Email

Print

We couldn't make it to that event, but we did catch Blatter briefly after he held a courtesy meeting with the Prime Minister in Belize City. The first thing we asked was, what about the investigation that the Ministry of Sports has commissioned into the election of the current FFB executive:

Jules Vasquez
"The Ministry of Sport in Belize is investigating the FFB; did you discuss that subject with the Prime Minister? What are your views on that subject?"

Joseph Sepp Blatter, President of FIFA
"No, I did not discuss this with the Prime Minister, but the Prime Minister - he put to my attention that there is a problem - that it is an internal problem,and that it has to be solved internally. He just informed me about that, but we haven't discussed it. What we have discussed with the Prime Minister is to ask for the support of the Government for a premises for football, by saying how much football can play an important social, cultural part in education of young people when it comes to bringing people together. And in football, there would be in a team sport where they learn discipline, respect - it is a combat game but in the spirit of fair-play, and therefore, it is a very educational tool. For that we need - or the football - with Doctor Chimilo and his group, what they need is some playing-fields, and they have playing fields but they are not in very good condition. So we have to help them - or they have to put it in good condition, but what we can do, we can give another project, but what we want to do is to install lights on a playing field, in order to be able to play in the evenings. And may be they can play in the Champion's League or other leagues here. I know it is not so easy to work in Belize because Belize is a small country with only 300,000 people, but in football, they can achieve something, but they have get the support of the population and of the Government. And we will try and do what we can to help them in the future, not only FIFA, but also CONCACAF. And I have here with me, a member of CONCACAF, and he is the member of the Executive Committee of FIFA, Rafael Salguero; he is also with me and he represents not only UNCAF, but also CONCACAF here. Together, we will help associations like this."

Jules Vasquez
"And does the President have your full unadulerated support. Mr Chimilo?"

Joseph Sepp Blatter
"He has my full 100% support, he and his group working for football, and I do hope that they will be able to settle this problem. It's a small problem because it's more a problem between human beings, and problems between human beings should be solved in the interest of the whole nation and for the game."

President of CONCACAF Jack Warner was also supposed to be a part of the delegation, but he had to cancel at the last minute.