ABFA Woes

Details

Football

Wednesday, 13 March 2013 02:30

By caribarena news

Antigua St. John's - Even as Everton "Batow" Gonsalves continues to categorically deny any wrongdoing, football world governing body the Federation of International Football Association (FIFA), on Tuesday, announced the appointment of retired Caribbean Supreme Court Chief Justice, Sir Brian Alleyne as Chairman of the electoral committee.

He is charged with overseeing free and clear elections in the Antigua and Barbuda Football Association (ABFA) executive electoral committee, to be held no later than 15th April, 2013.

FIFA, in a March 5th letter, criticised the conduct of the ABFA elections held on December 20th, 2012, citing irregularities and what the world body has described as "intentional" withholding of information contained in a FIFA letter to the ABFA and "misinformation" to the membership of the ABFA by Gonsalves and Gordon "Banks" Derrick.

 Last year's election ended in acrimony after Derrick and Gonsalves, according to FIFA, adopted "extensive and questionable interpretation of the association's constitution" which barred lone challenger Veron "Epilus" Edwards from contesting the presidency, while allowing "the incumbent members of the executive to run for election almost unopposed".

Worldwide, FIFA is attempting to clean up the spectre of corruption in the sport, and the ABFA is under their microscope. On Tuesday morning, and in response to allegations of impropriety, Gonsalves took to the airwaves in an attempt to clear his  position. But even as he spoke, armed with a cadre of documentation, Senator Paul Chet Green who is a functioning commissioner of FIFA countered all of his claims and justifications with documentation of his own.
 
Gonsalves did confirm that his position has indeed been shrouded in accusations of questionable interpretation of the statutes, and was further put to task by Greene as to a series of correspondence sent to FIFA by Gonsalves and dated November, 2012.

At the end of the tirade, questions are still swirling and these questions will either be answered, or put to rest at the conclusion of the elections in April.

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