Audley Boyd, Assistant Sport EditorTHE JAMAICA Football Federation (JFF) has lodged a protest to the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) following the imposition of a US$5,000 (J$310,000) fine for allegedly not providing organisers of the CFU Digicel Caribbean Cup Finals with a copy of the Jamaica national anthem.
The national anthems of participating teams are generally played before the start of their respective matches and Jam-aica's anthem was not played prior to the start of their opening game against Trinidad and Tobago on Sunday.
On Tuesday night, when the team paraded to play Barbados, the anthem was played.
The fine was levied against the federation by the CFU's Disci-plinary Committee, whose chairman is former JFF boss and CFU vice-president, Captain Horace Burrell.
IMPROPERLY PENALISED
However, head of delegation for the Jamaican contingent, Linnel McLean, submitted an appeal on Tuesday on the grounds that the JFF had been improperly penalised as it had provided the organisers, the Barbados Football Association (BFA), with a CD bearing four different versions of the Jamaica national anthem and a Jamaica flag.
In a signed letter to CFU general secretary, Kerri-Ann Alleyne, dated Tuesday, February 22, McLean said: "The Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) hereby protests the decision of the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) Disciplinary Committee to fine the JFF Five Thousand United States dollars (US$5000) for not providing an anthem.
"We hereby advise that the team's manager, Mr. Howard Bell, gave the Liaison Officer, Mr. Anthony Clarke, a flag while the undersigned gave Mr. Clarke a CD containing a number of different versions of the Jamaican Anthem. Erroneously or negligently, the sound system operator failed to play our anthem.
CASH-STRAPPED
Apart from that, McLean, who is also the first vice-president of the cash-strapped JFF, noted other reasons in his letter for 'strongly' protesting the fines, among them the fact no criteria was set.
He stated:
"1. No pre-game (technical) meeting where all the necessary match protocol should have been done was held.
"2. No regulation was given to us regarding the Finals currently being played.
"3. The host association (Barbados Football Association) at no time requested a flag or anthem. We provided these items based on customs associated with tournaments."
Cuba were also fined for a similar breach of protocol.
The JFF has been treading water later with revelations that the federation is, for all intents and purposes broke, but can't sell its building in New Kingston to ease its plight due to a FIFA decree that all international football associations must have their own buildings by 2006.
At a recent JFF congress, a vote of no confidence in incumbent president Crenston Boxhill failed to materialise..
