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Fatima Old Boys Association (FOBA) president Christian Flemming has defended the school’s decision to suspend Michael Chaves, Seth Hadeed, Caden Trestrail and Tom Decle, despite criticism from Fatima College technical director and head coach Hutson “Baba” Charles.
The quartet received an internal one-match ban, which ruled them out of last Friday’s NGC SSFL Super Cup. The northern outfit held off Presentation College (San Fernando) 2-1 without them, courtesy of goals from Luke Correia and Matthew Barrington.
Photo: Daniel Prentice/ Wired868
Charles told Wired868 that the four players were suspended without his knowledge and consent for playing in an unsanctioned football event.
“They went and take a sweat [in a non-licensed competition] and management decided to ban them without speaking to me,” said Charles, in the aftermath of their Super Cup win.
“They just said these four players can’t play because they went and play a little fete match… They never asked me what was my take as technical director and head coach.
“All they said is these players aren’t playing Friday. I didn’t agree but they said it was non-negotiable so I said okay we will go with what we have.”
At left is match official Charlize Hood.
Photo: Daniel Prentice/ Wired868
Flemming, whose body basically oversees Fatima’s football programme on the school’s behalf, insisted that the institution does not need the coach’s permission to discipline its students.
“Any student who breaks the rules of the school is subject to punishment from the school,” Flemming told Wired868. “[…] This is nothing new in the activity of the school. It is an action that has happened in the past (with other students).
“Our coach might have felt that it was harsh, but we did not have to consult him because this is with regards to upholding the rules of the college.
“All he has to do is coach the boys who are present and in front of him—and he did it and they won the game.”
Photo: Daniel Prentice/ Wired868
Chaves, who represented Trinidad and Tobago at 2023 Concacaf Under-17 and 2024 Concacaf Under-20 tournaments, was the Secondary School Football League’s 2023 MVP.
Hadeed and Trestrail are both Trinidad and Tobago National Under-16 players while Decle, an all-star player in the 2024 Republic Bank National Youth Football League (RBNYFL) competition, is regarded as a gifted playmaker in his own right.
In their places, Charles utilised right back David Hospedales in central midfield while Luke Correia and Josiah Gobin played in the “number 10” and centre forward roles respectively.
Correia not only got the opening goal but was arguably the man of the match.
Photo: Daniel Prentice/ Wired868
“[Correia] had a massive game today because he played in a position where he was asked to do yeoman work and he stepped up and delivered,” said Charles. “He was working offensively and defensively. I felt really proud of him.”
But should Trestrail, Chaves, Hadeed and Decle have been denied the chance to showcase themselves as well?
The issue has clearly divided opinion within the Fatima fraternity. However, Flemming insisted that the school administrators have the moral high ground.
Photo: Daniel Prentice/ Wired868
He said the players were aware of the rules, even if they were not presented to them in writing. In July, there was news that four players were taking part in another minor league and they were ordered to withdraw from the competition while a warning was issued to the entire squad.
Flemming said that various Fatima players were also disciplined for participating in minor leagues during their preseason in the past. And he said they would not shift their stance based on the personality of the students involved.
“It is well known that we don’t allow boys to participate in non-sanctioned extracurricular competitions,” said the FOBA president, “once you become part of our active school teams. And that runs throughout the entire college with all our programmes.
Photo: Daniel Prentice/ Wired868
“[…] We haven’t had a chance to discuss [with Charles] the comments he made publicly—but that is not to say it won’t happen.”
Charles, a 1989 Strike Squad standout and a former National Senior Team head and assistant coach, is entering his fourth season at Fatima. He won at least one trophy every year.
In 2019, Charles won the North Zone Championship crown and steered Fatima from the second division back into the Premier Division, via the SSFL Big Five competition.
Photo: Nicholas Bhajan/ Wired868
In his next season, following the Covid-19 pandemic, he steered them to the National Intercol crown. And, last year, he led Fatima to their first Premier Division title for good measure.
Charles hopes to raise the bar further still.
“We are looking to make a clean sweep and we are starting with this game,” he said, after securing the NGC SSFL Super Cup. “After this game we have three trophies to go. We are looking for the league, the North Zone Intercol and the National Intercol [trophies].”
Photo: Daniel Prentice/ Wired868
Flemming said FOBA is there to support him. But not at any cost.
“We don’t try to micromanage or interfere with the selection of the team,” said Flemming, “but once boys are found to be in breach of school rules, then that is something the management has to make a decision on.
“This is Fatima College, not Fatima College Football Team—and it is about the principles we stand by! This is about the discipline of our young men, and discipline is a big part of our success.
Photo: Nicholas Bhajan/ Wired868
“The moment we start to move away from that is when we begin to gradually erode one of the pillars that is integral to our excellence in a range of disciplines.”
Charles’ troops, who found a way to triumph despite missing four important players, should be at full strength on Wednesday when Fatima travel to St Augustine Secondary for their first game of the 2024 Premier Division season.
(Click HERE for full 2024 Premier Division fixtures.)
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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.
