Latest update April 11th, 2025 9:20 AM
GFA files injunction against GFF
General Secretary of the Guyana Football Federation (GFF), Noel Adonis (centre) examines the injunction served on the national federation last night outside the Conference Centre at the Ocean View International Hotel. At left is GFA General Secretary, Christopher Mathias while at right is Mark Phillips.
– aimed at nullifying Congress
The Georgetown Football Association (GFA) had an injunction served on the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) last night aimed at nullifying the GFF Congress that was ongoing at the time the injunction was served at the Ocean View International Hotel.
Officials from the GFA that included President, Vernon Burnett, General Secretary, Christopher Mathias, Mark Phillips among others, turned up at the Conference Centre of the Hotel just before 7pm last night with a Court Martial to formally serve the injunction.
However, upon their arrival, security prevented them from entering the room that was hosting the Congress. While the brief raucous outside the Conference Centre (with GFA officials stating that they have legitimate rights to access the meeting and security defying them) threatened to surely escalate, GFF General Secretary, Noel Adonis emerged from the blocked entrance to collect the injunction document from a Court Martial.
“It’s an injunction. It has to be upheld and we will honour it,” Adonis told the media, who were also prevented from accessing the Congress. The GFF General Secretary could not comment on the immediate implications of the document last night.
“It’s too soon to say what this will mean for football. It will stop the meeting. We have to go on with what we have at this Congress. We have not reached ‘Elections’ on the agenda yet but this is likely to stop that too,” Adonis briefly said before returning to the Congress inside.
The injunction was aimed at preventing an election at the Congress, which, by extension, can be taken to mean that it was aimed at preventing incumbent GFF President, Colin Klass, from being re-elected. The injunction sought to make the Congress null and void.
Adonis told the media that the GFF will respond to the injunction. However, up to Kaieteur Sport press time, we could not ascertain whether or not the GFF continued with the agenda to also have an election of office bearers. Burnett believed that would be another slap in the face.
“We (the GFA) are a member of the federation and we were not allowed to nominate a candidate neither were we allowed to vote at this very important meeting. It is only right that we have what I would call that right to be heard,” Burnett told the media last night.
He said that the GFA is not only a legitimate member of the federation but it is the largest and perhaps the most active. Burnett indicated that he believes that the furore between them and the GFF stems from the fact that Klass wants to undermine his opposition forces.
“Once you oppose Mr. Klass, he does all kinds of things to get at you,” Burnett said, adding that the injunction was the best way the GFA General Council thought of dealing with the GFF many attempts to sideline them. He hoped for an amicable solution.
FIFA, which has its own set of turmoil currently flooding the media, has always frowned on associates attempting to settle disputes in the courts of law and also any governmental interference. This latest episode in the Guyana football saga could see the governing body sanctioning if the local parties involved do not come to an amicable solution shortly.
According to reports, the GFF boss, Colin Klass, is not in the country and it will be interesting to get a response from him on his return as to the way forward concerning this matter.
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