ROSEAU, Dominica (CMC) — Football’s world governing body FIFA is threatening to penalise the Dominica Football Association (DFA) if it proceeds with plans to resolve a dispute in the local court.

FIFA’s Ethics Committee member Primo Corvaro issued the warning after former President Dexter Francis brought DFA to court over wages and the legality of Glen Etienne as president of DFA.

Francis raised his legal challenge three days before the delegate’s election scheduled for June 27, forcing the event to be pushed back to August 1.

“In the future, after the election, should there be any football stakeholder going to any ordinary court, he must be sanctioned and should there be any decision from any judicial authorities imposing something on the DFA, the case will be taken seriously by FIFA and CONCACAF, meaning that sanctions will come,” warned Corvaro as he met with the press late Monday.

“You can’t leave the judicial system to take action: if that is done you can well imagine what will happen in that situation.”

Corvaro has criticised the action by Francis to take the DFA to court, saying such a move will not be tolerated by FIFA.

He says FIFA plans to send officials to monitor the upcoming elections.

“What has been done by Dexter Francis and others was not tolerated and will not be tolerated. We listened to the executive of the FA and we made them an exception: we are taking big risks. We have not accepted what has happened …let it be known that it will not be accepted in the future,” said the FIFA official.

“I am warning that if there is another issue, don’t be surprised of the outcome.”