New Raiders Football Club won a historic court action against the beleaguered St Catherine Football Association (SCAFA) last Friday. Justice David Batts upheld an injunction barring the parish’s governing football body from finalising its 2024-2025 Division One season until it hears New Raiders’ appeal against deduction of points, which had occurred on the eve of the semi-finals.
Last Friday’s ruling, the third in the last two years, is the latest court action to have gone against SCAFA, led by Jamaica Football Federation vice-president Elaine Walker-Brown.
New Raiders had filed an injunction in June 2025 against sanctions imposed by the association, including the deduction of points for fielding players, who, the club argued, were granted written permission from SCAFA to compete in the 2024-2025 Division One season.
The loss of points resulted in New Raiders being omitted from the semi-finals to which they had advanced from the preliminary rounds, hoping to gain promotion to the Major league as one of two finalists.
Despite New Raiders’ appeal, SCAFA moved ahead by hosting the Division One semi-finals, excluding New Raiders, prompting the club’s injunction against a final being played.
In turn, SCAFA skirted the court’s ruling by promoting ‘semi-final winners’ Edgewater and Beacon Hill to the Major League while New Raiders were left in limbo, stuck in Division One, awaiting their appeal.
Calls to Walker-Brown indicated that her mobile was either off or out of range, unavailable to comment on yet another courtroom loss to an affiliated club.
New Raiders had previously won a court skirmish against SCAFA, which had sought to have clubs sign an affiliation document prohibiting legal action against the association.
Last February, another SCAFA club, Royale Lakes, had a two-year ban overturned, imposed on the eve of the Major League kick-off by SCAFA, for breaching FIFA rules, which prohibit affiliates from pursuing court action outside of its internal structures and the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
The ban stemmed from Royale Lakes securing a successful injunction against SCAFA for acting contrary to its constitution, which had forced a postponement of its elections in July 2024.
Commenting on yet another courtroom loss for SCAFA, New Raiders’ spokesman, Dr Jason McKay, welcomed the ruling, saying it ensured that the club will receive a fair hearing even though the association had gone ahead and promoted teams to the Major League.
“The decision reinforces the principle that court orders must be obeyed. No association, not even FIFA, is above the authority of Jamaica’s courts,” said McKay, adding that SCAFA could soon go bankrupt with legal costs mounting against the association.
“As I have been at pains pointing out, SCAFA’s president, through the many court battles lost, will soon bankrupt the already struggling organisation.
“This makes the third case, so far, in which costs have been awarded against the association. These fees amount to millions and millions of dollars. It is just a matter of time before the extremely slow court process of determining the actual fees will be completed.
“We’re not even tabulating other existing cases before the court that have not been ruled on from which damages are likely to arise. Will the St Catherine clubs and the Jamaica Football Federation sit and allow one person to bankrupt SCAFA, one of the island’s biggest football organisations?” McKay asked.
SCAFA’s 2025 Major League got off to a delayed start last January after referees failed to show, reportedly protesting $1.35 million in unpaid fees from the previous season.