This seeming confrontation should never have reached the public’s ears. Just as the majority in this “chat” has responded and those others that just chose not to, no one in the coaching staff should have found themselves disputing the standing rules. Those rules were not just read once after they were written, they have to be brought up each pre and post season with intermittent reminders during the season. People graduate and people simply forget, and worse, they can fall on the wayside in a season where the successes of the school were trending in a downward spiral. Also, student-athletes come into the school each year and should not have to depend on a players from the preceding years to share these important messages. These are preseason and also postseason agenda items headed by the coaching staff and serves as a reminder to all especially if there are between seasons rules also.
Keith I thank you for championing this cause. Every word you have written thus far is spot on. .
I am the former president of FOBA and I was instrumental in bringing Hudson and company to the school. They have done extremely well for us and they have been welcomed with open arms into the Fatima family. I have sat back over the last 96 hours and watched this situation unfold and to say this disappoints me is the understatement of the day. Firstly, I cannot believe that Hudson thinks that the school must consult him when disciplining its students. Hudson is an employee of the school (through FOBA). His job is to coach whoever is placed in front of him he’s expected to coach to the best of his ability. The value systems and methods of discipline used by the school is not for him to a determine. It is borderline insane to believe that the school should consult him to discipline its own students. Additionally how as a former national player and coach as well as a former soldier doesn’t he see that publicly challenging the schools decision to discipline its students does neither him, the boys or the program any good. Hudson’s actions can only serve to undermine the very school administration that makes it possible for him to be there. I am horrified that he thinks this is ok. Reading this is like reading something in the twighlight zone. I personally played first eleven football for Fatima over 40 years ago and this was a school rule then. There is absolutely no way these boys could say they didn’t know this was the rule. I have been around the football program for decades and countless boys have been disciplined for this very same thing. Fatima college runs its program in a very professional way and ALWAYS puts being a good student ahead of every thing else. In fact our position on what the student athlete should represent has lead to us often struggling to stay in the premiership and one year to us getting regulated. Fatima doesn’t transfer in teams or allow star players to operate as gods in the school.. To pretend that this was some arbitrary decision is total madness. I dare Hudson to say that he never knew of any other time or any other players being disciplined by the school and he being informed that the particular player wasn’t available for selection. I really want to hear him say out loud that this has never happened before. Just a couple years ago a key player was banned from representing the school for the remainder of the season (over 5 games) because he got into a fight during class time. The coaches were notified by the school through its principal that this player was no longer eligible, in fact incidents like this or similar almost surely happens at least once per year for different reasons. Representing Fatima College is a privilege it is not a right. It is in fact extremely curious to many of the stakeholders more closely involved why seemingly only this time there is an issue with Fatima’s approach to disciplining players compared to several other times before. What about this scenario has made Hudson act this way? . The schools discipline is never compromised for any boys regardless of how good they may be. We prefer to lose with our principles in tact than win any game of any kind because we allowed our principles to be compromised.. This is not a secret in and amongst Fatima college students, Alumni and stakeholders. If Hudson or for that matter anyone else doesn’t like or agree with how we do things they are free to leave but what will not happen is that Fatima will bow to the dictates or preferences of a coach knowing it may compromise discipline. Forget it. This will NOT happen.
We have celebrated the success of the last two years not only because we have won trophies on the pitch, but because we are finally being rewarded for our unpopular stance of developing from within, not depending on transfers and demanding our athletes be students first. We don’t force anyone to either attend or work at our school however once the so choose to do they must do so accepting our folkways and mores. No one gets go come to Fatima and reverse 80 years of tradition. So all the opinions being espoused against how we do things and how we discipline students are moot. You come to, work for and/or support Fatima you accept us how we are. And we are proud of our ways of doing things the way we do !!
The entire matter saddens me. I am still baffled and disappointed by what I have seen unfold thus far. To all of you who don’t understand Fatima College. No one and I mean no one will ever get us surrender our principles simply because it’s either popular or vogue to do so. The Easter bunny will likely come to life before that happens.
Nitendo Vinces
This is Fatima College, the same school that, in the mid-1960s, welcomed in Everald “Gally” Cummings and Earl Fough without so much as a questionnaire?
Welcome to the world of educational standards. Congratulations on your decision to raise the bar–after more than half a century?
We the people of Maraval Road wholeheartedly approve!
Well done Fatima. Plus winning drove home the message even more. 4 of your best players were missing and they still won. More schools need to focus more on discipline and not just winning alone. I know some do like Pres, poor grades and lack of discipline result in non selection.
I not calling names because I don’t have court clothes but a certain big football school have players who does move like David Copperfield when it is class time.
The school absolutely took the correct decision based on its rules. And, as I’ve said here before, as a former soldier, national player and national coach, Hutson should have know better than to distance himself PUBLICLY from the school decision. The boys will leave Fatima behind but they should be taught lessons that they will carry forward into LIFE after graduation. The best outcome of this unnecessary incident is that the team WITHOUT the rule breakers. Everyone concerned sees that. No player is bigger than the team, the institution and the people he represents.
I Totally agree, well done Fatima College.Discipline is paramount. The Institution must uphold its standards and coaches must understand with all respect to coach ” Baba” discipline is number one,zero tolerance.