Foreign representation of national football team is commendable

Nov 16, 2011 Sports

Dear Editor,
An article published in S.N (4.11.11.) captioned “Lumumba: Alpha United to participate in G.F.A. League”, Editor has remained a clear picture of the afore-mentioned club’s president inability to fully comprehend the modern methodology of football administration, and by extension the statues of FIFA, in relation to national representation by players.
As a consequence it would be prudent for my black brother to first and foremost seek the relevant clarification upon the issues he isn’t fully aware of, rather than going public, which would do more damage to his image, more so, with the individual’s interest in the presidency of the Guyana Football Federation.
Wherein at a media briefing held at the Water Chris Hotel, on 03.11.11 Mr. Lumumba was quoted as saying, “He had concerns about the number of foreign players in the current national team, adding that in his view too many of the current Golden Jaguars squad members are foreign born players. It bothers me a bit, since it could have a negative effect on the local players, that they are not good enough to represent the country”. How preposterous!
Sir, the mere idea that Alpha United recruits a number of foreign non-Guyanese to represent their club, in the Annual Kashif & Shanghai KO Tournament and more recently the CONCACAF Champions League Club Championship, Wouldn’t this have a negative effect on his club players?
But in the absence of a properly structured development plan, encompassing a sound nursery programme, Alpha is devoid of equitable replacements.
Within this context a similar situation also exists in Guyana, since there is no automatic transition from i.e. Under-23 to seniors, with the former being the last of the age-limit divisions.
Can it be recalled that during the course of last year, I had penned a letter pertaining to: Alpha’s dominance locally has done nothing for the development of local football, since at the time national teams at the Under-15 and Under- 17 levels were active in CFU competitions and no Alpha player was involved.
Finally, the statues of FIFA caters for players, who chooses to represent a country of their choice as it relates to the country of their parent(s) birth i.e.
A player born in England, of mixed Guyanese parentage can choose to represent either country, based upon the approach made by the respective national governing body for the sport. However, in the event of representing Guyana the relevant protocols are observed in relation to acquiring a Guyanese passport, which would normally be vetted by the Match Commissioner prior to national representation.
Meanwhile, both Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago did it for their World Cup participation in 1998 and 2006 respectively. So what’s the big deal?
And by the way what of the numerous Brazilians who took citizenship in other countries with subsequent representation? In the final analysis the only problem I have with foreign based players of mixed Guyanese parentage representing Guyana, is it should have been implemented 20 years ago.
So in actuality our local players would have had to fight extremely hard to be included in the national squad. And don’t forget the Boateng brothers of mixed Ghanaian and German parentage, with one choosing to play for Ghana and the other Germany, in the 2010 World Cup, which was a historical feat.
While in the female version at the national level, if it weren’t for the foreign contingent, Guyana would never attained the current limited status it’s now enjoying, simply because there is no development plan.
Lester Sealey

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Foreign representation of national football team is commendable

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