The Trinidad and Tobago Pro League will have the services of their whistle blowers in the immediate future after the Referees Association accepted a settlement for unpaid match fees.
Andrews, whose officials had not been paid since the Pro League started in April, blamed their action on poor communication from the Pro League executive committee. He hopes the Referees' Association is never put in a similar situation.
"It was not a pleasant thing," Andrews told the Express, "and I hope we don't have to go through this again...
"One of the things that caused this is that they did not communicate with us until it reached this stage." Andrews initially suggested that the $50,000 payment was less than half of the figure owed by the Pro League. However, after a check with the treasurer, he conceded that it nearly covered the Pro League's arrears.
Pro League CEO and former "Strike Squad" player Dexter Skeene said the brief spat with the officials would only strengthen the resolve of the League. He insisted that the Pro League is "critical" to Trinidad and Tobago's future in the game.
"The League will continue to call on its stakeholders to ensure that the standard of the players, referees and administrators improve," said Skeene. "It is a work in progress because the League is just four years old...
"We must ensure the youngsters have an opportunity to earn a living from professional football and the country is able to qualify for the World Cup on a regular basis... The professional league is not an 'if', it is a must."