Dear Editor,
The Police Sports Club Ground, Eve Leary, Kingston was the venue which facilitated the semifinals doubleheader in the Kashif & Shangai KO Tournament/Inter-Secondary Schools Championship. Upon entering the ground, I was told that Mr Klass was upstairs in the pavilion viewing the match. After Mr Klass made eye contact with me at the end of the feature match, he extended his hand and I responded accordingly. In one motion he placed his left hand on my shoulder and said, “You are doing a good job, keep it up.” I thanked him, and extended my compliments for the festive season and the New Year.
There was no animosity shown on either side, but rather mutual respect, which I was extremely grateful for. The point I am making is that others administering national football could take a page out of Mr Klass’s book in respect of recognizing their mistakes. If any one of them does, then he should be a man; conduct some soul searching; and review previous shortcomings, along with the positives. And most importantly in striving to become better, he should acknowledge that elected/appointed officials are the servants of the sport, not the stars, since it is an efficient, accountable and transparent administration that creates the environment for stardom. In this respect I throw out a challenge to the current GFF administration over the next four years.
Enable Guyana to once again be ranked within FIFA’s top 100 countries; ensure two players locally secure an MLS tryout and ensure that the senior national team qualifies for the CONCACAF Gold Cup. Institute a sound nursery programme, reflective of meaningful development towards achieving success at the age-limit level for both males and females. All in all strive to better the performance and achievements of Mr Klass, and eliminate any hint of witch-hunting. This would clearly demonstrate that the GFF executive upon being elected is capable of transforming the nation’s football and bringing it to an acceptable level.
Yours faithfully,
Lester Sealey
