 Yeah, we begin with football on the sportsman zone today with the Jamaica Football Federation's election of executive members set to be held on Sunday. In common, President Michael Ricketts released his manifesto earlier on Wednesday. Ricketts, who will be up against current vice president Raymond Anderson for the top job, says he's confident that sensible heads will prevail on Sunday. I'm pretty confident. I mean, we have done the work, we've been on the ground, we've been meeting with delegates. We're not treating this like a national election. We are 56 persons to focus on and that's exactly what we are doing. Like I've said, our work ought to campaign for us and I think we've done some good work and we are very hopeful, we are pretty positive. My team are very astute both politically and from a footballing standpoint and I do believe that we have the numbers. We just now need to ensure that we have a smooth process next Sunday who would sense prevails and then by now we ought to know who the new president is. He also explains the rationale behind releasing a manifesto for this election having not done so for the 2019 campaign. I think the situation is different. I mean, then there were only 13 persons voting so we were constantly sitting with them and discussing with them and of course let them know what our plans are. It's kind of different now, it's a wider pool and we thought that we needed to do a manifesto. Hence, we would have done some work in that regard and like I said, the rest is history. The manifesto is out and we just hope that people will look in detail, will peruse the contents and share some thoughts on what the contents of the manifesto would have said. Yeah, we'll share some thoughts indeed. A keynote in the Team Bricketts Manifesto is the enforcement of the quarter rule which limits the number of foreign born players that can be selected for junior national teams. Rick, it says it's the aid in the development of the locally based youth players. Not for the senior team, but certainly for junior teams and we will give the leverage and the authority to the technical department to work out in terms of numbers because we don't want to stifle the development process and we have signed a contract with a quote out of England and he will be working closely with our local technical persons to unearth talent to of course work with our grassroots program and to spirit our development projects. Yeah, Lance, Mariah, you've had a look at the manifesto put forward by Michael Ricketts and his team. What do you make of it? So the theme of the manifesto, I'll start with that, advancing the success restructuring for maximum impact. So of course from the onset, the Michael Ricketts led organization, their team is saying that okay, we have been a very successful team, we've done the best that we can do and we want to stay because we want to build on the success that we have already started. So from that point of view, the first part of the manifesto, and I love how they made up play on the sport of football. So you know the themes of the manifesto, of course, football terms and everything. So it was really catchy, really classily done. So of course they start by listing all the achievements, one of the things with me though, while reading the achievements, I couldn't help but say to myself, these achievements happened, but I wish in brackets I could pencil in all the things that happened along the way to these achievements. And I think that's where the issue with this JFF administration lies. So like, yeah, we did qualify for two FIFA women's World Cup, you know, they were back to back World Cups. But I think when somebody reads that in the manifesto, they'll also think about, just like me, all the communication issues that took place, the payment issues. I saw even Khadija Bunny Shaw, Conker Cuff, women's player of the year, and then we had Khadija Bunny Shaw right on this show speaking about, you know, how unhappy the girls were not getting paid and everything. So it's one thing to list these achievements, but I think it's very important that we realize the environment, all the, you know, the back and forth that took place to get to these achievements. So that was one of the things that really stood out for me in the manifesto. And then looking forward, a lot of big, big plans. And I always say, for a politician, it's always easy to give a manifesto, because I can come in my manifesto and I can tell you, I'll bring you the moon, I'll give you the stars, everything I'll bring for you. But for me, some of the things are not very practical. I was about to say like a man courting a woman who wants marriage. Yeah, of course. You'll do anything for me. But the moment we start courting, then nothing happens. So yeah, so some of the things, I mean, it really looks, it's beautiful. If these things really happen, it would be amazing. But I have to also add that, you know, the GFF has always sung the financial difficulties theme. Every time you go to them with an issue, OK, so you know, Mariah, the GFF is cash-strapped. Those are terms that we would have heard a lot. So the plans make me wonder, where are we getting the money from? So again, it's a good manifesto, beautifully laid out. As I said, listing the achievements, achievements were accurate. But to me, there are things, brackets that I need to add at the end of every point that begs questions. I