Ricketts asks for end to mean-spirited election campaigning

JAMAICA FOOTBALL Federation (JFF) president, Michael Ricketts, has made his first utterances surrounding allegations of unfair election practices headed into next year’s election.

Ahead of the January 14 election where a JFF boss will bag a new term, vice-president of the organisation, Raymond Anderson, has challenged the Ricketts presidency and over the last month, there have been a number of confrontations between the two groups.

Those confrontations, Ricketts said, in a letter to the media, have prompted a response.

“I am concerned about recent developments in the JFF election campaign, and I believe it is my responsibility as president to comment,” the president began.

Ricketts has been notably silent up to this point, only reacting in a Sunday Gleaner article this week, regarding an incident ahead of a meeting at the Montego Bay Community College.

According to Ricketts, that silence has come out of a will to follow the JFF constitution.

Still, he says, “I have always emphasised the need for both sides to maintain respect for each other, as we all need to live together after the election.”

A video circulated on Saturday with a policeman telling Anderson and persons in a bus they would not be allowed entrance to the venue where the meeting was to be held unless they provided him with their names.

Anderson called the incident an example of intimidatory tactics, while Ricketts said he was subject to the same procedure since the venue was private property. Anderson also pointed fingers at JFF vice-president Bruce Gaynor, saying he had no right to dictate who he could bring to the Congress.

Ricketts commented on the verbal fracas at the gate of the community college on Sunday, repeating a claim that it was the actions of Anderson and his guests that were out of line and not the protocols put in place.

Ricketts also went on to claim that there had been an attempt to embarrass a member of his slate.

According to Ricketts, who did not name the member of his slate who the attempt was made against, or the person seeking to cause embarrassment, a report was made to the police over an incident that did not warrant that type of action.

“At a recent board meeting, a member from each side was involved in a regular verbal exchange,” said Ricketts.

“The latest episode was an attempt to publicly embarrass my candidate, with a public effort to arrest without even a warning,” said the JFF boss.

“If it is the incident that I know of, it does not warrant this type of action.”

Ricketts says he is disappointed with the way the campaigning for the next JFF head has gone.

“I am extremely disappointed that some elements have allowed the election process to play out in this manner, which is aimed at embarrassing persons,” he said.

“Once again, I ask all involved to let good sense prevail in the interest of football.”