President of the Georgetown Football Association (GFA) Troy Mendonca rushed to the defence of his general secretary Marlon Cole yesterday amidst insinuations that the outspoken Cole could be expelled from the general council of the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) for requesting that embattled GFF president Colin Klass resign from the post.
Mendonca, in a letter to former general secretary of the GFF George Rutherford declared that “football belongs to the people of Guyana.”
He said Rutherford was always trying to deter persons from doing what they felt was in the best interest of the game by raising legal concerns.
Mendonca was reacting to comments from Rutherford to Cole which warned the GFF general council member to proceed with caution and to use the avenues as stipulated by the GFF for the settling of grievances.
“May I say as a word of caution and advice that a former member of the GFF general council had externalized local football administration grievances matters (which have solution strategies articulated in the GFF’s constitution) and was sanctioned for so doing. May I suggest that as a member of the GFF’s general council you utilize the avenues available to you to achieve the purpose you seek,” Rutherford told Cole.
But Mendonca said:”Mr. Rutherford every time persons try to make a point for the best interest of the game you always put up this legal issue to deter them….now you are insinuating that Marlon should be banned.”
Mendonca, who is also president of Sunburst Camptown Football Club, slammed the former general secretary for sitting on the fence while he said football in Guyana continued to be mismanaged.
“Mr. Rutherford, reputable persons like yourself sit idly by and allow Mr. Klass to mismanage the operations of the GFF and now Mr. Adonis, who served rugby with dignity, Mr. Aubrey Major, who ran one of the best tournaments for 18 years. Why are you guys allowing this?” Mendonca questioned.
“Its plain and simple, the policies that Mr. Klass might have adopted just did not work, but the problem is that persons want to hold on to power for unknown reasons,” Mendonca added.
“Imagine the Caribbean sponsors (Digicel) hosting a leg of the biggest tournament in the Caribbean and the captain of the ship is out at Beach football finals that finish one week ago with nothing in place.”
“Imagine the National team that is supposed to play two days from now has not kicked a ball together, we don’t even know who are the players in the squad.
“We have to work for the interest of all these people who sacrifice time, money etc to play this game. What these people need is an avenue to exploit the efforts they made and it’s not here,” Mendonca ended.
Meanwhile, Klass has responded to Cole’s request for him to demit office.
In an e-mail correspondence to Cole, Klass told the general council member that the minutes of the last general council meeting, at which Cole was present should be able to “address all those issues.”
He was referring to some of the issues gave by Cole as reasons why Klass, who has been at the head of the GFF for two decades, should resign.
“If, for whatever reason it does not, I will be more than happy to do so at the correct forum,” the GFF boss told Cole.
And Cole, in responding to Klass, said he could not understand Klass’s reason for clinging onto the presidency of the GFF when no progress was being shown and no support from the business community and the government was being enjoyed.
He questioned whether the sum of US$250,000 annually was not sufficient to properly promote and manage the nation’s football and sarcastically said that perhaps some goals or objectives (progress) could only be achieved if Klass were to continue as president.
Cole ended by saying that he would continue to do what he did best which was to organize, promote and support football at every level.
