– says footballers should return stipend for not performing
By Rawle Toney
Embattled president of the Guyana Football federation yesterday came out kicking and screaming against his senior national football team the Golden Jaguars by boldly proclaiming that he would not be pressured into resigning and accusing the footballers of not delivering any returns on an investment by the GFF of approximately $23m.
“I will not be pressured into stepping down. I came into this office voluntarily and so will I leave,” a furious Klass said yesterday at a press conference held at the GFF’s office in Dadawana Street Campbellville.
Klass was reacting to a statement from the Golden Jaguars which indicated that the entire team would retire from international football unless he stepped down as president of the GFF.
The call by the Jaguars has received support from some quarters.
But asked if he would accede to the request from his senior football team Klass answered…”People are speculating so let me reverse the question. How many calls have there been made to all and sundry in this country and around the World for people to step down and aside and have those calls been heeded too?
Former national football coach Mervyn `Pug’ Wilson on Wednesday called on the GFF boss to step down while former Stabroek News’ Sports Editor Orin Davidson wrote a scathing column against the GFF boss.
Klass, it seems, is ready for a battle.
“It is like in a household. When your kids come and say that well I decide that you must come and give me $10,000 to go to school, do you just bend and give them $10,000?
“You have to be able to take whatever it is in the context. You have to be able to establish who it is that are making these calls. Under no circumstance, will I be pressured as it relates to what is being reported in the media.
“My colleagues from throughout the region have been pressured in the media over the years and they stood up for what was right. The media is excellent but I would not be pressured because somebody says you must go. Then my life will be up in shambles because if every time a person keeps telling me to jump, I keep jumping, then what will happen to my life?
“I’m saying that if they come up to us with the facts that reveal that this federation had been misusing or doing whatever it is, then we can then take it from there and then there will be something tangible for you to claim, but just for you to be saying that I didn’t do this or didn’t do that, just come with the facts just based on what is available to us, just tell us where we went wrong.”
Klass said for 2008 alone, the GFF spent approximately over $23 million dollars (unaudited) on the national team alone and for them to spend so much money without any results was hard.
“Monies are provided by the same US$250,000 which seems to be very elastic. That is where the funds come from because there is nobody that contributes anything except for some entities that are really behind us.
“This nation, this football federation, what have we benefited in terms of return on this investment. We expected to qualify for the World Cup and we expected to qualify for the Digicel tournament at minimum and that is all we ask.
“Now what should have happened on that morning that they confronted me, is that they should have been collecting all the stipend and returning it to the football federation because they have not delivered to date.”
And in answer to a question on his term in office Klass said: “I think that I have delivered but I do not think that all that I have done all that I wanted to do and it must be weighed against the resources available to me.
“Because while people keep mentioning the 20 years, out of those years of being in service for football you had almost more than 10 years where Guyana had nothing. Where the struggle was to try to restore Guyana’s football which was banned by FIFA which lasted more than five years. After that period there was no money to do anything.”
