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Issue remains the return of our constitutional rights
-Not opposing dates or Banks League–says GFA
President of the Georgetown Football Association (GFA), Lieutenant Commander Vernon Burnett, has said 
that the main issue that is causing so many furores in the local football fraternity has everything to do with the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) denial of their constitutional rights.
Burnett was contending that the issue that has recently arisen between the opposing dates of their GFA League and the Kashif and Shanghai tournament is secondary to the primary problem.
The GFA President was at the time addressing what came out of meetings on Tuesday with Odinga Lumumba, whom he says was tasked at a PPP/C Cabinet Meeting with the responsibility of getting them and the Kashif and Shanghai Organisation to “compromise”.
The Kashif and Shanghai football tournament, which has a $4m first prize opened at the Georgetown Cricket Club Ground last Saturday night with the GFA League opening the next day at the Georgetown Football Club Ground.
Ansa McAl Limited is one of the major sponsors of the Kashif and Shanghai event after the duo relinquished corporate affiliation to Banks DIH two years ago. Banks DIH has become the major sponsor of the GFA League, which offers a $3m first prize.
“Lumumba called me to say that we need to meet over some issues, but when I got there Kashif and Shanghai were already there. I did not know that I was going to meet with Kashif, Shanghai and Lumumba. That was not said to me,” Burnett told Kaieteur Sport.
He said that the meeting with Lumumba was scheduled for 2:30pm on Tuesday but nothing came out of that gathering. However, Burnett related that he subsequently left for a 4pm meeting with the Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport, Dr. Frank Anthony.
He said that he had written the Minister earlier this year on the GFF exclusion of the Georgetown sub-association from performing its constitutional functions, including the right to vote, and there was no response from the Ministry on those subjects.
Burnett said that he understood that FIFA’s rules, which bar Government intervention, may have prohibited the minister. However, he is contending that at least the minister was invited to be part of the process of trying to solve the issues between the GFF and GFA and there was no formal response. This, he said, is one of the interesting facts that raised his curiosity about the minister’s desire to have a meeting on Tuesday.
“I wanted to know how all of a sudden, there was an interest in our affairs. I related some issues to the minister and I can safely say that the main issue is not that we have some dates that are in opposition to Kashif and Shanghai, but our GFF issues,” Burnett noted.
The GFA President informed that Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays has been their playing days for the entire year. He said that their dates are as per schedule. Burnett indicated that issues with clash of dates were given no priority in his meeting with Dr. Anthony. He said the date issue was last on the agenda and it had taken no time in their discussions.
Burnett related that as far as he knows, the GFA League will progress as per schedule and will conclude with the final on New Year’s Day. He said their playing dates are under no threat since that is not the primary issue.
The GFA League continued last night at the GFC, while Kashif and Shanghai also continues tomorrow at the GCC.
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