By Lesroy W. Williams

Observer Reporter

(Basseterre, St. Kitts)—In a 17 to 14 vote, veteran president of the St. Kitts and Nevis Football Association (SKNFA), R.A. Peter Jenkins, was removed as president and Anthony Johnson voted in as the new president in the controversial March 1 elections of the SKNFA held at the St. Kitts Marriott Resort.

“President and members of the executive, I give you a pledge. I walk away today accepting the results of this election. I will not lift one finger to undermine or destabilize or to do anything to hurt the product of the SKNFA,” Mr. Jenkins said in his congratulatory speech, conceding defeat.

“Firstly, I wish to congratulate all of us who took part in this process today. I believe that our country would have benefitted from what took place today,” he said. “I would like to thank all those who have contributed to the development of football in St. Kitts and Nevis over the years.”

Ellis Hazel was voted in as 1st vice president over Sylvester Frazer in a 19 to 12 vote, whereas Alistair Edwards was elected as 2nd vice president over Sarah Willock-Kelly in a 20 to 10 vote.

The other seven members of the SKNFA to be elected include Don Grant, Leroy Hodge, Troy Hendrickson, Anthony Rawlins, Raymond Smith, Dominic Stevens and Kenrick Martin.

Mr. Jenkins, who has been at the service of football in St. Kitts and Nevis for over 25 years, was the popular president of the SKNFA from 1994, but in recent times had become unpopular among several football clubs for his handling of the football association.

Prior to the March 1 elections, he suspended 14 clubs and the 2008/2009 Football League for their “repeated and continuous violations of their obligations as members of the SKNFA”. It was an unprecedented move that many within the association did not consider prudent and one which possibly cost him the presidency.

On July 24, 2008, the general elections of the SKNFA were disputed, erupting into a furore with accusations of voter rigging and a lack of election transparency. Since then it has not been business as usual and the “divide, conquer and rule” politics among “the powers that be” of the association have threatened to destroy the goals, objectives and aspirations of the football association.

FIFA was called upon to intervene after Mr. Jenkins and Ian “Patches” Liburd, who was Jenkins’ contender in the 2008 presidential elections, pitted against each other in a “dog-eat-dog” contest that left the association divided into two camps, disgruntled clubs, character assassinations, fierce accusations and chaos.

FIFA ordered fresh elections and prior to the March 1 elections lifted the suspensions of all the clubs, allowing them to participate in the electoral process. Thirty-one of the 32 clubs were permitted to vote with the exception of a Sandy Point club that was barred from voting due to some technicality.

The elections were observed by John Collins of CONCACAF, Hugo Salcedo of FIFA and an electoral committee.

“It is our hope with everybody voting and everybody participating in the process today, that they will go forward now as one,” Mr. Collins of CONCACAF said.

“President Jenkins should get great credit for saying that he wanted to put the country first, that he wanted an open election and that whatever the results were, the results were and that everybody will work together going forward because the situation in St. Kitts currently, up to today, was not healthy for the sport and all the candidates that ran had one goal and that was the betterment of SKNFA and that they are willing to put their differences aside and move forward,” Mr. Collins added.

“We don’t come to tell people what to do. We bring neutral and objective ideas and it’s up to the people to resolve their problems,” Mr. Salcedo of FIFA said.

“Unity is our greatest challenge but I believe we can overcome it,” Mr. Jenkins said days before the elections.

He also considered the clubs’ repeated violations of the statutes, regulations, directives and decisions of FIFA, CONCACAF, CFU and SKNFA as “deliberate” and a “destabilizing strategy".

But Mr. Jenkins in his congratulatory speech said that the time has come to put differences aside and to work together.

The new SKNFA President for the next four years, Mr. Anthony Johnson of the Putting Players First Committee, thanked the FIFA, CONCACAF and electoral committee representatives for ensuring that the elections were free, fair, peaceful and successful.

He thanked Mr. Jenkins for the service that he had rendered to local football.

“We are grateful for the service that you have delivered to football over the years and despite the outcome of the elections, I extend a hand of friendship to you and to all persons who are involved in football,” Mr. Johnson said.

Mr. Johnson engaged others in forming a committee called Putting Players First in an attempt to build a new vision for the SKNFA.

“The mission that we engaged in about a month ago in putting together this team of persons, in putting together our vision document, in going out and speaking to member clubs and to the public is one in which we want to ensure that the divisiveness is put aside. We want to ensure that we take football back on a united front,” Mr. Johnsons said.

“I want to say to you very sincerely that your views are going to be welcome, your input in whatever way is going to be welcome under this executive body and we intend to live up to the commitment we have made in the vision document that we have circulated during our campaign,” he said.

However, Mr. Johnson quickly pointed out several challenges facing the SKNFA but said there was hope in facing them.

“We have a situation now where the present league has not been taken seriously by the players, the public or sponsors. Our FIFA rankings are at an all time low. Member clubs have not been paid for numerous months. The Association is heavily indebted. These are some of the challenges that we face but we believe that with sincerity and honesty, we will ensure that these challenges are overcome.”