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| BVI and Soca Warriors players in the 2004 World Cup Qulifier. Photo>Dean "The Sportsman" Greenaway |
TORTOLA—The most important elections in the 34 year history of the BVI Football Association has attracted a record 15 nominations including a woman. Wednesday night’s elections are scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at the association’s head quarters in the Botanic Station. The elections will be overseen by FIFA official Harold Taylor—also a first in the association’s history.
A typical election would see the president and several other positions being elected by acclimation. This year however, will see the fiercest battle ever for the top spot in the history of the association which has been besieged by numerous problems.
When nominations closed on Feb 18, a record 17 persons had been nominated for seven positions—including four of them vying for the top spot held by incumbent Llewellyn “Tudor” Dasent. While one nomination for the presidency has been withdrawn, three persons are still in the running. This is a record number of nominations for the top spot, including a woman for the very first time.
The sport has been plagued with numerous challenges and administrative deficiencies. Over the last eight years, the association has received $2 million ($250,000 annually) in FIFA development grants, but has failed to developed BVI men and women’s teams at all levels.
There have been some low points in the organization since last election. Some women’s teams have literally been demolished by the opposition because they have been ill prepared for competition and matches. During the 2005 Caribbean Football Union tournament in the Dominican Republic for example, the BVI team was blown out by a combined 48-0 score, after an 11-0 opening loss to eventual champs Haiti when they abandoned the game in the 39th minute.
They suffered a record 25-0 drubbing by hosts Dominican Republic. That lopsided result is the largest margin of victory by any women’s team—at any age level—in a FIFA and CONCACAF game. The previous overall FIFA record for the women’s football was Japan’s 24-0, Under-19 team defeat of Malaysia on May 31, 2004. They closed play with a 12-0 loss to the USVI.
Since 1999, three technical directors have been canned and the youth development program had to be restarted several times. Charlie Cookie the first technical director who was hired in 1999 and sacked about 18 months later, led the Turks and Caicos Islands to their first FIFA World Cup preliminary victory, a 2-1 triumph over St. Lucia last month. Mike Tullah’s team showed some improvement and Ben Davies’ team beat Bermuda, but all are gone.
The BVI team is to meet the Bahamas on Mar 26 and 30 in Nassau, in their FIFA World Cup preliminary round home and away series. The winner will meet the Jamaica Reggae Boyz. Sadly, the team has not participated in any warm up matches for the upcoming competition.
