GFA and GFF coup d’état over Street football?
What is the mandate of the Georgetown Football Association (GFA)? It is the million dollar question that is on everyone’s lips following the alleged decision of that entity to stage a year-end Futsal Championship comprising community teams.
The Guyana Football Federation (GFF), the ‘greatest administrative mind to ever be assembled’ in local sport, has green-lighted such a scheme, which is reportedly being coordinated by an organization that once coordinated year-end football in Guyana.
The casualty of this brilliant decision is the ‘Magnum Christmas Futsal Classic’, an event which was to have been sponsored by Ansa McAl, the previous title sponsors of the financial disaster, the Elite League, under its Stag Beer Brand.
Let’s be frank, the GFA’s decision is solely based on finances, nothing more. Is there any proposed developmental angle here? The clubs, which have toiled arduously throughout the year for nothing, are once again shown no favour by this august institution.
Amazingly, the GFF finds itself favouring the association’s decision to ditch the clubs in favour of the street football teams. The wise decision makers at the helm of local football, continue to make these brilliant choices in the alleged interest of the game, peddling ‘Peter Pan’ dreams at every public forum.
Transparency and accountability are on show in their most glorious versions. According to sources close to the GFF and GFA, the decision to relegate [no pun intended] the small clubs and their players to spectator status during the Season of Good Cheer, was propagated by the GFA’s competition coordinator, an individual who is closely associated with the once popular organization.
It is alleged that the Magnum Futsal Championship was blocked from being staged, as the GFF only wanted one Futsal Championship, [following the interest of the GFA to venture in the realm]’ to be staged during the lucrative year-end period.
Who ‘owns’ this Christmas Period continues to provoke heated debate? While the GFF is the custodian of local football, their main job is to ensure development through strong club structures, first and foremost.
It ought not to be the executioners of a distorted will for individuals whose aim is their sole personal benefit at the expense of the players.
One must also ask, why the GFF hasn’t stopped the New Era Entertainment faction from staging their Futsal Championship, which is scheduled to run for the period of November 24th-December 26th, technically, well into the year-end period.
Is it because the aforesaid organization has the presence of the Guyana Futsal Association President Kenrick Noel as a member? This is the same Futsal Association which has failed to achieve any of its mandates, and which now appears to be nothing more than a bargaining chip at a future electoral congress.
What have they done for Futsal development? Equally interesting, this promotional group [New Era Entertainment], also is affiliated to the entity which is allegedly being handed the reins of the GFA Futsal Tournament.
The GFF and the GFA have lots of explaining to do here. How is it possible that the GFA can be allowed to chart this course at the expense of its clubs and players? Since when is the GFA and GFF into the running of inter-ward football tournaments?
How does the association [other than financially of course] and more importantly the players, benefit from this venture?
Are the street football teams under the jurisdiction of the GFA? Will the street football sides be playing in the GFA’s respective leagues and tournaments going forward?
To the best of our knowledge, Sparta Boss, Future Stars, Gold is Money and Back Circle to name a few, are not clubs in any facet of the discipline per se. They simply emanate from a district and compete in non-association level football tournaments.
It seems that the GFA has entered into the world of street football business, the same enterprise which the GFF once tried to stop national and elite league players from participating in, even going as far to peddle threats of suspension and possible banning.
Does this mean that the aforesaid category of players will now be allowed to play because an affiliate of the GFF is staging the tournament?
sQuite frankly what appears to be taking place here, is nothing more than bullying by the powers that be. The last time that the GFF took such a stance, the consequences were earth shattering for the sport! This is development at its best.