‘ISSA has not approached it in a good way’

MANNING CUP coach of Pembroke Hall High Marvin Thompson is questioning the integrity of the Keith Wellington-led Inter-Secondary Schools Sports Association (ISSA), in response to a Gleaner article published on Wednesday, October 19, regarding allegations of ineligible players from his school representing Hydel.

In the article, Wellington, in explaining new rules associated with the reporting of ineligible players, insisted no official word came to ISSA and he learned of the situation through the public domain.

Wellington also noted that the association’s checks into the matter revealed no evidence that Hydel violated ISSA’s one-year sit-out rule when a student transfers from one school to another.

However, Thompson says he communicated with the president personally on the issue, and that he is disappointed at the association’s lax approach to the matter.

“Some of the things that Mr Wellington is saying, I have to dispute,” Thompson told The Gleaner.

“I have the information between me and Mr Willington on the same night it was brought to my attention.

“He is saying he heard the accusation in the public domain. That, in itself, was wrong.

“It was brought to my attention on the 27th of September at around 9 p.m. A coach called me to say that he had seen one of my players playing for Hydel and asked, ‘How was that possible?’

“The coach had actually taken a picture, which he sent to me to identify the particular player.

“When I looked at the picture, I not only recognised one, but three players. So I immediately messaged my principal about it, and I messaged Mr Wellington.”

SUPPORTING EVIDENCE

Thompson went on to explain that after sending Wellington the information and clippings he had of the players while they were in his programme, he was asked to provide supporting evidence.

“When I sent him that WhatsApp message, he asked if I have additional supporting evidence, and I told him that could be obtained off their files and he said the information that I sent him, he would forward to ISSA.”

Thompson said he was also directed by Oneil Ankle, chairman of the Manning Cup committee, in a coaches’ and administrators’ WhatsApp group, to send an email to ISSA and copy it to (ISSA secretary) Nicole Brown at nbrown@issasports.com.

Although the email to the issa@cwjamaica.com failed because of an incorrect spelling (issa@cwjamajca.com), Thompson said the email to nbrown@issasports.com and to issa@issasports.com, went through

Thompson said Pembroke Hall principal Claude Ellis confirmed that the email was received and the two have been awaiting a response from ISSA since.

Wellington, however, has maintained his position.

“(He communicated) with me personally? That’s a blatant lie. But I will make no further comment until something changes, something different from what you and I spoke about, then I will comment. But for now, nothing is different from when we spoke,” the St Elizabeth Technical High School principal stated.

Wellington’s comments are now moot, with Hydel having been booted from the competition because they failed to accumulate the points necessary to move on.

Thompson noted that his school is not a part of the Manning Cup this season, so his motives for coming out were pure.

Thompson said his belief is the governing body for high-school sports sets rules to maintain the integrity of the competitions it oversees and that some are blatantly disregarding those rules and gaining unfair advantages.

He also pointed that for the boys to play, there has to be a manipulation of imformation, and that this would require the approval of top-level school administrators. The message that the practice sends to young people, Thompson said, is harmful to their development.

“Me bringing this to light is not about points. It is about ISSA setting the rules and persons blatantly disregarding the rules.

“If we are going to teach youngsters in schools to use illegal activities to get ahead, what are we teaching them for the future?

“So I am not doing this for anything more than integrity. For these players to even be registered, they had to go through a system where principals have to sign off on the document for them to leave a school.

“But there is no transfer, no requests or releases for them. And no parents were involved,” said Thompson.

PROPER DOCUMENTATION

“How could they have passed through the system without the proper documentation and principals having signed off on these documents?

“These players were here every day with me until August 6. So if they were attending Hydel at the time, which is physical school to make them eligible, where are the records for these players? Were the proper checks done to ensure that these players were legitimate players?”

He added: “It is not fair for youngsters who balance both the sports and the academics and coaches who work hard to develop their teams, and they are cheated out by individuals who choose to use nefarious actions.

“What will happen to these players after they leave school? How many of them will matriculate and become productive members of society?

“ISSA has not approached it in a good way. As a body that is developing youngsters, they have to do it the right way. It’s a point of principle and a point of integrity,” he concluded.

livingston.scott@gleanerjm.com