FIFA frees the funds - Wint promises more efficient JFF spending after restrictions lifted on development endowment
Published:Monday | September 21, 2020 | 12:15 AMLivingston Scott/Gleaner Writer
General Secretary Dalton Wint describes the recent decision by FIFA’s Audit and Compliance Committee to lift temporary restrictions on development funding to the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) as “absolutely good news”.
Wint says the decision means that the JFF has now fallen in line with the world governing body’s new financial requirements for member associations (MAs) and can now plan ahead with more certainty.
“You can now go and plan your projects and know that whatever FIFA has committed as funding will be given to you without any restrictions,” he said. “We have received money in tranches based on the restrictions, but going forward, whatever is committed to us, we will get it.”
Wint says the JFF has taken its time adjusting to the new requirements and commends its accounting staff for eventually making the necessary changes.
“When FIFA gives you money, there are certain requirements you must adhere to,” he said. “They have a system where they check each MA at least once per year, a central review, to see how you are spending their money.
FOLLOWING STIPULATIONS
“They require you to spend a minimum amount of their money in cash, and that was something we were used to in terms of spending cash for pier diems (daily spending money for trips) and stipends to players. But we have now desisted from doing that and are just adhering to the stipulations.”
He said that things like money being transferred from one account to the other will not be permitted as well as using FIFA funds for investment or putting it into fixed deposits.
“It is to remain and be spent directly from where it is sent to,” Wint said. “Whenever we pay, we ensure we get receipts, and we pay mainly by wire transfer and cheques.”
Although it has taken time to make the adjustments, Wint said the JFF has eventually caught up and intends to stay in line.
“It’s a modern FIFA and a modern JFF, and we just have to make our adjustment in terms of how we operate instead of operating like how we used to two years ago as that is outdated. We have put things in place and modernised our accounting system,” he said.
“Over the past year, they have been giving us funding at a reduced amount in tranches, and each tranche, we had to report on it. So kudos to the staff for moving away from the normal ways of operation. It was a struggle, but we have got it right now, and we want to stay on track and in line with what FIFA requires. So it is not how we used to do it, but the way how FIFA requires it to be done.”