Futsal COVID Protocol breach: “We take full responsibility”– GFF

…Prime Minister threatens sanctions

By Jemima Holmes

Rather than absolving themselves of the blame, the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) appears to be willing to take the brunt of it when it comes to the absolute fiasco at last Saturday’s Futsal Championship final.

Organised by the GFF and the Kashif and Shanghai (K&S) Organization, the final game of the year-end tournament saw thousands of patrons sardine-packed into the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall (CASH), where a capacity limit was supposed to be enforced. The situation was such that many fans had to stand to witness the grand final between Sparta Boss and Bent Street.
While photos and videos have circulated on social media, those involved have come in for berating, while the Government of Guyana and the National COVID-19 Task Force have taken notice of what occurred.
GFF President Wayne Forde, in addressed the matter on Tuesday during a press briefing at the Federation’s headquarters, noted that the organisers regret the entire situation.

“It is therefore with great regret and sadness that we witnessed what took place at the final of the futsal tournament last weekend,” he declared. “Despite the obvious difficulty of controlling such a large, unexpected number of people in a small space, it was clearly wrong and unacceptable that an over-capacity crowd was allowed entry into the building. This created an unnecessary hazard to public health, and runs against everything we stand for at the GFF,”
Forde said in a prepared speech.
He continued, “Let me be clear that the GFF and its partner Kashif & Shanghai take full responsibility for this outcome.”
On that note, Forde went on to reveal that the GFF would conduct an investigation into the matter. He remained convinced that no other regulation was breached during the three year-end tournaments.
“We have launched a thorough internal investigation to understand what went wrong and why, and how this can be addressed in the appropriate way. It is of vital importance that we set an example (for) others, and I would like to emphasise strongly that, barring this single event, the three year-end tournaments took place in full accordance with the regulations and in safe and secure environment,” Forde went on to add.
The GFF President was keen, however, to point out that this is no strange occurrence, and has been witnessed before in international spaces.
“As we have seen all over the world, sports organisations are facing ongoing challenges due to the pandemic. We even saw supporters breaking into the Euro 2020 final at Wembley in the UK, during one of the most well-resourced events the world of sport has ever seen,” Forde stated. “Despite these challenges, we have also seen that, in most countries, sport has returned, and that lessons have been learned from mistakes to ensure competitions can continue in the right conditions.”
Nevertheless, Forde admitted that the hosting of sporting activities should not come at a cost of contributing to Coronavirus pandemic, as he pledged to continue working along with the relevant authorities.
“Sport must be allowed to continue as long as the conditions allow it. In football in particular, Guyana must not be left behind if we are to continue to catch up with our regional rivals after so many decades of poor investment and slow development,” Forde explained.
He added, “However, this cannot come at the expense of public health. The GFF will continue to work with the authorities and Task Force to host football tournaments in the safest and securest environments possible.”
Following Saturday’s final, the organizers were unable to even present the accolades for the tournament, owing to the spectators flocking the playing area in the Sports Hall.

Prime Minister threatens sanctions
Meanwhile, Brigadier (ret’d) Mark Phillips, Prime Minister of Guyana and Chairman of the National COVID-19 Task Force, has said the matter would be investigated and sanctions would be imposed accordingly.
The Prime Minister made these utterances following an event on Tuesday afternoon in which he was questioned about the overcrowding of the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall (CASH) in his capacity as Chairman of the Task Force.
“If you go and see any one of the correspondences granting approval, it speaks about the approval being granted and the need to follow protocols. Failing which, we will act, which can involve sanctions,” the Prime Minister told journalists.
When probed about what the sanctions would entail, Brigadier (ret’d) Phillips stated, “Just look at what has happened in the past. There are other sport organisations that were sanctioned in the past. You have the information, so you can use that as a measure.”
“But we are committed to investigating and taking on board all reports of breaches, once approval is granted, and dealing condignly with it, because we have to protect the people of Guyana,” the Prime Minister explained on the matter of investigations.
He concluded, “What is important now is for us to communicate to all the people of Guyana that all of us must be responsible in following the protocols. If you’re granted approval for any activity, follow the protocols.”
In February and March of 2021, the Guyana Motor Racing and Sports Club (GMRSC) the Management of the Everest Cricket Club, and the organisers of the President’s Softball T20 Cup all came under fire for breaching capacity at their sporting events.
While the GMRSC has not had another motor racing event since, Softball has only seen one other tournament, hosted at the National Stadium at Providence.