James calls for change in administration of SVGFF

Former St Vincent and the Grenadines senior football team captain Marlon “Tusty” James wants affiliates to make several changes to football administration, including a new president, when the St Vincent and the Grenadines Football Federation (SVGFF) holds its election for a new executive sometime this month.{{more}}

Unreserved in his assessment of the four-year tenure of the current Venold Combs-led executive, James’ biggest grouse is their “governance” of the sport during that period.

“I will like to see a change in the executive…. I will definitely like to see another president,” James told SEARCHLIGHT.

He added that there are competent persons who are on the outside, who can do a better job than the present executive.

James said: “I don’t have anything personal with Venold Coombs.” But he thinks he lacks “professionalism” in the manner in which he deals with the administration of the sport.

Included among James’ itemization of lack of professionalism on Coombs’ part was the much publicized audio tape of a rant, in which he used some strong language against his current third vice-president Elroy Paul Boucher at an executive meeting last August.

James agreed that what happened at that meeting was symptomatic of the modus operandi of the organization, stating, “Everything is done poorly.”

Strengthening his assessment, James, reacting to a recent visit to the SVGFF’s office on Bentick Square, said, “Even the way executive members would approach you, you would go in and say good morning and the way they will respond to you was disrespectful.”

James, therefore, concluded that most of the executive members do not have the development of the sport at heart, but their personal interest.

Zooming in on the governance issues, James commented, “There are so many things for the past four years which are questionable…. One of the things is the sale of the World Cup tickets.”

James also recalled the well publicized saga in November 2013, in which over $90,000 could not have been accounted for; then later, receipts surfaced for the funds, as another of the contentious issues of governance.

In calling for the change, James noted, “They (the executive) have been given a chance and we have not seen the development of football in St Vincent and the Grenadines, as it should.”

He agreed that although there were tangible efforts, especially at the grassroots level and a push to have a primary schools’ competition back on the calendar, “they were poorly organized,” thus defeating the objectives.

James, in taking aim at the player development, expressed disappointment in the Coombs-led executive in its thrust towards getting more Vincentian players on at least the semi-professional circuit on a sustained basis.

James, who has benefitted tremendously from playing professionally overseas, observed, “We are having players who are going overseas playing professional football, but we are not hearing of them going further and further and this basically because of the development of the game in St Vincent and the Grenadines.”

And, although happy that the senior national men’s team has again made progress in the World Cup Qualifiers to the fourth round of the CONCACAF Zone, James is advocating that the players, as well as the head coach, be treated with greater respect.

Among James’ calls are for an increase in match fees for the players and head coach Cornelius Huggins.

James deemed as unacceptable the fact that when he last represented St Vincent and the Grenadines at the World Cup Qualifiers, he was earning EC$1,000, whereas the players today are receiving far less for their services.

In relation to Huggins, James referred to his wages as a “stipend”, compared with what has been paid to foreign coaches, who have similarly carried the team to this stage of the qualifiers.

James represented St Vincent and the Grenadines at the senior level from 1995 to 2008.

He played semi-pro in Trinidad and Tobago and Portugal and was a full professional with the Vancouver Whitecaps in the United Soccer League and with several clubs in Malaysia, before retiring last year.(RT)