I write on behalf of the Barbados Football Association (BFA) to clarify a number of issues raised by Mr Emmerson Boyce, the Barbados and Wigan Athletic FC captain, in an article published in the WEEKEND NATION of Friday, May 10, 2013.
Firstly, let me state that Mr Boyce is a valuable member of our national selection, who has volunteered his time, skills and knowledge as a professional football player, to represent Barbados, the land of his parents’ birth, and for that, we are eternally grateful.
We agree that the football in Barbados has some distance to go in order to attain the high standards to which Mr Boyce is accustomed in [Britain], but we continue to strive for that same excellence.
We recognize that to achieve our goal of international development of the game in general and players in particular, we need all the assistance possible.
Already AC Milan, Houston Dynamo and Arsenal have conducted training camps on the island through efforts of local organizations, Pro Shottas, Barbados Soccer Academy, and The Brewster Trust, respectively.
Additionally, the Chelsea F.C. Foundation has used Barbados as the headquarters for its youth development programme in the Caribbean, an initiative of the Barbados Tourism Authority in conjunction with Digicel and the BFA.
With respect to Mr Boyce’s alleged statement that he held discussions with members of the BFA, we are unaware of such discussions and should appreciate it if Mr Boyce would confirm with whom these discussions were held.
Secondly, with respect to Mr Boyce’s allegation that no one from the BFA proffered congratulations to him on Wigan reaching the FA Cup final, our records show that on April 26, 2013, the general secretary, Chris Graham, sent congratulatory emails to both Mr Boyce and Wigan Athletic FC.
We received a reply from the chairman of Wigan, Mr Dave Whelan, acknowledging receipt, but there was no reply from Mr Boyce.
