After sustained pressure from the Georgetown Football Association (GFA), the executive of the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) has decided to meet with the 11 affiliates tomorrow at noon at the Federation’s headquarters.
This decision was taken at a GFF executive meeting on Tuesday after some members, according to a source, were unhappy with the way the Georgetown sub-association was being treated in the lead up to elections on April 16.
The Georgetown sub association was not granted voting rights and although the GFA had previously written their governing body requesting a meeting to address issues regarding the constitutional rights of the GFA on or before March 31, that meeting was denied. But, although the GFF refused to meet with the GFA, secretary of the GFA Christopher Matthias wrote the GFF again but this time carbon copying the correspondence to FIFA’s General secretary Jerome Valcke, CONCACAF president Austin warner and the General secretaries of CONCACAF and the CFU Chuck Blazer and Angenie Kanhai.
In the letter the GFA highlighted that the GFF was in violation of Articles 25 (2), (3) of their own constitution.
In that letter, the GFA had also asked that the elections be postponed to ensure all associations and affiliates of the GFF become regularised, duly constituted and thus eligible to participate meaningfully at the polls.
However, at yesterday’s meeting a source said that the Colin Klass-led executive was persuaded that if the body did not meet with the GFA and other associations but went ahead with the elections then a move to the court could have ruled the elections “null and void”.
According to the source, Klass was in favour of allowing proceedings to run its course up to elections.
However, it was pointed out to him that it would have serious “legal ramifications”, which prompted General Secretary Noel Adonis to summon a meeting with all the presidents of the sub associations. The source indicated that some members acknowledged that the GFF erred in its judgment to not meet with the GFA from the start.
It was also claimed that some of the members of the GFF executive hailed the comments made by outgoing vice president Franklin Wilson, who has said that Klass could be upstaged if the associations become more cohesive.
The three positions that will be contested are President, Second Vice-President and Assistant Secretary-Treasurer.
Originally the GFF had only granted Bartica, West Coast Demerara, East Bank Demerara, East Coast Demerara, Berbice, the Women’s arm and the Referees Council voting rights, omitting the most active associations of Georgetown and Linden.
However, in ensuing days Linden was granted rights, prompting the GFA to pen another letter to highlight what they perceived as another instance of discrimination by the GFF under Klass which has in the past prevented the Odina Lumumha led GFA from having voting rights.
In the original arrangement Klass, who has headed the GFF since 1989, would have been returned to the head unopposed but this latest move paves the way for a challenge to Klass’s position presumably from the very sub association that he wanted to avoid having voting rights.
