It might not be the most important decision he will make in football but newly-elected Guyana Football Federation (GFF) president Wayne Forde has a crucial ballot to cast in Zurich, Switzerland, tomorrow.
Forde along will 208 other national representatives will determine the new world football president in arguably the Federation of International Football Association’s (FIFA) most important election in its history. It is also one of the most open with no one candidate an overwhelming favorite as the suspended, outgoing president Sepp Blatter was for decades.
Given the scandal plagued status of sport’s most powerful ruling body, it is not only imperative that Forde’s vote be consistent with selecting the candidate most likely to restore FIFA’s crumbling image, but more importantly the one most sympathetic to Guyana’s needs.
Of the five candidates left in the race, the GFF head will be best advised to place his X (if that’s the way they do it) next to the image of Prince Ali bin Al Hussein.
So far he is the only candidate who seems genuine in continuing the vital financial, technical and other assistance small under developed countries (Guyana among others) must have to survive, which started under Blatter’s stewardship.
Prince Ali, Gianni Infantino and Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa, the three front running candidates have all made the generic campaign promises of help to the member-country representatives
But Ali made an indelible impression with his criticism of current FIFA leadership’s decision to suspend all funding to the two troubled confederations including CONCACAF, which directly dries up Guyana’s funding.
Surely an inconsiderate decision as that, deserves not only mere addressing, but harsh condemnation by every candidate vying for CONCACAF’s 34 votes, the great majority of countries in the group whose existence depends on that annual FIFA subvention.
And for all of the pledges of increased funding for member countries by Infantino and indirect assistance by Sheik Salman, all become hollow promises without any thought, much less condemnation of the decision to deprive those nations.
Of course, action of some sort is needed in light of the arrests of key CONCACAF officials for corrupt acts, but FIFA need not blanket the entire region with a penalty as the genesis of its problems has nothing to do with poor countries of which Guyana is one .
Why not disband the entire confederation’s executive temporarily and replace it with a special FIFA appointed committee, similar to the type which not only tidied over this country’s problems, but produced rapid progress during its one year tenure?
Forde has already sounded the alarm, stating the dire situation Guyana will find itself in, following the funding suspension.
Yet, Infantino, who recently visited this Region, courting votes while stating his intention to enlarge the slice of the sumptuous FIFA money pie to spend on member affiliates, has apparently been immune to the problems the decision will pose to affected countries.
It means you have to think twice on the sincerity of his promise.
Prince Ali, who happened to be the lone candidate this time around who contested the previous election which Sepp Blatter won handily last year, is obviously using his experience from that defeat to Blatter, whose generosity to countries in need during his long tenure at FIFA’s helm, will make him win any election, given the support he gets from Africa, CONCACAF and South America.
The Prince now understands that a country in need, could be a friend indeed.
Sheikh Salman should be the least of the candidates deserving of Forde’s consideration as his pledge to restrict assistance to only specific projects, to select countries, is an ominous warning to small FIFA members, rather than an exciting promise.
It means that the vital cash needed for Guyana and others to fund national teams, developmental projects, pay officials and other miscellaneous expenses would disappear if the Sheikh has his way.
His contention that FIFA could be bankrupt should the accustomed funding of members continue, in light of potential legal fees to contest lawsuits and loss of sponsorship, makes no sense.
As of now, none of the Association’s big sponsors have severed ties and international competitions, which are just as big a revenue source as the sponsorship, have not been disrupted.
It also beggars belief that FIFA’s coffers are as low as the US $1.5 billion, as Sheik Salman has proffered.
Infantino, surely will have the backing of most European countries, non -reliance on FIFA’s financial help.
Hence their priorities are as distant from Guyana’s as Mars is from Earth.
So Forde need not get carried away with the hype generated by the delegates from those well off countries, who regard Infantino as a proxy for the banned Michel Platini, ex-president of the Union of European Football Associa-tions (UEFA), whose shelved candidacy was their overwhelming choice.
The Guyana Football Federa-tion president has to remember his promise to better the nation’s football when he won the election three months ago.
He has to think of Guyana’s lowly status in not just world competition, but right here in the Caribbean, and the resources needed to make this country respected out there.
There are no Nikes, Cola Colas, Pepsis, McDonalds or Exxons to sponsor Guyana’s football, as some countries have.
Not even the government here has made a commitment.
GFF’s bulk of funding has to be from FIFA in the near to medium term future and it will not be had from Infantino, Sheik Salman or the expected also-rans for the presidency, Jerome Champagne and Tokyo Sexwale, at the helm.
Our best bet has to be Prince Ali, the Jordanian royal who might even be willing to use his family fortune to solve small country’s problems.
