 And we have a situation where an unprecedented five candidates are vying for the presidency of the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Football Federation incumbent Carl Dixon will be challenged by former president Marvin Fraser, current vice president Otashi Spring and Wayne Grant along with former national player and senior men's team manager, Renson Haynes. The elections were rescheduled from last November to early this year after FIFA recommended constitutional changes be adopted before a new executive council is in place. Now following a visit to the Islands Federation, FIFA's chief member association's officer Kenny Jean-Marie insisted that the recommended guidelines for new statutes and a revised electoral code be completed by the end of 2023. Now with that process seemingly complete, the elections are set for this Saturday in the capital, Kingstown, searchlight writer, Rohan Thomas has been tracking this story and he now joins us via Zoom to discuss this issue. Well, let me start here, Rohan, great to have you on the Sportsmax zone and I see where the processes outlined by FIFA or script says are seemingly complete. Can you say categorically that it's not seemingly complete but that it is complete? Thank you very much for having me. It's not my first time I've been on Sportsmax a few times before and a few years ago and it's one of my favorite shows, I'm in fact a big Annette Gan fan, I'm a journalist. Oh, you are? Yes. Anyway, to the meat of the matter, basically yes and no because there's not been a definitive vote from the secretary as to Saturday's meeting but if you follow the trends that has in fact the roadmap has laid down by the SVGFF and the secretary, we were supposed to have the final notification of the Congress last on the 11th that has not been, the affiliates have not been notified and the declaration of the candidates was supposed to be on the 12th that was, well that's the nomination of the candidates was on the 12th that was released but the integrity check was supposed to be on the 16th with the 19th being the date for the dissemination of those candidates who are eligible. As the story develops we see that on the 19th just three days after the integrity check was supposed to be the accolation so there is a 20 second and we have not heard a word from the secretariat as to what has happened to the integrity checks and if you notice that there are three days span between the integrity check as well as the informing affiliates of the candidates so which means we can hazard a guess that that has not been done affiliates have not been notified of the who constitute the electoral commission plus the candidates after the integrity checks they have a three day period to appeal those have not been in place so I'm just based on conjecture and the way the trends are taken place and falling that the elections may not take place this afternoon. May not. Can you backtrack briefly though Ruan on the integrity check because I had seen it a few weeks ago that for the first time integrity checks will precede the process of these elections what what are these integrity checks about overall and why was this approach used. Well it's as you said before that FIFA they are on a path of we do in some of the MAs constitutions which and the statutes which have been some a cake to some extent so I think the integrity checks for basically persons who may have when a fall of maybe FIFA maybe even personal civil matters and so on. So that is has been one of the burden issues in terms of going forward in terms of the this present electoral process. You're suggesting Ruan that nothing has been heard about these integrity checks. Does that well what what happened the candidates nominations will fail. Yes. The 12th was the set date for nominations. The release was made of the candidates 33 candidates but these the integrity checks were to be done on the 16th. Nothing has been done. Nothing has been done. Nothing has been done. Nothing has been revealed as to who candidates who have passed or have failed and so on. So but to go back to your question the that has been it has been a new phenomenon in terms of having background checks on candidates. It's new. Yeah. I recognize that and the overall question to we ask. I've never seen in any Caribbean football union territory where as many as five candidates are going going in a presidential election. How is the football fraternity in St. Vincent and the Grenadines embracing such such a number vying for one spot. It's almost unheard of isn't it. Well as you said quite rightly said it's unprecedented. It's not normal for five persons to to be there. But what is interesting is that there are two current VPs. The first vice president and Mr. Tashi spring as well as Mr. Wayne Grant the second VP. He is both are going against the current or the sitting president Mr. Caldickson and we have a former president who served as for 15 months after the ban of Mr. Coombs. He is in the in the race as well as Wrenson Haines as some posts of him from the Vincy Heat fame and so on. He was also a former national player. Yeah. And even the youth level as well. So it's unprecedented. But I think it's that's the way the democracy works. And it is it makes for interesting reading. Right. Rohan you know in Jamaica I could speak for Jamaica because I've lived here now for approximately five years. And well I can speak about Trinidad and Tobago because it's where I was born and raised when there is an election and of course a football election there's a lot of heat on the ground of course you know a lot of controversy a lot of articles a lot of information coming to hand. And the thing about it is even if the information is not present or available people ask they want to know because this involves of course the sport of the country that a lot of people look forward to and they enjoy it also involves a lot of money. What's the atmosphere. I know Lance mentioned it but I want to get a bit more from you. What's the atmosphere like one seeing that the elections didn't happen in December. Now we're in January and we're not sure if it will happen come Saturday. I think the majority of the population wants it over and done with because we have not been able to play football at the national level for some time since last but basically the premiership finished sometime in April of last year and we've not been able to have that premiership played. There's other issues but I think affiliates as well as the business people everybody wants it done