THE Guyana Football Federation (GFF), in response to an article published in another section of the media, concerning the delayed payment of prizes for the Elite League, disclosed that it intends to do the honours before the end of the current month.
However, the august body somehow didn’t see the need to explain to the teams, fans and more importantly to the sponsors the reason for the delay following the completion of the tournament in August, three months ago.
The announcement prompted sponsors, KFC, and rightly so, to disclose that it’s deeply concerned over the issue.

Instead of explaining the reason for the delay in the payments, since the entity obviously received the monies from the sponsors, the GFF, in a release, if it could be described as one, went on to speak about the strong partnerships “we maintain with our sponsors, whose support remains invaluable to the growth and development of football in Guyana.”

If, as the GFF explains, that this support remains invaluable, it’s pellucidly clear that it has shown scant regard for the sponsors who may very well rethink if they should still be in partnership with the governing body for football in Guyana.
Admitting that the Elite League “is a key element of FIFA’s compliance criteria for member associations, with specific funding provisions assigned for it’s execution,” one is left to wonder if the GFF is really serious about its role in the development of the game in Guyana.

The GFF also boasted that it is among “the few FIFA Member Associations that provides substantial funding to support its Elite Clubs. This includes participation, grants, equipment, game day transportation and uniforms. These contributions underscore our unwavering commitment to enabling the sustained participation and growth of our Elite Clubs.”

The GFF also stressed that it “remains dedicated to working closely with our clubs to ensure their continued development and success. We thank all clubs for their patience and ongoing support as we finalized the arrangements for the prize presentation.”
The above statements are all “flowery” as we say in Guyanese parlance.

The GFF needs to explain to the paying public, players and sponsors the reason for the delay in making the payments and also why it waited until the publication of the article condemning its reluctance to do so.