By Paul A. Reid, Staff ReporterWESTERN BUREAU:
THE PRESIDENT of Premier League club Reno, Owen Cunningham, and another senior executive, Wendell Dawson, were yesterday expelled following a high-level closed door meeting held at the Half Moon Hotel in Montego Bay.
President of the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) Captain Horace Burrell and General Secretary Horace Reid, who chaired the well-attended meeting that went on for more than three hours, told The Gleaner that the men would have to go through the appeals process before they would be allowed back into football administration.
Member of Parliament for western Westmoreland, Dr Wykeham McNeil, attended the meeting in the role of 'a mediator' while the chairman of Reno, Frank 'Bim' Williams who is now based in Miami, said he thought it was important to attend and was there "as a facilitator".
The JFF's first vice-president Raymond Anderson and Dale Spencer of the Manchester FA were also present along with executives of the Reno club and the Westmoreland FA.
APPEALS PROCESS
Reid said following the meeting that Cunningham and Dawson had not followed the appeals process and "had been advised that they must appeal forthwith to the Westmoreland FA and pay their fines before they can be readmitted to the football process".
Cunningham and Dawson were both suspended indefinitely and fined $10,000 each in 2000 after they were found guilty of bringing the game into disrepute while they were administrators for Westland FC.
They had however walked out of the disciplinary meeting that was called to look into the incident and had appealed to the JFF.
The JFF referred the appeal to the Western Confederation which upheld the ruling of the Westmoreland body.
It is understood that Cunningham had written to the JFF to say his ban had been lifted as of March 31 this year.
In response to the ruling by the JFF, the vice-president of Reno, Fitzroy Cooper, told The Gleaner that it was too early to say what changes if any would be made at the club but it was going to meet Williams and an announcement would be made soon.
DISCREPANCIES
Burrell said yesterday that the meeting had put to rest any discrepancies that existed in the running of football in the parish: "It was made quite clear that the Westmoreland Football Association is fully responsible of all aspects of football in the parish of Westmoreland and no other entity."
"Reno has also been advised of that and has agreed to abide by all the rules and regulations of the parish FA which is headed by Mr. Everton Tomlinson," he said.
