SSFL arbitration rules in favour of Moruga, Miracle Ministries

Moruga finished the SSFL 2023 season unbeaten and six points clear of Ste Madeleine Secondary, and had their sights set on the Big 5 competition with promotion in mind.

However, Moruga were later found guilty of submitting their player registration form without the signature of their principal and school stamp, and also fielding a player who was not registered 72 hours before a match. The school had faced relegation owing to the breaches.

In a media release on Sunday, the SSFL announced that its arbitration committee has quashed the previous decisions and urged the SSFL to review its registration practices as "internal deficiencies in this regard could bring the league into disrepute."

The committee noted that Moruga Secondary reported receipt of players’ IDs which may constitute valid registration for the season.

The committee said a help desk should be established as "schools have no official knowledge whether their registration is valid/invalid before the season/match and schools only know of an invalid registration, at some point during or after the season, when a protest is lodged.

"This is extremely unfair to the schools and has the potential to undermine the efforts of the SSFL to continue to provide its stakeholders with a reputable co-curricular sporting opportunity."

The committee noted that Moruga player Veron Gomez was not properly registered before playing a match against Point Fortin East Secondary, and the punishment for that breach stands.

Meanwhile, the committee also noted similar SSFL internal deficiencies with regard to Miracle Ministries Pentecostal High School, who topped the central zone.

The disciplinary and appeals committees had found that Miracle Ministries documents were "not an official document from the web page (SSFL) and copy of registration.”

The arbitration committee also took issue with the composition of the disciplinary committee, with members from the credential committee also functioning in dual capacity. "This situation can be viewed as a conflict of interest and makes the disciplinary committee’s report invalid."

The arbitration committee quashed the previous rulings and restored Miracle Ministries' points.

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SSFL says sorry to Miracle Ministries, Moruga, vows to fix registration system.
By Roneil Walcott (T&T Newsday).

The Secondary Schools Football League (SSFL) has issued an apology for its registration faux pas which initially saw 2023 Central and South zone championship division winners Miracle Ministries Pentecostal High School and Moruga Secondary stripped of their zonal titles owing to alleged registration breaches.

On Sunday, the SSFL's arbitration committee of Theophilus Trim, Justin Latapy-George and former league president Anthony Creed, found the league's registration was faulty and overturned the original decisions of the SSFL's disciplinary and appeals committees to punish the Central and South zonal champions.

On Tuesday, through its general secretary Azaad Khan, the SSFL put up its hand for the furore via a press release.

"Following the decision by the SSFL Arbitration Committee to reinstate Miracle Ministries Pentecostal High School (MMPHS) and Moruga Secondary as Central zone and South zone championship division winners respectively, the SSFL hereby unreservedly apologises to all football stakeholders and supporters for the unfortunate events that occurred," the league's statement said.

Before the registration impasse, both Miracle Ministries and Moruga were due to participate in the SSFL Big 5 playoffs alongside the three other championship winners, Blanchisseuse Secondary (North), Signal Hill Secondary (Tobago) and St Augustine Secondary (East). The top three teams in the Big 5 tournament will be promoted to the 2024 SSFL premier division.

"The decision by our Arbitration Committee and the reactions of distress from the parties and supporters in recent days has given us time for further reflection and deep thought. It was never our intention to cause such distress.

"The SSFL understands fully that the system needs to be fixed. We must work together to find solutions which protect the future of the league. It is clear that the events that led to arbitration was a significant misstep and due diligence should have been of a much higher standard. We did not initially make the right decision here, which we fully accept."

After the conclusion of the championship division campaign in November, the league confirmed protests had been lodged against both Miracle Ministries and Moruga over their online registration. On November 21, the two schools met with the league's disciplinary committee and were found guilty of breaching the SSFL's registration rules, with Mourga penalised for submitting an incomplete registration form “without the principal’s signature and or the school stamp."

The disciplinary committee's verdict was upheld by the appeals committee on December 5, before the three-man arbitration committee emphatically reversed the SSFL's stance.

The league vowed not to repeat the mistake going forward.

It said its aim was "always to make the right decisions for this great league, to protect it for the future and to take us forward. The SSFL meantime, has taken progressive steps to address the matter so that such events do not happen again."

SSFL president Merere Gonzales told Newsday the league hopes to play at least two match days in the Big 5 tournament before Carnival (February 12 and 13). He said fixtures will be drafted this week.

Gonzales said the SSFL is also working towards playing the girls' Big 5 final before January comes to an end. Scarborough Secondary, 2022 girls' Big 5 champions, will contest Five Rivers Secondary in the belated 2023 final, which has been postponed on numerous occasions owing to faulty travel arrangements and a subsequent break for the Christmas period.