IN ELEVEN days’ time, 22 eligible voting members of the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) will cast their votes to determine who takes charge of the ‘Beautiful Game’ here in Guyana for the next four years. As ‘D’ Day nears the real lovers and members of the sport continue to ask, how ready are we for the most important elections in our country’s football history?
It is hoped that all 22 members would be in good stead and eligible to vote on November 14. Likewise all members who are on slates contesting the elections should be cleared by the Ethics Committee of the GFF.
The big problem is that this very important committee is not likely to be established in time for the elections and of course the Clinton Urling-led Normalisation Committee (NC) would step up to play that role.
This should not be accepted since the NC is already acting as the Electoral Committee and so any ethical matter, protest or objections by the contesting slates must be addressed by a separate Committee comprising members who do not come from the NC, so as to avoid the inevitable conflict of interest.
The positive effects of the Ethics Committee of the world governing body FIFA was reiterated by Chairman Urling, who also promised over a month now that the GFF would shortly install this vital Committee but as the General Secretary Ms. Deidri Davis explained, “getting the ideal persons to serve on the committee is proving difficult”. Maybe an advertisement in the Media might have helped, but the GS dismissed such a notion.
A glance at the slates would reveal that there is work for the Ethics Committee so it is imperative to establish it and the quicker the NC puts it together the more it would appear that we are serious with our football and not continuing down the same destructive road that has brought us to this current crisis.
For all intents and purposes it seems as though the journey to the governance of the ‘Beautiful Game’ here in Guyana will not be easily achieved. However, the ones entrusted to determine who will take charge of the sport are going to be the key card in the outcome of the elections.
Both slates are intensifying their campaigns in their final efforts to sway the voters and of course there will be tons of promises and gifts and who knows what more. From all indications, both Team Integrity and Team Unity are confident of victory.
An official update from the GFF yesterday stated that only four members have not completed the GFF’s mandate of adopting the new constitution and holding elections in order to be eligible to cast their votes, but it was assured that by this coming weekend the completion would take place.
Elite clubs Pele FC and Slingerz FC as well as the East Coast Demerara FA and the Women’s FA are the members still to put their houses in order.

By Ras Wadada