KSAFA to boycott JFF play-off promotion system
The Kingston and St Andrew Football Association (KSAFA) is adamant that it will not participate in a new promotion play-off system by the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) because it is a way to ‘mash up KSAFA’.
KSAFA’s president, Wayne Shaw told STAR Sports yesterday that his organisation would boycott the new promotion system to qualification for the Red Stripe Premier League (RSPL).
“What they (JFF) want is four clubs from KSAFA, four from St Catherine, and four Major League clubs from St Thomas to play in this league. And, the winner would go to the premier league play-off. This would mean there would be no more Super League in KSAFA,” Shaw pointed out.
Shaw further explained that KSAFA would have to create a new league for its teams currently existing in the KSAFA/Magnum Super League, as the new league created by the JFF would mean current Super League clubs would have to join the Confederation’s Major League. However, that poses a problem as the league currently has 18 clubs and cannot facilitate eight more, especially since a reduction to 16 teams is also being proposed.
MASH UP OUR LEAGUE
“They would be mashing up the Super League, which is the top league in KSAFA. That means 16 clubs would have to play in the Major League and the rest of clubs would play in Division One,” he added.
“Now, we are talking about development of football, so why is JFF attempting to mash up our league? Usually in the play-off, KSAFA and St Catherine teams qualify. When they do this new plan it would mean only one of the clubs from KSAFA or St Catherine would advance to the play-off, and another parish would get a chance to qualify for the premier league and that can’t be right,” Shaw said.
“Our suggestion is that after you get the top teams from KSAFA, St Catherine and St Thomas play-off, let the winner move on to the promotion system. But, you can’t be mashing up our Super League. They are forming an inter-parish system that the JFF constitution does not allow,” Shaw said.
“Our representative, which is Barbican, will participate in the promotion series this year, but come next season we will not be playing in any inter-parish league. There is no technical basis for this league that they are implementing,” he reasoned.
“What it would mean is that KSAFA would not have a representative in the Premier League moving ahead. We would still have our leagues. The only implication is that as of the 2019-20 season, no KSAFA team will have a chance of promotion to the Premier League,” Shaw explained.
Shaw also disclosed that KSAFA executive body will have a meeting today.