By Paul A. Reid, Staff Reporter
Burrell
WESTERN BUREAU:
WESTERN STRIKERS Football Company Limited (WSFCL), the company that ran the affairs of former Premier League champions Reno FC until they were relieved of it on Monday night, could be seeking to recoup millions of dollars they invested in the Westmoreland club over the past three and a half years.
A release from the chairman of the company, Member of Parliament Dr Karl Blythe yesterday said that "The matter whether or not Western Strikers Football Company Limited will seek to recover the millions laid out on behalf of the team from the Reno Football Club Limited (RFCL), will be decided on a later date."
Carl Salmon, who was president of the club until he was removed by the top brass of the Jamaica Football Federation's (JFF) during a meeting with the club held at the Pelican Restaurant in Montego Bay on Monday night had told the Gleaner in an interview that "after three years of solid investments in a programme, you would be expecting to get back some financial returns."
Salmon said it cost his company between $6m-$8m per year to run the club but although ruling out court action said there would be efforts to recoup some of the investments.
Western Strikers were relived of their responsibility by JFF president Horace Burrell who ruled that they had "assumed ownership of the club without permission from the legal owners" Reno Football Club Limited.
A document presented to the meeting by former player and coach Wendell Downswell showed that RFCL was a legal entity, registered under the Companies' Act and was incorporated in January 1994 with four directors.
According to the document, former Westmoreland FA president Frank Arthur 'Bim' Williams is the principal shareholder with Downswell, Linval Wilson and Boysie Nicholson, the directors.
Burrell who chaired the meeting ruled that starting immediately, RFCL would take over the running of the club and decide on it's future.
JFF vice-president David Watt who was in attendance at the meeting was delegated by Burrell to oversee the operations of the club and report to him "as often as is necessary."
The emergency meeting had been called to resolve what was described as a "players revolt" but in a surprising turn of events, president of the JFF, Captain Horace Burrell told the meeting at the start that unless the question of the ownership of the club was resolved, they would not get to the core of the problems.
The tough talking Captain said he was not prepared "to put a band aid over the problem" but would resort to tougher measurers if necessary and "would remove the limb if needed" to get to the problem.
Reno missed Sunday's NPL game away to Tivoli after the players decided they would not be playing under the present management team. It was understood that a problem between a senior player and a member of the management team had precipitated the player walk out.
A hand written letter from Williams who has been residing overseas for a number of years, gave the JFF permission to hand the club over to the shareholders who lived in Jamaica.
Burrell who chaired the just over an hour long meeting told the meeting that while Blythe must be strongly commended for the action he took in taking over the club while it was in financial problems, he could not attach conditions of ownership to the agreement.
The JFF boss urged Blythe and other business interests to stand by the team and not to withdraw their support.
The meeting also heard that another attempt was made after the Blythe group took over to register the club but found it was already registered and WSFCL was formed as a holding company to manage the club.
Yesterday's release said "the ownership of the Reno Football Club was never in dispute as this was rightfully in the hands of the Reno Football Club Limited, chaired by Frank 'Bim' Williams."
The release also said that "the issue as to who had responsibility of management for the club over the last 2-3 years should also not be a matter of contention, since it was the club which approached me and requested that I manage at a time when they were unable to see their way forward, because of the extended absence of Mr. Williams, from the island."
Salmon told the Gleaner following the meeting that WSFCL had taken over after Williams "left the club to die". Burrell said however that they had taken over the club without permission of the legal owners and that act was illegal.
Salmon did not mince words after the meeting telling Gleaner however that he thought it was a conspiracy.
"We thought the captain was a man who upholds discipline however we were proven wrong today."
Salmon said that after three years and nine months of his group being in charge of the club but because of the "immense indiscipline that stepped in the club, now is the time he is going to raise the issue of indiscipline."
Salmon said they were called to a meeting to discuss the problems in the club only to be faced with a discussion of ownership, "we were not prepared to discuss ownership and it is clear that they is some favouritism here."
The former president said categorically his team would have nothing to do with the club, "no no no" he said, "we don't support the indiscipline that exist and therefore we won't be involved."
Yesterday's release said while the club had basic talent, "indiscipline was rampant" and whenever they took steps to improve the situation, was always met with resistance from those who seemed to condone this type of indiscipline.
"The situation concerning the captain Aaron Lawrence was untenable and could not have been accepted by WSFCL."
He also said that WSFCL would continue "to lend it's support to the development of football in the parish of Westmoreland, and the country at large but will never co-exist with this type of indiscipline which cannot be good for the development of football or for the good of the country."
Burrell told the meeting that sanctions would still be taken against Reno for not turning up for the game but added that it was up to the competitions committee some of whom were at the meeting.
He said however that there was obviously a big problem that existed in the club that prevented the players from carrying out their obligations, "there is an automatic process and the competitions committee will do what it has to do,"
Meanwhile Downswell the management would meet to work out the details and would make an announcement as to the coaching staff and other matters later.
