‘We’re hoping they don’t make the same mistake’: Coates tells ABFA to surrender to clubs’ wishes

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By Neto Baptiste

Football administrator Barbara Coates is hoping the executive arm of the Antigua and Barbuda Football Association (ABFA) will address the concerns raised by clubs following an extra-ordinary congress held on Wednesday night to address a number of issues affecting the sport here.

Speaking with Observer media following the meeting at the Multipurpose and Exhibition Cultural Center, Coates said a number of decisions will be forwarded to the ABFA for implementation and hopes the body will conform to the wishes of the stakeholders.

“We’re hoping they don’t make the same mistake by not responding, similarly to what they would have done when the 28 clubs submitted their request for an extraordinary congress. We do have the ambit of the Constitution to utilise everything that is in the constitution at our advantage to be able to get the best results first of all,” she said.

Reports are that 20 clubs turnout for Wednesday night’s meeting where a number of decision were made. 

Coates, who was the lone challenger to incumbent Everton “Batow” Gonsalves for the post of president when the elections were held in April last year, said the meeting was fruitful.

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Barbara Coates.

“We have very productive discussions with persons coming together and trying to see what is the best way to articulate what they think we ought to do to be able to get the best results. There wasn’t any sort of negativity; everybody was pretty much on the same page. We also had an attorney there just to present some guidelines and to assure us that what we are doing is in fact legal according to our Constitution,” the presidential hopeful said.

However, she said she was not surprised that no executive member bothered to attend for the meeting.

“It’s just expectations and I think that they are behind the eight ball, to be honest, and they just didn’t think that we would have taken it to this length, but the reality is that it was total disregard for the 29 clubs who would have expressed their concerns. It just shows the lack of interest or disregard or whatever you want to call it, so it is in keeping with how they think and how they operate,” she said.

Clubs decided to press forward with the meeting after their request to the local governing body to convene the constitutionally due gathering had reportedly been ignored.

The clubs penned a letter to the FA back in June this year requesting the meeting to which the FA reportedly never replied. The clubs then issued a notice to all members that the meeting will be held at the Multipurpose and Exhibition and Cultural Centre at Perry Bay.

In the missive, the clubs pointed to Article 28.2 of the body’s Constitution which they believe, gives them the authority to convene the meeting.

Article 28.2 reads “If an Extraordinary Congress is not convened, the members who requested it may convene the congress themselves.”

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