THE Trinidad and Tobago Football Association yesterday confirmed the relegation of two-time former Caribbean champions Joe Public, to the Eastern Football Association competition where they first competed 18 years ago.
Three-time professional league champions in T&T, Joe Public would only have survived if Defence Force had been confirmed as the bottom team.
The army/coast guard combination had an interrupted Super League programme after being barred from sporting activities by national security officials. They ended the competition bottom with 18 points, just three behind Joe Public (21 points) and two behind F.C. Santa Rosa, having played eight matches less than those opponents.
Yesterday, the TTFA issued a ruling stating: “T&T Defence Force will not be relegated due to circumstances beyond the team’s control. Guaya United are confirmed 2013/2014 Blink/Bmobile Super League Champions. FC Santa Rosa and Joe Public will be relegated.”
Formed in 1996, Joe Public also had some success at CONCACAF level when they defeated New England Revolution 4-0 at their Marvin Lee Stadium home and 2-1 at the Gillette Stadium in the USA in 2008. They also have the distinction of being the only T&T club to have won in Mexico, when edging Atlante 1-0 that same year.
At their peak, Joe Public sported notable players such as Arnold Dwarika, Kerry Baptiste, Kenwyne Jones, Cyd Gray, Gary Glasgow, Andre Toussaint, Densill Theobald, Lyndon “Chubby” Andrews, Hayden Tinto, Seon Power, Carlyle Mitchell, Trent Noel and Jamal Gay, as well as foreigners Gregory Richardson (Guyana), Alejandro Figueroa (Colombia), Yu Hoside (Japan) and Fabiano Agrapino (Brazil).
The “Eastern Lions” fell on hard times in 2011 after owner Jack Warner was embroiled in an international football bribery scandal and resigned his positions as FIFA vice-president, as well as president of the CONCACAF and Caribbean Football Union bodies. In recent times, Joe Public have lost all their big-name players, and have used mainly youths in their squad.
FINAL 2013/2014 NATIONAL SUPER LEAGUE STANDINGS
TEAMS P W D L F A GD Pts
Guaya United 23 19 1 3 57 26 31 58
Club Sando 23 18 3 2 68 25 43 57
Malabar FC 23 16 3 4 79 33 46 51
Real Maracas 24 9 4 11 41 32 9 31
1976 F.C. Phoenix 23 7 10 6 32 39 -7 31
Stokely Vale FC 24 9 3 12 36 51 -15 30
Bethel United 23 7 5 11 36 53 -17 26
Westside Superstarz 23 8 1 14 37 57 -20 25
Siparia Spurs 24 6 6 12 48 54 -6 24
WASA Football Club 24 5 8 11 27 35 -8 23
Joe Public FC 23 5 6 12 30 44 -14 21
FC Santa Rosa 23 5 5 13 29 51 -22 20
T&T Defence Force 16 5 3 8 23 44 -21 18