Chung confident JFF in the right ahead of court case against BSJ
THE JAMAICA Football Federation (JFF) and the Pat Garel-led Beach Soccer Jamaica (BSJ) will present their cases to the court tomorrow.
The parties are to decide if the BSJ’s claims to have been disenfranchised ahead of a JFF election have merit.
In January, a couple of days before the scheduled JFF election date on the 14th, the BSJ filed a complaint, which resulted in a courtordered postponement.
The Garel-led organisation argued to the court that the BSJ was the original administrator of beach football in the country and that it was its right to vote in the election.
According to Garel, the BSJ has been denied its right to vote in the election, with the JFF recognising a new organisation, Beach Football Jamaica Limited (BFJL). The BFJL was, at the time, the organisation with eligibility to vote.
The court ruled that the election be postponed until both parties had their cases heard on February 9.
JFF general secretary Dennis Chung said it is now up to the court to decide as they eagerly await the decision.
According to Chung, world governing body FIFA has been kept abreast of the situation, with all the files pertaining to the case having been passed on to them.
“We have done our part. They (BSJ) have sent something in. So someone who is a non-member (of the JFF), filed an injunction and we are going to hear it.
“We are confident we have gone through the proper process according to the constitution, so we see no reason we shouldn’t be victorious, but let’s see what happens,” he said.
He added that FIFA wants the election to happen as soon as possible.
“I am constantly in touch with FIFA, and I communicate everything to them. Everything I have, I have sent to FIFA, who just want the election to happen, and my hope is that everything will be settled by Friday,”said Chung.
The BSJ has publicly declared its support for challenger Raymond Anderson’s Real Solid Action (RSA) team, which has complained about unfair electoral practices on the part of the JFF from the start.
Nevertheless, the RSA team was tight-lipped ahead of Friday’s big court day.
“I don’t have any comments on the injunction,” JFF vice-president, Anderson, told The Gleaner.
“We are just waiting to see the outcome of it.”