High handedness negatively affecting football – Slingerz GM

Slingerz FC General Manager, Colin “BL” Aaron has opened up on the issue surrounding the “high handedness approach” of the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) President, Wayne Forde. This is in relation to Slingerz FC and Alpha United FC not being allowed to participate in the Caribbean Club Championship 2017 after finishing first and second respectively in the first stanza of Stag Elite League.

“BL” recalled the chronological order in which the events unfolded from the period when Fifa intervened in local football matters during the Christopher Matthias era, which resulted in Fifa installing a Normalization Committee (NC), to the current state of affairs.

“These were businessmen who have no knowledge of the game and they came and rebuild the sport from administration wise right down to the field, start and implement the league, everything up and running, phase one we had no issue, everyone real energetic including the public and corporate Guyana. Then as soon as we have a new administration Mr. Forde want change everything. He want undo everything the NC put in place” the General Manager heatedly stated.

Aaron articulated that when Forde assumed office, his approach to the governance was one of the reasons that saw Technical Director at the time, Claude Bolton tendering his resignation.

“The first person that ran was the Technical Director who had a big hand in the turning around and the framework of the football, Mr. Claude Bolton. This is Mr. Bolton letter to Mr. Forde that he resigned because he got to allow the people who got their own vision and direction to charter their course. So it means while Mr. Bolton was going to the left; Forde was going to the right.”

This, according to “BL”, started to have a chain reaction in the GFF, “We start changing employment we have a dormant finance department and it is now controlled by Forde and the General Secretary at the time it was Morrison [Jones], he left they knock off the woman [Diedre Davis] Fifa put to train under Mr. [Richard] Groden. Up to now no one knows why she got knock off. So the man is not answerable to the members so now when we hold him to accountability we in bad standing so Mr. Forde should just do and say as he likes.”

The Slingerz General Manager made it clear that this “will not happen with the people who are managing these clubs and have knowledge of the rules, regulation and the constitution. We will stand up for the right and the good of the game because look at the jaguars position and the president said he pleased with the performance of the jaguars and the jaguars had no preparation but he is pleased,” asking the question, “Where are we taking this football?”

Aaron highlighted too, that recently, Forde tried to “tweek the goal project that Fifa installed,” noting that “we going backwards all the time under this presidency,” Sharing the opinion that this is an issue of targeting persons while trying to undo all that was accomplished.

He made a point saying that “a president who was in all the meetings and consultations, came in to just dictate the sport, we aren’t objecting to changes but let’s do it together, if u want change it call we back to the table but you want do it alone. This is not going to happen.”

By looking at the larger picture, Aaron predicted that this is not only going to affect the club teams but the sport on a nationwide level.

“It will affect Guyana football because he will come and hand pick a team. If u want expand there [are] rules and regulations inside the constitution and he handpicked the teams,” BL stated.

According to the official release from the GFF, “CONCACAF ruled that because the clubs are not in good standing with the GFF, in accordance with Section 111 art. L, of the Caribbean Cup Championship Regulations, and with the aim of properly safeguarding the integrity, smooth operation and running of the competition, (we inform you that) Alpha United Football Club and Slingerz Football Club are not eligible to participate in the 2017 edition of the Caribbean Club Championship.”

It noted that the genesis of this development began when Alpha United FC and Slingerz FC, along with two other clubs, objected to the expansion of the Elite League.

“Subsequently, the GFF engaged in extensive consultations and negotiations with the clubs in question in an effort to address their concerns. These consultations proved futile and the GFF reached out to CONCACAF who then provided comprehensive constitutional guidance that confirm the GFF’s authority to draw up regulations governing the conditions of participation and staging of competitions organized by the Federation. This interpretation by CONCACAF, sent to the Clubs on November 24, 2016, was acknowledged by the clubs but not contested.”