montego Bay United decidedagainst sitting out yesterday’sgame against Reno.

However, the JFF has takenissue with comments made byPLCA chairman and formerPrime Minister, Edward Seaga,which suggested that the island’sfootball regulators had an influ-ence on the positions taken bythe three clubs.

“Who is leading the initiative?I cannot say, but I know thatthere are certain clubs workingfor the JFF’s interest in trying toambush the PLCA in order to getthe members of the PLCA tosupport them,” Seaga said in aSunday Gleaner interview, whilenoting that he believes the effortssurrounded the JFF regainingcontrol of the Premier League.

But the JFF blasted the state-ments and underscored its deter-mination to implement the fran-chise system and develop theprofessional properties of topflight domestic football.

“For Mr Seaga to say that theJFF ‘interfered’ in the running ofthe league is unfortunate anduninformed. It is the duty of theJFF to address any issue orissues concerning football.,” theJFF said via a release.

“The JFF is the governingbody for all football in the islandof Jamaica, including the nationalpremier league, women’s foot-ball, schoolboy football, parishleagues, community football,

grassroots football, corner leagueand street football.

“It is absolutely not true to saythat the JFF has interfered in therunning of the League. In fact,the JFF has been criticised bymany for too much of a hands-off approach as it allowed thePLCA and PFAJ to fulfil theirmandate,” the release continued.

“Whenever there are issues ofconcern that are brought to theattention of the JFF, it has a dutyto seek to address same. No entityor individual can be allowed tomake continuous negative state-ments despite efforts to bringresolution.”

Addressing Seaga’s commentsaround the PLCA’s sponsorship-raising successes and commentsmade by a JFF official question-ing the organisation’s viability,the JFF release read:

“The president of the JFF,Captain Horace Burrell, is onpublic record for recognising onnumerous occasions the role ofMr Seaga in increasing the levelof sponsorship of the league.

“The remarks attributed to for-mer general secretary of the JFFregarding the sustainability ofthe league were sincere and justi-fied and were recently confirmedby Mr Seaga when he pulledTivoli Gardens FC from theleague at a time when Red Stripehad not yet publicly announcedtheir full commitment to a newperiod of sponsorship. It is thisreality that has led the JFF toseek a new course in the estab-lishment of a franchise system,to which it is fully committed,”the release noted.

BURRELL

Cilic winsUS Openfor firstSlam titleNEW YORK (AP):UNABLE TO play in theUS Open a year ago becauseof a doping suspension,Marin Cilic is now the tour-nament’s champion.

Croatia’s Cilic won hisfirst Grand Slam title bybeating Japan’s KeiNishikori 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 yes-terday at Flushing Meadows,using 17 aces – includingfour in one game – and thesame powerful ground-strokes that helped himeliminate Roger Federer inthe semi-finals.

“This is (from) all thehard work in these last sev-eral years – and especiallythis last year,” Cilic saidduring the on-court ceremo-ny, when he kissed his silvertrophy and collected acheque for $3 million.

The 14th-seeded Cilicprevented the 10th-seededNishikori from becomingthe first man from Asia towin a major singles champi-onship.

“Sorry I couldn’t get atrophy today,” Nishikorisaid, “but for sure, nexttime.”

There hadn’t been amatchup between playersmaking their Grand Slamfinal debuts at the US Opensince 1997. Lopsided andlasting less than two hours,this hardly qualified as aclassic.

“Both of us were prettynervous in the first set, espe-cially,” Cilic acknowledged.“When we got ourselvesgoing, it was a bit better.”