Fyzabad Anglican Secondary School was yesterday suspended from the Secondary Schools Football League (SSFL) with immediate effect for its use of utility player Dez Jones and key midfielder Maurice Dick, both of whom it alleged submitted false documents to gain entry in schools' Sixth Form.
Jones received two CSEC passes from the June/July exam in 2016, while Dick got just one pass from the same examination. Both required a further two and three passes respectively to earn entry at sixth form level, which were said to have been achieved at the CSEC exam in January 2017.
Speaking to Guardian Media Sports, SSFL president Williams Wallace said yesterday his league deliberated on the matter before making a decision that was based purely on the original CSEC certificates that showed the students/players had received. The players, however still maintained they submitted their original certificates showing two and one passes respectively, which in any event, would have prevented them from gaining places in the school's sixth form programme.
Wallace said apart from suspending the school from the league for the rest of the season, his league will also put the matter into the hands of the Ministry of Education for further investigation.
The SSFL will also sit in the near future to determine if the school will be debarred from participation in the Championship Division of the SSFL next year.
A release from the SSFL yesterday stated the league position was based on a "bogus certificate" the league received from the school over the past few days. Secretary Azaad Khan said,"It was clear to me that while the players' certificate for the 2016 CSEC exam was authentic, they were able to determine that the students did not sit exams in January of this year due to inconsistencies with the school centre number."
Khan also said, "That to earn entry at sixth form required a signature from a Supervisor from the Ministry of Education which would have seen the certificates of the young players. He is expected to deliver a report to the Ministry of Education this morning."
When Guardian Media Sports contacted Dick he said, "I was invited to play for the school by a school official while playing with Guaya United in the T&T Super League and I accepted the offer as I never played at the top flight league before. I was given the assurance that I would get in the school with just one pass. I don't know where that certificate with four passes came from, I don't know anything about that."
He continued, " I know people will not believe me, but I don't know what they did to get me in school. I don't know what is happening in the administration of the school but there is something wrong there."
Fyzabad coach Brian Williams submitted his resignation on Tuesday in the wake of the controversy, saying he does not condone such behaviour and he did not want to be in an institution where it is taking place. The former Strike Squad defender said he took up the job at Fyzabad some two months ago after being bombarded by teachers from the school and community members. He said because he has observed certain types of behaviours at the nation's schools, he made it clear that he did not want to have any part to play in the administration of the team.
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