By Neto Baptiste
The Liberta Sports Club (LSC) has threatened to take legal action against the Antigua and Barbuda Football Association (ABFA) for what they believe to be “seriously breaching the ABFA statutes” where it regards the prolonged absence of sitting president, Everton Gonsalves and the hosting of the body’s ordinary congress constitutionally due in December.
President of the LSC, Kenneth Benjamin, labelled the failure of the FA’s executive to inform the general membership of the situation surrounding Gonsalves’ noted absence as both disrespectful and tardy and urges the body’s general secretary, Rohan Hector, to provide the club with answers.
“We’re hoping that very swiftly, the general secretary [Rohan Hector] can respond to us because the thing about it is our next move is to go the legal route and we know FIFA don’t like court matters and I am going to say that being the leading sports club as far as I am concerned in Antigua and Barbuda, we have to lead from the front. A lot of the other clubs and probably not as organised but we have members who are looking forward and who are asking questions and we have we have to answer to them,” he said.
According to Article 37.6 of the FA’s constitution, “If the President is absent or unavailable, the longest serving vice-president available shall deputise.”
Article 38.5 also addresses the issue by stating the “if the president is permanently or temporarily prevented from performing his official functions, the longest serving vice-president shall represent him/her until the next Congress. This Congress shall elect a new president, if necessary”.
Benjamin said the clubs are being kept in the dark regarding the reasons for Gonsalves’ absence.
“Up to this day, as I speak to you, the clubs or we have definitely not received any information why the president has not been functioning and who and who is in charge of local football or who has replaced him and the constitution outlines that as it clearly says if the president is not capable or available then the longest standing vice president should be the one taking over. Also, we know there should be a congress in December and we have not heard, we have not seen anything about it and these are things that the constitution calls for,” he said.
In April, Gonsalves was re-elected by a vote of 32-28 ahead of lone challenger and former executive member Barbara Coates.
However, it took two rounds of voting before a president was duly elected after Gonsalves failed to achieve the required two-thirds majority following the first ballot, winning by a 35-25 margin. The former Villa Lions player won the second round which required only a majority count in his favour.