ALFRED King was returned unopposed as President of the Guyana Football Referees Council (GFRC) when the local referees’ body held its Annual General Meeting Saturday last  at the Carifesta Sports Complex.

King, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport headed a slate put forward to members and all nominees were elected unchallenged.
The majority of the officers served on the previous administration with Carlos Bernard being named as the Senior Vice President, Dion Inniss – Junior Vice President, Troy Peters  – General Secretary, Dwayne Lovell – Treasurer.
Natasha Lewis is the new assistant secretary treasurer while Stanley Lancaster and Ingram Johnson returning as committee members. Sherwin Moore joined them as a new committee member.
King thanked the members for showing a vote of confidence in the newly elected officers  and promised to strive for excellence to ensure that referees development, training and welfare are foremost in plans by the new executive body that will serve for two years.
He had earlier highlighted the challenges faced by the GFRC following the impasse between the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) and the Georgetown Football Association (GFA) which allowed some of its members to break away and form a referees’ body within Georgetown.
“We have to work together, we are critical to the game of football and must stay united or we will be sending mix signals, the time is right to regroup and organize for the future,” he told members in his President’s Report.
King said referees must strive to formulate a new structure of governance with the recent formation of a National Referees Committee, a directive from FIFA, the world body governing football.
A five-member committee comprising veteran football administrator Lawrence “Sparrow” Griffith, Kayode Lambert, Dion Inniss, Natasha Lewis and Sherwin Moore was appointed to review the GFRC constitution.
Several organisations were also lauded for working closely with the GFRC including Guyana Telephone and Telegraph (GT&T), New GPC Inc., Neal and Massy Group, Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport and auditing firm PKF, Barcellos, Narine and Company.
The new executive committee will meet this week to finalise a course of action for the next two years and discuss plans for the GFF forthcoming Ordinary Congress.
Meanwhile,  . Dion Nurse, Secretary of the Guyana Weightlifting Association served as the returning office on recommendation from the Guyana Olympic Association and the GFF.