Tempers flare after SSFL match between QRC, Arima North

Reigning east zone Intercol champions Arima North Secondary (ten points) continued their unbeaten run in the 2024 Secondary Schools Football League (SSFL) premier division season when they played to a goalless draw with the ninth-placed Queen's Royal College (seven points) at the Arima Velodrome on September 28.

However, as referee Anil Joseph blew his whistle at the end of 90 minutes, tempers threatened to escalate after QRC substitute Jasai Theophilus barged into Arima defender Ability Hazel near the sideline and in close proximity to the Royalians' bench. In a minute and 50-second video which has since gone viral after the match, Hazel is seen pushing back at the 14-year-old national youth player.

After his push, Hazel's jersey was grabbed by QRC coach and former Soca Warriors striker Kenwyne Jones, who was standing in his team's technical area. Jones' reaction was not welcomed by the players and staff of the Arima team, who quickly swarmed both he and Hazel. Players and staff from both teams squared off, with spectators also trickling onto the velodrome cycling track to have their say in the argument.

Speaking to Newsday on September 29, Arima manager Lasana Liburd said Jones' actions were "improper" and he felt he needed to protect Hazel after his jersey was grabbed by the QRC coach. Meanwhile, Jones described the incident as a "storm in a teacup" and he defended his actions, saying that he was trying to stop things from escalating between the two players.

"(Theophilus) barged into the Arima player, a cheap shot which he was wrong for," Jones told Newsday, pointing to his player's inexperience in the scenario. "I told Hazel 'lewwe forget that.'"

Having coached Hazel in the past, Jones felt he needed to act straight away to stop any further retaliation.

"I was trying to calm the situation. I think a bit of over-exuberance caused the extra excitement. The game itself didn't warrant that type of over-exuberance. It was nothing," he said.

"There was no malice at all in my actions. I didn't want the situation to boil over."

Although both men agreed that the coming together between the teams was quelled in quick time, Liburd had a different take on how the scenario transpired.

"The suggestion a parent heard after the game was that the QRC coach was intervening and trying to stop a fight involving an Arima player," Liburd told Newsday. "We absolutely deny that. We're an extremely disciplined team and the video itself shows the Arima player, after being pushed, was actually trying to walk in the opposite direction when he was grabbed. I had to defend our players there because we're just trying to play football.

"I don't know what (Jones) was saying to Ability. Whatever he was saying to me, there was no reason for him to be physically restraining our player and our schoolboy. That's what I was mostly interested in because I think it's improper for him to be holding one of our players and restricting him from returning to the Arima technical area."

Liburd said he felt Joseph allowed too much off-the-ball contact during the match and didn't have total control of proceedings.

"I think the contact from Theophilus was intentional. Other people could make their own minds up about that...I basically pulled (Ability's) jersey out of the hands of the head coach (Jones) at that point in time."

Going forward, Liburd will like to see referees do more to prevent such instances from reoccurring.

"No punches were thrown. It wasn't a brawl by any means. It's just that we would like the referees to do more to curb behaviour that could lead to confrontations or violent play or misconduct," Liburd said.

In March, then Miracle Ministries Pentecostal High School coach Kern Cupid was given a three-game ban by the SSFL for shoving a Signal Hill Secondary player during a Big Five championship division playoff match. In the February 20 match in Tobago, Cupid took exception to taunting by Signal Hill defender Imanhi Forbes as he aggressively grabbed a hold of the players' jersey and shoved him to the side as the latter approached the Miracle Ministries technical area.

The incident sparked an angry reaction from Signal Hill players, some of whom charged towards Cupid and the Miracle Ministries bench before tempers were quelled.