The elections for three positions of the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) will go ahead as planned on April 16 despite Georgetown Football Association’s (GFA) president Vernon Burnett voicing his displeasure at the outcome of yesterday’s meeting between the governing body and its 11 affiliates.
Burnett told Stabroek Sport after yesterday’s meeting at the GFF headquarters in Section K Campbellville that while the GFF executive agreed to being in breach of Articles 25 (2), (3) of its constitution, the body will make a decision on whether Georgetown will be granted voting rights at the upcoming Congress.
“I am not fully satisfied because it was not the position that we took to the meeting or the position the GFF has taken. They have decided that even though there has been a breach of the constitution they will continue to go ahead and have the elections.
“The executive committee of the GFF has, however, recommended that a decision be taken and voted on at the Congress whether to support the election or not to support the election. Georgetown and Linden will not be a part of that process because we do not enjoy voting rights at this point,” Burnett explained.
According to the constitution of the GFF, voting rights can only be restored to an affiliate member at a Congress, which is usually held before the elections of office bearers.
However, Burnett contended that he would have preferred voting rights to be instituted before polling day, especially since it was repeatedly asked at the meeting what constitutional rights are afforded to the GFA.A response was given for this enquiry according to Burnett. “We need to know what constitutional rights we enjoy because that will determine how we participate in the Congress; that will determine our level of participation,” Burnett said.
Asked to comment on what the next step will be if the GFA is not granted a chance to exercise its franchise, Burnett noted that it was learnt, via writing, at the meeting that the GFF had tabled a motion to restore the constitutional rights of the GFA. However, with this ploy by the GFF Stabroek Sport understands that the GFA will not be in a position to nominate or second any nominations for the elections since this process was conducted last month.
This was also a questionable process also since Stabroek Sport learnt then that the most active associations of GFA and Linden were strategically sidelined because of the opposition they had consistently shown the Colin Klass-led GFF. This meant therefore that Klass would have been returned to the office he has held since 1989, virtually unopposed.
This brought into contention the issue of the breach of Articles 25 (2), (3) of the constitution by Klass and his executive. Subsequently there was a mandate to meet the parent body for the postponement of elections, due to the breach, and to discuss the voting rights of the GFA.
That portion of the constitution reads, “The Executive Committee (GFF) shall fix the place and date. The Members shall be notified in writing at least six weeks in advance.”
Burnett said this was not observed and their first request for a meeting was denied late last month. He said that the next step for the GFA is to meet with the General Council, the highest decision making arm of the association, to plot its next move.
Meanwhile, according to a source Klass was embarrassed by the breach that occurred and it was noted in the meeting that it could have been quietly dealt with out of the public’s domain. It was also learnt that a few of Klass’ allies were peeved and felt betrayed by some of the goings on at yesterday’s meeting.
On the other hand, when Stabroek Sport spoke with Linden’s President Dr. Joseph Haynes he said dejectedly that he “thinks everything will be worked out.”
