Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) boss, Captain Horace Burrell, has flatly denied that the association received any sort of funds in the wake of the recent FIFA bribery scandals.

The JFF head's response came only hours after Premier League Clubs Association (PLCA) boss Edward Seaga had called on the federation to declare its hand, in the wake of accusations that members of various CONCACAF federations had received money to throw support behind ex-presidential candidate Mohamed bin Hammam, which he claimed had tarnished the reputation of the region.

temporarily suspended

According to claims still being investigated by the FIFA Ethics Committee, suspended CONCACAF and CFU president Austin 'Jack' Warner - a close ally of the JFF - offered US$40,000 to member associations, including Jamaica, to vote for bin Hammam at the election. Warner and bin Hammam have since been temporarily suspended from all footballing matters.

"This act of corruption involves the reputation of the Caribbean football federations and has shamed the reputation of football, much to the great sorrow of lovers of the game and other well-thinking people," read Seaga's release. "To restore the integrity of the region, the present leaders of the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) must call on all the federations which received and kept the forty thousand US dollars ($40,000 USD) bribe to return it forthwith."

Burrell has since assumed the role of acting CFU president and was less than amused by Seaga's insinuations; distancing his administration from the statements and challenging the former prime minister to provide evidence to justify his suggestions or withdraw his release.

"Let me state categorically that the JFF was not offered, neither received any funds prior to, during or after the reference CFU meeting held May 10-11 in Trinidad," read a statement issued by Burrell in the wee hours of yesterday morning.

Burrell has been in Europe attending a series of meetings, including the FIFA Congress.

"The Jamaica Football Federation would like to distance itself from the unfortunate remarks contained in a press release issued by The Most Hon Edward Seaga in his capacity as chairman of the PLCA," the release further read.

"The statement (by Seaga) appears to have tried, found guilty and pronounced sentence on an entire region's football associations, despite the fact that the competent authority to adjudicate these matters has come to no such conclusion.

"The PLCA is a subordinate body to the JFF and Mr Seaga will not be allowed to use the privileges granted by the JFF to the PLCA to hurl insults and disrespect at the members of the federation," Burrell added.

ethics committee

"The JFF calls on the honourable PLCA chairman to either provide the public, and indeed the FIFA ethics committee, with any evidence he has to corroborate these allegations ... or cease to engage in this denigration of an entire region's reputation forthwith by withdrawing this release," Burrell's release continued.

However, in a response issued late yesterday, Seaga expressed satisfaction with the JFF's response to the issue, but refuted some of Burrell's other claims.

"This revelation was the purpose of my press release in which I called for a disclosure by the JFF. It has enlightened the public on the role of the JFF where there was darkness before, justifying the enquiry from the PLCA. We are left to wonder if this disclosure of innocence would have been made, had not the PLCA called on the JFF to be transparent. Other CFU members should now follow the step of the JFF so as to fully clear the air of suspicions," the release read.

"It is the expressed view of Captain Burrell that the PLCA is a subordinate body to the JFF, and should not be critical of the JFF, nor should it pressure the JFF to be transparent. He has made a serious mistake. The PLCA is not a subordinate of the JFF. It is a private, independent body affiliated to the JFF, obliged to respect the rules of FIFA and the JFF. Nothing in these rules prevents an affiliate (PLCA) from being critical of FIFA or the JFF."