The Georgetown Football Association (GFA) shared out the promised cheques to all the clubs that failed to reach the finals in its knockout game and sanctioned Pele and GDF for their non-participation in its tournament at a General Council meeting on Saturday.
Kwabena Griffith, GFA vice-president with responsibilities for Technical and Tactical Development, said the association presented the $50,000 cheques to the clubs that didn’t make the final four of the GFA/Banks Beer Knockout Tournament on Monday. He told Stabroek News that while he couldn’t say how much profit the tournament made because financial statements are being audited; he believed that it was a success. “We were able to pay out prize monies, cover all expenses associated with the tournament, pay some outstanding debts and also give something to the clubs,” he explained.
According to Griffith, when the current administration assumed office the GFA was $1 million in debt; had those debts been cleared it would have been able to continue with the developmental aspect of the sport.
On Saturday the General Council, the highest decision-making body governing clubs in Georgetown, took a decision to host an end-of-year knockout tournament based on its successful collaboration with Banks DIH. The Council also imposed $100,000 fines on Pele and GDF as sanctions for non-participation in its tournaments.
Pele was also suspended from the GFA for two months. They had a number of charges pending before the Council including participation in the Kashif and Shanghai tournament without permission and their non-participation in the GFA league.
The GDF had pulled out of the knock-out tournament and did not submit a valid reason for doing so. The team is expected to appeal to the Council to lessen the fine and the soldiers are expected to be back in the league when it resumes on Saturday February 4. The under-13 league resumes on Saturday with a double header at Thirst Park.
