THE decision to let St John’s enter the 2013 Island Games football tournament has enraged a number of individuals, not least St George’s manager and former island player Chris Bass Sr.
‘This decision is totally disrespectful to the regular island players who train regularly and deserve the opportunity to represent the Isle of Man,’ he said.
‘Every athlete has to reach certain standards of qualification at Island Games level, but St John’s have no qualifications whatsoever.
‘I applaud St John’s for trying and would be happy if they were accepted to participate in a competition say in Europe, completely under their own steam and name. I’d gladly go along and support them. But the Island Games is different and it should be the best players in an Isle of Man team or not at all.
‘You’re not telling me that they will play in the competition as St John’s United, because they can’t. It’s not St John’s v Bermuda or the Falkland Islands; it’s the Isle of Man and the FA are under some illusion if they think otherwise.
‘There’s simply too much political background with this. It’s an under-handed movement.
‘The vote only narrowly went through and I have been told on very good authority that one of the delegates left the meeting not knowing if he had voted for or against.
‘That’s the sign of someone who doesn’t know what’s going on and frankly doesn’t care.
‘All athletes competing at the Island Games have to qualify in some form.
‘FA president Tony Jones has the power to override such decisions and in my mind that is what he should have done on this occasion. Isle of Man FA are losing respect, it’s a farce.
‘It’s well known that approaches have been made to St George’s players to get them down to St John’s to train there, simply to gain momentum for the Malcolm Blackburn and Nick Hurt PR machine.
‘One day I’d love to see the Isle of Man represented in the national league, but if the FA aren’t careful they’ll end up with no one wanting to represent the island at any level.
‘What kind of an image does this give? You train hard with the national squad on a regular basis, only for the island to be represented at international level by a club side - and not the best one at that.
‘The lads who have trained are so dedicated and they now feel as though they have been hung out to dry. It certainly leaves a sour taste in my mouth and many others I’m sure.’
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