with. And as you quite rightly said it's it's really the game of the people. It's it's the only election in the country apart from national elections that the masses get involved get involved because they want to know who will be the next president because football is the most popular sport here. I think the deal they we may just cause a bit more agitation as to what will eventually happen whenever it is called but you to say that we are not into it will be be wrong because the radio programs are flooded with cars. The sports programs are flooded with cars and everybody is dealing with the matter of football. Right. And the last election was in November 2019. Right. Yes. Right. And you know if you had to rate the current administration to where we are now we're in you know it's years later of course you know we're looking forward to more football and to seeing St. Vincent and Grenadines football on the highest level. How would you rate the years gone by from 2019 to now. Well you also take into account a couple factors. One we COVID situation. We had a double bluff double blow I should say not a double bluff but a double blow in terms of the the volcano in 21 but set aside that there have been some infrastructure development and promises of infrastructure development. But I think what Vincentians are really looking at is the our senior team mainly our Vincent team and its progress and its the way it matches up against others in the Caribbean. That has not been to the best in the past four years I must say. But we are seeing some signs of improvement. We're seeing some we are a new technical director being in place from 2021 or 2022 sorry. But that doesn't mean I think people look at the game or the assess the game based on what is on the field. Not necessarily the infrastructure and what goes on administratively that is what people assess the game as. Yeah. From that standpoint. Yeah. Rohan in terms of the unprecedented number of candidates for the presidency of the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Football Federation I suspect the reason we are in this position is because the body voting not to have slates. And so therefore you end up with a situation where independent individuals and as far as the presidency post goes five of those have thrown their hats in the ring but I suspect for other executive positions it will be the same as well. And as far as I understand it this goes against the recommendation from FIFA and this recommendation from FIFA is the recommendation that they would give to all their member federations. Can you give us some insight as to why the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Football Association would have voted not to go slates and the fallout from that essentially. Can you talk us through that. Well that's a issue that has been ventilated in meetings. However what we have are teams. It does not translate. You may say it but it have teams that they are basically running teams or candidates which in a particular behind a particular president and they have it. But the thing about slates you know slates can be good. They can be bad. They can be indifferent depends on what because I think people are looking at getting the best persons in. Maybe some persons from a team may have the best set of persons. But to say a slip or say I don't think that personally that's me. I don't think we're ready because I guess the slates you win one you win all. Yeah. Isn't it potentially though. Isn't it potentially harmful chaotic to the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Football Federation. If you have a number of different individuals from different teams ending up on the executive body and you potentially run into a situation where these different individuals have different goals different philosophies different ideas about how the football is to go forward in St. Vincent and the Grenadines isn't that potentially more harmful more chaotic for the Federation and for football in the country. Well to me if you look at the history of football it has always been that case because we have we have never we had a just in recent times we start having teams of persons having nominated candidates for each position. It will work if you if if you have the persons of the same team been elected. But we can show you that persons who are there would once elected will work. There's only a case of personality. That's my my candid view. It's a case of personality. They may have difference of opinion. But at the end of the day it would be affiliates who will vote for them based on their what they put forward in their manifestos what they put forward individually and one on one meetings with their affiliates. It can work in once we have like mine once persons have the interest of football at heart. It can work because it's not a click or to say well OK an entire state may win. It may happen. It may not happen. But we have to work because we are all in the development of football for St. Vincent and Grenadines. Yeah quickly in 20 seconds. Do you have an understanding of why FIFA would want it this way and would be making the recommendation to their member federations. Go Slate. Because I that's what I'm looking at. They think that they want the best in terms of cohesion. The persons who you you can work with for the same interpersonal reasons where that may have played other MAs before. So I think it's along that line FIFA may be thinking that OK you elect and you elected your Slate so that you can work with the persons who who you could you feel comfortable working with and who have the skillsets and acumen to work with. Yeah. We've got to leave it there. But I just want to get from you very quickly. Is there a favorite for the presidential race. You say there are a lot of radio talk shows going on and so on. Do you get a sense of from the public who they think would be the best person to win. Well there's not a clear cut because they are 53 affiliates. If you look at their shifts they may be shifts maybe once it's time they shift in and who do you think will win. Who do you think will win. I can't answer that because it's a bit too close to call between who. I think everybody goes in with a clear choice. All right. We're going to leave it there. But we'll be in touch throughout the week because as you said at the top we're not 100 percent sure this election will go off. So we'll be in touch and talk about that. Thanks Ron Thomas. Thank you. Search like newspaper in St. Vincent and the Grenadines back with more on the zone after this.