By Neto Baptiste
Noted members of the public have been weighing-in on the issue involving national footballer, Tevaughn “Peter Redz” Harriet, and his quest to raise the roughly EC$200,000.00 required for a critical meniscus replacement surgery on his right knee.
In a recent interview, Harriet revealed that efforts to acquire promised support from both the Antigua and Barbuda Football Association (ABFA) and the government, have not yielded any results.
One such individual is political analyst Winston Henry, who rubbished suggestions that Harriet should seek an audience with Prime Minister Gaston Browne, adding that the country’s Minister of Sports, Daryll Matthew, should represent the player’s interest in Cabinet.
“I think national players are registered through the Ministry of Sports, and I think the Ministry of Sports should represent Mr Peter Redz at the Cabinet level, to get assistance from the Cabinet to assist him, so there should be no need to go and see the prime minister because the prime minister ought to be a very busy person. There is a minister of sports that is supposed to handle, through his respective liaison officers, these matters,” he said.
Harriet was injured while on national duty in 2018, and has not played since injuring his knee during a training session with the senior men’s national team.
The player, who needs approximately EC$182,082.64 to cover his expenses and the cost of surgery in Spain, has threatened to take legal action against the ABFA if they do not render the necessary assistance.
Former national footballer and head coach of the Benna Boys at the time of Harriet’s injury, Derrick “Pretty Boy” Edwards, urged both parties to resolve the matter cordially.
“I was the coach when Peter Redz got injured, so I know about the whole incident in terms of what took place. It’s not an insurance policy, it’s a situation where you get injured, you pay your money and you bring your receipt and we [they] will re-imburse you and that’s the policy that I know the football association has. On the other hand, if this thing gets into the Court, I am seeing that it will get dirty and I think the best thing is to probably get this thing sorted out on the outside, and not have this thing go into Court,” the former coach said.
In a recent video dramatisation showing Harriet going from playing with a football to sitting in a wheelchair, the player appealed to the general public for assistance.
President of the Liberta Sports Club, Kenneth Benjamin, who has sought to lead a boycott of the Premier Division football competition due to uncertainty over the level of insurance being offered to players and officials, however urged Harriet to take the matter to Court.
“Honestly, I think we need intervention, and the way the ABFA is operating, I think the best thing is for them to go into Court and reveal a few things, maybe a few things ‘mash-up’ and then we get a good start. As simple as the situation with Five Islands, and you and I are bewildered as well as to how did Five Islands get promoted, I don’t think that Gwen Salmon, the acting president, I don’t think she has a clue,” he said.
Donations can be made to Harriet’s Antigua Commercial Bank (ACB) account number, 108989991.
