ISSA’s enviable reputation must not be compromised
Ihave noticed that former FIFA referee Peter Prendergast has been catching some heat for rightfully pointing out some of the glaring flaws that are negatively affecting our national football programme, which has not advanced in any significant way since we qualified for the 1998 World Cup in France.
My only disappointment that in pointing out the many and varied flaws, which has caused him to affix the ‘bush league’ tag to our football, is that the InterSecondary Sports Association (ISSA), which to me is the most progressive sporting body in Jamaica, got caught up in the mix. However, if we are to be fair, then we just have to be fair across the board.
Frankly speaking, except for the odd occasions, I have always seen ISSA as an organisation that takes pride in its integrity. I was therefore quite disappointed when the organisation failed to act in a prompt manner in the recent incident in which officials of Jamaica College (JC) stepped out of line after the referee rightly disallowed a goal they scored in the ISSA/FLOW Super Cup semifinal game College. against Kingston
SPORTSMANSHIP COMPROMISED
Based on what I saw on television, it was clear that JC personnel got into the faces of the match officials verbally, and whether they were abusive, as the referees’ match report suggested, just by their confrontational approach, it was clear that the sportsmanship got compromised, leaving no doubt that it should not have taken a public outcry to spur ISSA into action.
I therefore can understand why Prendergast, who is easily Jamaica’s most accomplished referee, and a role model to the local referees, would have intervened in the manner he did. Having had the experience of officiating at the highest level, he knows that you cannot get confrontational with the referee one day and then resurface the next day as though nothing had happened.
If ISSA had acted promptly, asking the implicated officials not to sit on the team bench until an investigation into their conduct is done, the organisation would not only be sending a clear message to persons who might be of the view that it is okay to confront officials when you are not pleased with a decision, but would have negated the need for Prendergast’s intervention.
Having seen the speed with which ISSA has acted against schools of a ‘lower pedigree’ in the past, I cannot help wondering whether the organisation was not somewhat intimidated by the fact that JC is seen as a high-profile school with the capacity to play hardball, which could ruffle ISSA’s feathers if they do not have an airtight case against them.
IMPORTANT LESSON
If ISSA gives the impression that they are wary of facing off with some schools, even when the rules are in their favour, it leaves persons like Prendergast to raise questions as to whether they are running a credible competition or a ‘bush league.’ I do hope that this experience has taught ISSA an important lesson. If it hopes to remain a respectable outfit, it must always seek to insulate itself from situations that will bring its integrity into question.
There is no question that unlike some of the other bodies involved in local football, ISSA is an organisation that is made up persons of high integrity, who, under normal circumstances, would be expected to act in a rational manner. However, unfortunately, parochialism sometimes trumps rationality, so it is important to have rules to cover all eventualities as a safeguard.
Personally, I have nothing against JC and I believe that if the shoe was on the other foot, the Kingston College folks would have vented their frustration in much the same way. It is a known fact that in competitive environments, overexuberance is usually present, and if not tempered by rules and regulations, could trigger off all kinds of ugly situations.
As I stated above, over the years, I have developed a healthy respect for ISSA because it has done more for sports in Jamaica than any other sporting bodies. It is unquestionably the nursery that has produced the vast majority of our track and field, football, cricket and netball stars. I am there hoping that ISSA will not allow its enviable reputation to be tarnished because of a failure to act firmly and decisively whenever a situation demands it.