THE passage of two significant resolutions was among the many issues addressed when the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) on Saturday 25 convened its Ordinary Congress at the Arthur Chung Convention Centre, Liliendaal.

The first resolution, which was unanimously passed, amended Article 10 (b) of the Constitution that had stipulated “the eight Elite Clubs” would form part of the GFF’s membership and replaced it instead with “the Elite Clubs.”

This resolution was aimed at curing the defect that occurs whenever a club is relegated and replaced by another one.

The resolution further stipulated that there will be a system of promotion and relegation of one club in the Elite League at the conclusion of each Elite League Competition.

It also stated that the champion club at the National Association Qualification playoff will be promoted to the Elite League, while the lowest-placed club in the Elite League will be relegated to the Regional Association upon ratification by congress.

The second resolution was passed by majority after the presentation of the findings of a GFF-appointed inquiry into the long-festering issues surrounding the sale of hosting rights in the October 12, 2012 Guyana versus Mexico World Cup Qualification match.

Other issues addressed in that resolution were the absence of evidence to indicate the reason for sale of hosting rights, and that the decision to play the game in the USA was the collective will of the GFF.

However, the investigation did not discover any evidence of criminal misconduct by the GFF Executive Committee (ExCo).

The players’ decision to negotiate a profit-sharing agreement outside of their tournament compensation schedule on the eve of the game was inappropriate and was done in bad faith.

Additionally, the investigation did not discover any evidence that a binding legal contract for profit-sharing existed between the GFF and the players.

In recognition of the country’s progress to that stage of the World Cup qualification process, an ex-gratia payment of five hundred United States dollars will be made to each player who was registered to play in that October 12, 2012 game.

Even though the GFF considers this matter officially closed, the ExCo reserves the right to investigate any new evidence brought to its attention in the future.

Apart from the resolutions, President of the GFF, Wayne Forde, in his opening address, thanked all GFF members and the ExCo for their contributions in advancing the game.

He indicated that this remarkable period of stability in football has resulted in exceptional progress in every department of the game, on and off the field of play.

He outlined the six key goals the ExCo adopted that were responsible for the game to be moving in the right direction. These were: good governance; improved facilities; capacity- building; forging corporate and social relationships; improved financial management; and improved livelihoods for the players.

The president also singled out a number of noteworthy achievements during the past year and these included the historic qualification of the Senior Golden Jaguars for the Concacaf Gold Cup.

The significant role played by corporate partners such as the National Milling Company of Guyana (NAMILCO); Pele Alumni Corporation; Guyana Beverage Inc.; Ansa McAl Trading; and Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) was also noted.

The congress also noted the role of ExCo Member Dion Inniss for overseeing the successful and historic hosting of the FIFA Development Conference on May 14-15 and the Den Amstel Football Club for winning the Stag Super 16 KO tournament;

Other issues over which congress deliberated included a presentation by the Director of Competitions, Ian Alves. Alves’s presentation centred on the proposed Federation Cup, slated to commence in August this year, involving all 10 Elite League Clubs plus 14 clubs from Regional Member Associations.