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Vicente Leaves With Sore Feelings
posted (December 4, 2017)
As we showed you in our story, former FFB President Ruperto Vicente left the elections without granting us an interview. But we tracked him down today, and he gave us some post-election comments this evening. Here's how he put it:

Ruperto Vicente, Former President - FFB
"I must say that we are involved in a sports called football and in this sports sometimes we win, sometimes we draw and sometimes we lose. But the times that we lose, because somebody bullied you or played you nasty before the game and during the game and there are also times that we lose when those who make the decisions had been influenced in some way or the other. So you don't get the correct calls. So in this case we lost and I lost, because we are involved in the sports of football and so I would wish them the best. My record speaks for itself."

"I have taken Belize to another level, Belizean football to another level. I made the team qualified to the goal cup for the very first time in its history and I took the national team through the 3rd round of world cup qualifiers for the first time in the history of this nation. So my record speaks for itself"

"I would say to these guys put the negative behind you, move forward with football, because our young people, our youth deserve the best development they can get in order to perform at the international level."

Daniel Ortiz, reporter
"Once the new executive starts to review the financial picture of the FFB, is there any decision that you took that you may be worried about, the way they will interpret it? Maybe they might interpret that decision as financially irresponsible. Any...?"

Ruperto Vicente
"I have no regrets at all. There are no financial mismanagement as some people would think. There is absolutely none and I have no fear of anything, because as far as I am concern, I played the game well, I played the game clean and I managed the affairs of the federation cleanly. If there are somethings that are questionable, of course those things will arise, but it is not to say that there was some kind of mismanagement. No, none at all."

So, while Vicente leaves office, his former executive, Sergio Chuc, Cruz Gamez, and Marlon Kuylen have managed to outlast him. Viewers will remember that last year January was the first time that the private fight between these men went public. The 3 even tried to suspend Vicente from office, which is when the dispute made the evening news. Today, Vicente told us that the infighting between him and these 3 started way back in 2012, only months after he was elected. Here's how he described it:

Daniel Ortiz
"Their position is you became the thing you hated the most. You were so caught up on trying to keep the post of presidency that you lost sight of the objectives you came in in 2012."

Ruperto Vicente, Former President - FFB
"That is your opinion and I will not go back and forth on their opinion and will not speak negatively about anybody on the media. All I will say is that football deserve the best and football deserve a president. Now we have a president and it is up to them now, the new executive to prove themselves that they are different than anyone else they are accusing of being someone else."

"From the moment I took office in 2012, when the fight started in July of the same year that these guys wanted take control of Belizean football. I spent most of the 4 years despite the success that I had, I spent more time fighting them than focusing on development of football. But now they are there, they don't have anybody to fight them and they don't have anybody to fight. So focus on the development of football. That my message to them."

Vicente tells us that he will continue to work for the progress of football, but only as a fan. He says that this weekend's elections are the last he will enter as a candidate.

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