By Neto Baptiste
The standoff between the Antigua and Barbuda Football Association (ABFA) and the Liberta Sports Club took yet another twist over the weekend with the 2018/19 Premier Division champions being summoned to a meeting with the body’s disciplinary committee this week.
The Liberta Blackhawks boycotted its first two matches in the Premier Division as they refused to compete before having “clarity” on the FA’s reimbursement policy for players and officials injured during official ABFA matches.
According to an email sent to the club on Friday, the disciplinary hearing will be held on December 13 (Tuesday) at the FA’s technical center starting at 5pm. Further, the missive said that all matches involving Blackhawks have been postponed pending Tuesday’s meeting.
The Liberta men were scheduled to meet Cedar Grove Blue Jays in the feature match of a triple-header on Saturday night following no-shows on November 26 against All Saints United and on December 4 against Ottos Rangers.
In the FA’s missive, the body accused the Blackhawks of breaching rule 5.10 of the ABFA rules and regulations 2023 by missing the two scheduled matches.
The email went on to add that, given there was no recognised event of “force majeure” or any unforeseen circumstances that would have prevented Blackhawks from taking the field, the FA could enforce rule 5.11 and award three points and three goals to the intended opponents who were present for both matches.
Liberta had raised concerns over the FA’s reimbursement policy and had written to the body seeking a meeting to discuss the issues. The FA, after informing clubs that the league’s insurance had not yet been finalised, said that all bills should be forwarded to the FA for reimbursement should any player or official suffer injury on the field of play.
President of the Liberta Sports Club, Kenneth Benjamin, has vowed to take their fight through the legal route, if necessary. The FA’s disciplinary committee is headed by Craig Christopher.
