Letter to the Sports Editor – Forde normalizes trickery with consummate ease

Dec 08, 2023 Letters, Sports

Dear Sports Editor,

Incumbent President of the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) Wayne Forde in a release once again showed his contempt for the football fraternity by placing blame on challenger Franklin Wilson as seeking to “impugn the integrity of the Federation’s Electoral Committee”.

Rather, Forde should shoulder all the blame for what has transpired since four members of the electorate were deemed to be not in good standing and therefore ineligible to vote at tomorrow’s Electoral Congress scheduled for the GFF National Training Centre, Providence.

The President in his usual cunning mode rendered himself as the good guy possibly to gain the sympathy of the footballing public and the electorate at large.

His clear motive was to prove that despite his wretched performance over the past eight years, where the game suffered immensely in every department locally, he was still the good guy and voters should ignore his failure and give him four more years or possibly three more terms in office.

This is the kind of scorn he has exhibited for the sport during his tenure, but he still believes that his administration has done enough to retain the presidency.

A short clip of his performance over the past eight years will show why the sport is in such a plight and while a change in administration is seen as the only option to salvage the sport from its current state, only a courageous President would accept the reins of power.

Forde has plunged local football to its lowest level in modern times and his claim of “restoring stability to the football environment that was roiled with disunity and dissent,” is another example of how he manages to normalize trickery with consummate ease.

It is public record that when he assumed office following the dissolution of the Interim Management Committee (IMC) as mandated by FIFA, Guyana was threatened with a ban if the conditions of dissent and instability continued.

It meant that anyone coming after the IMC had the full backing of FIFA, driven by the threat of a ban, all stakeholders of this football-loving nation understood how important it was to give their full backing to the new administration.

Instead, Forde took this sensible act and declared it as one of his administration’s small victories.

The fact of the matter is that this football-loving nation has become fed-up with the lack of on-field activities and idle talk of the game being on the move without evidence of such an occurrence.

It has become nauseating for the people of this nation more so those with aspirations of becoming participants in the sport.

In asking his challenger to desist from what he perceives as acts of mudslinging; he must be truthful to himself and the public at large.

His appeal to Wilson seems more of a request for him to refrain from highlighting his poor performance in the office.

Allegations of highhandedness have surfaced in every quarter with referees, associations, service providers, and even staff, all rumbling similar sentiments about the behaviour of the administration.

The claims of being owed large amounts of prize monies and salaries have become rife, while the long delays in the completion of infrastructural projects after financial releases were made all point to why the administration has failed.

The incomplete Ann’s Grove and Vryman’s Erven change room and washroom facilities that were allotted a total of $ 20 million are just two promises yet to be fulfilled.

These projects were pledged in 2021 under the FIFA Forward and One CONCACAF Programmes.

Perhaps, a change in administration will tell the story of why so many projects have not been completed.

Football is known for its twists and turns at all levels and tomorrow’s outcome could offer us more evidence of this trend.

Football Enthusiast.

• consummate, Electoral Congress, Federation’s Electoral Committee, Guyana Football Federation (GFF), Wayne Forde