Profuse congratulations to the KICKS UNITED FC on winning all three championships hosted by the Anguilla Football Association during the 2014-2015 local football season – the League Cup, Knock-Out Cup and the President’s Cup. The boys played their hearts out and were deserving winners. But despite their overwhelming success in the team arena the team shockingly failed to win a single individual award, those awards going to players on the runners up. What could have gone wrong? This in my view reflects a flawed system and requires an immediate overhaul, too late to benefit this year’s winners but should make for a more meritorious system going forward.
KICKS UNITED FC continues to face the challenge of acquiring membership in the Anguilla Football Association family of Football Clubs. After ten (10) years in the league and numerous championships and runners up positions we again at the start of the 2014-2015 season, thinking we had done everything we needed to do to gain membership, submitted a formal application to the AFA only to be told after several months delay that we had again fallen short of the mark. But how could this be since FIFA’s Statutes advise against discrimination of any kind on any basis whatsoever? It continues to be disheartening to the players several of whom have been called to perform national duties; several of whom participated in the recent World Cup qualifiers locally and in Nicaragua.
This is certainly not way to treat a group of youngsters who, instead of opting to become involved in negative behaviour, chose instead to become involved in the beautiful game of football but instead of encouraging their participation those who lead the AFA continue to deny these youngsters the right to full involvement in the game of their choice, the beautiful game of football.
It is unfortunate as well, and personally I have been extremely disappointed that those who lead out in the Ministry and Department of Sports locally who are very much aware of the situation but have failed to intervene in any meaningful way to help to bring about a resolution to this impasse. Could it be because as has been said the team involved comprises several non-native citizens and residents? But nothing in FIFA’s Constitution prevents the AFA from granting membership to such a team even if that were the case. Even when there were questions about a particular action by the President of the AFA, in my opinion not enough was done to bring pressure to bear to ensure accountability, but then again to whom is he accountable anyway? This whole situation is riddled with hypocrisy.
Congratulations once again to KICKS UNITED FC; be not daunted by the challenges you face; you’ve made both yourselves and your supporters really proud.
– Contributed
(Published without editing by The Anguillian newspaper.)
