TUCKER, St James — Red Stripe Premier League champions Montego Bay United (MBU) are sticking to their guns and will not play any games in the new season until their concerns are adequately addressed, says owner Orville Powell.

“This is a matter of principle and… we will not be backing down,” Powell told the Sunday Observer yesterday.

Powell attended an emergency meeting called by Jamaica Football Federation boss Captain Horace Burrell on Friday in Kingston, but the MBU chairman left the meeting early.

He was speaking to the Observer even as pre-season activities organised by the sponsors and the PLCA were in full swing at the club’s Wespow Park facilities in Tucker, St James.

Up to yesterday, he said the players and coaching staff had not been officially notified of the club’s decision not to play the opening game against promoted Reno FC set for Monday night at the Montego Bay Sports Complex in Catherine Hall.

“Before we left for the meeting it was the intent that we would not play any games until the issues have been ironed out,” he said. “Even if we are the only club not playing, we will not play and they can take any decisions they want — dock the points and fine us.”

A strident Powell said the club would be appealing any decision to the highest available tribunal possible, local or international.

Among the contentious issues, Powell said, were the transparency and accountability of those in charge of the league as well as the tenure of general manager Andrew Price, who was also technical director of Boys’ Town FC and who he charged acted unilaterally and without the consent of the clubs playing in the competition on at least one occasion.

Powell, bristled at assertions by PLCA boss Edward Seaga that the issues were “small ones”, asked why then were they not dealt with and he further questioned the reason why the new season is starting without the issues being addressed.

“Why do we have to wait even a week into the competition to get the so-called small issues dealt with?” Powell asked.

“When I stepped down in June (from the running of the club), these issues were not dealt with and now in September we are still dealing with these same issues,” he said.

Powell listed the issues as “Transparency, accountability, the legality of the PLCA”, which he claimed has had one director for the past seven years “when the rules call for 12”.

Powell a nd MBU are still unhappy how the league was being administered on a day-to-day basis.