THE Normalisation Committee (NC) of the GFF deliberated on the non-appearance of Slingerz Football Club for their October 12, STAG Elite League fixture against the GDF and noted that the club violated Article 4 (19) of Rules and Regulation of the League.According to the rules that govern the League, ‘A No-show is when a team wilfully does not appear at a game without a specific agreement approved by the GFF’.
Should a club be found guilty of deliberately withdrawing itself from the game, the rules state that “a 3-0 loss, a 3-point deduction from their standings and a League fine of G$200 000, of which 50% is awarded to the aggrieved club”.
The club had made a decision not to take the field against the GDF, after being told by the GFF in a letter from the General Secretary Deidre Davis on the day of the game, that the St Vincent and the Grenadines trio, brothers Winslow and Jolanshoy McDowall, Keith James and former Grove Hi-Tech striker Domini Garnett, were not eligible to further participate until the approval of their transfer.
The players would have played in every match so far for the ‘West Side’ club and the club’s General Manager Collin Aaron told the GFF’s General Secretary his team had no ineligible players on its registration list submitted to the Federation.
“The ITC request for the above-mentioned players was confirmed by all stakeholders within the FIFA TMS Transfer Matching System within the GFF Transfer Open Window Period.
“However, it was the GFF that was encountering internet problems during that time that caused the GFF TMS Manager Mr (Lyndon) France not having access to accept the ITC request, despite I brought him over to the Kashif & Shanghai Office to login and he was still encountering problems getting into his TMS Account,” Aaron said to the GFF in his letter.
Aaron was of the view that “it would be unfair at this time after five rounds of the Elite League to now tell us (Slingerz FC) that the players are ineligible due to the GFF negligence in the entire process”.
Slingerz FC are down to face the Georgetown Football Club (GFC) at the GDF ground tomorrow and the club had hinted on their facebook page that they are withdrawing from the league.