Kombo Kerewan Football Club, playing in the West Coast Region third division league is at loggerhead with the West Coast Region Football Association.
The Kombo Kerewan outfit have been banish from the 2015-16 regional third division league, for not fulfilling’s their engagements, the letter from WCRFA stated.
Kombo Kerewan isn’t fighting their war alone as two other clubs, Busumbala and Nema Youth of Sukuta are also ditched out for the same reason.
However, it remains a secret which clubs replace these three teams.
Kombo Kerewan has since written a protest letter to the WCRFA and copied to Gambia Football Federation, Regional Sports Committee and to all clubs in the WCR arguing their case and urging the regional football association to revisit their decision citing constitutional lapses.
The protest states; “We learnt with dismay that we lost our membership to WCRFA for late payment of registration fee.”
Citing the constitution, the protest reads, “We refer you to article 17.1 which reads, ‘The general assembly may expel a member, if, it fails to fulfill its financial obligation towards the association for two consecutive years in spite of 3 written reminders to that effect.’”
The regional football association letter which dated December 31, 2015 cited the correspondence and meetings which led to their decision to dust off the three clubs and replace them with others.
The WCRFA letter reads, “Following the outcome of November 1, 2015 pre-season meeting, it was unanimously agreed that to have a smooth league 2015-16 all clubs should fulfill their engagements to allow the competition department to clear their desk prior to kick off.”
It went on to state that, “a notice was sent to all teams on the 4th December, 2015, for a another league preparation meeting scheduled for December 20, 2015 where teams are urged to provide a master registration of players and officials, tender the receipts indicating payment of competition fees and collect rules and regulations which must be signed by the president of the club.”
This said meeting is understood to have been postponed till the December 27, 2015. In that meeting it was agreed for December 29, to be the deadline for teams to fulfill their engagements with the WCRFA.
Responding to these claims, the Kombo Kerewan protest letters added that article 3, section 7, of the rules and regulations clearly stated that, “Registration must be submitted at least fourteen (14) clear days prior to the commencement of the regional football league season.”
“Therefore, we are in no violation of this rule,” the protest stated.
“This is because we have received our letter of expulsion from WCRFA December 31, 2015 when the league is scheduled to kick off on the 15th January, 2016. So your decision to exclude us is not in line with the WCRFA Rules and Regulations as we still have more than 48 hours to complete our registration,” the protest letters reads.
The Kombo Kerewan FC also refuted claims that were served a letter dating November 1, 2015 informing them about a pre-season meeting.
The Kombo North club also informed the WCRFA on the said letter that their club is still to receive the preparatory money of ten thousand dalasi (D10, 000) paid to other teams last season.