St Benedict’s College will continue their fight to overturn a 12-point deduction, as they filed for their matter to go before the Secondary Schools Football League (SSFL) Arbitration Panel today.
The “La Romaine Lions” were docked 12 points by the SSFL Disciplinary Panel for using captain Derrel Garcia in four Premier Division matches before he was deemed to be an active student by a combination of the Ministry of Education and the SSFL.

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SSFL general secretary Azaad Khan confirmed that the Arbitration Committee will meet with the St Benedict’s College officials at 11am on Tuesday 21 January.
The Arbitration panel is chaired by former schools football president Anthony Creed and includes ex-TTFA and SSFL president William Wallace and Ruben Hansraj.
Earlier this week, the SSFL Appeals Committee unanimously supported the Disciplinary Committee’s ruling and dismissed the appeal by St Benedict’s principal Gregory Quan Kep. Arbitration represents the final legal challenge offered to aggrieved schools by the SSFL.
In 2024, Miracle Ministries Pentecostal High School (MMPHS) and Moruga Secondary both prevailed in arbitration on a registration issue, having lost their cases before the disciplinary and appeals committee.

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Moruga Secondary initially lost points due to their failure to affix the school’s principal stamp on their registration form, while MMPHS submitted their registration paperwork as a picture rather than a document.
In both cases, the Arbitration Committee found that the schools were penalised by the very persons who should have been helping them solve their registration issues—as Credentials Committee members Gerald Elliot and Roger Martin also sat on the Disciplinary Committee.
Benedict’s would hope for similar luck at arbitration, and have already suggested that the SSFL lacks the moral authority to punish them for using a player that the body itself accredited to play.
Whether any SSFL official could be faulted for ignorance of Garcia’s late start to his school term is another matter entirely.

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Benedict’s would not have to worry about conceding their National Intercol crown though.
Signal Hill Secondary principal Arianne Garcia-D’Abreau confirmed that her school lost a protest against their semifinal defeat to St Benedict’s on penalty kicks.
The Tobago school appealed based on the IFAB’s Law 14 The Penalty Kick, which states: “[…] The defending goalkeeper must remain on the goal line, facing the kicker, between the goalposts, until the ball is kicked.

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“The goalkeeper must not behave in a way that unfairly distracts the kicker, eg delay the taking of the kick or touch the goalposts, crossbar or goal net…”
In the National Intercol semifinal clash between St Benedict’s and Signal Hill on 29 November 2024, referee Crystal Sobers did not intervene as Benedict’s goalkeeper Thane Devenish ran from behind the goal line, after the kicker started his run-up, for all six penalties.
(Incidentally, referee Timothy Derry deemed Devenish’s movement, and that of his Naparima College counterpart Mikhail Clement, to be illegal during the South Intercol final penalty shootout on 22 November 2024.)
- St Benedict’s College goalkeeper Thane Devenish saves a penalty from Signal Hill Secondary forward Kyle James during a shootout at the National Intercol semifinal at the Ato Boldon Stadium on 29 November 2024.
Signal Hill quoted research from USSF Soccer and Futsal referee and instructor, Brad Heers, who pointed to three situations in which a referee’s decision can be revoked after the final whistle and a replay ordered:
- Evidence of cheating on the part of the referee.
- A clear and definite misapplication of Law that impacts the match.
- An egregious error that impacts the match and can be unequivocally proven.
- Referee Timothy Derry orders St Benedict’s College goalkeeper Thane Devenish to stand on his goal line during the South Intercol final at the Ato Boldon Stadium on 22 November 2024.
Remarkably, after the penalty protest was lodged within the permitted timeframe of three days, SSFL general secretary Azaad Khan informed Signal Hill that the schools’ body was prepared to replay the Intercol final if necessary—thereby assuring the school that they would not get an empty judgment.
“Please be informed that the matter will be dealt with as expeditiously as possible,” stated Khan, in a letter to Signal Hill on 2 December.

