Dear Editor
NOTE has been taken of the publication of a 27-player squad of locally based footballers, to pursue training for an international friendly against host Grenada, on 08.10.17, with the possibility of a few overseas-based players being included. Editor, in my estimation, the GFF once again has found itself “caught between a rock and a hard place.” Since I would seriously like to know: what were the criteria used to select the locally based players? Who are the members of the selection panel? Does the GFF have within its database a list of overseas-based players profiles, is the GFF au fait with club representation, fitness levels, playing time (weekly), division, standard and training? Suffice, it to say that we are in the electronic age, and definitely not “in “ stone age, aided by a Jurassic style of administrative leadership.”

Meanwhile, how many matches of the Hamilton Green K.O. and the Corona Beer Round /Robin K.O did members of the selection panel attend? Is it not a burning shame for two privately-run tournaments to be utilised for selection, moreover with the former first round not being completed? Since when playing a knockout tournament is justifiable for selection, with the adage,” Losers walk the plank”? Within a League/Round Robin albeit, on a bad day as was the mantra, compliments of former coach, Deryck Whyte. “From all indications, luck is not on our side today, missing easy goals, including a penalty, struck the woodwork twice. Fellas, if we can’t score in the second half, please ensure nothing scores on us, at least, we’ll have to settle for the 1 point from the draw.” At the time “Whytey” was the coach, myself Secretary of Georgetown and arguably the nations’ most successful club Fruta Conquerors. By relevant comparison, with a team becoming a first-round causality, in a knockout. What assessment of a player can be made?
As a consequence, it remains downright “ tomfoolery” for the selection panel to overlook police’s Dwain Jacobs, a former national, who netted a hat-trick in the recently-concluded Corona Beer Round-Robin/K.O finals, en route to police’s 4-0 victory over host GFC, with the lawmen winning 2 out of 3 finals within two years. Why is it that police, along with beaten finalist GFC, cannot have a single player each, in a squad of 27 locally based players?

Given the fact that the Upper Demerara Football Association – – an affiliate of the GFF — was coordinating an Inter-Association Round-Robin/Knockout Tournament, would it not have been more prudent to utilise same for selection, despite the fact that a smaller pool of players would have been vying for selection? Or was it taken into consideration the possibility of favouritism would have existed at the association level, in relation to selection. But the inclusion from Bartica and East Bank ought not to have been overlooked! Then, the surprise selection of Gregory” Jackie Chan” Richardson, who last donned national colours almost two years ago, remains puzzling. Was/is Richardson active in either of the two privately coordinated tournaments? However, in the absence of senior league competitions being played locally in any association, compounded by the inability of the GFF to indicate when the third edition of the Elite league is set to kick off, surely, is a clear indication of continued under-development of the sport, since September, has come to an end, and the international friendly is a few weeks away.

As it relates to the GFF monthly financial assistance for regional member associations, editor, while the adage of: “better too late than never” becomes applicable, I do hope that “overt politicking “isn’t an established factor, since the “monthly financial assistance” isn’t something new and it would be “down right dishonesty” to claim so. If my maths is correct i.e $50,000 x 8 x 12 =$4,800,000 annually. But for public dissemination and the records, while I was the Assistant Secretary/Treasurer, GFA (2008-2010), our association along with others, on a monthly basis had the following expenses paid by the then president Colin Klass: office rental and secretarial staff; GPL and GTT utility bills, with the latter inclusive of intendent fees. Interestingly, all the other requirements that were publicised had to be met on a monthly basis. But this should not preclude the GFF from requesting bi-monthly meetings instead. However, from an economic standpoint, in this “day and age” $50,000 monthly in Georgetown cannot suffice to pay a typist privately and rent a venue to convene meetings, much less to have an office running on a daily basis five days a week; lest I forget, the furnishings for our office, which was located at Robb & Oronoque Streets, Bourda, was provided by the GFF, inclusive of a computer.
Regards
Lester Sealey