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Keith Look Loy
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 FC Santa Rosa coach Keith Look Loy has accepted the $1,000 fine and one-match ban handed out to him for using insulting language towards female referee Cecile Hinds during a Trinidad and Tobago Super League football match on November 5.

Look Loy and his assistant coach Jovan Rochford, who received the exact punishment, were found guilty by the Disciplinary Committee of the TTSL of verbally abusing Hinds in a game against Guaya United at the Arima Velodrome.

The duo reacted angrily to Hinds following a head collision between Santa Rosa attacker Rashad Griffith and Guaya United FC goalkeeper Shane Mattis. Griffith was left unconscious and Look Loy and Rochford felt Hinds did not give their player the immediate attention required. Look Loy got himself in trouble even further with the Tobago referees after alleged comments about their impartiality.

Speaking to Newsday yesterday, Look Loy, who is also president of the Super League, said he is hoping the referees return to work since the situation has been resolved. Local referees have failed to show up two two games in Tobago and one involving Santa Rosa and Siparia Spurs at the Palo Seco Recreation Ground on Sunday.

“I hope now that the referees, having stated that they were waiting on the Disciplinary Committee findings and decisions, now that they have it, I hope that will get back to doing what they have been paid for and what they are being paid for – which is to referee football matches.”

Look Loy said the main concern is that referees are not performing at a high level and they need to step up.

“Look Loy is not the referees’ issue, the referees’ issue is the poor quality of refereeing. Everybody in every league complains about the referees. This has been going on for years and it is frustrating...the football community is convinced that the referees believe that they are unaccountable to anyone and that they are above criticism.”

Look Loy said there was a national test for referees last weekend and alleged less than one third of the referees showed up. The Super League boss believes local referees are not taking their job seriously.

Look Loy and Rochford chose not to appeal the decision by the TTSL Disciplinary Committee to punish them but they had challenged some of the contents in the referee’s report.

Look Loy said Hinds claimed she was threatened by the FC Santa Rosa officials but the Disciplinary Committee rejected that.

TT Super League general secretary, Camara David, said yesterday the Super League is trying to ensure that respect is shown by the entire football fraternity.

David said, “As I would have told the head of the (TT) Referee Association Mr (Joseph) Taylor, their report really has not fallen on deaf ears. I would encourage them to keep writing us on issues like this and let us look at it. So if disrespect towards match officials comes more into the light, we as the league will be pioneers in trying to stamp out disrespect to match officials.”

David explained that the level of punishment for coaches or players will increase for repeat offenders.

”Someone else can do something similar and if this is the first time they did something wrong, and we received a report, we will probably give them a $1,000 fee and a match ban. However, let’s say Mr Look Loy does it again it will be his second time (offence), so maybe he will get a $2,500 fine and a five-match ban or something like that.”