Jamaica Gleaner
Published: Wednesday | June 10, 2009
Home : Sport
Unresolved! - JFF, KSAFA dispute over referee branding continues
A meeting that spanned close to seven hours Monday between the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) board of directors and top-notch executives of the Kingston and St Andrew Football Association failed to resolve the issue of branding of match officials, which led to the suspension of KSAFA's competitions.

"We are to meet with KSAFA affiliates on Thursday and then with our sponsors to discuss the events of the past week," Rudolph Speid, KSAFA president, said yesterday.

His association has been challenging a JFF directive that was issued on Friday, May 29, which states that only Digicel-branded uniforms should be worn by referees officiating in its competitions.

Sponsorship arrangement

This is due to a sponsorship arrangement that the JFF has with telecommunications providers Digicel.

However, another telecommunications provider, Claro, is the sponsor of KSAFA's leagues and they are proposing that referees officiate in unbranded gear, or gear branded by any other sponsor which is not in competition with Claro.

Monday's meeting was the second between the sport's ruling body here and its affiliate, and KSAFA is still unwilling to continue its competitions under the guidelines stipulated by the JFF.

KSAFA was directed after Monday's meeting to resume its leagues.

The leagues suspended are the second-tier Major League, third-tier Syd Bartlett League and Under-20, Under-15 and Under-13 championships.

Refuse match officials

KSAFA also believe they are well within their right to refuse match officials wearing kits branded by a competing sponsor, based on the FIFA statute, Article 10.4, which deals with the sponsor's advertising on referee's kit.

The FIFA ruling states: "Sponsor advertising on the shirts of match officials shall be permitted only if it does not create a conflict of interest with the advertising worn by either of the two teams participating. In the event of such a conflict, the match officials shall not bear any sponsor advertising."

Both telecommunication companies have sponsorship packages with the respective football organisations worth well over $100 million.

Meanwhile, a JFF release coming out of Monday's meeting pointed to what it termed misleading information in previous statements issued by KSAFA regarding the terms of its contract with Claro, that gave the impression its referees were sponsored with gear by Claro.

"They also apologised unreservedly to the board of directors and the country for misleading information presented in that letter," the JFF release noted.

A KSAFA release countered, stating that the information was not "misleading, but erroneous and not intentional", as its referees are paid by Claro.

Withdrawal

Meanwhile, KSAFA officials were in a meeting with Claro last night who, according to sources, did not like how things had unfolded and were considering a withdrawal of sponsorship.

The KSAFA leadership will await tomorrow's meeting before deciding their next move.

"KSAFA has 43 affiliates and they are the ones who elected me, and until they decide on the matter at the meeting, the suspension remains in effect in the interest of our sponsors," Speid noted.

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