GFF submits Disciplinary Code to Committee

The Guyana Football Federation (GFF) has formally presented the FIFA-approved Disciplinary Code to the chairman and members of the GFF’s Disciplinary Committee.
This act, performed on Friday, 14th December, paves the way for key matters to be adjudicated. The presentation was made in the GFF Boardroom to Chairman Roger Yearwood in the presence of some committee members. In an invited comment following the presentation, Yearwood said the Disciplinary Code would enable effective delivery of the type of conduct demanded by football administrators and the public.
“We believe, going forward, all the necessary elements can work together to improve the delivery and type of conduct that is expected of football administrators and demanded by the public from persons involved in the sport, including players, referees, coaches and others,” Yearwood said.
The Chairman is also hoping that this Revised Code would serve as a guide to the expectation of conduct for international representation. “Hopefully, we can get our players more aligned to what is expected of them at the international level, so that if they are hoping to take their careers to greater heights, they would be in a position of knowledge and (be able to) adequately represent Guyana without instances of misconduct, which will reflect badly on the country and the Guyana Football Federation. We’re hopeful (that) with this Code much can be achieved and much can be attained,” he declared.
In expressing gratitude to the Chairman and members of the committee for their service, Forde said the revised Disciplinary Code is a major step forward and bodes well for the sport. “We believe that the revised Code, approved by FIFA, provides the instruments and tools to administer discipline in a swift, transparent and thorough manner. We expect every stakeholder – fans, clubs and officials – will now see a greater need to align themselves with the level of conduct that we think should reflect the beautiful game of football.”
Among the priority issues to be adjudicated by the Disciplinary Committee are violent conduct involving players during the GFA Revival Cup; the matter involving sexual harassment of female referees by match officials and administrators; and allegations of inappropriate behaviour exhibited by an Executive Committee member.
While the GFF’s Disciplinary Code has been approved by the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) in June 2018, the GFF’s Regulations Committee was tasked with revising the fines, as it was the opinion of FIFA that the fines stated in the original draft “seem too lenient, given their low value.”
The GFF Disciplinary Code is the framework which informs the work of the GFF’s Disciplinary Committee. This is stipulated in the GFF’s Constitution under Article 61: “Disciplinary Committee; 2”: “The responsibilities and functions of the Disciplinary Committee shall be stipulated in the Disciplinary Code of the Federation, which shall be issued by the Executive Committee and comply with the Disciplinary Code of the FIFA and Concacaf.”
Other members of the GFF Disciplinary Committee are Whittington Braithwaite, Dr Clement Mc Ewan, Ashley King and Everyon Singh-Lammy.