The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

FOR the first time since the proposed International Federation of American Football (IFAF) World Championships was cancelled, the Local Organising Committee for the event spoke out on the development.

Mel Ferguson, national team administrator, questioned whether the Bahamas would be able to host future American football events.

“Needless to say this will hurt the Bahamas’ ability to host future football-related events at an international level. It is disappointing that we were not able to see the tremendous benefits to the sport but, more importantly, the island of Grand Bahama.”

Executives from the local governing body for American Football, the Commonwealth American Football League, and various representatives from local flag football leagues, sought to shed light on what they interpreted as mismanagement of the event by the Bahamas American Football Federation and its Local Organising Comitteee for the World Championships.

The meeting between government entities and several factions representing American football in the country resulted in the cancellation of the event.

The event will now be hosted in Miami, Florida, still on the proposed dates, September 8-12.

“Based on this cancellation the Bahamas national team became ineligible to participate in the world championship tournament which was awarded based on the tournament being hosted by the Bahamas.

“The tournament will now be played in Miami at its regularly scheduled time,” Ferguson said. “In a statement from Richard Maclean, chairman of the IFAF Americas, he describes frustrations in working with Bahamas Government, the local football leagues and the Local Organising Committee (LOC). Maclean goes on to say that because of the last minute cancellation it will cost the 17 confirmed countries tens of thousands of dollars, most of which they won’t get back without going through legal channels.”

Antonio Maycock, president of the CAFL, previously described the BAFF as a “rogue group” and said his group would not sanction an event hosted by the BAFF.

The rift at the local level follows what has happened with IFAF internationally.