The St. Kitts and Nevis Football Association (SKNFA) has banned SOL IAS Conaree F.C. player Glenroy Samuel from all football-related activities pending the outcome of a criminal charge against him for attempted murder of Raheem Francis of Rams Village Superstars. In a letter from the SKNFA to Conaree F.C., the Association indicated that after an Executive Committee emergency meeting on Tuesday April 23, it was decided that Samuels be banned from all football related activities (sports, administrative or any other) in the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis pending the outcome of his criminal charge and investigation of the incident by the SKNFA.
Samuel was charged by police for attempted murder of Rams Village Superstars player Raheem Francis in a stabbing incident that occurred on Saturday April 20 after a Premier League match between Conaree and Village. Francis was admitted to the JNF General Hospital in critical condition and has been recovering.
Sanctions were also meted out to the SOL IAS Conaree F.C. “Additionally, the SKNFA Executive Committee has imposed on your club a sanction of a 24-point deduction in the National Bank Premier League (2018-2019 Points Table) for failure to conduct itself properly, in particular the control of its players, and adherence to the principles of “Fair Play” in SKNFA matches. Further, the Executive Committee has imposed a Transfer Ban on the SOL Island Auto Conaree for the 2019-2020 SKNFA football season. The transfer ban prevents the club from registering any new player during the said period, except players who are already registered with the club in other SKNFA leagues. The above sanctions shall come into force with immediate effect,” the Association indicated in its letter to the club.
In the wake of the incident, the St. Kitts and Nevis Football Association strongly condemned the stabbing incident. “We are extremely concerned and alarmed at this senseless and wanton act of violence against a player in our league and wish to state categorically that there is absolutely no place whatsoever for this kind of brutal and criminal act against any player, match official, spectator or other stakeholder. The sport of football is a game, which is aimed at promoting the principles of respect and fair play while bringing together people from various religious, ethnic, social, political and other backgrounds,” our statement said.
Further, over the course of the next few days, the SKNFA will engage its member clubs and other stakeholders regarding additional methods of dealing with acts of violence, disorderly
conduct and other negative behavior by players, team officials and patrons. We believe that this unfortunate incident has brought the sport of football in St. Kitts and Nevis to a crossroad and as such we must, along with our partners, clubs, and sponsors decide on the path forward that would ensure that such acts of violence do not reoccur in our sport. In addition, we will be making a closer examination of our security procedures at the various football stadiums in order to ensure enhanced safety of our footballers, patrons and officials.
The SKNFA also express our gratitude to the medical staff at JNF Hospital, who have worked tirelessly in respect of this matter and also wish Raheem Francis a speedy recovery. We urge that you continue to keep him, his family and his club in your thoughts and prayers.