Attorney-at-law and A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) Member of Parliament Joseph Harmon has confirmed that he will contest the post of presidency of the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) when elections are held on April 15.
Harmon made the disclosure in an exclusive interview with Stabroek Sport on Sunday night at the Den Amstel Centre Ground, where he was invited by the organisers to meet the two finalists of the Slingerzs Mashramani Football Competition.
“I believe that this is the right time for me to step up and say to the country and the nation as a whole that I am offering myself up to be the president of the Guyana Football Federation,” said Harmon.
He said that he has put together a team to work on his campaign.
“We are going to basically mount an aggressive campaign to ensure that all of Guyana understands that football is not just about kicking ball.
It is how you organize communities and how you organize facilities in communities to ensure it benefits people,” he said.
Harmon who is not new to the football fraternity, and who ran previously for the top post but was defeated by Colin Klass, said he understands that he does not have much time to campaign.
“It’s going to be a very short and sharp campaign. You know that there is a time limit within which the selection would have to be made and it is less than a month and so we have a very short time to convince all of the sub associations that my candidacy would be in the best interest of the country. My candidacy will represent order and structure in the football administration and this is basically what I am offering,” he said. Harmon, a native of Pouderoyen, West Bank Demerara, said his focus would be developing the sport from the ground up.
“As president of the Guyana Football Federation I will be insisting that each team has a nursery of young players coming from the Pee Wee level all the way up to the senior teams and into veterans, so that all of the teams will be encouraged to have a structure. I have observed that some teams were attracting players from different teams. I do believe that a club with a structure must develop talent from the bottom up, don’t wait until you get to the top and try to pinch a player here and pinch a player there. You have to invest in the young people and in that way the clubs will develop, that is the way football in Guyana will develop and that is how we will win tournaments internationally.”
Another focus he said will be on developing community grounds to assist in developing community teams and building community spirit.
“Tonight (Sunday) as you look here on this ground, you see the lights and you see people are out here, but what we are looking for is more permanent structures where community grounds are upgraded and their facilities like lights and things like that are there permanently, so that the communities themselves can organize around these activities”.
Asked about regaining the trust of corporate Guyana, Harmon said:“What you are seeing here tonight (Sunday night) is that they don’t want to see disorganization, they don’t want to see people running a tournament just to put the money in their pockets, they want to see the entire development of football from the youngster all the way up to the veterans and so that is what I will attempt to do. And I believe that once the sponsors see that kind of organization in the game, they are going to want to come out and put their money behind the game.”
Harmon is the first individual to announce his candidacy for the Guyana Football Federation.
Other possible hopefuls for the presidency of the GFF are People’s Progressive Party (PPP) Member of Parliament Odinga Lumumba, Colonel Bruce Lovell of the Guyana Defence Force and Christopher Matthias – General Secretary of the Georgetown Football Association (GFA).
