PLCA AGM postponed to Jan 2015

The eagerly anticipated annual general meeting (AGM) of the Premier League Clubs Association (PLCA) scheduled for last Saturday, September 27, was postponed until January 27, 2015, by which time clubs are expected to be regularised and to be able to present certificates of good standing from the Registrar of Companies.

Financial statements for four of the PLCA's seven years were also tabled and they will be reviewed in the interim. It has not been made clear whether other pressing matters were addressed before the postponement.

In early September, a number of clubs in the Red Stripe Premier League had threatened not to honour their opening fixtures for the 2014-2015 season unless the PLCA addressed the mounting issues concerning transparency and accountability of the organisation headed by former prime minister, Edward Seaga. The aggrieved clubs, including defending champions Montego Bay United, Sporting Central FC, and Cavalier FC had all independently written to the PLCA outlining their concerns.

blatant disregard

"We cannot continue to participate in a league that is governed so loosely and with blatant disregard for its stakeholders and one in which the PLCA appears to have no interest in ensuring that transparency, accountability, and sound management practices are a part of its mandate," one club administrator wrote to the JFF.

Chief among those concerns was the absence of audited financial accounts for the organisation that each season handles in excess of $150 million, money acquired from sponsors and other sources for the running of the Premier League. There had also never been an AGM held in the seven years of the PLCA's existence.

Breaches in the PLCA's Articles of Incorporation, the non-issue of the rules and regulations governing the competition, as well as an incomplete fixture list were some of the other issues of concern.

An emergency meeting was convened on Friday, September 5, for the clubs to air their grouses and a way forward agreed upon. At that meeting, it was agreed that an annual general meeting would be held on September 27, 2014, by which time it was expected that most, if not all, of the outstanding issues would be addressed.

However, The Gleaner understands that financial statements up to 2011 were tendered by the PLCA administration.