Despite submitting a formal protest to the international football federation (FIFA) regarding the ineligibility of Trinidad and Tobago international Andre Boucard in the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers in March, the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) is yet to receive an official response from the world governing body.
This was disclosed by General Secretary of the federation Ian Alves yesterday during an exclusive interview with Stabroek Sport. According to Alves, the federation has not received any formal reply from FIFA regarding their protest.
He added that a timeline for a likely resolution to the protest also has not been issued by the world governing body.
According to Alves, “We have not gotten a response from them [FIFA and Concacaf] on the protest yet submitted and we have not gotten a timeline as to when a decision will be made on the protest. There has been nothing from their end as yet, nothing at all we have received in response.”
The GFF officially submitted a formal protest to FIFA contending that Trinidad and Tobago international Andre Boucard was ineligible to play in the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers in March.
“The GFF believes Boucard was ineligible for selection as a registered intermediary and, as such, that any points secured by Trinidad and Tobago during any related FIFA World Cup qualification matches should be forfeited,” a press release from the GFF stated.
“Following an extensive investigation and careful consultation with its legal team, the GFF has sent its written evidence to FIFA and urged the global governing body of football to consider its case,” the release added.
The TTFA has been accused of fielding an ineligible player in the form of Boucard, 36, by the Puerto Rico football authorities during their FIFA World Cup Qualifier. According to the report from Inside World Football, the TTFA registered Boucard as plying his trade for English sixth tier unit Maidstone United despite records to the contrary.
Boucard did not feature against Guyana in a match which was won by a comfortable 3-0 score by the ‘Soca Warriors’.
However, he did feature against Puerto Rico, making an appearance in the 85th minute of their 1-1 stalemate. It was revealed by Inside World Football that Boucard was registered as a player intermediary [agent] with the English FA, despite the latter expressly prohibiting an agent from competing in the elite professional and semi-professional realms of the sport.
Under FIFA rules, all conflicts of interest with intermediaries – or agents – must be avoided. Intermediaries cannot have any contractual relationship with a national football association. Under English Football Association rules, players cannot be registered as intermediaries.
