Sport

Adrian Frater, News Editor

Western Bureau:

Former national captain and current Reggae Boyz goalkeeper coach Warren Barrett, who was on Sunday night suspended from all local football activities, has been given 24 hours to provide a written report to the St James Football Association on his fist-fight with referee Donat McKenley.

"We have made contact with Mr Barrett and asked him to provide us with a report on the incident within 24 hours," St James FA president George Evans said yesterday.

He added: "We (the FA) have been mandated by the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) to provide a report on the incident so we have requested individual reports from all the stakeholders including Mr Barrett and the referee, McKenley."

The incident which occurred at Jarrett Park on Sunday afternoon, saw Barrett and McKenley coming to blows following a verbal clash along the touch-line in the Steve Bucknor Masters League second leg semi-final game between Barrett's Violet Tourers, the competition's defending champion, and Hanover Masters. Barrett is player/coach of the Violet Tourers.

Bloody nose

At the end of the fight, Barrett was left sporting a bloody nose while blood was seen dripping from the lips of referee McKenley, who also had a dislocated finger. During the fight, another member of the Violet Tourers team also struck the referee.

Within three hours of the fight, both the JFF and the St James FA released separate statements on the incident. In its release, the JFF stated: "National goalkeeper-coach Warren Barrett has been suspended from participation in all football activities, to include his role in the national programme as National goalkeeper-coach, with immediate effect."

The St James FA release stated that it has suspended Barrett and another member of the Violet Tourers, Phillip Wong, from all competitions and all other involvement with the association or its affiliates with immediate effect.

In its release, the JFF, which reiterated its zero tolerance policy against violence in football, also ordered the St. James FA to, "launch an immediate investigation into the incident and submit a report to the Federation within 72 hours."

"We will be preparing two reports, one for the JFF and one for the steering committee of the Steve Bucknor Masters League, which is conducting their own investigations," said Evans. "We will have the reports ready within the 72 hours mandated by the JFF."

Both combatants have alleged that they were acting in self-defence after being attacked.

Self-defence

In a report in yesterday's STAR, Barrett said the blows he threw were in self-defence after he was head-butted.

McKenley said: "I was speaking to him about his behaviour when he head-butted me. I did nothing wrong. I was only doing my duty as a referee."

Meanwhile, football in St James could come to a standstill as members of the St James Referees Group, of which McKenley is a member, are reportedly contemplating withdrawing their services pending the outcome of an official ruling on the incident by the JFF.

"We have been coming under too much pressure from match officials for too long, but this incident has taken the situation to an all-time low," a referee told The Gleaner on condition of anonymity.