GFF body rejected By Steve Ninvalle
Stabroek News
July 11, 2004

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The General Council of the Georgetown Football League (GFL) has rejected efforts by the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) to impose a committee to manage football in the association and instead has installed its own steering committee to conduct its affairs leading up to elections.

At an emergency meeting held at the Demerara Cricket Club yesterday afternoon President of Alpha United Football Club Odinga Lumumba was elected chairman of the steering committee which has been given a five-point terms of reference (TOR) by the general council.

Former national goalkeeper Cecil Jacques, a pharmacist by profession, is vice chairman; Clement Henry the secretary; Tommy Orderson the treasurer; and Marlon Cole a committee member.

The meeting was attended by 11 clubs affiliated to the GFL with the two-headed Camptown, Pele, Thomas United, Taurus, Police, Media United and the now defunct Charlestown United not putting in an appearance.

The clubs represented at the meeting: Santos, Fruta Conquerors, Western Tigers, University of Guyana, Georgetown Football Club, Black Pearl, Up Rising, Beacons, Flamingo, GDF and Alpha United. Cecil Jacques

Speaking with Stabroek Sport shortly after the election, Lumumba said the GFF needs to refrain from "bossism" and implement a relationship of consultation and respect with the general council of the GFL.

"It is important to note that this should not be a confrontation between the two parties but an attempt to develop a cohesive relationship," Lumumba said.

The chairman added that the steering committee has retained two attorneys, which signals that that body is not working to breach any rules but rather to ensure that its rights given by the constitution are not violated by any person or group.

Efforts yesterday evening to get a comment from GFF President Colin Klass on how the new development would affect football proved futile.

Just over a week ago the GFF snuffed out the life of the one-year-old GFL Interim Management Committee claiming that a drastic breakdown in communication was the major reason for the quashing of the IMC.

Klass disclosed that the GFF had selected a number of persons to run the affairs of football in the city, a move labelled an "installation of puppets" by a former GFL general secretary.

The steering committee will have its first meeting tomorrow to chart the way forward. Orderson said all motions were unanimously approved, one of which is that the steering committee meets the GFF.

The five points of the TOR are: To manage the affairs of football in Georgetown; to regularise the clubs; to prepare the GFL for its Annual General Meeting; to resolve the dispute within clubs in Georgetown and to establish a relationship with the GFF in the best interest of all parties.

The terms of reference are expected to be completed within 30 days.

He added that elections of office bearers which were scheduled for July 22 will now be held one month later.

Meanwhile, Orderson, the vice president of Santos Football Club, revealed that yesterday the general council was able to verify via telephone that Ivor Thompson, the president of Conquerors Football Club is not a member of the hand-picked GFF appointed body to temporarily run the affairs of the GFL.