Trinidad and Tobago’s national team goalkeeper Kimika Forbes and West Indies cricketer Britney Cooper were both sent off during an ill-tempered, Ascension-sponsored Women’s League Football (WoLF) quarter-final clash, at the Hasely Crawford Stadium last Saturday.
The knockout stage of the WoLF tourney got under way last weekend with Terminix La Horquetta Rangers, Police FC, Defence Force and QPCC all making their way into the semi-final phase.
Police edged UTT Patriots 1-0, via an 18th minute Anique Walker item. Defence Force was due to travel to Tobago, but won by walkover after Tobago’s Jewels withdrew from the competition. Meanwhile, the final quarter-final between QPCC and Tobago Chicas will be played this weekend.
Last weekend Rangers won 2-0 over South champions Club Sando, with strikers Laurelle Theodore and Adanya Phillip getting the goals. Theodore struck in the opening minute. The combination of a good through pass, poor defending, and her own pace, got Theodore to a position where she squeezed a low shot past goalkeeper Keri Myers.
After Forbes and Cooper had been ejected, Phillip provided Rangers with a second when finding the top of the net with a shot from outside the penalty area in the 85th minute.
But it was not for brilliant individual goals, but other reasons that the match stood out — mainly shoddy refereeing and a brawl between players. Referee Garfield Weekes did neither the league or himself proud. His questionable officiating and his lack of maintaining control contributed to tempers flaring and physical confrontations between opposing players.
Despite the theatrics, Forbes had two earlier incidents which could have seen her either sent off, or a penalty awarded against Rangers. Weekes failed to punish Forbes or her team when the goalkeeper completely missed the ball and handed Club Sando striker Khadidra Debesette a “clothes line” -- catching Debesette by the neck with an outstretched arm, while inside the penalty area.
Later, Weekes also let play continue when Forbes charged erratically out of the penalty area, again getting none of the ball when upending goal-bound Kelly-Ann Williams with a vicious tackle. It was at this point, following Weekes’ lack of decisive action, that events spiralled out of control.
A team official walked onto the playing field. Cooper protested about Forbes’ tackle and was also having a verbal spat with another player, Aaliyah Pascall, when Forbes approached with a confrontational posture. Cooper pushed Forbes. Weekes red-carded Cooper, who took it well, touching the referee gently on his chest before proceeding to make her way off the field.
Weekes then approached the penalty area and also issued a red card to Forbes. She did not take her expulsion as well and immediately took off running toward the half-line to engage Cooper in another brief physical confrontation, before team members from both clubs quickly separated the two women.
SOURCE: T&T Express