By Carlena Knight
One local football club has shared its intentions to write to the Antigua and Barbuda Football Association (ABFA) and the other relevant bodies over what it considers an “unconstitutional move.”
President of the Liberta Sports Club, Kenneth ‘Flipper’ Benjamin, was speaking on the Good Morning JoJo Sports show on Wednesday, when he made the announcement.
Benjamin revealed that he will be writing to the General Secretary of the ABFA to inquire about the purpose of an upcoming virtual congress in January which he said is not necessary since elections are long overdue.
“I don’t think they have any mandate to call an ordinary congress, it has to be an extraordinary congress. The most important thing right now has got to be the election, and based on the constitution they don’t have any mandate to call any congress. What are they going to talk about? You realise that they can have the election now without even getting permission? JCI just had a congress just the other day. All you need to do is to make sure the Ministry of Health approves the place and so on. Then why isn’t the election foremost when it is several months overdue? So, we are going to be writing, and I am just hoping that the other clubs get on top of this.
“We don’t need no virtual congress. Why do they want to host it virtually? So that they can control by muting microphones and so on? Why not face the music?” Benjamin asked.
He added that it is possible for the local football body to host the elections and even hold a meeting face-to-face.
“You have already decided that it is going to be a virtual congress, and you don’t know if come the end of this month, the government will open back up the country, but you have already decided that it is going to be a virtual congress and nobody sees anything wrong with this, but we see something wrong with it.
“It should be that you have the extraordinary congress in person, and if the government puts back the restrictions, you can then say we can’t have it face-to-face, so then let’s do it virtually, but you can’t just decide now to do it virtually and everybody else is having their meetings and so on. The thing is beginning to look laughable. It is beginning to look as if it is a game,” Benjamin said.
Benjamin also chastised the ABFA President Everton ‘Batow’ Gonsalves specifically over his lack of action.
“This is nonsense. So, we are going to write and send it to whomever we have to send it to, because this thing cannot continue. This is damaging the whole interest and the whole game that he says he loves so much. If you win, you win; if you lose, you lose. Call the election and let us move on. If you win, then you are going to be our president for the next four years. Simple as that,” he concluded.