Retired national footballer, Kayode McKinnon says the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) needs new leadership and is urging voters to consider carefully the players and the future of the sport when selecting the new administration.
“I ask you to be very mindful of the great speeches and intellect that may be demonstrated by the longest standing governing body for football in Guyana,” the former Golden Jaguars player said.
McKinnon, who has represented Guyana for over a decade, says the time has come for a change in the GFF administration in the best interest of the game.
In a letter to Stabroek Sport, McKinnon said voters should consider carefully the current status of football which has been run by the same GFF administrators for decades, as general elections draw near.
“Do not make this hard for ourselves and the future of our young men and women, they have gotten great remarks from their friends and accolades over the years, even smiles from people who were too scared to stand up for honesty and integrity. Players and a few have come out critically and let their voices be heard on the abuse this game and the players have faced past and present and hopefully not in the future by men who have held this office for decades,” he said.
“Why are we so silent as to how the game is being managed by this regime?” he asked.
“I guess for some it is hard to stand alone for the truth. This must change because reform would be difficult. Integrity must mean something, honesty must mean something for us to get the desired help we crave, they have shown these things do not matter, for years they have place themselves above players, they believe they are more important, they lead but never serve,” he added.
Further, McKinnon said that inquiries are not being made about the exodus of talented players to neighbouring countries.
“What about the exodus of our little talent that we have to Trinidad and Tobago, Suriname, Jamaica, Antigua and Barbuda etc., destroying any chance of us having a good and successful domestic league? How come we have not been able to attract finance for the growth of football in our country?” he asked.
He also said that youth teams only start training about two weeks before international tournaments. Failure to investigate these issues has left the future of the game up in the air, McKinnon said, adding that there are many talented players depending on the voters to change the administration for the benefit of themselves, families and communities.
