Dear Editor,
It has always been represented to me that the Stabroek News subscribes to fairness in its journalism and that it avoids grinding axes and indulging in character assassination. This editorial position, applies, I assume, in sport as much as in any other area of reporting.
I am therefore dismayed at the seeming ‘about turn’ reflected in its Sportscope column published in the Sunday December 9th issue of the newspaper. The article, Editor, wanders way outside the realm of honest and fair comment. It may well be the case here that, unbeknown to yourself, the sports pages of the Sunday Stabroek have been used in this instance in pursuit of an unwholesome cause to which you, personally, may not subscribe.
At the core of the Sportscope article is a violent objection to the Kashif & Shanghai Organization securing a contract from the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) to execute a local football tournament on behalf of the Guyana Football Federation. One must ask oneself, Editor, whether the vehemence with which this objection is articulated does not bespeak some vested interest on the part of the author of the article.
In this regard, Editor, I need hardly, remind you that with competition for sponsorship for the promotion of football being as competitive as it is, fair play is not a virtue that is always respected.
It is not unheard of for those who compete for sponsorship to attempt to recruit sections of the media to their respective sides. As a newspaper editor of considerable experience I do not believe that the point which I seek to make is news to you.
For all the criticisms which the Sportscope article seeks to heap on the Kashif & Shanghai Organization I say, Editor, without fear of serious contradiction that no other promotional group in the history of the local game has done more to promote the game’s interests. In support of what I concede is a bold assertion I submit the following samples of our accomplishments:
Administered – for twenty-five consecutive years, the most popular football tournament in Guyana’s history.
• Facilitated placements for fifty-six local footballers to play semi-professional football in Trinidad and Tobago.
• Negotiated the historic visit to Guyana of the legendary Brazilian footballer, King Pele.
• Personally persuaded the Trinidad and Tobago football coach Jamal Shabazz to accept a contract to work with the Golden Jaguars.
• Successfully executed a contract awarded to the Kashif & Shanghai Organization by the Guyana Football Federation to stage the historic 11.11.11. Guyana/Vs. Trinidad and Tobago football encounter at the National Stadium.
• Attracted crowds to the National Stadium to witness epic Kashif & Shanghai matches that exceeded even those that have gone to the Stadium to witness international cricket.
• Contracted to work with a local entity to promote a tournament similar to our own in St. Lucia.
• Hosted the Canadian national team Captain Dwayne De Rosario in Guyana to run clinics for young footballers.
• Provided the most significant monetary and material rewards for players in local tournaments in the history of football in Guyana.
• These, Editor, are among the unparalleled accomplishments of the Kashif & Shanghai Organization.
There is a distinction between justifiable criticism and motive-laden attacks, the kinds that manifest themselves in feuds, vendettas and hidden agendas. The ‘Sportscope,’ piece in question, through its persistent preoccupation with vilifying the Kashif & Shanghai Organization, without providing justifiable reason for its behaviour, falls squarely into the latter category.
For these reasons and more, Editor, I have taken a decision not to allow this travesty to pass without making public my concern and equally importantly, sharing that concern with you.
It is against this backdrop that I seek not only your kind publication of this letter but your personal contemplation of the issues raised therein.
Frankly, Editor, I believe that rather than reflecting the Stabroek News’ editorial position, the Sportscope article reflects the representation of a partisan interest and that, no less than the Kashif & Shanghai Organization, the Stabroek News itself may be a victim here.
Yours faithfully,
Kashif Muhammad
Director
