THE Guyana Football Federation (GFF) has finally broken their silence on the ongoing dispute with members of the country’s National Football Team – the Golden Jaguars –

about money owed to them during their run in the FIFA 2014 Brazil World Cup qualifiers and the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) tournament.
Present at the press conference hosted by the GFF yesterday were acting president Franklin Wilson and General Secretary Noel Adonis, who first dispelled all rumours that the players were ever paid US$12 per day while being part of any national team during 2012.
In fact, the Federation said that for the year 2012, they have spent G$191 825 409 on the Golden Jaguars.
“That’s just for this year alone and all we wanted was these players to be honest when they were talking to the media,” explained Wilson.
The issues with the players who are mostly represented by their captain Christopher Nurse is that they were owed an agreed figure by the GFF and felt as though the move of the country’s final World Cup should’ve seen them being more financially rewarded.
Wilson said that the GFF has made a profit of approximately US$75 000 from the move of the Guyana/Mexico game to Houston from the Guyana National Stadium at Providence, but the expenses the Federation has incurred during Guyana’s run in the World Cup Qualifiers could see that sum being less.
“That’s (US$75 000) is not really a final figure since we are still tabulating, so that could still be less in the final calculation. But I want to say that at no time were the players given US$12 as they say in the media,” said Wilson.
According to correspondence given to the media in attendance yesterday by the GFF, for local camps and friendly internationals on NON-FIFA dates, the players are given US$20 per diem, while $25 is given on FIFA dates and US$30 during their camps for the World Cup qualifiers and games.
The players, Wilson reiterated, should be truthful. He accepts that the federation indeed owes them for an agreed-upon sum from the Mexico game.
“We have made payments to the players for all other tournaments and matches but only honestly owe them for the last match where certain figures were agreed upon based on the arrangement for moving the game to Houston” Wilson said, adding that no time frame for payment was given.
He said that the GFF is still tabulating its expenses and payments should be made by the end of the first quarter of 2013.
For the sake of our readers, this newspaper has affixed a full financial statement given by the GFF as it relates to the players’ remuneration structure.
Asked what took the GFF so long to finally speak out after receiving a bashing by the players, more so the captain who used every form of the local media and social network to express his disgust at the state of the game in Guyana, Wilson said that they had to make sure of their figures and get their facts in order.
“The GFF is not going to get into any back and forth media parade with any player or players and we coming forward now is because we have finally gotten most of the figures,” the Federation’s top brass said.
Meanwhile, Nurse who seems bent in making sure that the GFF upholds his end of the bargain, is in Guyana to participate in the 23rd Kashif and Shanghai Football Tournament with national champions Alpha ‘The Hammer’ United, and has stated at a recent press conference that he’s willing to sit with the GFF to bring about a resolution.
However, Wilson, when quizzed said that while the GFF is also open, there are still certain things that need to be put in place before such a meeting with the players is held.