Chase Academy lodge protest over quarter-final exit

…organisers say complaint “holds no validity”

By Akeem Greene

Still reeling from the effects of their shocking 0-1 loss to arch rivals Sir Leon’s Lessons in the quarter-finals of the sixth annual Milo Schools Football tournament on Saturday, Chase’s Academic Foundation has lodged a protest, on Monday, with the coordinators, Petra Organisation, based on the proposition that the tournament’s rules were not upheld. In documents seen by Guyana Times Sport, principal of the private institution, Henry Chase, made mention of a rule which, if paraphrased, states: “during the group stages, five changes [substitutions] will be allowed; while in the knock-outs matches, three will be permitted”.
Sir Leon’s made four substitutions during their duel, as opposed to Chase’s sticking to the three-player limit.
“I was informed by our coach the Leon’s team had four [substitutes] and it contradicted the rules. I didn’t set the rules, (they were) created by the organisers, and we believe (the situation) was unfair to us. It was an unjust situation to have, at that stage, a fresher leg coming onto play”, the Principal contended.
Teon Forde scored a match-defining goal in the 78th minute, and it is understood the fourth change was made in the 87th minute.
It was only the second loss for Chase’s in close to four years, as they have held the Milo crown for three consecutive years.
However, Chase distanced himself from the idea they are “sore losers,” as he says he is making a legitimate claim based on rules in his possession.
“It is unfortunate that persons would think it is petty. If you are going to create rules for the sake of creating rules, then that makes no sense,” he contended.
The Principal highlighted an incident which occurred during Chase’s final group match with Annandale Secondary, which was initially curtailed at half time due to a power outage when they were 3-0.
“We didn’t complain then. I asked the organisers if we have to play back the remaining time left in the game and they said no, it has to be replayed entirely. I know the guys [at Petra] are honourable, they are men of integrity and they will do just what is fitting in the game of football.”
He added, “If it does not change, it tells me where football is going, and I am one individual that dislikes disorganisation. I don’t like losing, and I instil that in my students. It’s not about losing alone, but it is about the way you lose,” he explained.

Break in communication
In response, co-director of the organising body, Troy Mendonca, revealed that a slight adjustment has been made to the rules on the request of the Guyana Football Federation (GFF).
“Over the years, all our junior tournaments have been using five changes. Apparently there was a typographical error which was brought to my attention by the Guyana Football Federation before they offered approval. The correspondence was sent to the Federation on January 31, but unfortunately, we erred by not communicating the same with the teams.”

Mendonca added, “We don’t see it [the substitutions] having any bearing on the outcome on the game. The resolution is that we don’t see the protest holding validity, as it has nothing to do with the outcome of the game”.

Not taking chances
Chase’s Captain, Jeremy Garrett, speaking on the side-lines after the heart-wrenching defeat, admitted that the team did not convert their numerous chances.
“Most of the guys are young and inexperienced, and the team needed a finisher and we didn’t have it. So the opposition had two chances, and they scored one; we had about ten, and we couldn’t put away any,” he explained.

In 2017, Chase, with a more high profile team, ousted Sir Leon’s 2-0 in the semi-finals, but Garrett said they did not take their opponents for granted, and now it’s about learning from the defeat.
“Now that we learn to lose, some of the players will stop talking a lot and being very confident. Most of the guys come, and they think Chase is just about winning and depend on other players. Some of the guys were not holding up. You have to learn to lose before you learn how to win,” he declared.

The national footballer added, “Most of the guys will come back. This is my last year, and I know Chase’s Academy can do it again”.
An invited comment from the Sir Leon’s camp stated: “Chase needs to accept the result. They defeated us last year and we came back more prepared and won”.