Guyana Football Federation (GFF) President Christopher Matthias says that the GFF Ordinary Congress will be officially reconvened on the August 9 2014 at the Regency Hotel, Hadfield Street.
Speaking via telephone during an exclusive interview, the GFF boss said that the world governing body has been duly notified of the intended date for the reconvening of the congress and has given its approval.
Meanwhile FIFA has advised the GFF that the Congress should resume from where it was stopped when the Congress was held earlier this year.
A correspondence dated July 11th 2014 and signed by FIFA Secretary General Jerome Valcke to the GFF stated: “In above regard we respectfully remind you of the contents of FIFA’s enclosed correspondence dated 4th June 2014 wherein FIFA and CONCACAF strongly recommended that the reconvened GFF Congress deal with all pending and agreed matters from the 26th April 2014 GFF Congress.
“As such, we deem that the GFF Congress on 9th August 2014 should commence precisely at the agenda item where the GFF Congress on 26th April 2014 was interrupted. Accordingly, the agenda of the GFF Congress on 9th August 2014 should not be amended given that it is a straightforward resumption of the interrupted GFF Congress that took place on 26th April 2014.”
Matthias was in agreement with the FIFA directive.
“If we are reconvening the Congress, the agenda has got to be the same and FIFA has so directed that we must start where we left off,” he added.
Questioned about the status of the contentious affiliates regarded Interim Management Committees (IMC), Matthias said “The only way you are not allowed to vote is if you are suspended.
“We just had the 64th FIFA Congress where all 209 countries were allowed to fully participate. Even those of a normalization committee status. The only way you are not allowed to vote is if you are suspended and we have no suspended association here.”
Asked if any sanctions will be meted out to the associations that were a part of the May 31st meeting, Matthias said: “The Congress will decide that and that will be done on the day of the congress.”
The GFF April 26th Ordinary Congress which was held the Regency Hotel was suspended following disagreements between several GFF associations and the GFF President with regards to the voting eligibility of affiliate members who were regarded at the time as IMC’s.
This occurred during the voting process of the no-confidence motion brought against Matthias and GFF executive committee member Keith O’Jeer by several associations who contended that IMC’s should not be eligible to vote.
These associations who supported and voted for the motion were the Georgetown Football Association (GFA), National Women’s Football Association (NWFA), Guyana Football Coaches Association (GFCA), Guyana Football Referees Council (GFRC), East Coast Football Association (ECFA) and East Demerara Football Association (EDFA).
Voting against the motion were the Upper Demerara Football Association (UDFA), Bartica Football Association (BFA), Essequibo/Pomeroon Football Association (EPFA), Berbice Football Association and West Demerara Football Association (WDFA), with one WDFA member abstaining.
Attending the April 26th meeting in the capacity of observers were CONCACAF Director of Legal Affairs Marco Leal, FIFA developmental Officer Howard McIntosh and CONCACAF Legal Advisor Bruce Blake.
The disgruntled associations then held a reconvened congress on May 31 at the Waterchris Hotel where a no-confidence motion against the aforementioned duo was successfully passed during a voting process.
It was disclosed at the conclusion of the meeting which featured no observers from the international bodies that GFF Vice President Ivan Persaud, would act in the capacity as the interim leader of the federation.
It was further disclosed that within a 60 day period, elections will be held where the respective affiliated clubs will vote to decide the executives of the GFF. The associations that participated in the vote were the GFA, NWFA, GFCA, GFRC, ECFA and EDFA.
However FIFA Secretary General Valcke subsequently dispatched an official statement which said that the world governing body did not recognize the legitimacy of the Persaud-led GFF adding that the reconvened forum did not follow the correct protocol of the GFF constitution and as such was null and void.
