FOOTBALL

Former national striker Ahkeela Mollon is the Technical Director of Women's Football in Anguilla.

She was appointed on a long-term contract, beginning November 1, with responsibility for developing the women's game from junior to senior levels. Her duties include continuous training of the country's Under-15, u-17, u-20 and Senior team, but Mollon told Guardian Media Sports on Monday she also started an Elite Programme which will be a feeder programme to the national teams.

At 36, Mollon who has represented T&T from the junior to senior level said she sees this opportunity as one to do what she always wanted to do and that is to develop the women's game locally and regionally, saying for the past six years she has worked with boys teams mostly.

Apart from her football academy in the Central area, which to date has been a much sought-after one, Mollon has also coached at Central 500 in the Central Football Association (CFA), Central FC under-20 team, Roytec in the University Football League, and at Chaguanas North Secondary in the Secondary Schools Football League (SSFL).

Her task is not limited to players only as she also has the responsibility to impart her knowledge and experience to budding coaches of the women's game there.

Mollon now joins another T&T professional Stern John, a former national striker who leads the T&T all-time goal-scoring chart who was appointed coach of Anguilla's Senior Men's team. "This is my first major job outside of T&T and it will begin a process by which I intend to live my dream of impacting women's football in the Caribbean," Mollon said.

She lauded the Anguillan Football Association for opting to recruit professionals from T&T and the Caribbean, noting that they easily could have gone for a technical director from the United States or Europe, but saw it necessary appoint her.

Mollon has had an impressive career dating back to her early years at Holy Faith Convent in Couva in 2004, where she progressed to the national teams and also played in the United States, Iceland and Sweden for Charlotte Lady Eagles (USA - 2008), Kvarnsvedens IK (Sweden- 2009), Djurgården Idrottsförening Fotbollsförening (Sweden- 2010), Stjarnan Women's Football team (Iceland- 2011), Afturelding (Iceland- 2011), and Kvarnsvedens IK (Sweden- 2014) for a second time.

Yesterday, however, it was a bitter-sweet moment for Mollon who said she would have loved to have been given the same opportunity in her homeland, saying: "I have played for T&T for 19 years and have played in Europe etc, but have never been recognized for my contribution. You know, sometimes your own country doesn't recognize you for the work you do but other countries do."

So far, she has been living her best life, doing what she loves to do the most while gaining the support by all on the island. Mollon promises to not follow in the footsteps of the T&T trend by beginning to train teams only months ahead of tournaments, saying "This is what they hired me for, to have continuous training and preparation of the teams for competition."

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The Court of Appeal is scheduled to determine FIFA's appeal, over High Court Judge Carol Gobin's decision to hear a case brought by embattled T&T Football Association (TTFA) president William Wallace and his United TTFA executive team, on Friday at 3 pm.

Chief Justice Ivor Archie and Appellate Judge Nolan Bereaux reserved their judgement on the appeal after finishing hearing submissions from the two parties in a virtual hearing, this afternoon.

In the appeal, the panel has been asked to determine whether Gobin had the jurisdiction to hear the case, which she eventually decided in Wallace and his team's favour, last week.

On Monday, FIFA contended that under its constitution, the TTFA agreed to forgo litigation in local courts in favour of arbitration before the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

It also contends that the Act of Parliament, which incorporated the TTFA, did not preclude it from choosing CAS over local courts in its constitution.

The TTFA's lawyers have contended that the constitution could not oust the jurisdiction of the local courts.

They also claimes that FIFA frustrated their client's attempt to challenge its (FIFA) decision to replace them with a normalisation committee by refusing to pay its share of the 40,000 Swiss Francs required for an appeal before the CAS.

If FIFA wins the appeal, Gobin's ruling on the substantive case would become null and void.

Delivering her judgement in the case, last week, Gobin ruled that FIFA's move to appoint a Normalisation Committee led by businessman Robert Hadad to replace Wallace and his team was illegal, null and void and of no effect.

Gobin said: "The Court declares that the decision of the Defendant dated 17/3/20 to appoint a normalisation committee was made in bad faith and for an improper and illegal motive."

She also ruled that FIFA's Statutes which speak to the appointment of such committees did not conform with the local legislation which incorporated the TTFA and prescribes how it is governed.

In her judgement, Gobin considered FIFA's Statutes on the committee which stated that it is to be appointed to member federations in "extraordinary circumstances".

"The rule essentially gives FIFA a free hand. The absence of a definition does not however limit my ability to consider the circumstances of it and to determine the lawfulness of FIFA's actions," she said.

"I have considered the evidence and have come to the conclusion that the decision to invoke the normalisation was unwarranted and indefensible," she added.

She said that FIFA attempted to usurp the power of the local legislation by directing the committee to arrange fresh elections.

She also took the opportunity to criticise FIFA for its apparent disdain for the local courts through its actions in repeatedly refusing to recognise their jurisdiction for cases within the country.

"The defendant's conduct regrettably calls into question the sincerity of its vaulted commitment to achieving its objectives to promote integrity, fair play, and friendly relations in society for humanitarian objectives as well as its commitment to respecting internationally recognised human rights and striving to protect them. Disregard for the rule of law is inconsistent with these objectives," she said.

While Gobin said she recognised the effect of the case on the sport in this country, she suggested that it could be considered warranted in the circumstances.

"The TTFA's actions in seeking redress before the Court was perhaps the only appropriate response which avoided capitulating to the demands of FIFA and thereby elevating the status of FIFA Statues above the laws passed by our Parliament," Gobin said.

Wallace and his colleagues are being represented by Dr Emir Crowne, Matthew Gayle, Crystal Paul, and Jason Jones, while Christopher Hamel-Smith, Jonathan Walker and Cherie Gopie appeared for FIFA.

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