… Players welcome GFF’s roll-out of payments for 2014 World Cup Qualifiers

GUYANA were due to face Mexico at the Guyana National Stadium during their historic run at the 2014 FIFA World Cup Qualifier. However, Guyana Football Federation (GFF) sold the hosting rights for the game, which was then hosted at the BBVA Compass Stadium in Houston, Texas, on October 12, 2012.
The Golden Jaguars had lost 3-1 to Mexico at the Azteca in June, 2012, and fans in Guyana were hoping to see the likes of Javier ‘Chicharito’ Hernandez in action at Providence.
In a battle led by former captain Christopher Nurse for almost eight years, the players argued that a deal was brokered with the team’s management and GFF president at the time, Franklin Wilson, where they would be given a percentage of whatever was the ‘rights deal’ between GFF and Mexico Football Federation.

In 2017, as reported by Chronicle Sport, Wilson said it was not the desire of the-then GFF to just move the game but a number of factors resulted in such a decision.
Some factors were meagre local funding, no funding from the-then Government, lack of resources to host the game, the fact that Guyana had already lost the opportunity to advance further in the competition as well as the necessity for the federation to supplement its income to meet expenses and indebtedness already incurred.
Wilson noted that the contracts that were entered into with Sponsports, the letter from FIFA granting permission for the game to proceed as well as one from the US Soccer Federation giving approval for the game to be played in its jurisdiction were sent to then President Donald Ramotar and Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport, Dr Frank Anthony.
The former GFF president explained that “match fees and bonuses agreed between the players and GFF have been paid to them (the players). What is outstanding to the players is the agreed amount of 12% of money accruing to the GFF after expenses.”

Wilson, in December of 2012, in a report published in the Guyana Chronicle, said that the GFF had made a profit of approximately US$75 000 from the move of the Guyana/Mexico game to Houston from the Guyana National Stadium at Providence, but the expenses the Federation incurred during Guyana’s run in the World Cup Qualifiers, was that sum being less.
“That (US$75 000) is not really a final figure since we are still tabulating, so that could still be less in the final calculation. But I want to say that at no time were the players given US$12 as they say in the media,” said Wilson back in 2012.
Three years after a congress had passed a motion for GFF to investigate, extensively, the matters of the players being owed, the Wayne Forde-led Executive Committee announced the rolling out of one-off payments of US$500 to players and staff involved in the 2012 World Cup run; the country’s best outing at a FIFA World Cup qualifiers.

NOT ABOUT THE MONEY
For Gregory ‘Jackie Chan’ Richardson, one of Guyana’s most gifted players, it was never about the money, but rather the GFF up-holding their end of the bargain.
“I am grateful for the actions of GFF and the Executive Committee in finding a workable solution for the Mexico payment. For many of the players, it was always more about the principle than the money – we wanted our voices to be heard and for a fair solution to be found. I’m glad we can now move on and focus on the future of our football,” Richardson said.
Forde, via a release from the GFF, did not divulge the details of the three-year old investigation, only stating that “the investigation showed that it is right for GFF to make this one-off payment now as a gesture of goodwill to some of Guyanese football’s greatest servants.”
Forde said while the damage was already done, his GFF Executive Committee could only hope that the “payment will go some way to repairing the disappointment that many of our national heroes have rightly felt due to this matter, especially after years of loyal service to the Golden Arrowhead.”