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The Trinidad and Tobago Super League (TTSL) Board voted unanimously last night to hold a virtual election for the post of president on Sunday 6 December, according to a board release signed by general secretary Peter Thomas. Their last attempt to fill the position was scuppered by interim president Jameson Rigues.
The ‘resumption of the virtual annual general meeting’ is scheduled for 10am on Sunday, with members asked to confirm availability by noon on Friday 4 December.
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The remaining agenda items are: election of president, appointment of independent external auditors as proposed by the board of directors (if applicable), election of TTSL representatives to TTFA general meetings, and decision on suspension of [member clubs] by the board.
The board members who attended last night’s meeting were second vice-president Eddison Dean, and ordinary members Colin Murray, Terry Joseph and Anderson Veronique.
Rigues, the TTSL first vice-president who was elevated upon the resignation of former president Keith Look Loy, did not attend. He initially told the Newsday that the board meeting was illegitimate, since he did not call it.
The board stood its ground and quoted article 20.2 of its by-laws, which states: ‘a meeting of directors may be convened by the president, the vice–president or any two directors at any time, and the secretary by direction of any such officer or any two directors shall convene a meeting of directors’.
In any event, Rigues informed the board last night that his absence was due to ‘a family emergency’. Wired868 understands he subsequently asked the general secretary for minutes of the meeting.
Rigues, a Guaya United official, is being challenged for the post of TTSL president by UTT FC head coach and former national stand-out player and captain Clayton ‘JB’ Morris. However, the interim president insisted that an online platform is inadequate for an election and urged the board to delay the poll until 2021.
At the same time, Rigues has demanded that seven suspended clubs be allowed to vote at the upcoming election.
Neither request has been successful to date. The TTSL’s electoral committee is chaired by Boris Punch.
Last Sunday, Rigues ended the TTSL’s AGM—which was conducted on the Zoom online platform—with a jab on his keyboard, after claiming that it was ‘disorderly’.
The board’s position is that the AGM was improperly ended. Article 27 of the TTSL By-laws states: ‘the chairman of any meeting may, with the consent of the meeting, adjourn the same from time to time to a fixed time and place…’
The board, via a press release, said there was ‘no consent’ from the quorum present for a premature end or adjournment of the meeting.
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Article 28 of the TTSL By-laws states that ‘a quorum for the transaction of business at any meeting of the members shall be fifty percent (50%) of the financial members of the company present in person—each being either a member entitled to vote there or representative of a member so entitled’.
In a release on Monday, the TTSL Board accused Rigues of taking the organisation down ‘a sad and destructive path that undermines football democracy and the rule of law according to the TTSL By-laws’.
The TTSL’s active member clubs with full voting rights at present are: Prison Service FC, Bethel United FC, San Fernando Giants, Police FC, UTT, Matura Re-United FC, Club Sando, QPCC FC, RSSR FC, Metal X Erin FC, FC Santa Rosa, Petit Valley/Diego Martin United, Guaya United FC, and Cunupia FC.
The seven suspended clubs, who have not competed in any TTSL competitions since 2017, are: Central 500, Defence Force FC, Harlem Strikers FC, Marabella FCC, 1976 Phoenix FC, WASA FC and Youth Stars FC.
Another four original TTSL member clubs are believed to be defunct at senior level. They are: Saddle Hill FC, Petrotrin Palo Seco SC, Barrackpore United, and Real Maracas.
(Courtesy Chevaughn Christopher/Wired868)
Article 9.4 of the TTSL By-laws states: ‘members that do not participate in the activities of TTSL (eg sporting activities) for two consecutive years shall automatically be suspended from voting at the general meeting.
Furthermore, article 9.3 states: ‘a suspended member shall lose its membership rights. Other members may not entertain sporting contact with a suspended member. The judicial bodies may impose further sanctions’.
The general meeting has the authority to lift the suspension of any member club.
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Lasana Liburd is the managing director and chief editor at Wired868.com and a journalist with over 20 years experience at several Trinidad and Tobago and international publications including Play the Game, World Soccer, UK Guardian and the Trinidad Express.
