Football |04 October 2023

Mr Nancy (Photo: Contributed)

Real Maldives chairman Nancy says he has lost trust in SFF leadership

Real Maldives FC chairman Wilson Nancy has said he has lost confidence in the executive committee of the Seychelles Football Federation and is joining representatives of several clubs to vote and resolve that fresh elections are organised in the shortest possible time.

Speaking exclusively to Sports NATION, Mr Nancy said the last straw was the non-inclusion of an item under the AOB (any other business) on the agenda of the SFF ordinary general meeting scheduled for October 28, 2023.

He added that in a letter dated September 18, 2023 and addressed to the secretary general of the SFF, a number of clubs expressed their discontent with the present leadership of the SFF, adding that the executive committee no longer has their confidence, and that a vote is taken to resolve that fresh elections for the executive committee are held within the shortest possible timeframe.

Mr Nancy explained that despite that lack of response from the SFF for the AOB inclusion, the SFF statute, clause 31.3, allows them to move with their proposal which they wish to table as an item on the agenda either under AOB or where it deems fit. He also drew attention to article 15(2) of the SFF statute, which stipulates that members have the right to be informed of the affairs of the SFF through its official bodies, including the right of each SFF member to receive via its official email address the minutes of each meeting of the executive committee.

He added that they do not recall receiving such minutes, underlining the opaque nature in which football is currently being administered and are thus requesting for the minutes; the decision to issue the first notice of the ordinary general meeting (OGM) which was not in compliance with the statute, the subsequent meeting where it was decided to amend the date of the OGM to its current date in order to comply with the statute and a further meeting during which it was decided to amend the agenda. 

Real Maldives FC chairman Nancy expressed his distrust in the federation and believes that Seychelles’ football should have a new vision. He mentioned that they sought clarification on the OGM agenda and the merit of the AOB inclusion through an email sent on August 31, 2023 and September 13, 2023 but received little response from the SFF. He noted that the SFF only acknowledged receipt of the letters but did not say whether the AOB will be included on the agenda.

Chairman Nancy claimed that the statute of the federation says that a notice which subjects an AOB must be provided within 45 days prior to the meeting. “We want to include an item on the agenda which is a vote of no confidence. There are many football clubs who are ready and on board to vote these people out, then a decision will be taken when to have the elections and I believe if the votes pass then the election for the committee will be another step,” said Mr Nancy.

He stated that his trust in the SFF has declined.

“One of the situations that triggered this was when we filed a protest last year after Pointe Larue Bazar Brothers fielded an ineligible player whose name was not on the team sheet. The law clearly states that if a player’s name is not on team sheet at the time of kick-off he cannot play, but one Pointe Larue Bazar Brothers’ players was subbed in, in the second half despite his name not being on the team sheet. The rule states that in the event of such an incident, the game is forfeited in the opposing team’s favour. The protest was heard by a disciplinary committee which ruled in our favour. But we were only refunded the cost for our appeal but there was no reprimand for the defaulters,” said Mr Nancy.

He believes that some personnel within the federation are producing fake documents to hide their errors. “Some leaders in the federation have knowledge of such things but decide not to take any action. This is not right. This is why we need to bring in people who love the sport to stop its regression,” said Mr Nancy.

He added that Real Maldives FC pay the SFF R500 to use the La Retraite field from 6pm to 8pm, when they should be using it for free.

“These facilities should be free for the teams who play in the league, while teams who are not registered with the federation should pay to use them. You could ask any team playing in the second and third divisions when was the last time they received support from the federation and they would probably say they cannot recall,” pointed out Mr Nancy.

Mr Nancy strongly believes that the SFF needs to be restructured because teams who are not well established will continue to suffer the impact of their ill judgments. “Just an example, they give a team a sum of R12,000 to commute for a game on Praslin but the expenses come close to R50,000. We don’t see where the funds received from Fifa are going when they should be injected into local projects, the game of football and player development,” mentioned Mr Nancy.

He also feels that there is little transparency as they are yet to receive copy of the audited report when the statute says that it should be given 15 days before the OGM so that they are able to go through it.

He added that in the past, copy of the report was handed to members on the same day of the OGM, therefore they could not go through it thoroughly.

Mr Nancy believes that since Suketu Patel left the federation, football in Seychelles regressed. “Change is needed from the top leader down to the whole of the executive committee. I believe in the same principle as Eddie Maillet that we have to empower clubs to develop Seychellois talents. For Seychellois talents to progress they have to get the minutes on the pitch. Sometimes teams field foreign players because they only want to win, so in this situation Seychellois players will definitely not play and therefore they won’t progress,” said Mr Nancy.

Mr Nancy’s message to the federation is they have to acknowledge that they have failed and it’s time for another group of people who want to propel Seychelles’ football to new heights to take up the challenge.

“Let us not look at it negatively. I have nothing against SFF chairman Elvis Chetty. He is a great guy but we are concerned with his leadership and feel that he has run out of ideas. As for the football clubs I am urging them to be frank and to not be swayed by small tricks. All I want is for our football to move forward and that Seychellois take ownership of their sport because if we continue on the same path we will not be able to crawl out of that hole. It cannot get worse than what it is now,” concluded the Real Maldives FC chairman.

Neil Sirame