like the manifesto, especially the look of it. I was going to ask if you like the manifesto or the look of the manifesto. It was impressively laid out and coming from a situation which, by his own admission, he didn't have a manifesto for 2019. I think this is a step up for the Ricketts organization. And I agree with Mariah about manifestos, you know, being words and promises. So the proof of the pudding is what happens if you win the election and how much of the promises that you've made you will be able to fulfill. Having said that, I have always been at loggerheads on this issue with Mr. Ricketts, because he constantly speaks about his likelihood to get the support on the weight of his achievements or performance of his administration. And I quite think the opposite, that I don't think the performance has been good. There have been many bunglings and the key factor for me is that this administration has not attracted investor confidence. And we speak all the time about football needing cash to thrive and to flourish. And under Michael Ricketts' presidency, the JFF has not brought investor confidence. So there is doubt from the private sector in partnering with the JFF. And that to me is based on their performance. So I don't agree with Ricketts that his performance with the teams qualifying for World Cup back to back and so on, he's highlighting some good things that have happened under his governance. But I don't think that he is fear in taking full credit for it, because as Mariah just mentioned, there are the side stories that one can argue that a lot of these things happened in spite of the inefficient performance of the JFF. But I would say this, that I am happy that the Ricketts administration is taking this election very, very seriously and they're showing the level of respect to the delegates and the country on a whole who loves football, that I think the country deserves, because I didn't get that feeling in 2019 when he was coming in. And I think that the challenging team, the real solid action, is under pressure. And you see it because they are complaining about the disenfranchising of some of the bodies that they think should be there. But you can see that they're on the back foot, the Raymond Anderson group. They're on the back foot. Their St. Thomas president, when in studio yesterday, expressed confidence that they would win. But I think the signs are that Ricketts may be able to win, given what we have seen so far, because they control the machinery for the election and they are in charge of the football, so they're ensuring that the things happen in a way that will work to their benefit. Yeah, Lance and Mariah, when I was coming through the high school system and especially for mathematics, principles of accounts, subjects like that, whenever you were given a problem, you had to show how you arrive at the results and not just give the result and not just give the final answer. And there were times when you could score a really high mark, even if you don't get the final answer correct, but because all the steps in leading to that stage was correct, you would still score pretty highly. Show that you had an understanding of what you were doing. Of what you were doing. Yes. Part of the problem for the Michael Ricketts-led Jamaican Football Federation is that there might not be enough confidence that the way they got to the results that Michael Ricketts is now pointing to as the achievements of his association, that the way they got to that was indeed the right way. And here is the thing, because I think Mariah did a fabulous job of highlighting some of those issues. So you speak about the girls qualifying for two World Cup campaigns, but those World Cup campaigns marred by massive off-the-field issues in 2019 with Siddhala Marley in 2023 with the payment issues, payment and respect issues as well with the male team members. Let us not forget that that was in the period of the Michael Ricketts-led Jamaican Football Federation. And so there are all those issues, Lance and Mariah, you think about the travel issues across age groups with national teams as well going on many of these tours. Let's not forget the debacle of Dalton Wint being the general secretary and eventually being replaced. No graphic matches. Yes. So there are all these things, right? No. Michael Ricketts might well be saying to the delegates, yes, we got some things wrong. The results were still good though and we can improve and we are willing to improve. Will that be enough for the delegates to return him as the Jamaican Football Federation president or will they be thinking to themselves, well, we feel that we have a capable replacement in Raymond Anderson and the team that he is coming with. Maybe we have more trust that Raymond Anderson can take us to where you are suggesting you are asking for another chance to go. And so I think that's part of what makes this election quite riveting, Lance and Mariah, because it really could go either way. And in many instances as well, how you vote could be dependent on how you receive the messages coming from both candidates. And I hear you and I think you're making a good point. But what else is there for football fans to see from the Ricketts administration that we don't already know? And that's my thing, you've got an opportunity. Well, that's what I'm saying, Lance. So if there is an admission that mistakes were