Meadforest, KSAFA squabble continues

The long-standing fuss between Meadforest Football Club and the Kingston and St Andrew Football Association (KSAFA) continues unabated, with both accusing the other of wrongdoing, preventing the issue from being settled.

A meeting between the embattled parties failed to resolve the differences, with both failing to gather for another round of discussions, with the president of KSAFA, Mark Bennett, citing Meadforest's failure to turn up as the reason.

On the other hand, Meadforest's president Daglalish Henry maintains that KSAFA made a wrong ruling in handing down an indefinite suspension to them from all of its competitions since March. He believes it was a biased decision.

"We are here to follow the FIFA statutes, and it should not be a case of how you feel versus how I feel. It should be a case of following the rules, and I say that we have been treated poorly and that we have been judged in an unconstitutional manner," Henry said.

The St Andrew-based Meadforest was penalised by KSAFA for participating in the Jamaica Football Federation's (JFF) National Tier Two competition, which KSAFA had passed a resolution to boycott.

According to Henry, at the meeting, which was concluded, the KSAFA's internal disciplinary board decided that Meadforest did not break any rules, which Bennett claims is a misunderstanding on Henry's part.

Bennett stated that the meeting between Henry and the internal disciplinary board was a different matter, which held no basis in Meadforest's suspension from all parish competitions. The meeting was held after the completion of the Tier Two competition in early July.

The KSAFA president alleges Meadforest refused to attend another meeting to discuss the situation, which led to the suspension.

According to Bennett, for Meadforest to be reinstated as an active member of KSAFA, they would have to follow the procedure set by the governing body.

"I will not enter a discussion with or about Meadforest. Meadforest is a suspended member of the association. Meadforest are fully aware of what need to be done to change this status, and no amount of ventilation in the media will change that," Bennett said.

The JFF ruled in January last year that KSAFA's stance to boycott the Tier Two competition was unconstitutional. Jamaica's football governing body also supported Meadforest's participation.