The Guyana Football Federation (GFF) officially presented the FIFA-approved Disciplinary Code to the members of the Federation’s Disciplinary Committee on Friday.
The document, which was received by Chairman Roger Yearwood, paves the way for several matters to be adjudicated.
Among the major issues to be adjudicated are violent conduct involving players during the Georgetown Football Association’s Revival Cup, the matter involving sexual harassment of female referees by match officials and administrators, and allegations of inappropriate behavior by an Executive Committee member.
According to an official release from the GFF, Yearwood said, “We believe going forward, all the necessary elements can work together to improve the delivery and the type of conduct that is expected of football administrators and demanded by the public from persons involved in the sport including players, referees, coaches and others.”
He added, “Hopefully, we can get our players more aligned to what is expected of them at the international level so that if they are hoping to take their careers to greater heights, they would be in a position of knowledge and adequately represent Guyana without instances of misconduct, which will reflect badly on the country and the Guyana Football Federation. We’re hopeful with this Code, much can be achieved and much can be attained.”
Meanwhile, GFF President Wayne Forde said, “We believe that the revised Code, approved by FIFA, provides the instruments and tools to administer discipline in a swift, transparent and thorough manner. We expect every stakeholder – fans, clubs and officials – will now see a greater need to align themselves with the level of conduct that we think should reflect the beautiful game of football.”
Although the GFF’s Disciplinary Code was approved by FIFA in June 2018, the GFF Regulations Committee was tasked with revising the fines, as it was estimated by FIFA to be too lenient given their small amount. The GFF’s Disciplinary Code is the framework, which informs the work of the GFF’s Disciplinary Committee. This is stipulated in the GFF’s Constitution under Article 61: “Disciplinary Committee; 2”: “The responsibilities and functions of the Disciplinary Committee shall be stipulated in the Disciplinary Code of the Federation, which shall be issued by the Executive Committee and comply with the Disciplinary Code of the FIFA and Concacaf.”
The other members of the GFF’s Disciplinary Committee are Whittington Braithwaite, Dr Clement McEwan, Ashley King and Everyon Singh-Lammy.
