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JFF flexes muscles
. slaps fine on 6 St Ann FA teams
By Howard Walker Observer staff reporter
walkerh@jamaicaobserver.com
Tuesday, May 06, 2008
The Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) has flexed its muscles in St Ann, handing out fines to the six teams that threatened to sabotage the Captain's Bakery Major League and ordered the competition to restart immediately.
Horace Reid, the JFF general secretary, headed the delegation that met with the clubs in a four-hour emergency meeting at the St Ann Parish Library on Sunday.
The JFF delegation also included Disciplinary Committee chairman Lincoln 'Happy' Sutherland, committee members Michael Ricketts, David Watt and Raymond Grant, the Eastern Confederation chairman.
The St Ann's Major League was interrupted after six of the nine clubs withdrew from the competition, apparently in solidarity with FC Ocho Rios' long-running battle with the football association.
Syndicate, Lewis Strikers, Juventus, St Ann Jamaica Bauxite Patners and Stand Fast sent a petition to the JFF on Friday, May 3 to intervene, but was in fact, fined $3,000 each, while FC Ocho Rios was fined $5,000 for bringing the competition into disrepute.
The fine must be paid by Friday, May 9 or the teams will be "expelled from the competition and will be ineligible for next season", explained Reid.
If that happens, only three clubs will be in the competition of which Reid said, it will be called off.
But that is something Danny Beckford, the St Ann FA president, does not want to happen. "They will comply. They are trying to perceive themselves on one side and Danny Beckford on the other and try and embarrass me, which is foolishness."
The problem actually started after FC Ocho Rios, who defeated Benfica to lift the Island Dairy knockout title, were later disqualified for using an ineligible player.
FC Ocho Rios were ordered to repay the $60,000 winning prize money, they appealed to the JFF, but the decision was upheld and they were given a date to pay.
According to Reid, FC Ocho Rios failed to make the date for repayment, they were given another timeline of which they also came up short and they (FC Ocho Rios) proposed an extension date and the amount they would pay on that date, and again they fell short.
"It was clear from the decision of the interim board in March that should they fail to pay what the consequences would have been. So when they didn't pay on the second occasion, they would apply the consequences.
"But simultaneously that they appealed to the JFF, they then went and organised a withdrawal of the other teams which contravenes the rules of the game and brought the sport into disrepute. As a result, some of the games were not played this weekend," Reid added.
The competition was scheduled to resume yesterday with FC Ocho Rios tackling Famous FC.
. slaps fine on 6 St Ann FA teams
By Howard Walker Observer staff reporter
walkerh@jamaicaobserver.com
Tuesday, May 06, 2008
The Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) has flexed its muscles in St Ann, handing out fines to the six teams that threatened to sabotage the Captain's Bakery Major League and ordered the competition to restart immediately.
Horace Reid, the JFF general secretary, headed the delegation that met with the clubs in a four-hour emergency meeting at the St Ann Parish Library on Sunday.
The JFF delegation also included Disciplinary Committee chairman Lincoln 'Happy' Sutherland, committee members Michael Ricketts, David Watt and Raymond Grant, the Eastern Confederation chairman.
The St Ann's Major League was interrupted after six of the nine clubs withdrew from the competition, apparently in solidarity with FC Ocho Rios' long-running battle with the football association.
Syndicate, Lewis Strikers, Juventus, St Ann Jamaica Bauxite Patners and Stand Fast sent a petition to the JFF on Friday, May 3 to intervene, but was in fact, fined $3,000 each, while FC Ocho Rios was fined $5,000 for bringing the competition into disrepute.
The fine must be paid by Friday, May 9 or the teams will be "expelled from the competition and will be ineligible for next season", explained Reid.
If that happens, only three clubs will be in the competition of which Reid said, it will be called off.
But that is something Danny Beckford, the St Ann FA president, does not want to happen. "They will comply. They are trying to perceive themselves on one side and Danny Beckford on the other and try and embarrass me, which is foolishness."
The problem actually started after FC Ocho Rios, who defeated Benfica to lift the Island Dairy knockout title, were later disqualified for using an ineligible player.
FC Ocho Rios were ordered to repay the $60,000 winning prize money, they appealed to the JFF, but the decision was upheld and they were given a date to pay.
According to Reid, FC Ocho Rios failed to make the date for repayment, they were given another timeline of which they also came up short and they (FC Ocho Rios) proposed an extension date and the amount they would pay on that date, and again they fell short.
"It was clear from the decision of the interim board in March that should they fail to pay what the consequences would have been. So when they didn't pay on the second occasion, they would apply the consequences.
"But simultaneously that they appealed to the JFF, they then went and organised a withdrawal of the other teams which contravenes the rules of the game and brought the sport into disrepute. As a result, some of the games were not played this weekend," Reid added.
The competition was scheduled to resume yesterday with FC Ocho Rios tackling Famous FC.
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