Dear Editor,
Earlier in the month of October, the Regional Democratic Council of Region 9 announced its intention to hold a football tournament for football clubs (male and female) in Region 9 with prize money amounting to a mouth-watering sum of 4.6 million Guyana dollars, obviously to be funded by the taxpayers of this country.
Fast forward to one month later and this so-called flagship tournament is floundering amidst a quandary of mismanagement and disorganization. Firstly, the management of the tournament was handed over by the RDC to a committee of persons with little to no knowledge of running a tournament of this magnitude. What has resulted has been chaos; these include matches starting late, no balls for matches at some venues, tournament rules being loosely and selectively applied in some cases, organizers trying to influence referee decisions, nonpayment of ground preparation fees, nonpayment for use of public address (PA) systems and the late payment of referee fees. In addition, fixtures are being set and then readjusted to dates and times with no consideration for the players and officials themselves, many of whom attend school or work full time and have to travel long distances at considerable expense to get to match venues.
A couple of points to note. The RDC should have made every effort to ensure that this tournament was carefully planned prior to its execution to ensure that player welfare was considered and that all expenses related to running a tournament of this magnitude were adequately budgeted for. Secondly 4.6 million GYD belonging to the taxpayers of this country must be properly accounted for.
If the tournament is mismanaged due to sheer incompetence, and does not achieve its true objective, then the RDC would have been guilty of squandering 4.6 million dollars and therefore should be held accountable. Thirdly, the Rupununi Football Association (RFA) and the RDC should have worked hand in hand to ensure that the tournament was organized and run in a structured manner with clear adherence to GFF and FIFA regulations.
At the moment both bodies seem to be out of sync with each other and the most important stakeholders which are the footballers of the region are suffering as a result. The current tournament is at its quarter final stage and it is not too late for the RDC and RFA to have a frank discussion on ensuring the tournament is brought to a successful conclusion to the satisfaction of all stakeholders in the Rupununi. Further inaction will result in this well-intentioned initiative by the RDC, Region 9 falling flat.
Sincerely,
(Name and Address Withheld)
