ITCA believes that several unfair treatment and lack of transparency have tarnished the integrity of the competition.
ITCA called on the Students Union to take immediate measures for correction.
They stated that the match venue for their second match in the on-going Vice Chancellor football tournament was changed three times within 24 hours.
ITCA complied with the last-minute changes to avoid impacting the tournament schedule for other teams.
They revealed that other schools continued playing at their designated fields, which raises concerns about preferential treatment, particularly in favour of Administration.
ITCA further revealed that no linesmen were assigned to officiate their match against Administration, leaving the SU Sports Minister to officiate as a linesman.
“The lack of fairness extended to the third round matches, which were not synchronized across teams, create a potential competitive imbalance,’’ ITCA said.
ITCA pointed out that their match against UNIGAMSA, the match venue was changed from Saint Peter’s to Abuko without prior consultation with their Sports Minister.
They further pointed out that their minister raised objections but were dismissed without justifiable reason.
ITCA highlighted all incidents that occur during their match against UNIGAMSA.
‘‘One of our player sustained injury and culprit was free and penalty was awarded, referee booked player during the incident,’’ ITCA pointed out.
ITCA stated that disputed goal was awarded to their opponent, conflict opinions from officials and spectators and UNIGAMSA supporters acknowledge that goal it wasn’t a legitimate goal,’’ ITCA said.
ITCA further stated that the assistant referee refused to intervene, adding that it was not within his jurisdiction after the referee had already made the call.
‘‘The lack of goal nets only exacerbated confusion.
The game began late, leading to poor visibility by the time the match was in progress, compromising the quality of play,’’ ITCA explained.
ITCA expressed their disappointment with the conduct of the SU Sports Department.
‘‘SU Sports Department failed to ensure fairness, professionalism and transparency during matches in the on-going University of The Gambia Vice Chancellor football tournament,’’ SU Sports Department said.
ITCA demanded the match to be rescheduled since no final result was declared.
They called on the SU Sports Department to restore trust by addressing the critical issues and ensure that future matches are conducted fairly.
“ITCA stands firm in its position and will pursue all available legal avenues if an unfair ruling is issued by the Sports Committee.
‘‘We expect actions to ensure that the values of integrity and sportsmanship are upheld in the on-going University of The Gambia Vice Chancellor football competitions,’’ SU Sports Department said.
