IN a contest that clearly showed that the distinction between defending champions the Guyana Defence Force and league debutants Mainstay Goldstar, the champs took a double-digit win over their opponents.
It was a case of two sides, one of class and power and the other a team seemingly promoted past its competence.
The Guyana Defence Force achieved an unprecedented 36-nil demolition victory over their Essequibo counterparts.
The defeat was so severe that Makhaya Jervis and Quaency Fraser captured 7 goals each with 9 for striker Stephen McDonald in what could only be described as an effort by GDF to change their goal difference tally.
On every occasion GDF had the ball it looked like a goal scoring opportunity for the 2024 champions as there were also doubles for Abumchi Opara, Malcom Miggings, Trayon Bobb and Colwyn Adams.
Shemar Scott also finished with a hat trick with solitary goals for Isaiah Ifill and Keron Spencer.
Meanwhile, Former Head of the Guyana Football Federation’s normalisation Committee, under whose tenure the league started a decade ago says the competition was designed for elite teams and as such certain criteria should be met for entry into the league.
“When we started the league, it was to establish the highest level of football in Guyana both from a technical and tactical standpoint. That is why we started with eight teams at the time in 2015 and those were the eight teams; we looked over the history of football played in Guyana and more so Regional Association football and the criteria that had to be met. Those clubs had to be established, they had to have all their administrative requirements in place coaches, their whole constitution they were up to date with their audits etc.’
He said being an Elite League representative gives clubs full voting rights and those teams selected have to be based on merit.
The businessman says they didn’t regulate or promote teams in the first two years but it was intended that of the original eight selected, the bottom two would face regulation into the regional association system from which they originated with the two next best teams being promoted to the league.
Urling says it is of the utmost importance that the league lives up to its name which is only possible through a proper two-pronged system.
“At the end of the day, whether we have more teams participating in the elite league, everything should be done on merit, and for that to be assessed the elite league has to remain elite in terms of tactical and technical and administrative and there has to be a strong second tier at the regional association level to feed into that elite league. If that second-tier league is deficient in any way we are only going to promote mediocre teams who don’t qualify and meet certain criteria up into the elite league.”
The former sports administrator says that any imbalance in the league could have ramifications for the tournament.
“If there are blowouts and obvious imbalances in terms of victories and level and the depth of these victories and losses then an intersection has to happen and audit has to happen as to why this has occurred because if they are these huge gaps with team in terms of the victory line then fans become disinterested in football. The administrators of football have to take a look at that and make the necessary changes to address that issue.”
In another contest Meanwhile Western Tigers suffered a surprise loss to Santos Football Club with the goal coming off the cleat of Kymani Sealey.