Court orders PMSA to act

THE Port Moresby Soccer Association (PMSA) have been ordered to convene an extraordinary general meeting this Saturday at the Bisini soccer ground to get their house in order.
The meeting is to start at 10am.
The Port Moresby District Court last Thursday ordered PMSA general secretary Jack Lus to immediately convene the meeting as per their constitution to settle internal administrative issues that had torn the association asunder and wrecked havoc on their competition.
District Court magistrate Pinson Pindipia made the judgment based on Clause 13 of the PMSA constitution.
This was consistent with a written request, dated July 24 by one-third of the members of the PMSA to the general secretary to convene an extraordinary general meeting of the association.
He ordered that the request be accepted and the general secretary be bound by the constitution to call the meeting within a week of the decision being handed down.
Notice of the meeting, as per the PMSA constitution, should be carried extensively in the mainstream print media.
The court also warned PMSA executive John Wesley and his “caretaker’ faction and supporters to restrain from acting aggressively towards their bid to oust the PMSA administration headed by president Fabian Chow.
Mr Pindipia urged them to conduct themselves, their association and supporters in a peaceful manner so as to allow the extraordinary special meeting to take place on Saturday.
Wesley welcomed the court order as a major breakthrough in efforts to unseat Chow and clear up the suspension of PMSA by the PNGFA.
Chow had formerly led a dissident faction claiming to be the legitimate administrators of soccer at the national level, inviting the wrath, not only from the PNGFA executive headed by David Chung, but also the Fifa and Oceania Football Confederation.
The bad news, however, is that an interim restraining order taken out by Chow has now been extended to the return date of this matter next Thursday at 9am.
That order basically means that Wesley and his group will continue to stay away from Bisini until the extra ordinary meeting is held on Saturday.
Meanwhile, OFC has condemned Chow’s court action and given him 14 days to withdraw the restraining order against Wesley and his group.OFC general secretary Tai Nicholas said should Chow fail or neglect to withdraw the court proceeding, OFC shall take disciplinary action against him.
He said the court action by Chow as head of Port Moresby Soccer Association was in breach of  PNGFA, OFC and Fifa statutes, relating to disputes, in particular, Article 29, which virtually rules out any court action by individuals, clubs and member associations or any other stakeholder.