ODINGA Lumumba, president of Alpha United, Guyana’s top football club,  yesterday held a press briefing at the Water Chris Hotel to make public his thwarted effort by members of the  Guyana Football Association (GFA) which is in an impasse with the Guyana Football Federation (GFF). This situation developed between the two bodies following a fundamental disagreement over an election process by the GFF which led to the GFF suspending the GFA’s constitutional right to vote at any Annual General Meeting held by the GFF.
However, the GFA moved to the court, successfully filing an injunction against the GFF which barred them from having its AGM.
Lumumba stated that since the court case, he has chosen to intervene from the Government’s side to assist in any way to bring the conflict to an end.
He wrote the two bodies to consider sitting down and negotiating some agreement that would lead to the resolution of the impasse.
He said this would include lifting the ban off GFA which would give GFF a chance to conduct an election then also having all the associations go through regularisation of individual clubs prior to the GFF annual general meeting.
Lumumba stated that the GFF’s Assistant General Secretary George Rutherford wrote him back stating that they are willing to move forward and discuss matters.
He went on to say: “At the last general council meeting of the GFA, I submitted a motion which was seconded and approved by the general council that stated that the General Council mandatory executive order to the lawyer of the GFA, Roysdale Forde, to meet with the lawyer of the GFF so they can sit and deliberate the issue raised to bring an end to the conflict.” This occurred two Saturdays ago.
The Alpha president said he spoke to Forde on Wednesday, only to find out that he was never given such an order by the GFA nor was he ever told of the resolution by the GFA General Council.
Lumumba implied that he decided then to take a leader role position and wrote Matthias, the General Secretary of the GFA, informing him that he discovered that he failed to comply with the General Council decision to have their lawyer meet with the GFF’s lawyer.
The letter also read that president of the GFA Vernon Burnett told Lumumba that Forde was aware of the General Council decision and was given the instruction. The act he described as gross disrespect for the clubs.
The final paragraph in the letter reads: “Alpha United is asking you to direct the GFA’s attorney Mr Roysdale Forde to meet with the GFF attorney by Friday 10th, 2012 to discuss the way forward and work on a solution; also explain to the clubs why the General Council directive was discarded.”
This letter was copied to Dr. Frank Anthony, Minister of Sport, Burnett, Rutherford, GFA’s Vice Presidents Mark Phillips, Ivor Thompson and Kwabina Griffith and to the GFA treasurer, Forde and GFA’s affiliated clubs.
He disclosed that he spoke to members of GFA and some clubs to assemble tomorrow at Water Chris Hotel to discuss the matter and how they should proceed given that the GFA has failed once again to meet with the GFF.
Lumumba added that if the problem is not resolved quickly Guyana could be banned from international football and the Golden Jaguars could not compete in the World Cup qualifiers because it is only a matter of time before FIFA intervenes.
Wrapping up his rant, he said:  “Alpha United on Saturday (tomorrow) will decide its own course of action if the matter cannot be resolved with some common sense or some form of a meeting and discussion and discourse that will lead to the resolution of the matter.”