Montego Bay Chamber of Commerce president, Lloyd B. Smith. - file photos

Western Bureau:While some pundits have described as gross stupidity the decision by the St James Football Association to cut ties with its previous sponsors during the recent aborted sponsorship discussions with telecommunications company Claro, the Montego Bay Chamber of Commerce appears sympathetic to the association's plight.

Reacting to the news that the FA's 2008-09 season, which should have started three months ago, is still in limbo and is facing an uncertain future because of the absence of sponsorship, chamber president Lloyd B. Smith has issued a call to the parish's political directorate and private sector to provide a financial bailout for the cash-strapped association.

"Such a stalemate could not have come at a worse time, seeing that football in the parish has deteriorated to a very low level," Smith said. "Sport plays a very important role in community development and so it behoves our politicians as well as business persons to see the value of making a contribution to such a worthy cause."

cutting ties

During their negotiations with Claro last year, the St James FA, which had a total sponsorship package of close to J$10 million for all competitions in their 2007-08 domestic season, erroneously thought they were on the verge of sealing a J$16 million deal with Claro and cut ties with their previous sponsors, including the Hart Group of Companies, whose sponsorship dates back over 75 years.

At a press conference called in December to outline their predicament, the association's president, Orville Powell, said that after Claro had provided them with both verbal and written commit-ments to sponsor the parish's football they had considered it a done deal, hence their decision to sever ties with their previous sponsors.

"The association has now found itself in a financial bind and is therefore not able to stage the 2008-09 competitions, which should have began last October," said Smith, in making his bailout plea on behalf of the St JFA.

The failed sponsorship could also cause a fallout in the top leadership of the FA as some executive members are distancing themselves from ill-fated Claro deal. Speaking on condition of anonymity, one board member told The Gleaner that the negotiations took place without the full knowledge of the board and they only became aware of what was happening when the deal broke down.

"I personally would not have sanctioned it (the cutting of ties with the board's former sponsors) because there is absolutely no sense in giving away what you have for what you don't have," said the seemingly embarrassed board member. "Sadly, we never knew what was happening until it happened."

never signed off

Claro, through a statement from Noel Esty, its head of communication, has also distanced itself from the FA's predicament, saying that while it is true that they were in negotiation with the association, they never signed off on a contract so they should not be blamed for whatever action was taken in anticipating that a deal would be secured. To strengthen the chamber's plea for help, Smith said if there were concerns about "mistrust or lack of confidence", the chamber would be willing to work with the FA to ensure accountability, performance and transparency.

President of the St James Football Association, Orville Powell.