IN ONE of the biggest football news locally, Alpha United Club president Odinga Lumumba has withdrawn from the Nigel Hughes-led slate where he was named as the 1st vice-president. Hughes, an Attorney-at-Law, will go up against businessman and president of the Fruta Conquerors, Wayne Forde, when the Guyana Football Federation’s (GFF) 22 members head to the polls tomorrow, at the Marriott Hotel to elect a new Executive body.
Lumumba, flanked by members of ‘Team Unity’ Aubrey ‘Shanghai’ Major (3rd vice-president) and Mark Waldron (2nd vice-president), broke the news to the members of the media, at a Press Conference held at the Water Chris Hotel yesterday.
“I do this with a heavy heart but my interest is to put football first always for the good of the game,” said the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Member of Parliament, who reasoned that “for the past three weeks attempts have been made by members of the Integrity group, in particular Mr (Wayne) Forde, Mr (Rawlston) Adams and Mr (Bruce) Lovell to drag my name, character and contribution to football into the mud.”
Lumumba also accused the aforementioned individuals of going too far, after they allegedly “suggested that the honourable Counsel Mr Nigel Hughes and fellow-respected Counsel Mark Waldron were hired by me to secure a victory in the upcoming GFF elections then after elections they would ride away in the sunset. Not only do I find this position ridiculous; it also shows the level of unscrupulous behaviour that is presented by members of Team Integrity”.
“This group has decided that in order to win it must say degrading things about two young Attorneys, strip them of their integrity and accuse them of taking bribes. In any other society they would have been brought before the courts or, at the least, the Ethics council of the governing body for the sport,” Lumumba said.
“I wish to point out to members of Team Integrity that my desire is not to seek power in GFF but to take local football to a level that will set the course for better players, so that Guyana as a country could become competitive and one day compete at the World Cup. While enduring the personal attacks, I want to assure the football federation and the public at large that Lumumba doesn’t have any interest in the presidency and will never attempt to undermine Mr Hughes for him to leave,” Lumumba added.
To concretise his announcement, Lumumba said that he had submitted a letter to the Chairman of the Normalisation Committee (Clinton Urling), requesting an adjustment of Team Unity’s slate which would reflect that he’s no longer running for the position of First vice-president.
This letter, Lumumba said, would take effect prior to the elections tomorrow (Saturday) and will be the mandate of the Normalisation Committee or new General Council.