Former Bermuda Football Association (BFA) President Larry Mussenden is the Chairman of the FIFA Appeals Committee preparing to depart for the FIFA World Cup in South Africa. Today we bring you Part Two of a Three Part Interview with Mussenden
Q. You have been out of office for a year now, from the outside how do you feel about Football on the Field?
A. I think that the Technical Director and others have a plan for the development and improvement of the game. This is in line with the aims when I was serving as President. The Government funding we secured of $3Million per year for 5 years allowed us to develop programmes and hire key staff. The FIFA funding we secured allowed us to build the BFA Field and install lights. Those are things the BFA and clubs didn't have before. It took a tremendous effort by some people to make those things happen. I think we should see more activity at the BFA Field and we should see more camps when schools are on holiday. We should see some of that funding go to the clubs so that they can improve the product that they put on the field every week. We need to compete more against CFU countries at every level so that we beat them and advance.
Q. What are your thoughts about the BFA administratively?
A. The BFA Executive seems to have disappeared from the media although as always football match reports get headlines. However, there is stiff competition for sponsor funding amongst sports and charities and if the Executive doesn't promote every aspect of the game, its development plans and its successes then the Government, sponsors and public in general don't know what the BFA is doing. When was the last time an Executive member ever told the public what the BFA is doing.
I note that last year the BFA only got $1.5 million of the $3 million government funding it was due. This year it only gets $1 million of the $3 million it was due. That's a loss of $3.5 million in 2 years - that's a lot of money for a charitable sports body - such funds which could have been used for clubs and programmes to improve football. But now the majority of that $1 million must be going to full time staff salaries and the Hogges Programme.
We used to release to the media quarterly financial reports on how every cent of the Government funding was used - but I haven't seen any such report for nearly two years. But I think the public should see how the funding is being spent. I along with some others worked hard to get that funding. I can't help but think that the passive approach of the current Executive and the lack of promoting football in every way in the media was a contributing factor to the decision to cut the funding. Last year I recall being the only person who publicly stated that the BFA should address that cut in the funding - and I wasn't even the President. It appears that no-one did or said anything because this year there was an even bigger cut. And still no one says a single word about it.
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