-Ten teams to contest season three

PRESIDENT of the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) Wayne Forde, has deemed the second edition of the STAG Elite League a success, despite the many challenges faced by his federation.
The Guyana Defence Force (GDF) were crowned champions of the GFF’s National League and will pocket the $6M first-place prize, while Fruta Conquerors took the second spot in the six-team league when the curtain came down on last Sunday at the Camp Ayanganna ground.
Much controversy had surrounded the staging of the league, as last year winners Slingerz FC, along with second-place finishers Alpha United, Pele FC and the Georgetown Football Club (GFC), all challenged the expansion of the league from eight to ten teams.
The clubs objected to the manner in which the GFF added Victoria Kings and Linden’s Topp XX, calling the move ‘unconstitutional’, and had sought several avenues to deliberate over their participation after officially pulling out in protest.
Forced by the move of the clubs’ refusal to participate and following consultation with both CONCACAF and world-governing body FIFA, the GFF kicked off their league on November 20 with the GDF, Fruta Conquerors, Victoria Kings, Topp XX, Buxton United and Monedderlust.
“I think the league showed that we will not have this game be held at ransom,” Forde told Chronicle Sport in an exclusive interview yesterday.
Forde described the league as a positive for Guyana’s football, given the fact that it showed in the end that “football was the winner”.
“The league came with many challenges,” Forde explained, while adding, “I could attest to our (GFF) attempt to have the issue resolved with the four clubs, as well as my personal effort with the owners/presidents of the clubs to come to a peaceful resolution, but everything failed. In the end, it was a win-win situation for everyone.”
Forde also praised the level of play of the GDF team, noting that their win should not be seen as dominating in the absence of both Alpha United and Slingerz FC and to an extent Pele FC, but rather their complete transformation.
“The GDF were clearly a cut above the other clubs and that has much to do with the way they approached the game and that was good for the game,” Forde highlighted.
The GFF president showered title sponsors Ansa McAl with praise for sticking with the Federation during its dilemma, calling (Ansa McAl) “true supporters of the game locally.”
“They stuck with us, invested more despite everything that happened and showed their support beyond what was required of them. Truly, they were the backbone of this league, along with our other sponsors who came on board and supported us wholeheartedly,” Forde said.
Meanwhile, the GFF top brass mentioned, “We will head back to the drawing board and make a few fundamental changes, which will see ten teams playing in season three. Our (goal) is to have a full professional league in Guyana; it will take some time, but it will happen eventually.”