‘Don’t be sour grapes’ – says SVGFF President

President of the St Vincent and the Grenadines Football Federation Venold Coombs has hit back at the chair of the Arnos Vale Football League Michael John, referring to him as “sour grapes”.{{more}}

John, at the opening of the 2013 Arnos Vale Football League (AFL) on Saturday, September 21, at the Arnos Vale Two Playing Field, expressed disappointment with the manner in which the executive of the SVGFF is running the national club championships and its Grassroots Programme.

But Coombs, at the prize-giving ceremony of the 2012 National Club Championships and the 2013 National Inter-community League Championships, last Tuesday evening, at the SVGFF’S office at Bentinck Square, responded to John.

“….If you run and you lose, don’t be sour grapes … We are not discriminating against nobody…I reach out for everybody”, Coombs stated.

John was defeated by Coombs in the race for the presidency of the SVGFF, when elections were held on September 24, 2011. Coombs received 44 votes to John’s 22. The other candidate was Patrick Horne who got two votes.

But at the prize-giving ceremony, a visibly riled up Coombs said that he did everything to ensure that the 2013 AFL got started.

Coombs said that he personally assisted in getting the 2013 AFL going.

“…Very late at night, I was on the phone with this gentleman to make sure his league kick off … Making sure that the marker go out Arnos Vale to mark the field, get transport to get the goal posts out there … So, if a person ain’t come, there are reasons why certain things did not happen”, Coombs said forcefully.

On the matter of no cell of the Grassroots Programme being operational in the Arnos Vale area, Coombs said “We sent and ask to identify someone there and we still waiting…You have Brazilian out there (Christopher Harry) … Brazilian got equipment for (the) Grassroots Programme , I think he is doing it at Brighton”.

Harry, a former national footballer and current national Under-15 male team coach, is a member of the organising committee of the AFL.

“Before this gentleman say we congratulate Coombs and his executive for getting a Grassroots Programme, Arnos Vale ain’t get … Let us look at the thing in a fraternal way; let us look at the thing in a nation building way … Let us look at carrying football forward. There was no national grassroots programme before this executive come in … What you need to do is build, don’t mash up”, Coombs proffered.

At the opening of the 2012 AFL, John had called on affiliates to give their fullest support to the Coombs led executive.(RT)