BY ANDI THORNHILL

ONE OF THE SADDEST DEVELOPMENTS in local football was the recent announcement that the world governing body for football, FIFA, had suspended the Goal project at Wildey indefinitely.

The decision was taken by the international body after the Barbados Football Association (BFA) had failed to start any work on the project five years after getting the greenlight to proceed.

From the moment it was known that there was the likelihood that a stadium would be built in the area, some residents objected to the idea and this became the first major obstacle to the start of work on the project.

They claimed that they were already being affected by noise coming from hockey at the Astro Turf especially during major events like the Banks Hockey Festival. To them the construction of a football facility would simply compound the issue.

Subsequently, the Town and Country Planning Department requested a physical impact study on the project. When this was done, we heard that plans to build a stadium would be downgraded to just a training facility with a few changing rooms. Presumably, the facility would have been used by national teams in particular in preparing for international competition.

This, of course, would have been a useful development because national teams are often on the hunt for proper training facilities as they get ready for action at the regional or higher level. It was a shame that only recently, as they prepared for the first leg of their first-round World Cup qualifier against Dominica, they were forced to use sub-standard conditions at Weymouth "B".

I found it strange that nobody from the BFA up to this day wanted to admit that it appeared that the pressure from the residents, more than any other factor, was responsible for the inactivity on the project which would have a hard cash headstart of about US$400 000 from the sport's parent organisation.

In my opinion, it seems that to tackle the residents head-on would have caused some political fallout. No one seemed brave enough to take the risk. Instead, we were fed with the news, and this was reiterated recently by the association's assistant general secretary, Charles Husbands, that the BFA could not find any local contractors who were willing to sign on to a specific building code requested by FIFA.

I think that statement added insult to injury because within a five-year period ,the BFA could have looked beyond our shores for a group that would have been willing to comply with FIFA standards. Evenso, it seemed that the Chinese were readily available for such assignments and maybe an approach in this direction might have been favourably considered.

What was particularly disturbing about the whole saga is that there was plenty innuendo that political manoeuvreing could have caused the delay. Husbands' statement surely puts that perception to rest.

In essence, I can't help but see the BFA's own tardiness as a prime reason that forced FIFA to stop the project until further notice.

I think it was a case where FIFA's patience ran thin because I believe that CONCACAF president Jack Warner, who's also a FIFA vice-president, would have done his bit to prevent the action that has been taken. Warner looks out for his allies and if we are honest and objective, we should admit that there has been great progress for the English-speaking countries under the CONCACAF umbrella since he took over the reins in the late 80s.

There is the possibility that the funds originally allocated to Barbados might now be diverted to another country to begin their own Goal project. It has been done before.

Recent developments in respect of the suitability of the National Stadium to be used as the venue for the return World Cup leg against the United States in June, merely reinforced the view that football needs its own home.

Wildey, which was allocated as an area for sport development by the last political administration, would have been a good alternative and may still be, but FIFA's decision to place it on hold makes you wonder if and when a single stone for the construction of even a mini-stadium might ever happen.