System 3 mystified at SVGFF’s decision

The System 3 club is mystified that its Premier Division outfit, Comsports System 3, has had points deducted from its tally, after defaulting a match in the National Club Championships on Saturday, October 6, against North Leeward FC, which was set for the Brighton Playing Field.{{more}}

Head of the System 3 set-up Ian Sardine told SEARCHLIGHT that with eight of his players on camp with the senior national team, it would have been difficult to field a full team.

“Earlier, on Friday after VP Paul Boucher had indicated the game was on, I contacted the coaching staff for the national team who was on camp in Brighton… They were adamant that the players were not available to play so close to travelling time… On Saturday, I again contacted them about the availability of the players and again they indicated they the players were not to play,” Sardine related.

“With Kevin Francis and Oalex Anderson already out for this season, that left the club critically short of players if the national players were not available….I enquired if the club can use their First Division players, but did not receive confirmation from the SVGFF… How can we field a team under these conditions? We were never informed about the players selected to travel, so we had to assume all were not able to play,” the System Three boss continued.

Sardine, in his argument, proffered: “We have then, agents of the SVGFF indicating that our players were not to play… How then were points taken away? Are we to ignore the coaches appointed by the Federation? Are we to march into camp, organised by the SVGFF, and remove our players for games, against the wishes of the coaches? The international games mean so little to this executive that they want to allow the players to play locally right up to them catching their flight to compete against teams like Martinique and Guadeloupe? We are ham-stringing the coaches appointed to prepare our team for international competition.”

But whilst System 3 may have adhered to the wishes of the national coaching staff, headed by Cornelius Huggins, national captain Dorren Hamlet suited up and represented defending champions BESCO Pastures on Sunday versus Sion Hill at the Sion Hill Playing Field.

In chiding the operations of the executive of the SVGFF, Sardine commented: “System 3 Sports Academy, as an affiliate of the St Vincent and the Grenadines Football Federation protests this manner of operation and calls for a thorough review and a rescheduling of the match in question. Failing which we will take further action.”

During the 2013 championship, Bequia, Richland Park Pride and Joy, Sion Hill and Park Side Rollers, all had three points deducted from their tally, having defaulted matches.

Pride and Joy was automatically demoted to the first division in 2014, having defaulted two matches.

System 3, before the defaulted match, had played four matches and had registered all wins, to head Group B of the championships. (RT)