“Everyone is now enjoying what we were banned for, what we stood up for and it’s like they don’t remember us,” the words of Claude Williams, one of the ten persons in the Upper Demerara Football Association (UDFA) banned by the then Christopher Matthias-led Guyana Football Federation (GFF).Along with Williams, Collie Hercules, Patrick Dey, Rawle Johnson, Aswart Bharrat, Jeffery Trotman, Terrence Mitchell, Clive Brush and Wainwright Bethune were all banned from the game for five years.

President of the UDFA and Regional Chairman Sharma Solomon was given the harshest of punishment with an eight year suspension.

The decision to inflict penalties on the UDFA stemmed from the Association’s choice to play the final of the first installation of the GT Beer Year end Competition on January 1, 2014 even though the Congress had passed a ruling that no other final should be played, but the Banks Beer Knockout Cup which was played on the same day (January 1).

Matthias had told Chronicle Sport that the now banned UDFA Executives “disobeyed the directive of the Congress” and that “each member must comply fully with the directive and decisions made by the Congress,” adding that the UDFA went ahead and played its final on the same day as the Banks Beer Cup which totally contravened the decision and agreement of the Congress.

But Williams in an interview with this Newspaper yesterday pointed out that on January 1, 2015, three finals were played with no confusion and that everyone gained.

He said that while calls were made for the ban-decisions to be revised by GFF Normalisation Committee, it fell into deaf ears.

“We met with Mr. Urling (Clinton) when they were just put into office, and we told him how we felt among other things, but then like other people got to him and told him that it’s not their (Normalisation Committee) place to get into lifting our ban or even revisiting it,” Williams said.

The sometimes animated Williams further pointed out: “I don’t think this is normal. Apparently Jesus died on the cross for some people when I know he died for all of us so I don’t understand why people can’t see with us and look into the ban. Look at it this way, people in Linden and all over benefiting from what we fought for and stood up to Matthias for and now we can’t get to function around the game we love because of what was a mistake on their part.”

Asked what is the course of action being taken now to rid themselves of the ban he still calls “unconstitutional” Williams said, “Well, we were told now that we have to write to FIFA or CONCACAF and I think we have to do that through the GFF so as we speak, that letter is being sent to them so we can move on.”

(By Rawle Toney)