Indefinite ban: BFA suspends tournaments

Bridgetown:

The Barbados Football Association officially halted all local football tournaments on Wednesday after the federation received an indefinite ban by FIFA. BFA president Ronald Jones said all soccer activities sanctioned in Barbados will be suspended until the FIFA suspension is lifted. "The executive has decided that as a result of the suspension all football being sanctioned or organized under the auspices of the BFA is temporarily halted pending clarification of some issues by FIFA," Jones said. The decision stalls the local premier league, the cup and several lower-level leagues. Among the first to feel the impact of the FIFA suspension is the under-15 boys' side, which was withdrawn from a Caribbean Football Union tournament in Trinidad in August.

Power struggle FIFA suspended the BFA because of a power struggle between Jones and former general secretary Randy Harris, who challenged Jones' September presidential election victory by contesting it in the local court system. FIFA, which prohibits members from taking internal soccer matters into the local courts, did not announce the length of the suspension, but it was not expected to exceed a year. Jones said the BFA will work alongside FIFA to resolve the issue, and said the suspension will be addressed at FIFA's meeting in Morocco in September. (AP)

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