(Letter to the Sports Editor)

The decision of six legitimate affiliates of the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) namely: Georgetown Football Association, East Demerara Football Association, East Bank Football Association, Guyana Football Coaches Association, National Women’s Football Association and the Guyana Football Referees Council to walk out of the reconvened Ordinary Congress of the GFF, held on Saturday August 9 at the Regency Hotel, was justifiable. And in the process, they utilised their vested constitutional powers to nullify the implementation of unconstitutional and undemocratic measures that would have enabled “provisional members” in the Upper Demerara Football Association, Bartica Football Association and the Essequibo/Pomeroon Football Association “Voting Rights”.
Editor, apart from being unconstitutional, it remains a clear indication of downright dishonesty on the part of the GFF’s President to mislead the public that “associate members of FIFA voted at the recently concluded Congress in Brazil”.
As I used to advocate at General Council Meetings of the GFF, more than a decade ago, “Kindly produce one iota of circumstantial and supportive evidence in writing”, why the constitutional articulation as it relates to “Loss of Membership” have not been successfully and rightfully applied, i.e. Berbice Football Association.
How many executive meetings along with General Council Meetings in addition to Competitions have been held over the last 15 months? Are minutes of the respective meetings and competitions reports in the possession of the GFF? What about Audited Financial Statements? If, for some peculiar reason the situation does exist, in any association, the “riot act” should be read.
Finally, associations that are administered by IMC’s are referred to as provisional members, who cannot enjoy the same benefits and privileges as an affiliate. Simply put, associates/provisional members can deliberate at any Congress, but, the “right to vote” is non-existent! Further, to circumvent this ongoing scenario, why is it the subsequent minutes of a previous GFF General Council Meeting, outlining: Corrections, Omissions and Adoption was not produced last Saturday, to substantiate the claim by the Federation’s President that “such a situation previously had occurred during Klass’ presidency”, since at the end of the day “examples are always better then precepts”!
Meanwhile, were the two contentious issues pertaining to associations representatives deliberated upon, whereas affiliates of the UDFA and WDFA had submitted written letters of correspondence to that effect?
In the first instance, eight affiliates and three associates deliberated at a meeting and unanimously decided that Mr. Keneisha Dey and Mr. Patrice Bynoe are their legitimate representatives to attend the Congress.
Suffice it to say, the clubs are also objecting to the manner in which the duly elected executive of the UDFA was suspended, albeit, without observing “due process, natural justice and constitutionality”.
Over on the West Demerara, the clubs objected to the non-representation of their Hon. Secretary at the Congress due to a purported suspension.
As a consequence it comes as no surprise that the administration of national football, is in such turmoil! That two decades of Klass’ stewardship; two years of Wilson’s Presidency (ag), under no given circumstance in excess of two decades was an executive ever reduced to two individuals, president and a committee member.
Compounded by the walkout of six GFF affiliates, representatives, and thereafter one Vice President and a Committee member followed, how could the GFF as an executive, devoid of a quorum, nominate/propose/recommend an individual to fill a vacancy as a Vice President, in defiance of constitutionality, moreover, when the suspension of a Vice President was illegal? But with the “comedy of errors” continuing unabatedly in the continued mal-administration of the sport, a more perfect script could not have been written for the annual satire “Nothing to Laugh About”. Nothing tangible can be shown about moving their respective club from point A to B, much less their Association, with a few never functioning in that capacity before. By relevant comparison would a Pee-Wee (under-11) player be elevated automatically into a senior national team?
Did the re-convening of the Congress confirm with the stated agenda, as was indicated publicly with that of the previous one? If so, was the “vote of no confidence” still an item on the agenda? At what juncture was the filling of Vice-Presidents vacancies ratified?

Lester Sealey.