made over the last four years and we haven't been perfect, but this is where we want to go, this is how we are suggesting to correct some of those mistakes that we made in the last four years, then the delegates may think, OK, let's give you another chance to go for four more years, yeah? Yeah, but so that's one aspect of it. Go ahead. Yeah, I just want to say that I wonder how many of the delegates are undecided and how much they are being phased by these manifestos. Because based on how a lot of these slates and the machinery works for elections, people decide a long time ahead. I don't think in this case, Lance, because I think if the feeling was that we have enough of a cushion based on the discussions that we've been having over time, this manifesto from Michael Ricketts would not have come in the first place. I think the fact that, once again, I think the fact that we're seeing this manifesto five days before the election says to me that they are still trying to get to a number of the delegates and get a number of the delegates to buy in to what they are selling as the incumbent. And what I saw is a lot of things were attributed to the parishes and whatnot. So there were a lot of incentives for those who are part of the voting process. So it's as if you go the Michael Ricketts way, you're going to benefit a lot based on what the manifesto has said. And I also saw a number of direct responses to some of the things that were in the Raymond Anderson manifesto, which they put out in December last year. So that says to me that the Michael Ricketts team is feeling the presence of the Raymond Anderson-led team in the same way that the Raymond Anderson-led team is feeling the presence of the Michael Ricketts-led team. They would have to. All right, team. And that's why this election is going to be so riveting. It's set to be on Sunday, of course, but there's still a lot more to happen in the build-up to that. And we're here to cover it all. We'll take a break, though. When we return, we'll be chatting more on this issue. Stay with us. We are staying with a discussion around Michael. Ricketts is manifesto for the upcoming Jamaica Football Federation election last week's decision by Cedella Marley to leave her role as ambassador for the reggae girls, prompted questions about her relationship with the current administration. And here's Ricketts on that issue. She has said that she's just a phone call away. And that in itself would say that once I can pick my phone up, we could have a discussion. We've always enjoyed that relationship, Cedella and I. So I will certainly reach out to her. We'll certainly have some discussions and see what happened thereafter. Yeah, there's no way that I can be convinced, Mariah and Ricardo, that Cedella Marley's move last week to withdraw her role as the ambassador was not linked to the fever that was building in the Jamaica Football Federation elections. But I was confused when last week on local television, TVJ, Ricketts said he has Cedella Marley's support to win the election, which I find astonishing. Because her narrative in the press release that she put out about the reasons why she is withdrawn suggested that she was completely fed up with the Jamaica Football Federation and had nothing to do with them. So to hear the JFF president, Michael Ricketts, saying confidently that Cedella Marley, as he just said, is just a phone call away. And he went on to say that she told him she wants him to win. That has left me completely confused. I am at a loss because I cannot understand why Cedella Marley would tell Ricketts that. Yeah, and Lance, you're somebody that, of course, when you said it to us last week, right, was it last week you told us? Yeah, last week. I know that you remember everything. And you will never miss good, right? But this is just to tell you the level of confusion. Because even I was like, I needed to hear that. But I don't think Ricardo believed me. He had to hear it for himself. No, but that's what I'm telling you. So clearly he didn't believe you. I was like, all right, I mean, you're saying it and you are a creditable source. So to me, it's like you wouldn't just come here and make that up and tell us. Okay, cool, right? But today when I heard it, I'm confused because I'm wondering now if I could hear from Cedella Marley if she really told him that, okay, I'm supporting you for this election because to me, it seems a bit- There's some disconnect. There is a huge disconnect there. Because even, and this is something that's common with Ricketts because he thinks he has the support of the girls and the girls come out and say something else. So this is one of those situations, team. We'd love to hear from Cedella. Yeah, for sure. I mean, we have reached out to Cedella Marley in recent days and her team has said to us that she has said all she has to say at the moment. So we should not expect to, well, essentially she's not granting any interviews at this time. So that's gonna be that. But the truth is only Cedella Marley can clear this up because Michael Ricketts has said that she has, well, he has her support, which as Lance just pointed out is shocking. Something else I wanted to touch on that we had in the first segment, Lance and Mariah, this, idea of a quota system for the junior national teams. I have never believed in quota systems in this way. And I definitely, I am not sure how much I