Players’ mood positive ahead of today’s World Cup clash…Klass

Jun 14, 2008 Sports

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– FIFA looking to build cordial relationship with governments
By Rawle Welch
President of the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) Colin Klass along with his General Secretary Noel Adonis and Public Relations Officer Frederick Granger hosted a press briefing yesterday to apprise the media of Guyana’s World Cup preparations and to let known matters discussed at the recent FIFA and CONCACAF Congresses which were held in Australia recently.

Klass, in speaking about Guyana’s opening 2010 World Cup Qualifier against Suriname which is to be played today in Paramaribo said that the mood in the camp is positive and the players are all eager to get the campaign started.

“I can tell you that the team is ready to make us proud and advance further into the campaign.”

The GFF Head also reported on new developments pertaining to other aspects of their preparations for the return fixture on June 22 at the National Stadium.

He stated that because of the negative perceptions that had arisen in the past related to the financial proceeds from matches, they have contracted the services of Tagman Inc, a Company headed by Alex Graham to do the marketing and promotional aspects, while the Kashif and Shanghai Organisation has been retained to look after the logistical side for the match.

“This is not something new in sports, but perhaps it might be so in Guyana. It is a feature that is seen in other parts of the Caribbean where the services of such professional entities are utilised,” Klass informed.
He added that the contracts are only for the upcoming game.

Touching on the poor response from the business community so far, Klass said it has been very disappointing and frustrating, but was hopeful that should Guyana move on there would be a need for much more money in order to get the best possible preparation to face much stiffer opposition as will be the case.
“We are talking about possibly squaring off against countries in Central America and others and those teams have already been playing against tougher opposition than us.”

He said that they will need to be engaged in more friendlies against quality teams and plenty money will be required for that.

Additionally, the GFF Boss disclosed that nothing is being taken for granted as it relates to the preparations for the June 22 game and they’ve already had meetings with the Police Commissioner and Stadium officials to ensure that all the safety and security measures are in place come match day.

He applauded the support offered by Church’s Chicken, Laparkan Group of Companies, Digicel and Humphrey’s Bakery and Farm Products and a few individuals in Trinidad and Tobago, adding that he was trusting that their actions help to encourage other members of the business community to come forward and join them quickly.

It was also reported that the team will get an opportunity to conduct sessions at the Stadium on their return which will be dependant on the weather conditions, while the Police Sports Club ground is the alternate venue.

Questioned on whether they’ve arranged warm-up matches in the event that Guyana advances to the next phase, Klass told the media that a fixture against Guatemala is almost sealed, while a few more opponents has been identified, but discussions are ongoing, FIFA and CONCACAF Congresses

Among the topics discussed and decisions taken at the CONCACAF Congress was that El Salvador be suspended and a Normalisation Committee set up to return the situation in that country’s football system back to normalcy.

The suspension stemmed from an impasse created by the interference of the Government with respect to the local governing body’s elections. They also discussed why courses such as those for sports medicine, referees and players development requested from FIFA were not being accessed by Associations.
Of note was the issue raised by CONCACAF President Austin Jack Warner, who expressed concern about the recent upsurge in interference by Governments and their officials in the sport.

Klass informed that because of this concern, Warner has scheduled visits to all those countries that are affiliated to CONCACAF, starting in July.

It was agreed that Mexico will host the Men’s Under-17 World Cup in 2010, while Trinidad and Tobago won the bid for the Women’s U-17 segment.

Courses to strengthen and professionalise the environment in which referees work was also discussed and this entail preparations for FIFA World Cup and their development in Associations.

Trinidad and Tobago is to host a FUTURO 111 Course for Referee Instructors in July.
At the FIFA Congress it was disclosed that contributions were made to the Tsunami and earthquake victims as part of their social responsibility.

Iraq which was earlier suspended due to the interference by its Government into their football affairs had the suspension lifted. An audited financial report was also submitted which met the approval of auditors, revealing that FIFA’s finance is sound.
A workshop was established in Norway to deal specifically with players’ transfer which has become a worry for the governing Body of the sport.
Most importantly, Klass mentioned that because of the recent spike in meddling in football affairs by many governments some of which has resulted in court battles, a development FIFA has repeatedly exercised great intolerance for; a more concerted effort is to be made to engage these governments in an effort to improve the relationship between the parties.
A number of other pertinent issues were part of the discussions including the Early Warning System to deal with betting activities to detect any irregularities etc.
The next FIFA Congress will be held in the Bahamas in 2009.

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