WHILE the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) and its affiliates, in conjunction with FIFA, were busy going through the process of adopting its new Constitution, former president Christopher Matthias led a three-man protest outside the Marriott Hotel in Kingston,Along with disgruntled Upper Demerara Football Association (UDFA) president Collis Gift and former referee Otis James, Matthias and his ‘crew’ protested the GFF and FIFA’s decision to not involve the UDFA, along with the Bartica and Essequibo Football Associations in the constitutional reform process.
However, it was under Matthias’ leadership at the GFF, that FIFA installed Guyana’s first Normalisation Committee to run the affairs of the game locally.
On October 14, 2014, FIFA dismantled the Matthias-led GFF since, according to their (FIFA) Head of Member Association Primo Cavaro and CONCACAF’s Director of Legal Affairs Marco Leal, Matthias had brought the game into disrepute and the GFF-affiliated Member Association had lost faith in his leadership.
Yesterday, the GFF and its affiliates adopted a new Constitution; one of the mandates given by FIFA to the Normalisation Committee who must now amend the current constitution of their member associations and to organise elections according to the new Constitution.