K&S Organisation disappointed with lethargic discussions

Sep 26, 2013 Sports

By Rawle Welch
Co-Founder of the Kashif & Shanghai Organisation Kashif Muhammad speaking with the media yesterday, at the Water Chris Restaurant & Hotel sounded unyielding in his declaration that the entity will not accommodate any rescheduling of their yearend Football Extravaganza.
The organisers of the event summoned the Press for a briefing that sought to give an update on the current state of affairs in relation to the staging of the tournament which has been in existence for the past 23 years and is considered a staple on the football and tourism landscape.

Aubrey Shanghai Major and Kashif Muhammad at yesterday’s briefing.

Muhammad, who along with co-founder Aubrey Major and General Secretary of the Organisation Colin Aaron were present at the briefing, gave a sequential account of the ongoing deliberations with the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) which progress he described as being lethargic and somewhat disappointing, especially when it is considered that time is crucial for the commencement of preparations to stage the event.
The football promoter said they had written the GFF sometime in July outlining their intentions to stage the tournament and after failing to secure a response in reasonable time were forced to write another letter asking for the two parties to meet to discuss the way forward.
According to Muhammad, they eventually managed to meet with the GFF Executive and during the exchange, they were told of the requirements and concerns of the governing body and advised on how the application must be done and what are the requirements for approval of the competition.
He revealed that at the meeting they expressed concerns about some of the conditionality’s that were put forward which according to him appeared difficult to fulfill, but left the engagement with the promise to continue dialogue to get a favourable outcome.
The Organisers had written CONCACAF President Jeffrey Webb asking his intervention in the issue after the prolonged delay in soliciting a response from the local governing body and according to Muhammad, Major is expected to meet with Webb sometime soon and an official announcement will be made shortly after their interaction.
The Group was adamant that the recent turn in fortune of Guyana’s football is due largely in part to them since they were the ones who introduced many young players to the scouts in the Caribbean and also explored the possibility of players playing their trade further afield returning to represent Guyana in numerous regional and international fixtures.
Muhammad further stated that, “we are not accepting any other time, we built this time,” in reference to the period the tournament has been played for the past 23 years.
Asked whether or not they were prepared to concede any other period if mandated by Webb, Muhammad reiterated his earlier declaration, adding that if the tournament cannot be accommodated during the time of its birth and as a single tournament then they will be forced to move into another realm of the sport which could be the a nationwide schools tournament.
Muhammad noted how wrong it is to stage two major tournaments concomitantly, adding that it robs the viewing public of the best teams on show, while major stakeholders are also left in a dilemma when having to choose who they must support.
Meanwhile, the GFF sometime last week had declared that it will stop no one from hosting any competition once they comply with the rules of the Body and on