‘They have destroyed our club’

DAGLALISH HENRY, president of Meadforest Football Club, has vowed to seek legal action against what he believes has been poor governance by the Kingston and St Andrew Football Association (KSAFA) which has caused a breakdown in his club’s operations.

Meadforest were indefinitely suspended by KSAFA back in March of last year after the club had decided to participate in the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) National Tier 2 competition despite KSAFA’s decision to boycott the competition.

Henry claims that KSAFA had no right to suspend his club, as the JFF adjudged Meadforest innocent of breaking any infractions.

“We have a situation where the JFF board, the authority of football in Jamaica, said that Meadforest is legitimate. And yet, they’ve continued to say that they’ve banned us. I will see what actions can be taken against them within the framework of football. It is on my agenda to see what level of compensation that we’ll be seeking.”

As a result of the suspension, Meadforest have been unable to field a team in any of the KSAFA youth competitions. Henry says that this has dealt a major blow to the club which played an important role in the community.

“They have destroyed our club. We don’t have a youth team anymore. Our 13-year olds in the area are playing in the streets and I don’t know what to say to them,” Henry said. “And in these days with the type of society we have, the parents don’t want to send their children too far away because of their safety.”

Meadforest finished second in the 2022 KSAFA/Campari Championship season, and won the $500,000 prize offered by KSAFA to the runners-up. A prize, that Henry claimed, his club is yet to receive.

“When I called regarding the money, they gave us a cheque of $100,000 and then a few months after, another cheque for $130,000. I called again three weeks ago, and they said the cheque is at the office but there was some mix-up and the person who should have issued the cheque wasn’t there. So we have yet to receive the rest of the money and I feel they are spiting us.”

But Mark Bennett, president of KSAFA, says this is not the case. Bennett said that the remaining balance owed to Meadforest is ready and waiting to be collected by the club.

“We have paid money owed [to Henry] that was before my time in office, and there is a cheque at the office right now with the balance of the remaining prize money.”

Beyond this, Bennett was hurt about the tenuous relationship between KSAFA and Meadforest, declining to discuss the matter further, save to say:

“I am not going to enter a discussion with or about Meadforest at this point in time. Meadforest is a suspended member of the association. Meadforest are fully aware of what needs to be done to change this status and no amount of ventilation in the media will change that. That is all I have to say on the matter.”