BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – TEAM MANAGER of the Sandy Point PRIDE Basketball Club, Randy De Suza has accused some senior officials of the St. Kitts Amateur Basketball Association (SKABA) of violating the entity’s Constitution as well as its Rules and Regulations concerning a number of issues arising from the suspension of players.
According to De Suza, four members of SP PRIDE were arbitrarily suspended by the Games Commissioner following a report that claimed the players had verbally abused the referee while they were in the stands during a Junior League game played at Basketball City on Wednesday, June 29, 2016.
“On the day in question, members of Sandy Point PRIDE were seated in the stands in support of the Sandy Point Falcons. Apparently, there was a dispute amongst the juniors, and in the absence of any security personnel at the complex, many spectators, including a number of senior members from Sandy Point PRIDE and other clubs, proceeded onto the court to help restore order and safeguard the youth players.
“Our members were there to assist in quelling the dispute. However, the referee had lodged a complaint to the Games Commissioner, HaroldWharton, against four of our members and on Sunday, July 3 we were notified that they were suspended.”
De Suza explained that the referee’s complaint was primarily based on him being verbally abused but Wharton had written and submitted a report of the incident to himself and arbitrarily determined a ruling.
“On receipt of the notification, we realised that Wharton had written and submitted the report to himself, and without the involvement of other members of the Games Committee ruled that the four players were suspended. He did not give us an opportunity to defend ourselves and we see this as a violation to SKABA’s League Rules and Regulations.”
Under the heading, ‘Abuse of SKABA Officials and Referees’, the Rules state:“During a game the referee’s decision is final. Any player or club official asked to leave the playing area because of a disqualifying foul or an accumulation of technical fouls is automatically suspended for the proceeding game. It is then the responsibility of The Games Committee to enforce such regulations and forward the matter to The Disciplinary Committee for further action if necessary.” The Rules further state, “These penalties are also enforceable before and after any scheduled event of the Association upon the receipt and verification of a report of a report of the Official or Referee.”
De Suza is however arguing that no verification of the report was done. Instead, Wharton who has a direct personal interest in the outcome of the game submitted a report to his own Committee that stood as the evidence against the players.
In addition to Wharton’s arbitrary suspension of the four members of his club, De Suza explained that “they were not playing in that game; it was a game that involved the juniors of Sandy Point Falcons. Therefore, that rule does not apply to them”.
However, another of the Association’s Rule - ‘Unauthorized Entry of the Playing Area’ - indicates: “If a player or team official is not playing or officiating he/she shall not be inside the Court area (fenced) unless otherwise stipulated by a member of The Executive Committee or a member of The Games Committee.”
To this Rule, De Suza also defended his members, stating that they were neither players nor officials of the team that was playing at the time of the incident, but went onto the court “to render assistance”.
The Team Manager is of the view that the action taken by the Games Commissioner reeks with discrimination for while there were members from other clubs on the court during the dispute, only members from SP PRIDE were suspended.
He told SKNVibes that on Thursday, July 7 the club submitted a letter by hand and also by email to SKABA requesting an opportunity to appeal the suspensions.
De Suza informed that the hearing was convened on Wednesday, July 20 which resulted in the panel clearly stating that the Rules and Regulations were violated by the Games Commissioner.
“At the Appeal Hearing, the panel highlighted the fact that the Executive did not follow the prescribed Rules and Regulations. The panel also made clear to the Games Commissioner, Harold Wharton, that in an effort to not disenfranchise the players, everyone should be allowed to play until the matter was fully resolved. And that before making a ruling the Executive ought to have convened a Disciplinary Panel to rule on the matter. Therefore, this step was skipped.”
De Suza, like other members of the club, is of the view that Wharton imposed the suspension because his club, Conaree Fireballs, was slated to compete against SP PRIDE in a best-of-three Playoffs, where the winner would meet with the Achievers Wolf Pack in the ‘A’ Division Finals, and he was afraid of losing because the men who he wanted suspended are star players.
“Following the outcome of the Appeal Hearing, we won the first Playoff on Tuesday, July 26; a game in which Wharton participated. So, on the day before the scheduled second Playoff (Aug. 10), we were informed that a Disciplinary Hearing was ordered by a hastily convened Disciplinary Committee with the League being represented by Wharton, who wanted to enforce his imposition. As a result, we submitted another letter in person and via email on the said day requesting an Appeal Hearing to the Games Commissioner’s decision.”
Game two was played as scheduled and, again, Conaree Fireballs was defeated.
“After losing the Semis, Wharton, who played in both games, filed a protest to his own Committee, and the only member to have seen the report prior to it being submitted to the Disciplinary Panel was the League’s President, Kenroy Tobias.”
He said a Disciplinary Hearing was convened on Thursday (Sept. 8) and the League was represented by the Games Commissioner, Emilita Warner-Paul (League Vice President and aunt of League President Kenroy Tobias) who instructed the Disciplinary Panel to rule in favour of the League.
“This,” De Suza said, “is a clear violation of the Federation of International Basketball Associations’ (FIBA) Code of Ethics and Articles 12 and 13 of the SKABA Constitution, which states that the panel should comprise of three non-affiliated members of the public who should then report to the Executive. Therefore, on the following day we submitted in writing and via email our third letter requesting an Appeal Hearing.”
According to FIBA’s Code of Ethics (2014) – to which SKABA is a members – officials of local associations must “avoid actual or perceived conflicts of interest where administrators or other officials have, or appear to have, private or personal interests that detract from their ability to carry out their obligations in their official capacity with integrity in an independent or purposeful manner (private or personal interests including gaining any possible advantage for himself, his family, relatives, friends and acquaintances, and any organization to which he belongs and/or has a leading role).”
The Team Manager concluded that there was a conspiracy against the SP Pride Basketball Club. “A voice recording of the last Disciplinary Hearing has surfaced, which shows the League Vice President, Emilita Warner-Paul, who was conveniently sitting-in as the Panel Recorder, (a violation of Articles 12 and 13 of the SKABA Constitution) along with members of the Panel including Ericson Cumberbatch, Joseph O'Flaherty and Timothy Morton, conspiring against our club.
“Mrs. Warner-Paul can be heard instructing the panel on its decision, while Pastor Cumberbatch discussed the possibility of back-dating reports and Mr. Morton made clear that irrespective of how many pieces of evidence we submit, the Panel could choose to turn a blind eye and that we ought to be begging for leniency despite being wronged by the League.
“In an effort to cover up the injustice, when confronted they then lied to our representative about Mrs. Warner-Paul's contribution to the deliberation. The recording, which we have in our possession, clearly indicates that she led the conspiracy.”
De Suza explained that President Tobias had removed himself from the Panel because “he is the Head Coach of the Achievers Wolf Pack Club which we are to meet in the Finals, and that is in keeping with the Constitution”.
When contacted by this media house, SKABA’s General-Secretary Wallace Wilkin had indicated that he knew of the initial incident but was unaware of the developments that followed.
Officials of the SP PRIDE Basketball Club informed this publication that they received word yesterday (Oct. 5) from the Games Committee that the club has to meet with the Conaree Fireballs for a replay of the Semi-Finals, but without their four suspended players.
De Suza however indicated that they would again request an Appeal Hearing “based on the fact that the Constitution was violated”.
