If Government wanted to donate $20,000 with the intention of improving the standard of football coaching in Bermuda, some might say there would be no better person to receive it than Andrew Bascome.After all, everywhere he’s gone he’s enjoyed success as a coach and is highly respected for his work involving schoolchildren.So when the Ministry of Sport found they had $20,000 to spare, they did exactly that.At a press conference on Wednesday, Sports Minister Glenn Blakeney announced that hefty sum was being presented to Bascome so he and his ABC football school and the Education and Licensing Programme could map out a course with Frenchman Jacques Crevoisier.The plan was to give local coaches a chance to earn their UEFA ‘C’ coaching certificates and later the ‘B’ certificate.That might sound all well and good to certain members of the football family.But more than a few might have a problem understanding such a gift.Wasn’t it just a few weeks ago that Bermuda Football Association were forced to lay off three employees because Government’s annual grant had been slashed to the point they could no longer support those jobs, one of them their youth director Devarr Boyles?Another $20,000, of course, wouldn’t have changed matters. The trio would still have been given the pink slip.But there’s a principle here that says why, when there’s sufficient cash available to help domestic football, wasn’t it given to the governing body?Isn’t it the BFA who are supposed to be the guardians of football here in Bermuda? Isn’t it their responsibility, indeed their duty, not only to raise the standard of play but also the standard of coaching?And shouldn’t it be under their umbrella that such courses are directed?Neither ABC nor the Education and Licensing Programme come under that umbrella.In this case, as if to add salt to their wounds, the man helping Bascome is no other than Crevoisier, the same Frenchman who former BFA president Richard Calderon wanted to employ, at a hefty salary it should be added, for a few weeks’ work when he was in office.That plan fell apart when Calderon relinquished the presidency and Larry Mussenden was voted in for the second time.One of the first decisions Mussenden made was to ensure that Crevoisier wasn’t on the payroll not because he wasn’t good enough but because they couldn’t afford to pay him for the limited time he would be on the Island.It should be pointed out that Crevoisier has worked with Arsenal and the French national team largely as a sports psychologist.Whether some of the $20,000 given to ABC this week is to pay the Frenchman, we don’t know. But it’s unlikely he’s offering his services for free.He’s already running courses here for an estimated $100,000 thanks to unknown sponsors.All in all it’s a rather bizarre situation. Government want to see more coaches earn the certification which would allow them to coach at a higher level, but they don’t want the national sport’s administration to get involved.But there are also some factors that might rile other local sports.Track and field, sailing, cycling, swimming, netball, hockey, triathlon, in fact any number of other sports, must be wondering why a five figure sum is being gifted to football, which in the past has received millions, when they have been ignored.Track and field, which has enjoyed much success in recent years without a full-time coach, could use another $20,000 to at least afford to employ a part-time national coach.Sailing and swimming already have national coaches but they could certainly use a few more dollars to expand their programmes. Nobody could question their success at the international level.Triathlon could make the same argument.This weekend former Canadian Ironman champion Mike Neill is offering a course for triathletes at Clearwater, his expenses being paid by the triathlon association.Perhaps $20,000 could be found to ensure his return for a series of additional courses. If Bermuda can produce athletes like Floral Duffy and Tyler Butterfield, there’s every chance a lot more raw talent could be unearthed.Blakeney has made some odd decisions in his term as Minister.This latest decision could be considered another gaffe, particularly if he didn’t consult with the BFA before he made it and there’s no indication that he did.ADRIAN ROBSON