Letter to the Sports Editor - Forde prepared to ostracize, Wilson about inclusivity

Letter to the Sports Editor – Forde prepared to ostracize, Wilson about inclusivity

Dec 09, 2023 Letters, Sports

Dear Sports Editor,

Now that the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) has reinstated the four members previously debarred from participating in its Electoral Congress scheduled for today, it now opens the door for the possibility of a free and fair process.

The Wayne Forde-led federation will go up against the Franklin Wilson-led slate for the right to lead the organisation for the next four years.

The decision to restore the rights of the four members of today’s Congress is welcomed since it allows the candidate with the best vision for the sport a fair chance of leading the new administration.

The current administration has been at the helm of the sport for the past eight years and apart from its legacy of underperforming, the voting rights debacle has once again left a sour taste on the sport’s landscape.

Had it not been for the persistence of the challenging slate and FIFA’s timely support, it is anyone’s guess as to what would have been the eventual outcome of the dispute.

However, there must be a price to be paid for the administration’s attempt to disenfranchise the four members from voting and the cost could come in the form of voting them out of office.

They have failed to lift the sport to the next level; instead what was achieved was nothing short of disaster.

Football enthusiasts, participants, and all other related arms of the sport were subjected to misery as on-field activities dwindled at an alarming rate.

Had it not been for a few brave corporate entities that remained loyal to their corporate commitments combined with a sprinkling of private promoters, the circumstances surrounding the sport’s survival might have been dire.

Forde and his administration benefitted from the largest expression of kindness from FIFA and promised much but failed to deliver.

The sport’s health is fading fast due to Forde’s injudiciousness; it needs an immediate injection of well-thought-out strategies and an administration with a passion for development that will guarantee its resuscitation.

What occurred was unfortunate, the existing management was more concerned with holding on to the office for the perks that accompanied such than doing what’s best for the advancement of the sport.

The convenient inclusion of the four members for constitutional amendments to extend Forde’s term in office and then discarding them without due process points directly to the real objective of his involvement in the sport.

Forde’s transgressions are many and any right-thinking voter with the long-term development of the sport in mind must recognise the importance of their constitutional undertaking and place it on that path.

Wilson is a tested and proven performer at the administrative level, his experience is far superior to that of Forde, his achievements are numerous, and his enthusiasm to arrest the game’s slide is as high as when he took the reins of power previously.

His slate is stocked with people of good repute and administrative acumen, while his relationship with the corporate sector and other agencies is rock solid.

Wilson has an impressive manifesto which has been shared among the electorate and public for their perusal and Forde would struggle to produce one to counter his rival.

The characteristics of the two hopefuls were laid bear with the incumbent prepared to ostracize members without due process, while Wilson has shown a willingness to uphold due process by advocating strong representation for full inclusivity.
He also met with 15 of the 22 members to date, further strengthening his ability to reach out and be inclusive.
The quality of the two slates is clear and voters today must realise who has their backs and who doesn’t.

Football Enthusiast.

Franklin Wilson, Guyana Football Federation (GFF), Inclusivity, ostracize, Wayne Forde

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