Having gone five months without a salary from T&T Pro League club Clico San Juan Jabloteh, Englishman Terry Fenwick says he is now ready to take the matter to court if the need arises. Contacted yesterday, the day the 2009 season of the league now sponsored by Digicel began, Fenwick said Jabloteh had still not communicated with him and told him him of his status officially.”
“The matter is now a legal one as I feel that someone and Jabloteh are responsible for my contract. This is not the stone age and it’s not something that they (Jabloteh) could just walk away from,” he said. His salary has been rumoured to be over $50,000, but Fenwick, who led Jabloteh to a successful league title-defence last year and was named 2008 Pro League Coach of the Year said he had offered to reduce his wage demands. “I informed the board members of the club that I was quite willing to renegotiate and scale down my salary many months ago but nothing has happened.
“As it is at the moment my solicitors contacted the club (Jabloteh) over a month ago and we are still awaiting a reply. Fenwick’s role at the club became a topic of discussion when mega insurance company Clico, the main financial support group of the club was taken over by government because of financial troubles last year. Vindra Dass, Fenwick’s lawyer said, “We have not begun mitigation as yet as we would like to give Jabloteh the opportunity to try and solve the matter before it reaches the court.” “We have not taken the next step of commencing court proceedings, but if the matter is not resolved then we would have no choice but to take the next step,” said Dass.
In taking over the company, the T&T Government opted too support the club at a lower level, and this did not include support for Fenwick’s salary. Jerry Hospedales, chairman of Jabloteh said the club was still hopeful of holding onto the services of coach Fenwick but preferred not to comment on the latest twist which has seen the matter reaching the courts.