M’brook forfeit Manning Cup game

Meadowbrook High School took the decision to not show up for their Group E ISSA/Digicel Manning Cup home game against Hydel yesterday despite instructions from ISSA to play the game. Meadowbrook coach Wayne Campbell, citing the public-transportation strike in the Corporate Area and the threats of violence regarding the issue, said that the school took the decision not to play because the safety of the children was primary.

“It was a decision based on the safety of the children and based on the transportation problem we faced in Kingston and Portmore,” Campbell said. “School had, in fact, let out early so the children could go home, and some (players) actually did not make it to school because of that crisis. So the safety of our children was our primary concern.

“We had made contact with ISSA, and it was my belief that the situation of the school letting out early didn’t [allow for] a convenient game playing [yesterday]. But we were told that the game is on, and we asked for an appeal because the rest of the school was asked to go home, and we didn’t think it was really safe to have 17 or 18 boys stay back for four hours for a game. So in the interest of their safety, we told them to head home,” he explained.

THEIR CONSCIENCE

He said that their conscience would not allow them to attend that game, knowing that parents would have been worried about their young ones.

“Every parent would have been concerned that their child needed to be home. So I wouldn’t understand why we would play a game with the situation developing in Kingston. The issues this week with rain and last week with the lightning strike, safety is the primary concern for the children. Football was not the primary issue with all the development. So we decided [that] whatever the outcome, we are just going to let them (Hydel) take the points,” he added.

Hydel team manager Cory Burke said that his team deserved the points as they were faced with the same situation and went to great lengths to ensure that they were present for the game.

“Their (Meadowbrook) coach said that a lot of their players did not come to school because of the bus strike and all. We contacted ISSA, and ISSA told us to go to the game, the game was on. So we figured from that instruction the game was on. It was an away game for us, so it would be hard to go back to play that game again. We understand the [transportation] situation, but we made a great effort to go,” he said.

He also refuted claims that his team did not change and check off for the game and was therefore ineligible for the points.

“From you hand in your match card to the referee, you check off. That is the rule. The referee asked for the match card, and we gave them the match card,” Burke said.

Yesterday’s ISSA/Digicel Manning Cup results:

Group D

Edith P-P Tivoli

St Mary’s College 0-4 Mona

Mbrook - Hydel (DNP)

Group E

Greater Portmore 0-4 Wolmer’s

Jose Marti 2-1 Innswood

Tarrant 0-6 Jamaica College