Coombs holds tight defence on postponement of Football’s AGM

President of the St Vincent and the Grenadines Football Federation Venold Coombs has said that the postponement of the overdue Annual General Meeting of his organisation is because the audited financial statements were not available.{{more}}

Set for last Saturday at the Federation’s office on Bentinck Square, the meeting was deferred to this Saturday, November 9, at the same venue and the same 10 a.m. start.

And, instead of coming face to face with the affiliates last Saturday, Coombs and some members of his executive met with the auditors V.A. Barnwell and Associates.

Following up on a media release sent out last Friday, the local football boss solidified the position last Saturday night during the “Let’s Talk Sports” programme, aired on NBC Radio.

“…I find it compelling that I should come tonight to the country …. I apologise on behalf on the football fraternity for the Annual General Meeting not coming off …. It is no fault of ours.. You have delays in regards to audited statements.”

Coombs, however, admitted that the Federation has received drafts copies of the audited statements for the periods 2011 and 2012.

A confident Coombs said that the affiliates will get their copies either by email or by hand to peruse before Saturday’s rescheduled meeting.

The Annual General Meeting had been delayed since October 2012, but Coombs again noted that it was no fault of his executive.

Coombs ruled out any tardiness on behalf of his secretariat in providing the auditors with the pertinent documents relative to some transactions.

In explaining, Coombs said emphatically : “Absolutely not, because the information requested, part of it had to do with debt forgiveness of which FIFA found it possible to give this executive debt forgiveness of over US$50 000…. I was asked to provide information… It is a FIFA transaction.

“ ….You had to be mindful with regards to things with FIFA …If I had no instruction, I can’t really do that,” Coombs further said.

Coombs was confident that the questions relative to any misgivings about the Federation’s handling of its finances will be answered at this Saturday’s meeting.

The Coombs-led executive, which was inaugurated on Saturday, September 24, 2011, has come in for some harsh criticism in recent times over money matters.

Much of this has entered the public domain, with several persons being in possession of documents dealing with the day-to-day business of the SVGFF.(RT)