The National COVID-19 Task Force (NCTF) is still to make a decision on the sanctions to impose against the organisers of the Futsal Final on January 8th over severe overcrowding and other breaches of COVID-19 guidelines and protocols.
Prime Minister Mark Phillips, who has responsibility for the NCTF, in a brief comment yesterday told Stabroek News that they have not concluded discussions and they are yet to arrive at sanctions against the organisers, the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) and Kashif and Shanghai.
A source told Stabroek News that at the last statutory meeting the NCTF was unable to discuss the matter as the meeting was cut short. However, the investigation into what led to the breaches during the hosting of the event is complete and is awaiting deliberations.
“… The reports when submitted will be reviewed and if there are to be sanctions they will be sanctioned…” Phillips told this newspaper two days after the event.
In an audio recording leaked from the NCTF statutory meeting just after the event, Phillips could be heard lamenting “The reality and the fact is… the Futsal we had complaints about. The organisers must take responsibility for that… Yes the Kashif and Shanghai have failed us all and we have to take corrective actions for that.”
From videos and photos seen by this newspaper, the arena for the finals, the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall, had far more in attendance than its capacity. Many of those present were without masks and there was no social distancing.
This newspaper was told that the event also ended after 12 am, thereby breaching the national curfew.
Stabroek News learnt that there was a rush at the doors which became uncontrollable, thereby overriding all precautionary measures in place.
Phillips in the audio could be heard repeatedly saying that the organisers had “failed us.”
During a press conference on January 11th at GFF’s headquarters in Section K, Campbellville, the President of the Federation, Wayne Forde said the organisers “take full responsibility” for the breaches and have also launched an independent investigation to understand what went wrong and why, and how it can be addressed in the appropriate way.
