Latest update April 19th, 2024 12:59 AM
Oct 22, 2014 Sports
By Rawle Welch
Stating clearly that they are not here to reprimand anyone or suspend
Guyana from the FIFA / CONCACAF family, Head of Member Organisations for FIFA Premo Cavaro, however, stressed that they will show no understanding to anyone who attempts to fight the new process.
Cavaro, who along with CONCACAF Legal Affairs Director Marco Leal arrived in Guyana to spearhead the process to appoint a Normalisation Committee to run the operations of the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) met with members of the media at the Pegasus Hotel last evening to apprise them of the decisions taken by the world and regional bodies following the abandonment of two previous Congresses that plunged the governance of the country’s football into dispute.
The two esteemed members announced to the media that GFF President Christopher Matthias has been relieved of his duties with immediate effect and a five-member Normalisation Committee will be in place in three days with a mandate given by FIFA / CONCACAF to reorganize the football landscape by September 2015.
According to Cavaro, among the Committee’s duties are to formulate new constitutions for the GFF and its affiliates and to run the day to day operations of the local governing body including interfacing with stakeholders and attending FIFA and CONCACAF Meetings.
The FIFA official said that while the current constitution is not bad it needs to be improved and this is one area that the Committee will be looking at. He added that there will be big and deep changes in the manner in which football is governed in Guyana, informing that the installation of the Committee will pave the way for a new GFF that will advance the development of the game here.
Cavaro was quick to remind all present that the move by FIFA / CONCACAF was not to sanction anyone, but because a vacuum was created that stymied the work of the GFF and even attempts made by the major governing bodies proved futile.
Pointing to the composition of the GFF, Cavaro said it was too small, especially since there is usually a lot to do and this problem will also be addressed by the Committee and changes will be recommended.
The Head of Associations stated that further disputes will not be accepted anymore as to who are eligible to represent the various regional associations. He reminded all that FIFA / CONCACAF still has a lot of faith in Guyana’s football since the ongoing resentment among members of the fraternity and the ignoring of FIFA / CONCACAF’s previous recommendations could have easily resulted in suspension rather than the installation of a Normalisation Committee.
“We believe that the installation of a Normalisation Committee is not a suspension, Guyana is still a part of the FIFA / CONCACAF family and this is a show of faith.”
He said that Matthias’ exit should not be considered a removal as such, but an attempt to develop and move Guyana’s football forward and break the stalemate created by the absence of full support from the GFF Executive Congress.
Quizzed on the composition of the Committee, Cavaro said they have been recommended by people from right here and who are far removed from football, but committed to Guyana.
He stated that it is their intention to meet with everyone, the taxi drivers, GFF, persons in the streets among others to get a good feeling as to what is really needed to propel the development of the sport here.
“Other affiliates to FIFA / CONCACAF and who are just as small as or even smaller that Guyana are facing similar problems , but they are performing so we have to fix this problem,” Cavaro pointed out.
He disclosed that experts will be coming sometime soon to meet stakeholders within the sport and those outside to discuss with them what are some of the issues affecting the development of Guyana’s football and what recommendations could be made to rectify those problems.
Leal, who is visiting Guyana for the sixth time including five this year, all aimed at resolving the ongoing disputes within the GFF responding to why the Committee has been given such a long time said that the task that needs to be accomplished requires a long period.
“Because of the things like the constitutions, the Committee members who will be relatively new to football management will first need to acquaint themselves with football related matters, travel to meet with the associations, before actually beginning the task of reorganising the governance structure, all of which takes time,” Leal reminded.
An attempt to solicit a response from Cavaro pertaining to whether the new Committee will revisit certain decisions taken by the previous ExCo; he said they will be advised to stay clear of such issues for fear of not being dragged into what transpired before.
No member of the Normalisation Committee will be eligible to run for office at the next Congress.
Where is the BETTER MANAGEMENT/RENEGOTIATION OF THE OIL CONTRACTS you promised Jagdeo?
Apr 19, 2024
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