Suspended players live to play another day

A provisional suspension handed down to a handful of national team players last month did not last long and would not hinder their eligibility for selection for the Golden Jaguars’ upcoming international stint.
The five players, who are part of the national senior men’s training camp of local players, in February received a provisional suspension for taking part in an unsanctioned football tournament in Buxton.

With the announcement of the national team due on Wednesday (March 17), Guyana Football Federation (GFF) officials were questioned about the likelihood of these players being eligible for selection.
It was then revealed that the players’ suspension had been lifted some two weeks after the initial announcement, following a hearing of the Disciplinary Committee.
GFF President Wayne Forde informed, “They also felt that the GFF failed to provide sufficient evidence that they did participate. While I must say many of the players did admit, but we are unable to, to collect the sheet. Because, of course, no one will give that to us. And the Disciplinary Committee being an independent judicial arm has to implement disciplinary measures based on the law of the regulations.
“So, while a player may say yes, I did play, the body would prefer to see a sheet where that player was registered to play the game. We think that a good lesson was learned, we think the point was made,” he continued.
On the other hand, Forde spoke to the risk that was presented to the national team’s training camp with those players opting to play in an unsanctioned tournament.
He shared, “So apart from breaching the regulations, when a player or a group of players chooses to go into an environment where there is no COVID-19 restrictions, where it hasn’t been approved by the COVID-19 Task Force, it hasn’t been sanctioned by the GFF, and they run the risk of coming back into the programme. And then the next testing, we would have had an alarming outbreak of positive cases, then the entire programme would have been derailed.”
Speaking to the motivations that the players may have had to play in the tournament, Forde stressed on the fact that the GFF could not solve all the financial problems the players may have.
“I see folks putting up argument that the kids there need some money. That argument can be used for somebody picking up a gun and trying to commit a robbery; everyone has a situation. But we have to be responsible when we’re involved in something as massive as preparing for a FIFA World Cup qualifier,” the GFF President noted.
“The Guyana Football Federation cannot answer all the challenges that are out there. We cannot, at least not in the short term; the things that we can do, we are trying to do it to the best of our abilities. And those that we are unable to do will take care of themselves sometime in the future,” the football boss said.
According to Forde, the matter has been reported to the higher football authorities and whether they would take control of the situation or not was still unclear.
“I will say to you also, that while this matter remains in my power, I have a responsibility to lobby and communicate to all the agencies and the authorities as to where this is leading Guyana football.”
He revealed, “I can say to you that this is now engaged in the attention of the highest decision-making body in world football. And they are paying very careful attention to it, because it has the potential to commission a state of lawlessness in the organisation of football in Guyana.”
The players – Nicholas McArthur, Kelsey Benjamin, Trayon Bobb, Kevin Dundas and Sese Norville – have since been reintegrated into the national team training camp and are once again eligible for selection for Guyana’s two qualifying games against Trinidad and Tobago and The Bahamas later this month.