Aubrey ‘Shanghai’ Major who lost to Christopher Matthias Friday night in the battle for the presidency of the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) said there was an orchestrated plot to ensure he did not become the next president of the GFF.
Major made that disclosure in an exclusive interview with Stabroek Sport yesterday via telephone.
“There was a plot against me by the East Coast through fraudulent means to replace my people who were to vote, the same thing was done on the West Demerara and in Berbice,” he claimed.
He described the plot as being petty in nature and not altogether healthy for the sport.
According to Major, acting president of the West Demerara Football Association (WDFA) Jevon Rodrigues was suspended.
Reports coming out of the WDFA camp suggested that Rodrigues nominated Major for president unknowingly to his executives and the General Council.
Sources yesterday told Stabroek Sport that apparently there were some attempts on the part of Rodrigues and members of the East Coast Football Association to challenge the delegates representing WDFA and the East Coast, but they were dismissed by FIFA officials.
Major, however, said yesterday that what transpired during the election of Christopher Matthias and his executive as a sad day for football in Guyana.
He said there was a lot of manoeuvering on the part of associations which he believed saw the wrong persons for the managing of football locally being elected.
“Nobody there is specialized in finance. Could you imagine if they had to manage £2 to £3 hundred million, who will manage it? There is no one to deal with that elected. Had I been elected as president with an executive like that one, I would have resigned.
“You have Aaron Fraser who is a qualified accountant, Troy Cadogan who is a qualified marketing executive and none of them were elected as part of the executive.”
Football, Major said, is not about one man or personalities, but a set of people who are committed to the development of the sport, “and that slate does not have the right people.”
Asked about Vanessa Dickenson and Raulston Adams who were elected from his slate, Major said they along with the other
executives are competent in their own fields but not in financial matters.
Major, who was the Organising Secretary under the Colin Klass and Franklin Wilson administrations said prior to the elections and on the day of the elections, there was much talk of his relationship with the Kashif and Shanghai Organisation which he has returned to.
The organisation, he said, is one of the best organising companies in Guyana and had it not been for the organisation then the sport of football wound not have been anywhere in Guyana. It was the organisation Major said that was responsible for developing the sport and giving many players the exposure they needed.
“We think too small and if we don’t change our thinking then the sport will be no more. We think too negatively, football is not about the president, but the body that governs it.”
Asked whether he is worried about the fate of the Kashif and Shanghai tournament, Major said no.
“The Kashif and Shanghai tournament will be played this year end. We will be writing the GFF as per normal and this will give the public the opportunity to judge if this is just a personality thing or not. If President Christopher Matthias still wants to play the Banks Tournament side by side to the Kashif and Shanghai tournament.”
According to Major, should a decision be made to play the tournaments side by side then it would only be robbing the spectators.
Major, co-director of the Kashif and Shanghai Organisation said had he been elected president then he would have sat with the two sides and made a suggestion which would have seen the Kashif and Shanghai being given precedent over the Banks tournament because for 23 years it was the tournament that spectators looked forward to.
Managing football, Major said, is not an easy job adding that he hopes that people could get an opportunity to see how difficult it is.
