By Neto Baptiste
Antigua and Barbuda Football Association (ABFA) presidency hopeful, Barbara Coates, said she would be in favour of placing restrictions on the amount of players that could be imported by any one team.
Currently a floor member in the Everton Gonsalves led executive, Coates said if successful at the polls due this year, she would constitute a committee to engage stakeholders on the issue and make recommendations to the executive.
“I think that the technical team would need to look at that and maybe we’d say something to the effect that teams should not have more than three [imported] players. We are looking at the development of our players so we could try to work in harmony, but once we come with the technical department and we look at it and see how [it could wok] because for us here in Antigua and Barbuda, we are still thinking of our players development,” she said.
Currently, there are no restrictions on the number of players that could be imported by any one team. The matter has been the subject of constant debate with arguments been made on both sides of the coin.
Questioned about a recent decision by the ABFA to promote a total of 12 teams following the cancelation of the coronavirus affected 2019/20 domestic season, Coates said she approved the decision after it was presented to the executive by president Everton Gonsalves.
“I am an executive member and it was presented to us that based on the survey, this is what the clubs wanted, and so we voted. I did not get to see the survey results, I may not have asked, but if I was being told that this is what the clubs wanted, then I am proceeding to vote. I was not a part of that committee because you have to remember that there are different committees that are in lace so the documents will not necessarily need to be placed in front of us,” she said.
Six teams were elevated from the First to the Premier Division while six teams were also promoted to the First Division. Gonsalves, back in October, said the move was part of efforts to restructure the leagues. No teams were demoted.