am buying into this. From my standpoint, the important thing or the more important thing is how you go about developing the players at the youth level and not just say whatever the number that they decide that we're gonna have five or six players locally based or we have to have five or six players locally based in every single squad. Because in my opinion, if the players are being developed in the way that they should, then there is no question that they are going to break into these senior teams, even with competition from foreign based players. So from my standpoint, I always wanna see the focus being on the developmental pathway rather than at the backend where you say, well, regardless of whatever quality you have, we're gonna pick the best five or six and you have to be in the squad. So I'm not exactly sure, but I'm not liking it as of now. Yeah, I think part of the problem there too is that I think the JFF would recognize that the local structure of football is not efficiently developing over 12, 13, 14, 15 year olds. In fact, history has recorded that Leon Bailey was not a part of the Jamaica age group teams. He was deemed apparently not good enough and Craig Butler had always had an issue with his quality teenagers not getting into. Same for Dejean Richards. Into the national programs. So I think it is a recognition that the development of the players at the junior level is not at the level that it should be at. And I think he would feel in his manifesto if he reinforces this in his manifesto, it would give the local contingents a little hope for the future that there is a better opportunity for their local based developed players to get into the national colors at the junior level. So are you suggesting it's a good political move on his part? I think that's what it is. No, but a lot of the things are. Yeah, I think that's what manifestos are really. Yeah, and it's a way of reaching out. He will not put something in his manifesto that will push voters away. It's just not strategic to do that. One of the explanations that Michael Ricketts gave as to why he did not do a manifesto in 2019 was because you only had, what, 13 delegates and so they were having regular meetings with the delegates. Part of what I want, and this is not just for Michael Ricketts because I don't think he's the only one who believes this essentially, but when a national sporting association or candidates for executive positions at a national sporting association do manifestos, it's not just for those who are voting. It's for all the stakeholders who are involved in the sport. So you are talking about the fans. You are talking about us as the media because you know what, Lance and Mariah, without that manifesto, there is nothing to use to hold these men and women accountable over the duration of their tenure in office. And so that was part of my disappointment with Michael Ricketts in 2019 having won without even putting out a manifesto. What do I go back to and look at and say that this is what they said they would have done over the next four years? So whatever you do, you would have passed because I have nothing to judge it against. No, for 2024 to 2028, I now have something to look at from both candidates to say that this is what you promised and you have not delivered on this or you have delivered on this. You have exceeded what you said you would do. And I think it's important for all candidates vying for these types of positions to understand this. It's not just about those who are voting. But that's just to tell you about the 13 that of course voted for that last election because they were so blindsided. And I think that's a part of the entire problem because, yes, we look at this manifesto but not all the different issues we had. And I think that's a part of it that you were so blindsided by what was said to you that along the way the process and all the things that were supposed to happen, the checks and balances got lost. Yeah, I want to emphasize so that I think the main reason why he didn't do a manifesto in 2019, regardless of what he said today, is that he knew he was going to win. But that's the problem, Lance. Yeah, he knew he was going to win. And based on the small- Even if you know you are going to win, you still have a responsibility to the wider footballing stakeholdership. I agree with you 100%, which is why Ricketts lost a lot of marks for me when he had very frivolously suggested that he didn't have a manifesto to put on the table. But that was the confidence with which he was going into that election. This time around, manifesto is here. Manifesto is here. So are you suggesting, Mariah, that the same level of confidence is not there? The same level of confidence is not there. And I think this one of the elections are a lot more heated than that last one. But for me, I'm so happy that, you know, they had the respect. And of course, they went about and did the manifesto. Now, we don't know how the elections are going to turn out. I know a lot of people are feeling as if, you know, my colleagues is going to win again. But Ricardo, it's Sunday. Sunday is when we're going to find out when you're going to be there at the election. Yeah, let's see. It's Wednesday. We have Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and then there shall be Sunday. What about? After the break, it's going to be just the facts. Are you ready for that, Mariah?