The Secondary Schools Football League (SSFL) has ruled that its 2024 top scorer Derrell “Zoom Zoom” Garcia was not a bona fide student of St Benedict’s College when he played four matches during the 2024 season.
Based on the ruling, the unbeaten “La Romaine Lions” have been docked of 12 points while demoted from first to fourth place, with 29 points.
Fatima College (38 points) will now officially be recognised as 2024 SSFL League champions, thus retaining the title they won in 2023. Meanwhile, Presentation College, San Fernando (35 points) was upgraded to second and St Anthony’s College (33 points) promoted to third.
Yesterday, the SSFL confirmed that St Benedict’s has been stripped of victories against San Juan North Secondary (1-0), Fatima college (3-1), St Anthony’s College (2-1) and Queen’s Royal College (2-1). St Benedict’s have 72 hours to lodge an appeal.
“Based on the facts presented to the Committee, it appears that Derrell Garcia was ineligible to play in four matches in which he participated,” the SSFL release stated. “Therefore, it is the decision of the Committee that St Benedict’s College forfeit all points for each of the games in which Derrell Garcia played while ineligible.”
The SSFL ruling is based on an opinion formulated by attorney Tyronne Marcus, having gathered info from several sources, including the SSFL and Ministry of Education.
According to Marcus: “Based on his first date of attendance on October 8, 2024, Garcia only became eligible to play for St. Benedict’s from Wednesday October 9, 2024 when they defeated Queen’s Royal College (QRC) 2-1. However, Garcia played in three of the eight matches highlighted in the above table, namely, the games on October 2nd, 5th, and 7th.”
There is also an allegation that St. Benedict’s College infringed the SSFL procedure for registration (Article 16.1) by playing Garcia, although he was not attending classes at the time he played his first game on October 2, 2024.
However, attorney Marcus, whose legal opinion provided the basis for SSFL’s ruling, indicated that any further sanction of St Benedict’s rest with the SSFL’s Disciplinary Committee.
“The final determination as to whether St. Benedict’s breached any provisions of the SSFL Constitution is beyond the mandate given to the author of this opinion (Marcus). That authority rests with the Disciplinary Committee.”
However, it appears that the SSFL has spared St Benedict’s the penalty for such an infraction, which could have been a suspension of the school from further competitions in the division for the remainder of the season.
“The punishment must fit the crime,” the SSFL ruling further stated, adding, “The sanction must not exceed what is reasonably required for the SSFL to achieve a justifiable aim.”
SOURCE: T&T Express
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