Chung promises transparency
Published:Monday | October 17, 2022 | 12:09 AMDaniel Wheeler/Staff Reporter
Transparency and putting Jamaica on the right path of football development are some of the key things that newly appointed Jamaica Football Federation General Secretary Dennis Chung said he is committed to fostering for the future during his tenure.
The JFF executive board ratified the appointment of Chung, and he is expected to take office on November 1, bringing to a close the saga involving the position that was left vacant by Dalton Wint in June after he declared his intent to resign after pressure from the players.
In his new role, Chung, who confirmed his appointment to The Gleaner yesterday, said that he wants to create a space that brings comfort in communicating opinions as well as charting the course for improving Jamaica’s football product on and off the field.
“(I want) to ensure that the JFF is on the right path in terms of the development of football because that is really what we want. We want to deliver an excellent football product and also that all stakeholders in the decisions that we make and that there is a win-win situation for everyone,” Chung told The Gleaner. “I want to develop an environment where I am working with everyone, everyone is comfortable about sharing ideas. We are going to have disagreements, but the only thing that I ask is that when we disagree, let’s be respectful about it, and let us do it constructively so that we are not seeking to tear down one set of people against another. That doesn’t work, and that is going to be critical to ensure harmony among all the stakeholders.”
Those stakeholders include the players who demanded Wint’s resignation after travel issues during their Concacaf Nations League campaign four months ago and drew the ire of fans regarding the JFF administration.
Chung, who served as chairman of the JFF’s Finance Committee, has promised transparency in his role and says that he is not afraid of the criticism that come with the job, knowing that it is because of the desire that the public has of seeing Jamaican football succeed.
“I am happy when people criticise me because when you are in trouble is when, for example, you go home and nobody is talking to you. That is when you have an issue. So as long as people are criticising, they are interested,” Chung said. “So I am looking forward to the interaction with the public, with the media and ensuring that we are meeting all our objectives. Once we achieve good quality, once we get to World Cups, which is always the ultimate goal, then everyone is happy and everyone benefits.”