Election put on hold
Bermuda Football Association?s anxiously awaited Annual General Meeting (AGM) ended prematurely and in disarray at Police Recreation Club last night.
Treasurer Delroy O?Brien showed up without a financial report, causing affiliates to vote in favour of adjourning the meeting and thus extending president Larry Mussenden?s term in office for at least another six weeks.
Mussenden was to have been challenged for the presidency by former national coach Mark Trott but the election never transpired.
And affiliates will now have to wait until at least late October to determine who takes charge of local soccer?s governing body.
While was barred from entering last night?s meeting, the writing was much on the wall when former BFA executive Robert Calderon ? among a group lobbying for Mussenden?s removal ? stormed out of the doors in disgust and threw his hands up in the air when asked ?how was the meeting going??
At around 7.50 p.m. ? just over an hour after the meeting began ? affiliates began to filter out of Police Club after voting unanimously in favour of halting the proceedings and re-convening when a financial report is finally produced.
A similar scenario had unfolded at the BFA?s last AGM.
Ironically, in business that was attended to during the meeting, former BFA technical director Clyde Best ? among those opposing Mussenden ? was presented with a FIFA Order of Merit Award for past achievements in the sport.
?The audited financial statement was not ready for the AGM,? explained Mussenden afterwards.
?We entertained a number of motions on the floor in relation to the meeting continuing. A motion was successful that the meeting be suspended at that point until a report was available.
?The AGM drew to a close and we will resume when a report will be ready which we expect will be in the next six weeks or so. I?m certain all of the affiliates would have liked to get it (AGM) out of the way, I certainly would have, but the congress here have spoken and the motion was successful to suspend the meeting.?
When queried as to why the association went ahead with the AGM fully aware that the financial report had not been completed, Mussenden said: ?Our constitution mandates that we have an AGM in the month of September and so that?s why we had it scheduled.
?It was possible to go ahead with the entire agenda of the AGM and to come back only to deal with the auditor?s statements. But in this case the affiliates wanted to have the financial statements and there is nothing wrong with that.?
Attempts to interview several members of the opposing group present at the AGM fell by the wayside, though BFA honorary vice-president Carlton (Pepe) Dill ? who came under heavy criticism from Mussenden for his involvement in the group ? lashed out at for labelling him as a ?rebel?.
However, Mussenden?s rival, Trott, did go on record.
?The treasurer stood up and gave his comments and it was not too much he could do based on the fact he said the information (financial report) was lost,? said Trott. ?He (O?Brien) was very straight to the point about the information that caused the delay.
?But at the end of the day I thought some of the honorary vice-presidents got up and made some very good comments and a good many of the affiliates also offered some good comments. And at the end of the day they all made a decision in the best interests of football. A vote was carried out and the majority won.?
Trott, however, refused to buy into the notion that BFA officials were deliberately trying to stall proceedings.
?I can?t see it being a tactic,? he said. ?And if that was the case then I don?t really see how anybody wins other than the fact the meeting will now be held with an auditor?s report present. It?s certainly not a good thing not to have one present but at the end of the day the affiliates decided they want an auditor?s report (before they vote).?