1 year ago
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Livingston Scott/Gleaner Writer
AFTER HAVING a number of accusations lodged against her in the run-in to the St Catherine Football Association (SCFA) presidential election, incumbent Elaine Walker-Brown has broken her silence, maintaining that efforts by challenger Jason McKay and the Royal Lakes Football Club to discredit and displace her are just vindictive.
Walker-Brown argued that there are clubs and persons in the parish that have grown accustomed to having their own way, and that her insistence on following the rules has landed her in hot water with some who are now hell-bent on ousting her.
Nevertheless, she maintains that the majority of clubs in the parish have welcomed the changes and improvements in their structure, as well as her transparency.
The SCFA election was scheduled to take place on Sunday. However, the Royal Lakes Football Club filed an injunction in the Supreme Court and have had it postponed.
The parties are set to return to court on August 20, with Walker-Brown saying a new election date has been set for August 25.
According to a high-ranking Royal Lakes official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, leading up to Sunday’s postponed polls, Walker-Brown had five breaches of the constitution, including not presenting the general secretary and the treasurer’s report 21 days before the election.
The official said the club only received that report two or three days before the eventually postponed election.
According to the official, the eligibility requirements for voters have been changed.
The constitution, the official explained, says bona fide members can vote, once the club submits two persons who are members, including players.
However, the official said Walker-Brown insists that only executives will be allowed to vote. The change, the official said, has come without the necessary amendment process to the constitution.
It is also understood that the incumbent declared her challenger, McKay, unverified, and made Audley Weir, a Royal Lakes representative, ineligible on the grounds that he is not attached to a club. But the Royal Lakes official insists a slate member does not have to be affiliated to any club.
“The constitution does not say he has to be aligned to a club. There is nothing to say so and they are saying that he is ineligible. But the person in question is aligned to my club and we had sent the letter,” the official commented.
The clubs, the official said, should have been given a memo about the validation of candidates on both slates, seven days before the election.
However, the main bone of contention remains the unverification of the challenger, McKay, who Walker-Brown insists still has outstanding sponsorship money for the association.
Although McKay has said publicly that he has proof of payment, Walker-Brown insists the money was not paid over to her administration but to former president Peter Reid, who had already demitted office at the time.
“From 2019 to May 2020, the association should have gotten $3 million. I took over 2019, so where is the $3 million? And the clubs are supposed to get their prize money out of it.
“It seems as if he (McKay) did not remember that Reid was out of office and I was in office. But that is why he is unverified because I wrote the JFF about the money he owes the FA, as McKay Security, the sponsor, and that is why he is not verified because I was waiting to see if I would get a response,” she explained.
“I am also going to seek advice because I am coming at Peter Reid because it is not their money.”
On a number of media platforms, McKay has labelled Walker-Brown as an autocratic leader, who is overseeing the deterioration of the clubs in the parish, who are at risk of losing their best talent.
In response, Walker-Brown said New Raiders, with McKay as president, along with a number of other clubs, including D.B. Basovak, Royal Lakes, and Frazsiers Whip, were reprimanded for not following the rules, and are trying get back at her.
Walker-Brown also pointed to De La Vega City, who suffered a similar reprimand for not registering on the FIFA Connect system, but has got its structure in place and is now a shining example.
English (US) ·