The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

A LEADERSHIP struggle atop the International Federation of American Football has reignited the controversy surrounding which organisation acts as the local governing body of the sport in the Bahamas.

Antonio Maycock, president of the Commonwealth American Football League, described the Bahamas American Football Federation as a “rogue group”  which could leave the hosting of the proposed IFAF Flag Football World Championships in jeopardy. 

“We have heard the stories of the BAFF but since my administration came in nothing official has come to my desk regarding the BAFF. I have not seen any documentation regarding the BAFF as to whether they are a legitimate group in the Bahamas,” he said.

“Many people, myself included, consider them a rogue group in the Bahamas. They have no application to the local game, no teams, they put themselves together, but they are not sanctioned by the CAFL, which is the governing body of American football in the Bahamas.”

IFAF has had leadership struggles of its own with one administration, led by the former IFAF vice president and current Finnish federation president Roope Noronen, and IFAF President Tommy Wiking who had been on a leave of absence which concluded in May.

“We have had recent discussions with the president of IFAF, the faction who has been recognised by the International Olympic Committee. He himself has identified certain groups within the organisation who have tried to form a coup,  and the BAFF is a part of that,” Maycock said.

“The CAFL has been doing its own KYC with the flag football programmes because we have to ensure that all of our ducks are in a row. We have held back from putting many statements out there but we have reached a stage where the record has to be set straight on certain things.”

LaLisa Anthony, president of the BAFF, issued a statement refuting recent claims of the league’s illegitimacy and offered an expense report outlining the $20,000 seed money given to the group by the Ministry of Tourism in preparation for the Flag Football World Championships, scheduled for September 7-12 in Grand Bahama.

“At the present time, BAFF is working closely with IFAF and the 17 member countries that will be participating in the 2016 FFWC in Grand Bahama to ensure that they will have the best experience possible,” she said, “Even though there are persons that see things in a different manner, BAFF will not be derailed and is only focused on bringing close to 1,000 tourists to Grand Bahama during the first two-weeks in September 2016.”

The Local Organising Committee of the event has hosted tryouts for the Bahamian national team on various islands, however the team has yet to be named.

 In relation to the IFAF 2016 World Championships, CAFL executives said the BAFF has no jurisdiction to usurp the various flag football leagues in their bid to host the event.

 The last local venture associated with the BAFF was facilitating the youth clinic hosted by the Popeyes Bahamas Bowl. The committee announced yesterday that in 2016 they will partner with the Commonwealth American Football League for this year’s event and any ventures moving forward for the development of the sport. 

The CAFL has played American football in the Bahamas since the 1950s and as an organized league in the 1970s while the BAFF was established by Anthony in 2006.

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

 The group cancelled its 2016 World Championships in Stockholm, Sweden in December 2015 and reached an impasse at the rescheduled event in Canton, Ohio in July 2016.

 Noronen and his faction denied Wiking a position on the IFAF Executive Board while Wiking and his faction conducted their own alternate congress. The groups have operated independently ever since.

 The group led by Noronen will host the IFAF U19 World Championship this summer in Austin, Texas, while the opposing group last hosted a Central American Four Nations tournament in Guatemala.

 The International Olympic Comitte has stepped in to solve the dispute, chiding the organisation to solve its leadership structure for the good of the sport.