 Yeah, the football discussion continues on the sportsmax zone. Issa's cool boy football in Jamaica, including its fair share of drama and twists in the boardroom. Manning Cup champions Jamaica College and Highdale High were both penalized for breaching rules regarding eligibility of players resulting in points being awarded to Tivoli Gardens and Kingston College respectively. Now the latest school to be punished by Issa is the Costa Cop team William Nibb that's Usain Bolt's former school. The penalty as reported by Issa is for using a player deemed ineligible based on their accumulation of yellow cards. However, coach Dwight Jeremiah says that the player at the centre of the matter was not ineligible and a flawed match report has resulted in the miscommunication. Coach Jeremiah joins us on set to discuss the issue. I call him DJ, not a disc jockey, he's Dwight Jeremiah. Dwight, what has happened here? Because I saw you on domestic television as well speaking about this and your point is that an error was made by the standing referee and your player did not in fact receive three yellow cards and should not be ruled ineligible. Yeah, certainly what we did was to support that with video evidence. First we sent a letter of appeal, it came out on the 25th of September, they contacted me, we made the appeal the same day and they decided that the video was not clear enough so I subsequently purchased a video magnifier which was able to show the numbers without it being blurred and still they said they would not be able to overturn it. My contention is that they're saying it is the referee who has to change it and I'm saying you're telling me that you have a complainant and a defendant and you're the judge and you're telling me that it is the defendant in terms of the referee who must resolve the matter. That doesn't make sense to me and furthermore, even if the points are lost, which at this moment it is, I'm saying I'm not getting the rhetoric from the organizing body that this is something we're willing to look into. All I hear is the referee's decision is final, which for me the president quoted that I'm saying you cannot use that in an absolute sense, that the referee's decision is final. I'm using the example of Liverpool on the weekend, losing their game to Tottenham to say that is an example to say that, but we backed the same team. I would say to him weeks before that Alex McAllister got a red card in the Bournemont game and that was overturned on appeal from Liverpool so why wasn't the referee decision final then? So I'm saying I wasn't even asking for them to reverse the referee's decision. I'm saying to them the decision that the referee took in the game is not what he reported on the match card. So I'm saying to you it's not the referee who is supposed to rule on this. You are the organizing body. You are expected to rule on this. OK, let's see what their response to you was because they had sent out a release responding to the appeal that you made and this is what they said in an October 3rd memorandum. We received your letter of appeal dated September the 25th, 2023. All relevant information was submitted to the referee for review. The referee stands by his original decision that Tianje Bennett was issued a yellow card. Thus our decision to award the game to Cedric Taita stands. We wish the team all the best for the remainder of the season. So Dwight, let me follow you here because you're suggesting that the referee had made an error in the player that he had deemed for a yellow card initially. Yes. Are the official suggesting based on what this release has said that the referee has not accepted that he erroneously gave or reported the yellow card to the wrong person? No, he's not. Yeah, he's not. He's not changing his mind. He's not. But that puts you in a sticky position because if he if he isn't accepted that he made an error as to who he gave the yellow card to. It's hard for you now to to carry your case any further with the video evidence showing that he never gave him a card. That is where I stand. No, I go by a best practice in the industry. If in the game situation when the if there's a penalty, a suspension or fine, it is not the it's the organising body that really did not the match official on the laws of the game. Yeah, and not the match official on the day. When you are making that decision, the referee is not normally a part of that should not be a part of that. You set up like in England, you have a regulator body, independent regulator body that looks at these these these incidents and rule on it. So that's what I'm saying that it's our to have done. Yes, the referee is saying that and sometimes it may be ego that he doesn't want to say he made an error. But if you see the evidence before you and I'm saying to you, this is the player who got the card. The numbers are showing. Thiongé Bennett was a distance away. He walked over to the session to the area because he's a set piece specialist. Now, just to give you a little idea what took place, it was an infringement created against one of our players. The referee was playing an advantage. It didn't ensue, so he called it back. So the free kick was ours. Thiongé Bennett is our free kick specialist. I suspect the referee gave the card, but maybe the players moved about. Thiongé Bennett came into his view and he wrote it down. I pointed out to Issa that there were other errors on the card, discrepancies. In the video, it showed him giving two yellow cards, three seconds apart, to the Brownstone high player and a William Lee player. Yet on the match card of the four yellow cards shown, none is seen in the scene. No two is in the same minute or a minute apart. The closest any two cards are given are three minutes apart. Further, when I brought my case to Issa, they said, Mr. Jeremiah, Thiongé Bennett was given a card in the 32nd minute. I contested that. I said there was no card given in the first half to either team. The referee then subsequently said he was really writing 82, not 32, but on the match card, you saw other eights, other threes, and the threes match up, the eights match up. And then he changed to that 82. So I'm suggesting to them there were discrepancies. But my problem is that if they had responded to me in that letter saying my video was inconclusive or their clause and rules of the competition says that they'd not review referee's decision, I'm fine. They reported to me that the basis upon which they are not giving me back the point is the referee not changing his mind. And I'm saying again, the way it is done is that the organizing body rules on suspension, fines, or rescinding off card without the referee being a part of it. And for Issa to say the referee decision is final in this day and age, that statement, as I said, is Jurassic. And it cannot be used in an absolute sense. So you're here now. And of course, you're