Golden Jaguar international and Western Tigers talisman Hubert Pedro has lambasted the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) for banning several players including himself, for their participation in the unsanctioned Magnum Tonic Wine ‘Unfinished Business’ Futsal Tournament.
This was stated during an exclusive interview with Stabroek Sport yesterday.
“It is wrong to ban the players, how can you ban the players who are looking to earn money to feed their families,” Pedro asked.
“There are players who have come home from international games for Guyana in the Concacaf Nations League who are yet to be paid. But they are running leagues for a first prize of $300,000 which will last for months, and players get a chance to win the same amount in one night. It’s impossible for players to pass up that opportunity knowing that they have families, and we are not contracted with anyone, inclusive of the GFF or any club. This is an amateur system in Guyana,” he lamented.
The GFF suspended several players and an official for their participation in the unsanctioned Magnum Tonic Wine ‘Unfinished Business’ Futsal Tournament, which concluded on Saturday.
This was confirmed by a release from the federation to its member associations, affiliates, and elite league clubs. According to the correspondence, which was dated June 19th, and signed by General Secretary Ian Alves, the other suspended players are Daniel Wilson, Pernell Schultz, Colin Nelson, Nicholas MacArthur, Jermaine Junior, Gregory Richardson, Clive Nobrega, Jermaine Beckles, Eusi Phillips, Jamal Pedro, Randolph Wagner, and Darren Niles. The penalized official is Travis Bess.
The release stated, “I write on behalf of the President and Executive Committee of the Guyana Football Federation. GFF Memo dated June 16, 2022, on the subject at caption refers [Non Participation in Unsanctioned Tournaments]. It was reported to the GFF that Sports Management Inc., proceeded with the Futsal tournament on Saturday, June 18th, 2022, notwithstanding receipt of correspondence from the GFF advising that certain requirements were necessary before the conduct of the tournament could have been sanctioned or approved; an action which was a clear violation of the established protocol for conducting privately organized tournaments and a flagrant disregard for the federation.
“Additionally, it was also reported that National team players, ATC staff and possibly other registered members of the GFF, participated in the tournament. The Executive Committee is therefore now directing that the players and officials who participated in the tournament not be allowed to take any further part in the current Regional Associations (RA) Senior Men’s League, nor any other GFF-conducted tournaments until they appear before the GFF Disciplinary Committee (DC). Each member to whom this correspondence is addressed is required to immediately formally inform their respective relevant club (s)/player (s) of the provisional suspension of the players and officials until their appearance before the DC, and to ensure their non-participation in the GFF or RA tournaments until such time as the federation pronounces otherwise”, the release said.
According to Pedro, “Even if you win the league in Guyana, you will have to wait for months for the $300,000 like in the past and that money has to be divided between 26 players, and the club still has to take their cut. Basically, the players are playing for practically nothing with the risk of injury. A league will have many games, and players still have to get equipment, and nutrition. They give us nothing and want to ban us and don’t know how the players are living. I find it laughable, I don’t care if they ban me because it won’t hurt me because I will play the small goal format, and they need to understand why all the players are going to this format? It’s because they aren’t running the sport properly. Players are not benefiting from football, this is an amateur system and they are trying to act professional and don’t even play the national players. For years they didn’t even pay the female national players.”
He added that the format and the teams are a direct representation of the respective communities, which was uniquely built by the players, adding that the federation doesn’t control the rights of players because they are not legally contracted.
Pedro explained, “They want to take control of the format, they didn’t build this format. This was built by the players, and they want to control everything, and that is wrong. Football players need to take a stance, they believe that we are stupid. How can they ban us when we are not contracted to them, they don’t own us. They believe that we can get injured in this format but let us get injured in the league and we don’t hear from them. This will force players to gravitate more to the street format because they are not doing anything for us. They are simply trying to bully players.”
