No refs, no play - RSPL officials fail to turn up for three matches

The Red Stripe Premier League was thrown into a tailspin yesterday after protesting referees did not turn up for three of four scheduled matches. General Secretary of the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) Dalton Wint said that the root of the problem is the non-payment of some allowances to the referees, adding that the federation was working to resolve the issue ahead of today's scheduled matches.

No officials turned up for Tivoli Gardens versus Arnett Gardens at the Edward Seaga Complex, Dunbeholden versus Mount Pleasant at Royal Lakes Complex, and Humble Lion against Waterhouse at the Effortville Community Centre. Wint said that the JFF did not know that the officials were going to withdraw their services.

"We had an unfortunate situation as some payments (to officials) were late. As always, discussions are important, and in this particular one, if we had any indication that this was coming ... we would have started dialogue. It is unfortunate and we are hoping it will be resolved shortly. We are working on a resolution," he told The Gleaner.

Wint, who is currently off the island attending a FIFA workshop in Barbados, will return to the island tomorrow night but in the meantime the JFF is working to ensure that the two fixtures scheduled for today are played.

"We are trying to sort out the games to be played tomorrow (today). By Sunday, we hope that things will be back on track, so we are expecting that (there will be games on Sunday). I am on the phone (now) to see how best we can resolve it. But we are hopeful we will have games this weekend," Wint stated.

He added that apart from the non-payment of some allowances there is a shortage of referees due to injuries.

"I think we have some genuine cases of injury in the referee fraternity, so we were not able to make all the appointments. Remember, you want elite referees because this is an elite programme ... so you don't want to go too deep in the (referee) pool," he commented.

Newly appointed president of the Jamaica Football Referees Association (JFRA) Malica Reid said they had tried to communicate the concerns to the Premier League Clubs Association (PLCA) but their voices fell on deaf ears.

"We tried to communicate these issues to the PLCA as early as Monday. I guess the PLCA treated it as a normal situation and were hoping referees could cope with all the difficulties they were experiencing and still service the games, but it did not materialise," he said.

"From what I understand there are some other issues that are still there to be resolved and so JFF, the PLCA, and the Premier League referees are in discussions in relation to these issues," he added.

In the lone game at the Frome Complex yesterday, hosts Reno and UWI FC played to a 1-1 draw.

Rondel Morris put Reno ahead in the 51st minute but a Dennis Taylor own goal earned a point for the visitors. The point lifted UWI FC (24 points) to sixth in the standings while Reno (16) are ninth.

Today's games

- 3 p.m: Portmore vs Montego Bay - Spanish Town Prison Oval

- 7 p.m: Harbour View vs Cavalier - Harbour View Stadium