MONTEGO BAY, St James — Former national goalkeeper and goalkeeping coach Warren Barrett has signalled his intentions to appeal a five-years ban from the sport and a $25,000 fine that was levied against him by the Disciplinary Committee of the St James Football Association on Tuesday.

It is understood that Barrett gave his intentions to appeal the decision yesterday after he and Violet Tourers teammate Phillip Wong picked up $25,000 fines and five-year bans.

Both men were found guilty of bringing the July 25 Western Masters League semi-final return-round game between Violet Tourers and Hanover Masters at Jarrett Park into disrepute.

The St James FA, however, recommended that the ban not affect Barrett’s appointment as national goalkeeping coach.

Days after the incident, the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) suspended Barrett with immediate effect, pending the outcome of the meeting on Tuesday.

A release from the St James FA over the signature of the general secretary Bruce Gaynor said:

National goalkeeping coach Warren Barrett was charged with entering the field of play and assaulting a match official.

Phillip Wong was charged with assaulting the said match official.”

1. Mr Warren Barrett was found culpable and was fined twenty-five thousand dollars and suspended for five years. Years 1 to 3 is mandatory and years 4 to 5 he will be on probation.

This panel has only jurisdiction in St James and has recommended to the JFF that the suspension does not affect his duties as a national goalkeeping coach.

2. Mr Phillip Wong was found culpable and was fined twenty-five thousand dollars and was suspended for five years.

If Barrett’s appeal is to be heard, however, he has to put it in writing, along with the fees, by today — 48 hours after the decision or the fines and suspensions will go into effect — the statement from the St James FA said yesterday.

Barrett, who captain the Reggae Boyz during their successful World Cup 1998 campaign, was charged with entering the field of play and assaulting a match official, referee Donat McKenley, while Wong was charged with assaulting the same official.

The game, the first of as triple-header at the vene, was blown off early in the second half after two disturbances during which both Barrett and McKenley suffered injuries to their faces causing bleeding.

Barrett was reported to have suffered a cut on his nose, it was reported, while McKenley got a cut on his lips and dislocated fingers on his right hand.

During the incident Wong, who plays for Violet Tourers, ran from the middle of the field and kicked McKenley in the back, causing a second melee.

According to David Watt, chairman of the Disciplinary Committee, the evidence of Match Commissary Bryan Miller was instrumental in both men being found guilty.

Watt said the report accused Barrett, who was acting in the capacity of coach of the two-time defending champions, of “verbally abusing the referee throughout the first half of the game,” while standing at the edge of the technical area.

The report also stated that the assistant referee closest to the team benches also came in for abuse from the Violet Tourers players and coach.

Miller’s report said that about 10 minutes into the second half the Violet Tourers players appealed for what they thought was a penalty, but it was ignored by McKenley.

The referee, it is understood, then approached the Violet Tourers bench at which time Barrett “took two steps forward which took him onto the playing field” as both men came face to face, inches apart from each other.

In his report, the Match Commissary said he saw Barrett head-butt McKenley, the shorter of the two, then grab his fingers and bend them backwards, at which time both men got entangled and had to be separated by players from both teams.

After the were separated, it is understood that Wong attacked McKenley — an act the player admitted during Tuesday’s meeting, explaining that he thought his older brother Alvin, was being attacked and he was trying to defend him.

Meanwhile, Barrett appeared in the Montego Bay Resident Magistrate’s Court yesterday to answer charges of assault, after McKenley filed a report to the Mount Salem Police Station following the incident.

The matter was referred for mediation and both parties are to return to court on September 10 when the matter will be mentioned.

Efforts to contact JFF president Captain Horace Burrell for a comment proved futile yesterday.