Gonsalves Returned As Football Boss

Like a true striker, former national footballer Everton “Batow” Gonsalves completed his hattrick in style, winning a third consecutive four-year term as President of the Antigua & Barbuda Football Association (ABFA) when the body held its long awaited and anticipated general elections on Monday night.
The incumbent blew away his competitors, gathering 36 of 54 possible votes, leaving his nearest competitor, Keithroy Black, with 12 votes.
The other two presidential candidates, Edson Joseph and Joel Rayne, each only received three votes each.
Gonsalves said that he was not surprised by the huge margin of victory as his challengers, in his opinion, failed to adequately address the issues affecting the game.
“The footballing public is concerned with the issues of football and if you noticed throughout the campaign, the issue of football was never forefront in their campaign. It was just malicious slander and clubs want to hear what we are going to do about the game that we love so much. And that is where I am at because I am passionate for the game,” he said.
Most of the president’s executive members were returned save for floor members Althea Joseph, Ken Gregory and Randy Baltimore.
Gwen Salmon (37 votes) Daryl Michael (32 votes) and newcomer Akeilah “Granny” Hillhouse (33 votes), were elected vice presidents and will serve for the next three years.
Both Salmon and Michael were returned from the previous executive while Hillhouse had replaced former vice president Michael Carr who resigned last year.
Gonsalves thanked several people for his success and also the success of many on his slate.
“Give God thanks. My executive and secretarial staff, all the clubs of course and certainly [FIFA] President, Gianni Infantino and [CONCACAF] President Victor Montagliani for being my motivation to include the whole process of transparency, accountability and integrity into corporate governance for associations and confederations,” the president said.
The former player said his first task is to meet with his members and further plot the way forward.
“Meeting with the clubs to see how we look at the three things I said during my campaign in terms of infrastructure, finance and structure. The issue was where the football is going, what we have done and what we are going to do. The clubs are my priority in my final term so I am going to sit with them and get what they want to be put in place,” he said.
The other elected members of the executive includes five ordinary members.
They are Rolston James (38 votes), Curtis Charles (30 votes), Ruby Williams (29 votes), Arlene Josiah (26 votes) and Barbara Coates (26 votes).