discussing what has happened. What's the mood like among your team, the players? Well, after Issa took our points, we dropped from second to fifth. And with one game remaining before, you go into a split in the zone because there are eight teams in the zone. After seven games, you go into a top four and a bottom four. You only have a chance to advance out of the group if you're in the top four. So we were in fifth, and we went into our last game before the split, needing to win. And we played your castle, there were 11 points, we were nine, we had to win. We won that game. So I'm in that playoff, and there's a chance of coming out of the zone now. Yes, and three points worse off. It's like a six-pointer because these three points was given to Cedric Taitos, who is immediately my competitor in this playoff. There are 19 points. Without that, they would be on 16 points. I would have been on 15, one points off the lead. So it's a total... And you played them this weekend, don't you? And I played them this weekend. Wow. Pretty tough. Yeah, so I have to... But the good thing is three teams are coming out of the zone. So me being here is not... Yes, I'd love to have my point back. But my problem is I'm not getting the rhetoric from Issa to suggest that this is something that I look into going forward. Let me ask you this, Dwight, because your principal is a high-ranking official with Issa. I guess he's in a ticklish position. How is he responding to all of this? I guess he wants to stay out of it. Yes, he wants to stay out of it. And maybe he would want me to express it as my views, things that are happening. And not the views of William Nimm. Yeah, and I'm fine. I'm fine with that. Because for me, it's about Raleigh and the troops and those supporters and alumni for William Nimm, which is happening. So in a sense, I've used this as a motivation. But I'm saying I don't want it reoccurring in the future. So I feel Issa has the opportunity. I'm not asking them to just open the door for everybody to send videos for anything. Or every and anything, an offside in a game or a yellow card that they feel shouldn't be a yellow card. Let's deal with facts. Let's not deal with the subjective things in the game. So we can start with just facts. Mistaken identity, a situation like this. Not necessarily if it's a red card or not a red card. Let's start there. I'm not hearing that. And I'm saying my mission is for them to say, we will look into this and put those things in place. Have you spoken to the referee as they felt as if the referee is the one who needed to make the decision? Good question, you asked, Mara. I got the opportunity to speak with one of the master official. And he said to me the minute they got to the game, he turned to one of the official and said, this is going to be trouble. Why? The numbering on the back. And you've heard us talk about it in commentary. It's difficult to see. But William Nib owns is difficult as well. The jersey is a checkered purple and white. The numbering is in white. So some of the number will fall into the white of the jersey at the back, which is difficult to see. And the referee says, not only for commentators now, it's no a hindrance for referees to really make these numbers out. So I think that's it. I spoke to Hio and Scott on the matter. I even spoke to my principal on it, the agreement that do all the fanciness you want with the front of the jersey. But leave the back to be a solid color with distinct numbers so you can see, as you see international sports games have those. But I feel I need, I saw the Mr. Wellington quotes in a paper, a written media, that I was interviewed in. And he just said, the referee decision is final. What do they want me to comment on? That I felt was dismissive and a touch of arrogance to me. I am saying you have to look into the matter because you want the best, the right result, old. And you're dealing with school boys. You want them to know that injustice is not tolerated. Yes, it's a part of life, but I'm showing the other side that injustice must be fought. And I'm here saying that has to be done. Have you considered asking Usain Bolt to call Issa? Because it's his former school. Maybe he'd have some influence. And some persons are saying to me because you're not one of the big-name schools. Maybe that's why they're cheating like that. I said he can't be. I mean, we've produced the greatest track and field athlete ever. So we are a big-name school. So it's not going to go away from me, but no, I haven't called Issa and Bolt. I think you should. If that would help, then maybe I should. I think he won it. So what are your plans? He follows us though. Yeah, I would think he does. What is your outlook for the Cedric Titus game this weekend? Because you need to win. Does a victory guarantee you're a spot in the next round? No, what's going to happen in the playoffs, you're going to have three games. So all the top four is going to play each other once. So you have a chance of gaining nine more points on whatever points you have. So the outlook, yeah, I've not lost to Cedric Titus since I've gone to William Nip 2019. So I hope that continues, but I need to get a win away from home because I'm playing them at Cedric Titus. The problem is I have an issue because another, sorry, incident came up yesterday where when I contacted Issa, another player, which we didn't have us getting a card in another game, surfaced. And I'm thinking the numbering is the issue. Oh boy. So, and he picked up a yellow card in the, your cast a game and I'll have to leave him out tomorrow. Is C.O.N.J eligible for the game tomorrow? Yes. Having missed. Yes. Having missed the game. Yeah, he's really the player that makes us tick. But my, I have a player that deals with the organization of my team defensively, he'll be missing tomorrow. But, you know, I pride myself on being tactically good. So I suspect I'll be able to navigate my way through it. Well, you're tactically strong when you're doing commentary on Sportsmax. So I suspect that if you transfer that to your coaching skills, then you should be okay. I should be, ever since I've been at William Nip the four years now, three years before this, I have won every group I've been in, I've come out of it and I expect to do the same with this one. It's going to be difficult but I think the boys are using it as motivation. When they score the second goal against York Castle, they almost, I'm not difficult to lift off the ground. As you can see, what they literally got me up off the ground, they lift me up and they all run to me because for me, if I had left this, I think it would be difficult to get them to fight when their coach isn't fighting for them. And that matters to me. Okay. Well, keep up the fight and good luck tomorrow. Well, I hope I get up the luck I deserve. Break time, back with more of the Sports Might Zone after this.