Yesterday's announcement by the Belize Premier Football League that they would be pulling out of the football federation came not so much as a surprise but more so a blow to football in Belize. Inter-organizational problems between the League and the Federation have never been a secret. Today, President of the Football Federation, Bertie Chimilio, told us that with this recent move by the Premier League the only thing to suffer is football:
Bertie Chimilio
This is a sad day for football. It is a sad day because we have people who, because of their own agenda's have decided to use football as a tool for their own means. Nevertheless, our mandate of the federation is to make sure that football runs, to make sure that football plays, and to make sure that whatever personal interests exists in football, that does not overcome football per se. For us in the federation, football comes first. And I have always said, here on Channel 7 I have said it before, that if you have a personal problem and you don't address football, then I ask you to leave, come out. And I think the league executive has just done that. They've decided to go away because they don't like my personality. It's not about me, it's about football. We received the letter that they are pulling out, but pulling out of a federation is not that easy, you know and again tonight, the executive is having a meeting. Contrary to reports that we are having resignations in our executive, that is not so. Contrary to reports some districts are with them, as far as we know, that is not so. Whatever the take is, whatever their take is, it is all part of a ploy that we all in Belize know. Four years ago it started, it started four years ago and still continues. There is nothing new. We have registered two teams... we have registered Culture Yabra and we have also registered Belmopan Bandits. So as far as I am concerned, these two teams... take it or leave it, I think by tomorrow, the league executive would have decided that hey, this makes no sense and football in this country must proceed. If they are the problem, I know that they will take themselves out and we will play, football will play. Each football league is an affiliate of the Football Federation of Belize. Their rules, their regulations are governed by the Football Federation of Belize and I do agree, sometimes they don't like the decisions that different people make in the football federation of Belize, but, that is life. If you want to belong to the organization, then you have to stick to the rules and regulations of the organization, otherwise, then you don't belong here. If you want to play football under the body of FIFA then you have to stick to the FIFA rules, bottom line.
Alfonso Noble
Now with the league out of the federation, what is the future of football?
Bertie Chimilio
The future of football is great. I don't think the league is out of the federation. As I speak here, we know that the league executive may be out of football, but not the league owners. Because we have received some calls too, from certain owners who are saying, we wanted to do this two months ago, but you the president stopped us. Now, it is in your court Mr. President to make sure, you are the executive, make sure football roll. And I want to assure the Belizean public that football will roll. Football will roll at its highest level in this country.
Alfonso Noble
Is this move by the league for the betterment of football?
Bertie Chimilio
Definitely not. What I have just done is what they have been doing all these years. It's a matter of trying to control and don't want to respect the authority. It will hurt football at every level.
Chimilio says that tonight there will be a meeting of the federation's central executive to make decisions on what actions should be taken next.