Western Bureau: With never-ending infighting, resignations of administrators and demotion facing the region's two Digicel Premier League teams, to say western Jamaica's football is gone to the dogs, at this time, would be an understatement.

Having savoured the glory days when the west ruled national football in terms of dominating the National Premier League and having the most picks on the national team, a number of former administrators are outraged by the current situation and are speaking out.

"We have far too many profilers in football administration these days," said former JFF Western Confederation chairman, Bryan Miller. "People are putting their personal interest before the sport and, as result, development is being hampered and that cannot be the way to go. We needed committed people to lead the sport."

In endorsing Miller's sentiments, former St James FA general secretary, Hopeton Gilchrist, was even more forthright, citing football corruption to include fighting for power, too much animosity and selfishness as the major factors behind the demise of the game in the region.

self interest

"They are so consumed with their own self-interest that they don't even realise they are destroying the game they claim to love," said Gilchrist. "KSAFA is now doing what we use to do in the past, which was to unite around a good product and, as you can see, their football is doing very well."

Like Miller, Gilchrist wants to see a return to the days when football in the west was run by people who wanted to see the sport move and gladly put unity above selfish desires.

"All the stakeholders in the region need to meet and find ways to have the best minds spearheading a new thrust to restore our football," continued Gilchrist. "A lot of good people have been pushed out of the sport and some of these people need to come back but I doubt they would want to come into the current corrupt situation."

Craig Oates, who recently resigned as vice president of the Hanover FA and vice chairman of the JFF Western Confederation, citing frustration and his inability to get his former colleagues to treat the sports with the seriousness it deserves, wants to see wholesale leadership changes.

"Some of the persons in leadership positions are doing more harm than good and need to leave the sports," said Oates. "The public would be amazed to know some of the nastiness taking place and yet you have people who would consider you disloyal for speaking out."

In looking at the current situation in Hanover, Oates said the parish is plagued with a myriad of problems including a Major League, which started six months late and had its first round completed in six weeks; an annual general meeting that is seven months and a parish chockfull of disgruntled affiliates.

lack of support

In Westmoreland, where the parish's lone NPL outfit, Reno FC, is seemingly facing certain relegation, the club's president, Ransford Malcolm, is partially blaming the lack of support from the parish FA for the demise of the club.

"During the time we used STETHS as our home venue for NPL games, we got excellent support from the St. Elizabeth FA but, sad to say, the situation has not been the same since we have returned home to Frome," said Malcolm. "We have made several attempts to engage the leaders of football in this parish but to no avail."

"What we need in the region is unity," continued Malcolm. "If we unite, we could then look at starting from scratch to rebuild the love and passion that has gone out of our football."

All the leaders spoken to are seemingly united in the view that the current crop of inept leaders need to be swept aside and replaced by people capable of uniting the sport, soliciting sponsorship, put in proper development programmes and earn the respect of affiliates.

"We need leaders who will put football first, not persons who are putting themselves first," said Gilchrist. "We did wonders in the past and we can do it again but we need to have the right people leading the effort."

- Adrian Frater