Clynt Taylor, First Vice President of the T&T Football Referees Association (TTFRA) and the Central Football Association (CFA) are strongly condemning the actions taken by Joseph Taylor, head of the referees Appointment Committee by withholding the services of referees and other officials at matches involving FC Santa Rosa.
Taylor (Clynt) and the CFA have since called for a national consultation among all the stakeholders to chart a way forward.
“We need to talk about all the issues we are experiencing now, and have experienced earlier this season. There is no doubt that there is a concern with the level of officiating, but more so we must all be on the same page when it comes to taking the sport forward,” Clynt told Guardian Media Sports yesterday.
He was expected to make the CFA’S concerns known at a meeting of the south referees last night.
Clynt, who is also general secretary of the CFA made it clear the central football administrators are firmly against any attack or assault on referees and officials but believe the Big Cannons are being wrongfully punished for the actions of its coaches Keith Look Loy and Jovan Rochford.
They have called on Taylor (Joseph) and other members of the appointment committee to stop personalizing the issue, saying it will eventually lead to a total shut-down of the T&T Super League.
Look Loy’s Santa Rosa which campaigns in League One of the T&T Super League, have three more matches to complete the season, and a strong chance of repeating as League One champs if leaders Hydro Tech Guaya United blunder in their remaining games.
But referees more than opponents have been the Big Cannons’ concerns. Last week no officials were appointed to its clash with Siparia Spurs at Palo Seco and it could be deja vu come Sunday, in a rescheduled fixture.
Taylor (Clynt) on behalf of the CFA said, “Referees should not punish a team because of a coach, neither should they show disapproval in their actions, toward any decision by any independent committee such as the T&TSL’s Disciplinary Committee.”
“What they can do is sit with the TTSL and try and work out the issues. Referee have a job to do and regardless of what happens, they are responsible for carrying out their officiating duties, since a lot of money is spent on this service,” Clynt noted.
He admitted referees are humans and can make mistakes, however, the CFA secretary, who is still a referee, cited that referees today have been making games all about them. This he attributed to inexperience and lack of training, and painted a bleak picture of the affairs of local officiating, that unprepared referees are dumped into high-profile TT Pro and Super League matches.
“New referees come into the association as Grade 4 and 5 and are required to be a Grade 1 or 2 to qualify for refereeing at the pro league and super league. The TTFRA try to develop officials by offering regular training through the Regional Associations. But what we have observed is that referees hardly attend the training sessions but are used in matches,” Clynt explained.
In addition to the training, referee upgrades are achieved through written and practical examinations annually.
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