..Club to battle GFC tonight and compete in STAG Elite League under protest

OWNER of the Slingerz Football Club, Javed Ali, has said that his team will play in tonight’s STAG Elite fixture against the Georgetown Football Club (GFC) at the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) ground.

The two teams will meet in the opening game of the planned double-header from 18:00hrs. Alpha United will meet Pele in the second match from 20:30hrs.
Ali noted that initially, his intention was to pull his club from further participating in the STAG Elite League, citing unfair treatment and punishment handed down by the Guyana Football Federation (GFF).
On October 12, Slingerz FC was scheduled to play the GDF but after receiving Notice from the GFF that four of their players were ineligible, the club could not have taken the field, reasoning that the timing was too short for them to find a replacement and had also asked that the game be rescheduled.
However, their actions were interpreted as a forfeit of the GDF match and the Normalisation Committee (NC) of the GFF deliberated on the non-appearance of the club and noted that Slingerz FC had violated Article 4 (19) of the Rules and Regulation of the League.
According to the rules that govern the League, “a No-show is when a team wilfully does not appear at a game without a specific agreement approved by the GFF”.
Should a club be found guilty of deliberately withdrawing itself from the game, the rules state that “a 3-0 loss, a 3-point deduction from their standings and a League fine of G$200 000, of which 50% is awarded to the aggrieved club”.
“I believe that the punishment wasn’t justified because it was not a case where the club blatantly refused to play because to us and the evidence we have, we don’t have an ineligible player, plus they didn’t give us the stipulated 48-hour notice. We could not have gotten a replacement for some of those players. That’s why we couldn’t play” Ali reasoned.
He added “I was upset after getting the news that the club was fined because we met with the GFF and nothing of the sort was discussed.”
Ali said that he wants to make his case clear. “I provide employment for all of those players who also got their responsibilities to take care of and they depend on me, so the club will be participating in the League but under the conditions of a protest.”
The club has so far written to the GFF’s General Secretary Deidre Davis, outlining the grounds of their further participation in the league, which will be played under protest. Slingerz FC also said that an appeal will be sent to the league’s Appeals Committee.
However, it was stated by the General Secretary that at present, no Appeals Committee is in place, with such only happening by the end of October.
The General Secretary also informed the club that the decision handed down will remain in place and the club is free to file an appeal.
Meanwhile, though no official release was sent by the GFF, it was published in the Tuesday, October 20 edition of the Guyana Chronicle, that Technical Officer Lyndon France has been suspended for three months.
The article stated that the grounds of the suspension were not known, but sources close to the situation suggested that France was at fault for Slingerz being in their position presently.
France, the Transfer Matching System (TMS) Manager of the GFF, is part owner of the Buxton United Football Club; the same club that had written to the GFF questioning the legality of the four players from Slingerz FC.
According to the article, it would have been impossible for Buxton United to be privy with any information within the TMS if France did not allegedly leak the information.
“If they suspended the individual who is responsible for all of this that happened, then why still sanction us? The team will play and I hope everything works out well. I’ve invested millions into getting my club to where it’s at today in football”
“I have an obligation to the players, the fans and the league to continue playing but we must let everyone know that we will be playing under a protest,” Ali said.
Slingerz FC, based on the official standings of the league, are in fourth position with nine points behind Pele FC (14), rivals Alpha United (13) and the GDF (12).