Football's unsolved mystery
Stabroek News
September 1, 2003

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In August of 2002 approximately half a million dollars went missing from the coffers of the Georgetown Football League (GFL). That money was to assist in the staging of football competitions among other things, which would have helped youths in Georgetown.

Much of the money came from the pockets of sponsors, many of whom were hesitant in the first place to loosen their purse strings for the sake of football, which in the past was rocked by a fair share of scandal.

The misapporation of the funds resulted in football in the Garden City suffering a terrible set back, which it is yet to recover from. Soon after news of the missing funds was pitched into the public's domain a number of fingers went pointing in different directions. Names were called, the blame was passed around reminiscent of a collection bowl during Sunday morning church sermon.

The Guyana Football Federation and the police were called in. Everyone pledged to get to the bottom of the matter. But now, more than one year after there has been no new development.

Not a word and we are still at square one. It's almost unbelievable that in this era that amount of money could go missing and with the leads made available, no one held responsible.

It is even harder to fathom how the GFL could ever think about luring sponsors back to the sport, when such dirty linen hang in full view for all and sundry to see.

A half a million dollars may sound like petty cash but to the young players, many of whom are kept out of trouble's way when playing football, it does mean a lot.

And on another note, misappropriation of any sort cannot, should not and must not be condoned. Not even Al Capone would hear of it.

As the governing body for football in Guyana the GFF must know its silence on the matter fuels speculation that it has condoned the acts in what is now the sport's equivalent to the unsolved Monica Reece case.

The public and more so footballers in Georgetown, many of whom have suffered because of the greed of a few, have a right to know who is responsible.

It was shameful in the beginning and even more shameful that one year after there has been no development and not a single head has rolled.

A full inquiry must be held and those found lacking should be banned from administrating in football affairs.

Even if it is not owed to the sponsors it is owed to our footballers, the ones who always end up holding the dirty end of the stick.

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