In the lead up to the respective Guyana Football Federation (GFF) and Georgetown Football Association (GFA) presidential races, Guyana Volleyball Federation (GVF) President John Flores and Commander of A-Division Clifton Hicken are being suggested as candidates for the respective posts.
According to information emanating from sources close to the federation, Flores, who is a Commander within the Coast Guard Division of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) is being considered for the GFF top post, with a possible nomination coming close to home in the form of GFF Elite League Club the Guyana Defence Force (GDF).
On the GFA side, Hicken is being suggested as the head of a nine-member slate which supposedly consists of Arron Fraser, Aduke Woolford, Frank `English’ Parris, Charles Greaves and Challus McKinnon.
The sources noted the nomination is expected to come from GFA club Santos FC. If elected President of the GFA Hicken would undoubtedly be a serious challenger for the post of GFF President.
Efforts to contact Hicken and Flores yesterday proved futile.
The GFF will stage their Electoral Congress on November 14 at the Marriott Hotel, Kingston while the GFA will stage their elections on October 17 at the Sleepin International Hotel.
In the GFF Presidential Race, Odinga Lumumba, Alfred King and former GFF Vice-President Rawlston Adams are all being suggested as possible candidates for the top post.
Lumumba, who is a former Presidential Advisor on Empowerment under the previous People’s Progressive Party (PPP)/Civic government, is the current President of GFF Elite League Club Alpha United and a former GFA General Secretary. Adams, who is a manager attached to the Demerara Harbour Bridge, served as vice president under previous GFF president Christopher Matthias before resigning while King is the current Guyana Football Referees Council President and a former GFF Presidential candidate. Question marks also surround whether immediate past President Matthias and/or former federation presidential hopeful Aubrey ‘Shanghai’ Major will contest the polls or will be on slates.
King and Major as well as former GFF Vice President Ivan Persaud lost their bid for Presidency of the federation to Matthias following an Electoral Congress at the Le Meridien Pegasus Hotel on April 12, 2013. Similarly Fruta Conquerors President Wayne Forde is also said to be considering if he should contest for the post of GFF President.
The GFF Normalisation Committee which was installed in October 2014, has been tasked with the responsibility of reforming the constitution of the GFF and all its affiliates to make way for the GFF Electoral Congress on November 14.
To date, a new federation constitution has been adopted following an Extraordinary Congress held on June 26 while the process to reform the body’s now 22 affiliates is ongoing.
Some major amendments to the new constitution saw the federation membership being increased to 22 affiliates, 10 more than the previous allotment.
The new members of the federation will include the eight Elite League teams as well as newcomers the Guyana Futsal Association and the Guyana Beach Football Association.
The eight Elite League clubs which will be allowed a vote at GFF Congresses in the future are Alpha United, Slingerz FC, Pele FC, Georgetown Football Club, Guyana Defence
Force, Monedderlust FC, Buxton United and Fruta Conquerors.
Similarly being amended was the voting count. Under the previous GFF constitution, each of the nine associations had two votes each while each affiliate had one vote apiece. This translated to 21 votes at the sitting of any congress.
With the increasing of the membership in the new constitution, each member will only be allowed one vote in the form of the entity’s President which equates to 22 votes.
