With the new man (actually he has been President nearly a year), Lee Ramoon, in charge of the Cayman Islands Football Association (CIFA), one couldn’t expect much improvement. Not with Bruce Blake, the former President, still there as Vice President and a seat on the board of the Caribbean Football Association.

It is pretty obvious where the real power lies.

I have wondered why this country’s football clubs allow their love of football and what is good for this sport to take second place and allow the shocking state the way football is run to continue.

They have the power to do it but don’t.

The Cayman Islands Football Association as it stands today is not fit to run football in this country.

Sports Minister, Osbourne Bodden, has stated publicly that nothing has changed with the government’s stance on not providing any more finance to the CIFA. They have not provided Government with any of the financial statements and other correspondence they have quite rightly asked for.

Now Cayman Islands referees are on strike because the CIFA have done absolutely nothing to stop the violent attacks on their members that have seen five incidents they have reported against referees this year.

The last straw that finally initiated the strike came last Saturday when a coach from Alliance FC hit an official – see our story today “Cayman Islands referee attacked during Senior Mens Semi-Finals Football Match”.

Refereeing is a voluntary act and no one gets paid for executing this very taxing job.

The Cayman Islands Referee Association (CIRA) issued a statement that attacks have included not only physical bur verbal discrimination (gender, race, nationality, etc.). They also said there are also unreported official incidents.

So when coaches from the clubs themselves execute attacks on referees the sport is not a sport at all. The “MANSHIP” is missing.

When the CIFA takes no prompt action the stink is not only at the head, it has taken over the whole body.

Football here is definitely sinking down into the swamp.

It is a great pity CIFA doesn’t sink right under the swamp so the country can save what’s left of football here.

EDITOR NOTE:

The CIFA have finally put out a statement with the CIRA saying Zero Tolerance – see todays iNews Cayman “Cayman Islands referee attacked during Senior Mens Semi-Finals Football Match”.