Last night, we showed you the press conference that Sergio Chuc held to protest that he is not being allowed to run in the upcoming elections for president of the Football Federation of Belize. The former FFB vice president wanted to opportunity tell the nation that he wasn't bribing anyone - as has been alleged.
That's the allegation that his political opponent, Ruperto Vicente, made against him, and, there is a history of between these two football execs. They entered the administration of the sport's governing body, determined to work together to clean up the football federation, after Dr. Bertie Chimilio was voted out in 2012.
But they became bitter adversaries when Chuc and the other members of Vicente's executive turned on Vicente and forced him out of office. Well, now Chuc says Vicente is the one forcing the current executive to block his candidacy for the June 24th FFB Congress.
The main bone of contention is what Vicente calls bribery, and what Chuc calls sponsorship.
Today, we got a chance to catch up with Ruperto Vicente himself to explain his position - we've put that up against Chuc's responses so that you can decide for yourself who is right and who is wrong. Here's that back and forth:
Sergio Chuc, Presidential Candidate - FFB
"The rejection of my candidacy came about one allegations of bribery and interference within the electoral process. These allegations came from specifically 2 individuals. The first allegations came directly from my political opponent Mr. Vicente."
Ruperto Vicente, Presidential Candidate - FFB
"All I did was make a complaint and I have that right. It is up to the executive of the federation to take my complaint and look at it seriously."
Sergio Chuc, Presidential Candidate - FFB
"He put forward a letter for the federation saying that my contributions specifically to the premier league of Belize with transportation and uniform would be considered a form of bribery."
Ruperto Vicente, Presidential Candidate - FFB
"Bribery and giving gifts in football and as someone who is going to contest the presidency of the federation is a no no. We have people who went to prison as a result of the FIFA scandal the last time. Why? Because they accepted gifts for favors, for votes and so we need to understand that this is a serious offence."
Sergio Chuc, Presidential Candidate - FFB
"That is complete nonsense. The people who have been following football know that I've been involved for 15 - almost 20 years. I've sponsored several of the top teams, I've been involved with the league, I've been involved with the federation, I've been involved with the female clubs and my companies have continually donated to the league, to the associations, to the federation."
Ruperto Vicente, Presidential Candidate - FFB
"It is not only Mr. Chuc who is guilty. Those who receive the gifts are equally guilty of the same offence."
Sergio Chuc, Presidential Candidate - FFB
"We've continually been assisting and we continue to assist. So it's nothing strange for anybody who's involved with football right now to see a team out there with a Westline logo. Its 2-fold, it's the generosity because I love the game and at the same time it is a marketing strategy from my company that build goodwill with the commuters."
Ruperto Vicente, Presidential Candidate - FFB
"Mr. Chuc has always supported football, but as a candidate for the president of the football federation of Belize, he cannot offer gifts and that's the offence he committed."
Sergio Chuc, Presidential Candidate - FFB
"The people who benefitted from the league - the teams, none of them could vote. They can't vote. It's the executive of the league that votes. It's not the team."
Ruperto Vicente, Presidential Candidate - FFB
"The teams make up the congress for the league. The teams direct the executives of the league on how they are to function. So to say that the league teams do not vote, is false. It's not true. They can influence."
Sergio Chuc, Presidential Candidate - FFB
"In order for there to be a bribery, the two parties have to benefit. And the people who are voting, they have no benefit in this. The people who benefitted from the uniforms are the clubs: FC Belize, Verdes, Wagiya, Placencia - but these people don't vote. The executive."
Ruperto Vicente, Presidential Candidate - FFB
"I will not be able to go to the league and campaign to the league and ask them for support or for their votes, because now they have receive gifts and now must remain loyal to this one candidate. That puts me at a disadvantage."
Sergio Chuc, Presidential Candidate - FFB
"Election it seems will proceed unless the members decide that they don't want to show up to congress. Remember for there to be an election, for there to be a proper congress, there must be fifty plus one percent of the members attending the congress. So far, I am at liberty to say that about sixty percent of the people who are voting have said that they don't like the idea that my candidacy was thrown out on these charges; that they are prepared not to go to Congress. We are hoping that congress members will do the right thing and just nor show up to this rigged election."
Ruperto Vicente, Presidential Candidate - FFB
"What Mr. Chuc is doing is also committing another offence - asking or seeking and influencing members to sabotage the congress and the working of the football federation. Again, that is an offence that requires to be investigated by the federation. So those who have signed on to those letters had been set up to be suspended from football for life. So it is a serious offence and so I am hoping that the football federation of Belize will look into this matter."
Chuc told the press yesterday that he is attempting to take his dispute with the FFB's Disciplinary Committee and the Appeals Committee to an international tribunal. That is called the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Switzerland. He says that he is communicating with David Larkin, an American attorney based in Washington DC who has experience in this type of arbitration. That process could take anywhere from 6 months to a year. So, Chuc's plea for the FFB Congress members to boycott the elections is key so that he has time to get the case heard by the court. If quorum at the FFB Congress is not reached, there can be no elections, and Acting President Marlon Kuylen will have to continue running the FFB until next year.
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