By Orin Davidson
It’s been three years since Guyana’s football has been rid of the Colin Klass -led Guyana Football Federation (GFF), but déjà vu is set to engulf the sport all over again, under the current administration.
If we thought the ‘beautiful game’ here would’ve been safe from gross mis-management when president Christopher Matthias was ushered in with a brand new executive to replace the banned Klass, then we surely wasted that thought.
Ostracization was a common practice then, deception was another ignominious trait from the old regime. Yet, less than a year after ground-breaking elections, the signs are ominous.
The purported banning of Upper Demerara Football Association (UDFA) president Sharma Solomon for eight years and every other executive member for five years each, by the GFF under Matthias’ leadership, over a minor issue, is an attempt at outrageous abuse of power.
The intent is pellucid clear, but the reasons behind the decision to permanently silence the administrators of Guyana’s most passionate football supporters in Linden and beyond, are known only to the national body.
In the process, Matthias’ handling of the repercussions has exposed many of the shortcomings attributed to him, when he campaigned in the run-up to GFF elections last year.
Unlike Klass, he has a good command of the English language and uses it effectively to wiggle his way around obstacles to achieve his aims, which of late are becoming increasingly detrimental to Guyana’s football.
He was not shy in letting the country know that the buck stops at him as president, with his arguments, but in justifying the GFF’s attempt to cleanse the UDFSA, Matthias comes across as another Guyanese sports administrator with an oppressive mentality.
These people believe the sport they are elected to govern, are part of their personal assets and think nothing of imposing career ending bans.
A basketball player – Dwayne Roberts was once banned for six years following an altercation with an official, one of many similar lurid tales of banishing of competitors by officials who have made Guyana an exception to the rule in this regard.
By defying the GFF’s request not to stage UDFSA Banks Beer Christmas competition final on New Year’s Day 2014, the same day of the Georgetown Football Association (GFA) Banks version final, Solomon and his team because the latest victims. It was not a display of ultimate respect by the Linden-based body, to the national ruling federation, but it certainly does not merit such outrageous suspensions.
It was an issue that could’ve been sorted out amicably between the GFF and all stakeholders involved though proper leadership by the GFF president. It was not a criminal act of theft, or even one that resulted in the maiming of a person by the parties involved on or off the football field.
Drug cheats in football or any other discipline are not subject to such atrocious penalties.
Mohamed Bin Haman, the former world football association (FIFA) vice president was banned for life, for alleged bribery, a criminal act in most countries.
No sane person could thus, make comparisons with the UDFA’s case.
On the contrary they were pursuing a developmental undertaking for the sport which is why Matthias and company needed to act with civility. However, they decided to employ the big stick approach, via clearly dubious circumstances.
So far the GFF president has not explained during his many subsequent utterings to the media, why the action of the UDFSA that resulted in the clash of dates for the two finals, was so heinously injurious to Guyana’s football, it warranted a complete cleansing of the executive.
In stating that the GFA competition was a national series, thus no other tournament should be staged on New Year’s Day, Matthias recklessly undermined his argument. He didn’t think it weird that a tournament which has been exhaustively promoted as the GFA series, from the time it started in 2011, could abruptly be deemed ‘national’. Further it was an insult to everyone’s intelligence to give national status to a tournament not organized by the GFF,
The president then added fuel to the fire with his cavalier interpretation of the GFF constitution, to call an Extraordinary Congress meeting to institute the so-called bans.
He said Article 27 empowers the Executive Council to so do, at any time. However, his claim would be accurate only if item two of the article did not elaborate that “any time” suggests a period within three months after a request is made in writing by one third of the Council; and also if item three did not spell out that a notice must be made of the date, time and agenda, one month in advance.
Such are the workings of Matthias and his crew, they should be embarrassed that one of their vice presidents – Ralston Adams resigned as the controversy manifested itself.
If that shame was not enough , Matthias was pathetic in his attempt to fend off more humiliation by refusing to acknowledge the authenticity of the bombshell letter of another vice president, Ivan Persuade , who called on him to resign for not only his role in the bans, but also for allegedly lying about a FIFA related Switzerland trip and dictatorial behavior among other infractions.
So much, for his motto of transparency and accountability.
It is no wonder his attempt to replace the UDFA executive with an Interim Committee amounted to nothing more than four weeks after a bold announcement.
So, If Matthias is yet to get the memo that he has his priorities backwards in taking Guyana’s football to the next level, reality will hit him flush in the face, if the country does not field a team in the upcoming Caribbean Cup tournament.
He is yet to publicly outline a plan to inject the GFF’s coffers with money to fund national team’s participation in such competitions, close to a year after taking office.
After the euphoria of Guyana’s best ever World Cup qualifying performance in 2011/12, the cleansing of sub association executives should be the least of Matthias’ concerns.
Despite pressure in and out of the country by players, the national team wasted more than a year through inactivity.
And with an end not in sight, Matthias should be forewarned.
The sword he could fall on, might see him have a messier landing than Klass.
