RONALD?JONES for president of the Caribbean Football Union (CFU).
Sounds like a great idea and I am supporting his bid all the way.
I am sure he would have agonized long and hard before making the decision to take the plunge in this arena.
There are many reasons why it may not have been easy to decide to run for the highest office in Caribbean football.
Perhaps, first and foremost is that it is going to take a while to restore credibility to the organization which was scarred following the cash-for-votes scandal which rocked the football world in the run up to the last ballot to elect a president for FIFA, the game’s governing body.
It claimed several victims from the region including former FIFA vice-president Jack Warner who resigned before he could be investigated.
The scandal decimated the CFU leaving it like a ship without a captain until FIFA appointed an interim committee to take care of its business until elections are held in Hungary at the World Congress later this month. Jones is part of this committee and is thought to stand a great chance of securing the top spot.
There is bound to be the usual canvassing associated with any elections and being a professional politician should help his cause in this regard.
Under pressure
It could also be his Achilles heel because he is already under pressure in some quarters here to give up the presidency of the Barbados Football Association (BFA) and concentrate on his Cabinet post as Minister of Education and Human Resource Development.
He has so far ignored such calls but I remember well he was encouraged by late Prime Minister David Thompson to retain his BFA post whilst serving in Cabinet.
The feeling was then that he may have been able to use his ministerial position to help the development of football.
Truth be told, there is no evidence so far to suggest that this has worked because the sport seems to be stagnating under the BFA’s reins with out-of-season tournaments, organized by private interests, seemingly holding more sway among the masses.
There is also the feeling that the acadamies with far less resources than the association are doing much more to advance the cause of the youth.
Who are not gaining scholarships are getting trials with professional clubs in North America.
Lethargic
Questions are also being asked as to why the association appears to be lethargic in working with some international organizations that are willing to help at no cost to the BFA.
Could it be a case of these things not happening because the head honcho already has too much on his plate and his lieutenants are reluctant to take any decisions while he is focused on other matters?
It is also true that the driver has changed with the passing of Thompson and the current boss may not be as enthused about Jones in dual roles that might conflict with his substantive ministerial job.
It is perceived that many in high places were not amused by Jones’ absence at a critical stage of the Alexandra School affair.
In this regard, you wonder if he was given the greenlight to vie for the CFU presidency after consulting with the Prime Minister.
It is a touchy subject because, realistically, if Jones wins the battle for CFU supremacy, it means he will increase his football workload and the question will again be asked whether he won’t be compromising his ministerial duties in the process.
Jones, ever ready to defend his stance on issues that might be deemed controversial, must have played out all the various scenarios before throwing his hat in the CFU?ring.
It is obvious he is confident he can win and I think he stands the best chance of becoming the first Bajan to command the post of president.
In years gone by, Trinidadian Harold Taylor would have been odds-on favourite to win but the mere fact that not one Trinidadian was selected on the interim committee could be an indication that FIFA doesn’t want the involvement of anyone that had close ties with Warner to be too near to the seat of power even at a sub-regional level.
Subsequently, a certain kind of politics might play against someone like Taylor, although Peter shouldn’t necessarily pay for Paul.
There are those who will argue that Jones was highly favoured by Warner but if blood is thicker than water you could assume that Taylor’s familial ties to the former football giant were much stronger than Jones’ based on nationality.
Looms large
They are some who believe that Warner’s shadow still looms large over Caribbean football and he might be wielding power from behind the scenes.
That is to say, he might still be able to influence the outcome of the forthcoming election for president.
Nobody knows for sure but speculation will be rife in that respect knowing of his former connection to the game. I remember too, that at the BFA’s centennial awards, Warner urged Jones to hang on to both posts as it had worked for him and many others in world football.
Yet again, Jones has decided to walk the tightrope when conventional opinion says that he shouldn’t. He has proven once more that he is his own man. What if he becomes CFU president? It is best to play along with the intrigue highlighted in the Ronald Jones football theatre of dreams.
• Andi Thornhill is an award-winning freelance sports journalist.
