– Sparta Boss, Bent Street final to be replayed behind ‘closed doors’

FOLLOWING investigations into the shooting incident at the National Gymnasium on Saturday April 14 at the finals of the Petra Organisation’s Third Annual Futsal Tournament, the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) has instructed that the final be replayed and has imposed a lifetime ban on the perpetrator, Leon ‘Whistle’ Duncan, from all GFF-sanctioned matches or events.

The GFF has instructed that the match be replayed without the presence of spectators on a weekday (Monday – Friday), no later than 17:00hrs, and that the GFF must be notified of the replay date no later than 48 hours prior to kickoff.

This need for replay of the match was communicated in a correspondence dated 24th March to Troy Mendonca, Co-Director of the Petra Organization.

The letter, in part, reads: “Please be informed that the GFF, on concluding its investigation and the review of statements from officials in relation to the incident, and also taking into consideration the details surrounding the previous incident of Thursday, 8th March, 2018, the executive committee can no longer exercise reasonable confidence that the security arrangements were adequate during the conduct of the tournament.
“Additionally, following consultation with the National Sports Commission through the office of the Director of Sport, we find no information to mitigate our conclusion.”

Mendonca told Chronicle Sport in an invited comment, that “we would’ve waited on the GFF to make their decision and now we will meet with the team, sponsors and other stakeholders and then we (Petra Organisation) will make a decision on the tournament.”

Meanwhile, Leon Duncan, known as ‘Whistle,’ has been “banned from attendance at any and all GFF-sanctioned matches or events.”

In an advisory issued to the Regional Member Associations, the GFF stated “this investigation has been concluded and, in keeping with its constitutional mandate to control and regulate all forms of football, the GFF hereby imposes a lifetime ban on Leon Duncan, alias ‘Whistle,’from attendance at any and all GFF-sanctioned matches or events.

“The federation therefore asks that all Football Stakeholders, Regional Member Associations, Promoters, Clubs, and relevant Security Organisations be guided accordingly,” the GFF said.

Duncan, who is a known character to the police, has had several brushes with the law and is presently being sought, according to Crime Chief Paul Williams.

When contacted by Chronicle Sport yesterday, Williams related that Duncan might have left the jurisdiction following the incident at the National Gymnasium, where he discharged several shots in the packed facility following a misunderstanding with a female.

“We are looking for him and we understand that he might have fled to Suriname,” Williams said.