Taylor: Refs fearful of abuse

Joseph Taylor, president of the Trinidad and Tobago Football Referees Association (TTFRA), has made it clear that the attitude towards the local officials by Keith Look Loy, who serves as both the coach of FC Santa Rosa and the president of the TT Super League, needs to improve.

Look Loy has come under fire for comments he allegedly made towards the impartiality of officials in Tobago which saw the referees boycott a pair of Super League games in the sister isle last weekend.

The veteran FC Santa Rosa boss and a member of his technical committee have been accused of issuing threats towards female referee Cecile Hinds during a recent league game against Guaya United at the Arima Velodrome.

On Sunday, Look Loy vented his fury as no official turned up for a Round 20 league match between Santa Rosa and Siparia Spurs at the Palo Seco Recreation Ground.

Taylor, a former FIFA linesman was asked why aren’t the referees waiting for the Disciplinary Committee of the Super League to make a decision on their complaint before taking strike action. “I’ll answer you in a question.... Are you sure that threats and abuse will not be faced at the next game? I am not too sure. So I needed the reassurance of the Committee to show that they are dealing with things in a professional manner,” he said.

He continued, “What is before Mr Look Loy and (TTSL general secretary) Camara David, and (the) Disciplinary Committee was sent in an e-mail.

A very serious matter is before them and we need that to be dealt with expeditiously, which is a disciplinary matter of (alleged) serious abuse and threats that was issued in his last match against FIFA official Cecile Hinds. It was, in the opinion of most in the Referees Committee, totally unacceptable.”

Look Loy has apologised to Hinds and the Referees Association for “insulting language directed to her” but is disputing certain details in her report about what transpired.

Taylor noted that the TTFRA met with the Super League hierarchy before the start of the 2017 season where treatment of referees was discussed.

“We gave Mr Look Loy and his team all that was to be expected, and he said that there was a Disciplinary Committee and they would be dealing with things,” he said.

Taylor acknowledged, “Mr Look Loy is in a funny position. He is a coach and he is a president of a League.

When we sat down at the beginning of the season, he said he knows his roles and he knows what to do. I wish some people could ask Mr Look Loy that question.

“What I ask is for Mr Look Loy and his team (to) review the discussion and the commitment that we had at the beginning of the season.”

The TTFRA head said he has appraised David John-Williams, president of the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA), on the matter.

John-Williams, when contacted yesterday, said, “I do not want to comment on that thing until it’s properly ventilated. We’re having a meeting in the next couple of days.”

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