-says Chris Matthias
By Iva Wharton
The Guyana Football Federation (GFF) had it in its powers to end the current impasse between the GFF and the Georgetown Football Association (GFA).
This is according to secretary of the GFA Christopher Matthias.
Matthias was responding to GFF president Franklyn Wilson who, at last Saturday’s launching of the 23rd annual Kashif and Shanghai football tournament, told the media that the matter was engaging the attention of the world governing body (FIFA).
According to Wilson, while in Zurich, he met with and spoke to FIFA’s lawyers on the issue.
Speaking with Stabroek Sports, Monday, Matthias said the two sides met in a closed door meeting earlier this year at the Georgetown Club where they agreed to three of four resolutions but failed to find common ground on the final resolution.
According to Matthias, the GFF had agreed to the following: 1) To stand the expenses of the postponed GFF’s AGM once the GFF supplied genuine copies of the receipts and invoices 2) that the GFA would withdraw the court matter and simultaneously the GFA’s constitutional rights to vote would be restored and 3) that the GFF would not ban, suspend or discipline any official of the GFA but would seek to formally establish and have functioning all the constitutional committees particularly the hearing of disciplinary matters by an aggrieved person.
The fourth matter that “the GFA would hold fresh elections only if an arbitration committee after hearing the issues of both sides so decide, did not find favour with the GFF.
Matthias said the GFF promised to discuss the matter and return with its decision at a later date but failed to do so.
“The GFF should not be deceitful to the Guyanese populace. They failed to examine the conduct of both institutions. The evidence would reveal that it was the GFA and its members who did all and sundry for this matter to be resolved,” said Matthias.
The GFF, according to Matthias, for its own intents and purposes, appeared not to be interested in resolving or correcting the injustice.
Matthias also revealed that the GFA wrote the Caribbean Football Union (CFU), CONCACAF and FIFA on the matter and received no formal response.
“But one of the senior members of CFU would have mentioned to us that nothing would have come out of the matter simply because it is a matter that is in our local jurisdiction.”
Matthias said that while FIFA was reluctant with the matter going to court it is a myth that was being peddled over the years that taking the local federation to Court would result in the country being banned by FIFA.
He pointed out that the national football team of Trinidad and Tobago took the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation to court and no one was banned.
The GFA, Matthias argued, was denied a hearing by the executive of the GFF, by the General Council, received no response from CFU, CONCACAF and FIFA.
“Then our only other choice was to go before the courts to have the matter resolved,” he said.
Matthias said the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport only got involved and tried to resolve the matter after the GFA had moved to the courts.
