Dear Editor,
November 11, 2011 marked the start of new beginning for Guyana’s football. With the triumphant win over one of the Caribbean’s top guns – Trinidad and Tobago – the national team made its country proud by qualifying for the third round of the FIFA World Cup.
While the success of the national team is overwhelming for the country and its supporters, beyond the shadows lies a problem which can hamper the continuation of this new beginning in football.
The Guyana Football Federation (GFF) and the Georgetown Football Association (GFA) have a long history of inexplicable differences which hinder the progress of football in Guyana. These differences not only affect the ability of the local players to be selected at the national level, but they also affect the development of the game in Guyana. (For example, club owners are crying foul because their local players are not being selected to be a part of the national team.) The real question is, how can these players be selected to play at the national level when organizing bodies for local competitions fail to deliver competitive tournaments for them to compete in?
As we approach the end of 2011, no substantial competitive games have been played throughout the country to date, even in the rural communities where it is deemed necessary for the survival of the sport and the development of young players.
I have seen the sport grow from strength to strength as we qualified for the third round stage of the FIFA World Cup. I am now pleading with and begging the relevant authorities to do everything in their power to put aside their egos and bring an end to this long battle, for the benefit of the country first and foremost, for the young and upcoming players, and for the further development of the sport.
We as footballers are not just footballers, we are role models as well as entertainers, and without these games being played we are hindered from fulfilling our roles. For instance, December 10, 2011 will see the opening of the biggest and most entertaining football tournament hosted by the Kashif and Shanghai organization, yet some of the country’s top local players have been excluded from competing in it because of the ongoing battle between the GFF and the GFA.
It is unfair for the players and fans to suffer like this because of the inexplicable differences between these two bodies.
Yours faithfully,
Charles Pollard
