March 17 JFF election not a done deal
ALTHOUGH THE Court of Appeal denied the Pat Garel-led Beach Soccer Jamaica (BSJ) a second injunction to further delay the JFF election, now set for Sunday March 17, it is still possible that it could be reinstated if the court rules in the BSJ’s favour when the two organisations return to court on March 5 for a case-management hearing.
The BSJ was first granted an injunction after Garel filed a complaint in the court, accusing the JFF of disenfranchisement and unethical behaviour leading up the original election date, January 14.
Although, the court ruled to discontinue the 28-day injunction, Garel’s team appealed the decision.
However, on Tuesday, the Supreme Court referred the case to a management-conference hearing, where the Appeals Court will then give further directions on the matter.
When contacted, BSJ president, Garel, said she had no comment at the time but promised to speak on the matter within the next couple of days.
“My lawyer advised me not to speak on the matter at this time. I have no comment on the JFF pronouncements. I will be in a better position to comment in the next day or two,” she stated.
JFF general secretary Dennis Chung said the JFF release, which declared that the injunction had been denied, was constructed with the guidance of their lawyer.
“What it (release) says is what is in it. Our lawyer would have helped us craft it based on the instructions they got.
“But basically, the injunction was denied. That was filed. To hear the appeal itself, there will be a case-management hearing on March 5th to hear the appeal.”
However, Chung referred The Gleaner to the JFF’s lawyer Kaysian Kennedy for better clarity on that point, but calls to her phone went unanswered.
Nevertheless, a source close to the situation confirmed that should the court rule in the BSJ’s favour on March 5, it is highly likely that the injunction will be reinstated.
However, Chung added: “There is no injunction in place, and the one that was filed for to stop the election was denied. So, election is set for March 17, and we are making all efforts to go ahead with that,” he said.