Vicente himself is coming under fire in the home front from former Senior Vice President Rawel Pelayo, who resigned following his conviction in the US for narcotics charges.
Vicente told the press in March of last year that the Federation was unable to audit the expenditure of publicly donated funds for the 2013 Gold Cup appearance. That's because according to Vicente, the cheque stubs for all that money was in Pelayo's suitcase when he was detained in Houston by US authorities.
When last week's FIFA story broke, Pelayo took to Facebook and posted, quote, "The President (Vicente) knows for a fact that I have no check stubs. Someone thought I wasn't coming back so soon, and now probably wish(es) I was still there." End Quote. We took the opportunity to ask about that post and its implications, and here's what Vicente had to say:
Daniel Ortiz
"Mr. Rawel Pelayo has posted an update on his Facebook page saying that he doesn't have any cheque stubs for the gold cup expenditure and we remember you suggesting that he did. Somebody has been untruthful and that's his position. So who is it? Is it you or is it him that he's telling this particular lie?"
Ruperto Vicente - President, FFB
"Let me chronicle the situation to you once again and I believe this is going to be the last time am going to address this issue. On the date when we were leaving to the United States for the gold cup, Mr. Pelayo was going along with me. I called him. I sat at my church compound. I called Mr. Pelayo and I said to him, 'can you bring along with you the cheque stubs because we need them in order to reconcile. He said, 'Mr. Vicente, I am bring them with you along with advising Mr. Pelayo not to go on that trip. I declared to him, if you insist in going bring along for me the cheque stubs. He said yes I am bringing them. We got to the airport. I forgot to ask him for them. I didn't get them from him here at the airport. We got to the United States. Unfortunately Mr. Pelayo was taken by the authorities. We did not get those cheque stubs and that is the truth. I respect Mr. Pelayo. I respect the fact that he has a family and I will not say anything against him and for him to say that I was hoping that he would remain in prison. That is beyond me. As an individual, as a person, as a human being. I would never want anybody to stay in prison. I have the greatest of respect for him and as I've said to him that yes you cannot serve as an executive at the Football Federation now, but by resigning you give me an opportunity to be able to have you assist us in football in other areas."
We'll have more football news later on when we show you how Verdes FC has become the first Belizean football club to play in the Champion's League.
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