Joe Public are not happy with the choice of the Dwight Yorke Stadium, Bacolet as the venue for last Sunday’s Blink/Bmobile National Super League Knockout final.
The 2011 winners lost to Stokely Vale (3-0) with items from Dominic McDougal (34th minute), Antonio Balfour (40th) and Kerron Phillips (88th) respectively.
According to the club’s general manager Joseph Sam Phillip, “this is the third consecutive year the Blink/Bmobile Knockout Competition was held in Tobago with us playing the same team twice in the last two years.
Phillips, in a letter to All Sports Promotions said that: "neither our supporters nor our sponsors were able to attend the final game on these three occasions.
“It was noted that one of the officials came out of retirement to work at the game and clearly there was an unbalance in the officials while in our discussion we were promised there would be a balance in the officials which did not happen.”
“The final was originally carded for the Larry Gomes Stadium in Arima.”
Phillips further stated; “if the venue was changed based on a financial point of view, then this must be stated in the fixture prior to the opening of the League or before the Knockout Competition, added Phillips.”
Meanwhile, All Sport Promotions, the organising team of the National Super League, has been slammed by 2011 Super League champions Joe Public FC over comments made by Anthony Harford, All Sport’s managing director, in a recent news article.
The Joe Public’s general manager Joseph Sam Phillip, in a letter addressed to Sports Minister Anil Roberts on Thursday, noted, “Joe Public has played in the Super League since it's inception of the League and is the most successful team in the history of the Super League competition.
“It saddens me to read of the unjust claims by the management of the Super League, notably Harford,” Phillip added. “Joe Public does not support the allegations made by the League management of the lack of sponsorship and collaboration between the Government and the League.”
Bmobile (TSTT cellular division), sponsors the Super League as its title sponsor,” he explained. “This is rumoured to be $250,000 per annum.” With TSTT under majority ownership by the T&T Government, “therefore Bmobile sponsorship of the League ought to count as Government sponsorship.”
In a recent Trinidad and Tobago Newsday article which reported thatl; Phillip also pointed out that the Super League’s prize money has always been paid by the Sport Company of Trinidad and Tobago (SPORTT) which “is always Government sponsorship.” He mentioned, “it is very interesting to note that each of the ten teams of (the) League pays a registration of $45,000 and SPORTT pays All Sports Promotions approximately $354,600 per annum.
“This amounts to gross income of approximately $804,600 for Super League management and/or All Sports Promotions,” Phillip continued. “What are the costs associated with this League?
“Unlike the Pro League, the Super League administration does not provide each club with in the League a breakdown of income and expenditure for any calendar year despite us paying registration fees on an annual basis and being a key stakeholder of the League, along with the other clubs.”
Phillip stated, “I think that the Government needs to closely observe the funding of this League and not fund a League that has not been accountable to its stakeholders (clubs, sponsors and others).”
He continued, “it is also informative to note that, if one time wins all the titles in the League (as we did last year), they would get $220,000 in prize money. Therefore, the balance of approximately $584,600 is used in what aspect? I hope it is not for administrative costs associated with All Sport Promotions and their numerous initiatives.
“In closing, based on the current business model of All Sports Promotions and the current management of the League, I am not surprised that All Sports could afford to loan (the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation) $600,000 as claimed in (the news article),” Phillip ended.
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