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Cease and desist! - JFF urges PLCA to cut communication with sponsors

Published:Thursday | May 23, 2019 | 12:00 AMLivingston Scott/Gleaner Writer

One of the Premier League Clubs Association (PLCA) most outspoken members, Rudolph Speid, said the Jamaica Football Federation’s (JFF) decision to suspend all sponsorship or potential sponsorship communication came as a surprise to him. However, he is not quick to jump to any conclusions and waits to see where they go next.

“Right now, we don’t know what is going to happen. They will have to negotiate their position,” Speid, chairman of Cavalier FC, said.

In a letter from the JFF general secretary, Dalton Wint, to chairman of the PLCA, Edward Seaga, informing him of the termination of the Professional Football Association of Jamaica (PFAJ), the general secretary also requested that “any and all ongoing communication regarding sponsorship with sponsors, potential sponsors, and all other personnel be ceased immediately.”

It continued that the JFF would also like immediate receipt of any communication obtained, while demanding a list of all the PLCA’s active and potential sponsors in short order. The letter said that the JFF also intended to engage the clubs in discussions to chart a new governing structure for the way forward for the 2019-2020 Premier League season.

New Approach

However, Wint said a new committee would be established to facilitate this transition as they believed that a new approach is required to maximise sponsorship benefits for the league.

“We will put a steering committee in place. Then we will make recommendations as to how we go about dealing with these things. It will be short term, but we want that committee to advise us how to go about this.

“We seek to strengthen the governance of the sport, and so you have to seek intervention. You can’t expect to continue doing the same thing and expect another result. We have made changes. One of those change is that we have dissolved the PFAJ.

“We put a steering committee in place to ensure we get the top advice as it relates to the governance of the league, which includes sponsoring the sport properly. We will meet with stakeholders, the clubs, and have discussions to see which way to go as we are not leaving them out of any decision. They will be part and parcel of any decision,” he said.

He added that the JFF would lead the new committee, with consultation from the other entities.

“The committee will comprise experienced people with certain expertise, and we expect to see a brighter future and more transparency to how sponsorship is garnered,” he added.