Jabloteh fined $6,000
By Ian Prescott (T&T Express)
Already financially-strapped San Juan Jabloteh now have to find an extra $6,000 to pay in fines, after they were deemed to have breached the competition rules following their aborted First Citizen Bank knockout football competition quarter-final last Saturday against Ma Pau Football Club.
The match was due to be played as the second of a Hasely Crawford Stadium double-header, but was abandoned because both the home team Ma Pau FC and San Juan Jabloteh entered the field wearing black pants and socks. After several failed attempts to get a change of strip from one of the teams, referee Gordon Maloney abandoned the match.
In response, the Pro League's disciplinary committee met on Tuesday to investigate the matter. In their deliberations, the committee viewed the reports of the officiating referee, Gordon Maloney and the presiding match commissioner, Frank Rodriguez and also interviewed representatives from both clubs. The committee then made their recommendations to the Board of Directors, with whom the sole jurisdiction rested for the adjudication of this matter.
And yesterday, the League released their decision on the conflict and declared Ma Pau as the winners of the match and fined San Juan Jabloteh.
The Pro League release said:
"In light of the foregoing, the following unanimous decision was taken by the Board of Directors:
i. That Ma Pau SC are declared the winners of the second quarter final of the First Citizens Cup competition 2010.
ii.That San Juan Jabloteh are fined the sum of six thousand dollars ($6000.00) for breaching the rules of the competition."
In making their decision, the disciplinary committee followed both the Pro League rules, and the rules of the First Citizen Cup.
The release further added that in the case where a league match is postponed or abandoned without either of the participating clubs being at fault, under the provisions of Rule E.10, it shall be reported to the Board by the match commissioner.
And, the Board will then decide, in its sole discretion, the penalties to be imposed on the offending club. Additionally, the rules governing the 2010 First Citizens Cup Competition state: Teams are always to travel with their home and away strips, and if the need arises, the away team will have to make a strip change. Since they were the away team, Jabloteh were deemed to have breached the rules.