Suspended clubs given observer status for Super League's AGM

SIX SUSPENDED Trinidad and Tobago Super League clubs will take part in Sunday’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) and elections as observers.

This means they have no voting rights towards the electing of a new Super League executive. The clubs are Harlem Strikers, Marabella Family Crisis Centre, WASA, Youth Stars, Tobago Phoenix and Central 500.

These clubs were suspended in 2018 for various reasons such as non-compliance, no constitution and a lack of financial statements. Since then, they have been barred from participating in the league and their voting rights revoked.

This was confirmed by outgoing president Clayton Morris on Saturday. Morris is not seeking re-election having served eight months at the helm of the Super League.

Vying for the presidential post are Eastern Football Association (EFA) president Kieron Edwards, Prisons Football Club vice-president Lee Davis and TT Defence Force team manager Ryan Ottley.

Morris said however, that if either or all of the suspended clubs would like to highlight any matter to the executive on Sunday, they can do so after the AGM.

“The suspended clubs have been invited as observers. The matter could be heard arising out of the meeting. Everyone is invited to the AGM.

“I’m trying to be positive. I’m trying to make sure that I can leave with calmness so that we can go forward. We have to stop this nonsense.

“It (suspensions) will come up at the minutes. It will be raised there and the matter could be heard there. This is why they are invited as observers,” he said.

On September 8, TT Football Association (TTFA) general secretary Amiel Mohammed issued a statement saying, “the TTFA has no documentation indicating the suspension of Super League clubs from the TTFA.”

The release added that since the league’s inception in 2017, no club has ever been suspended by the association. They also requested that clubs, if any, which received such correspondences from TTFA, to forward them back to the association for perusal.

When asked if Super League clubs could be suspended by the league itself and not the TTFA, Mohammed said yes.

“If the meeting grants them observer status, they will not be allowed to vote. Yes, they can be suspended by the TTSL and not suspended by the TTFA. The TTSL has their own constitution and they would be guided by that.

“So if there is a provision in their constitution that allows for suspension, then this can be done. If there are provisions in TTFA’s constitution that allows for suspension, then yes.

“But once you’re suspended from TTFA, then they are suspended from all footballing matters in the entire country regardless of which league or zone,” Mohammed said via WhatsApp on Saturday.

Approximately 18 clubs will vote on Sunday.

Morris added that some clubs need to get their house in order if they are to return to the Super League, whenever the competition resumes.

He also questioned the legitimacy of the suspended clubs on their request to vote.

“With respect to the Super League, some of the clubs are delinquent in putting their compliance together. You can’t stay out of the League for two years without participating.

“This is a company. They are not seeing the bigger picture and not seeing it as a business. We need to account for things. If you’re going for a sponsor, they will want to know all these things,” Morris added.

Newsday also spoke to Harlem FC manager Gregory McSween, who like the other suspended clubs, called for his team’s right to vote in Sunday’s election.

He said, “We want voting rights because we were suspended for some petty things. We have no voting rights. I’m unsure how the agenda goes. We’re unsure if they will sanction our query and allow us to vote.”