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“If the matter goes through all stages, ie Disciplinary, Appeals and Arbitration, and the ruling is in favour of Signal Hill Secondary (at whatever stage) and the National Intercol final was played, the final will have to be replayed.”
So, instead of an expedited hearing to settle Signal Hill’s protest before the Intercol final on Thursday 5 December, the SSFL assured the aggrieved school that they need not worry as they were assured of a replay should they win in the boardroom.
Then, on the eve of the Intercol final, Khan—on behalf of the SSFL executive headed by president Merere Gonzales—wrote to St Benedict’s principal, Quan Kep:

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“Please be informed that the Disciplinary Committee has disallowed the protest by Signal Hill… St Benedict’s College remain the winner of the game.”
However, curiously, no letter was sent to inform Signal Hill of the ruling until six days later: on Tuesday 10 December.
By then not only had the Intercol final already played, but it was the school vacation. And principal D’Abreau said she did not see the email until school reopened in January.

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Wired868 asked Gonzales why the two schools were not informed of the ruling on the National Intercol semifinal at the same time. The SSFL president insisted that letters were sent to both schools at the same time.
When Wired868 offered proof that they were not, Gonzales criticised unnamed schools and this online publication for lacking integrity in the way that SSFL information was shared.
Gonzales did not respond directly when asked why he believes the guilty party in this case is the school that proved the truth, or Wired868 for vowing to publish the truth—and not him for giving false information (whether inadvertently or not) when asked.

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The SSFL Constitution states that “any appeal concerning a decision of the Disciplinary Committee shall be made in writing within 72 hours of such decision to the Appeals Committee”.
If St Benedict’s were told that the protest failed on 4 December, why was Signal Hill (the school that lodged the objection) informed 144 hours later?
Incidentally, St Benedict’s were one of two interested parties in the Intercol semifinal ruling along with Fatima College, who were the other finalists. Fatima did not get any notification at all.

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What would be the timeline for Signal Hill to appeal to a ruling made on or before 4 December, dispatched to their school on 10 December, and actually opened in January?
D’Abreau said her school has given up the matter, as they no longer feel confident about getting justice from the school body.
“I found that honestly it was not handled professionally,” D’Abreau told Wired868. “They took too long to deal with the matter and we were treated with scant courtesy.

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“[…] I feel if this is the direction that the SSFL is heading in, then we are in trouble. I always felt this is an institution that should uphold all the rules and regulations and treat all members with a certain level of respect and regard.
“The response left a sour taste in our mouths.”
Notably, the SSFL Disciplinary Committee, which comprised Laurence Seepersad, Trevor Bridglalsingh and Kurt Harry, confirmed the IFAB law on penalties—but still ruled in favour of St Benedict’s.

“The goalkeeper returned to the goal area line between the crossbar and upright before the kick was taken,” stated the SSFL Disciplinary Committee, in response to the Signal Hill protest.
“On one occasion, the goalkeeper infringed by moving forward off the goal line, and the referee indicated a retake of that penalty kick to the Signal Hill kicker. All facts and notes connecting to play were executed by the refereeing team.
“With respect to the decision of the referees, we are also stating that the referee has the authority to report any misconduct that transpired throughout the game, which none (sic) was recorded by her and the appointed match commissioner after the game.
“The decision of the referee regarding facts connected with play, including whether or not a goal is scored and the result of the match, are final. The decisions of the referee, and all other match officials, must always be respected.”

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Editor’s Note: In the first video below, referee Timothy Derry intervenes as Naparima College Mikhail Clement goes behind his goal line during his school’s South Intercol final penalty shoot against St Benedict’s College.
In the second video, referee Crystal Sobers allows St Benedict’s College goalkeeper Thane Devenish to stand behind the goal line and rush forward while the kicker is making his run-up.
The IFAB law states: “[…] The defending goalkeeper must remain on the goal line, facing the kicker, between the goalposts, until the ball is kicked.
“The goalkeeper must not behave in a way that unfairly distracts the kicker, eg delay the taking of the kick or touch the goalposts, crossbar or goal net…”
So which official is right?
- Referee Timothy Derry insists that Naparima College goalkeeper Mikhail Clement stands on his goal line before he saves a penalty from St Benedict’s College midfielder Josiah Ochoa in the South Intercol final on 22 November 2024.
- St Benedict’s College goalkeeper Thane Devenish saves a penalty from Signal Hill Secondary attacker J’meke Watkins during a shootout at the National Intercol semifinal at the Ato Boldon Stadium on 29 November 2024.

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.