Dear Editor,
It is with much concern that I am compelled to write on some grossly inaccurate information coming from Mr Donald Duff in his Sports Comment in the Saturday 12th January, ’08 edition of Stabroek News. Also from Mr Steve Ninvalle, Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Culture, Youth & Sport and Mr Greg Charles/Kashif Mohammed – Director Kashif & Shanghai Organisation in the Monday 14th January ’08 issue of Stabroek News.
Firstly, with regard to Mr Duff’s comments: Mr Klass might have been at the helm of football for 19 years but 15 of those years was under the present government which has frustrated many attempts by the G.F.F. to acquire a piece of land that football can call its home and not be knocked about the place like at present. It should be noted that the G.F.F. had identified a piece of land on the East Coast of Demerara, paid experts to carry out all necessary tests to ascertain that the land was suitable only on completion to have the then Minister of Sport Ms Gail Teixeira refute the experts and say that the land was not suitable. Once again another piece of land was identified at Providence on the East Bank of Demerara only to have the same minister not consenting. Was Ms Teixeira qualified to make such judgment or was there another reason?
Secondly, he mentioned about the FIFA Grant to the G.F.F. of $US250 thousand – this is chicken feed in the world of football. Do you know that 99 other countries receive the same grant, including the USA and Trinidad and yet still have government assistance and private sector inputs? Trinidad & Tobago is one country that participated in the last World Cup and had millions of dollars provided by the T&T Government to the footballing fraternity, including 6 stadiums built by the T&T government not for cricket only but for football also. On the other hand the G.F.F. has to do everything with that chicken feed, from administration to sending teams to participate in tournaments.
Mr Duff also mentioned Mr Klass frustrating Mr Lumumba and the Georgetown Football League. Do you know that Mr Lumumba still has outstanding prize money from the 2006 President’s Cup tournament for the Bartica Football Association, which Mr Lumumba as the then President of the G.F.L promised to pay and has not done to date? I have the documents to support my claims.
The President of Guyana gave $20M to 40 clubs; $500 thousand each. Some of those clubs did not have a functioning executive and are now defunct. But at the time it was a big political gimmick because it was elections in a country divided by racial voting.
With regard to Mr Ninvalle’s comments, he will always speak negatively about the G.F.F. because he is now with the government, but at one time when he was with Stabroek News he was very close to the executives of the G.F.F., so he knows everything about their frustration in acquiring land and should call a spade a spade. What has he done since assuming this post in the Ministry of Sport to reach out to the G.F.F.? Nothing!
We all know who the persons are playing football predominantly. Before Mr Ninvalle curses the darkness he should light a candle. Mr Ninvalle it is not too late.
On the subject of Mr Kashif Mohammed stating that G.F.F. has imposed limitations on overseas teams for the Kashif & Shanghai Tournament – charity begins at home. Kashif & Shanghai Organisation could not pay all expenses for a team to travel from Bartica to participate in the tournament but paid over $2M in accommodation etc. to bring a team from Trinidad & Tobago for the tournament. This tournament is the only one in the world where you have to win all the matches played to be the winner. It is all about money. It is a festival football tournament as named by the General Council of the Guyana Football Federation. As a member of the General Council I urge other Associations to come out and write about the negative things persons say in the newspapers about the G.F.F. and some of the decisions we all made.
This year, I will continue to fight to see that the Kashif & Shanghai Organisation dispenses justice to all footballing entities in Guyana before being allowed to bring in overseas teams. Do you all know Guyana is the only country in the world to be suspended by FIFA twice? Klass was out of football in 1988, but was asked to help. Mr Hamilton Green, Mayor of Georgetown can attest to this. When the ship was sinking everyone jumped, because Guyana had to pay a fine to FIFA in US$. Through a raffle the money was raised and Guyana was back in good standing.
Wasn’t it the same Klass back from the wilderness to salvage the sinking ship? So give credit where due.
Yours faithfully,
Carlton Beckles
Secretary
Bartica Football Association
Sports Editor’s note:
Unfortunately, Mr Beckles has not stated what information he considers to be inaccurate. He concedes that Mr Klass has been in office for 19 years and that the Guyana Football Federation (GFF), like other affiliates of FIFA, receives the sum of US $250,000 per year.
The main thrust of recent articles was to ascertain what exactly the GFF has done with the yearly FIFA grant. Has it been spent on development? Has it been placed in a trust fund? Has it been spent on preparing teams and sending them abroad? Neither Mr. Klass nor Mr. Beckles has shed any light on the matter.
Over the years there has been a deafening silence by the GFF on this issue which is extremely important to the people of Guyana, especially since the GFF would now like the people of Guyana, the public and the private sectors to shell out US$3.5 million for its 2010 World Cup campaign.