Clinton Urling, the chairman of the Normalisation Committee that was installed by FIFA to manage the affairs of Guyana’s football, is refuting claims that the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) is ‘cash strapped’.Reports surfaced in one section of the media, that the GFF is unable to pay its staff and the prize money for the just concluded STAG Elite League (Genesis) because of dried coffers but Urling, in a release yesterday stated “while the GFF might be going through some cash flow issues because of the transition period from the Normalisation Committee (NC) to the new executive, it is far-fetched to say that the GFF is cash strapped”.

“The NC has always pointed out to the members of the GFF (most recently at the Congress) that for 2015 the GFF received only half of its FIFA allocated funds while the other MAs around the region have received their full complement of the FAP and Bonuses,” Urling noted.

The former NC Chairman noted “This remaining half has left the GFF in a solid financial state and because the NC has ensured that the audited financial statements for 2013 and 2014 were completed during its tenure, FIFA will within a matter of days release to the GFF US$375,000 that is due for 2015. Moreover, the GFF will receive in January an additional US$250,000 in FAP from FIFA for a cumulative total of US$625,000 by the end of January”.

Urling pointed out that had it not been for the GFF under the Normalisation Committee repaying $63M in debts inherited at the beginning of 2015, the GFF would have been in a better financial standing.

He noted that the Normalisation Committee believed that it was prudent to pay off as much of the debt as possible so as to not burden the New Executive with a large albatross.

“The football community and the media have to be reminded that the Elite League was never a three-month affair that ended in November but rather a one-season league that is split in two halves and which ends next May. Any projections and finances for the league must take this fact into account. On this score, the GFF will easily meet its obligations to fund the League,” Urling said.

The Elite League, according to Urling, has surpassed all expectations in terms of sponsorship received and gate receipts from the first half.

The sponsorship received for the elite league thus far, he said, is the highest amount ever raised by the GFF for any event in its history and additionally, the approximate $9M received from gate receipts also represents a significant achievement for the GFF.

“If these trends continue into the second half of the League, the GFF will have the makings of a very sustainable product that can be administered for years to come.

Finally, football has been the winner with the stabilisation of the GFF and the elections of a New Executive, and the entire country looks forward to a prosperous and bright future for Guyana’s football. I remain committed to playing any part to make this a sustained reality,” said the former NC Chairman.