Like Jack Warner and Chuck Blazer…Colin Klass must also be answerable for the many inconsistencies that shrouded his leadership tenure

Apr 23, 2013 Sports

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Says Michael Benjamin
Christopher Matthias’ ascension to the helm of the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) some two weeks ago was viewed by a wide cross section of affiliates and fans as a breath of fresh air. In what was considered a keenly contested toe to toe battle, Mathias eventually prevailed in a final round of voting against Aubrey ‘Shanghai’ Major; Ivan Persaud and Alfred King were early casualties but the former individual rebounded to clinch a Vice President post.

Football buffs would want to forget those dark days under the Colin Klass regime when the elections were far from democratic and the voter browbeaten into submission. Naturally election results produced a President of perceived majority consensus coupled with disgruntled players.
Klass might still have occupied the chair had it not been for sanctions implemented by FIFA after the infamous ‘money for votes’ scam that affected Mohammad Bin Hammam, a football administrator and president of the Asian Football Confederation and a member of FIFA’s 24-man executive committee from 1996 to 2011 for more than 15 years. He was banned for life from all FIFA and football related activities by an action of its Ethics Committee. Klass’ ban exceeded 2 years.
Franklin Wilson’s elevation to the prestigious position after Klass’ demotion was well received and though he was merely acting, the general consensus seemed to credit him with augmenting a unified approach towards the forward movement of the sport. This was not to be and Mr. Wilson would have rued a golden opportunity to mediate on several contentious issues, especially the retraction of a weird decision by the Klass administration to strip the Georgetown Football Association (GFA) of voting rights. Simply put, a huge chunk of affiliates would have been denied a fundamental right to select the officials to rule over their lives.
While Wilson foot dragged on the issue, GFA officials rallied forces and approached the courts for mediation. Naturally, the situation worsened and officials of the GFF threw the book at the defaulting affiliate, while citing FIFA’s statute that frowned on such problem solving methods. Amidst the smooth transition, one cannot help but note the words of CONCACAF President, Jeffrey Webb, that local football executives could have resolved the matter on their own.

Matthias’ term will be very brief as he is merely serving out Klass’ truncated tenure which amounts to two-years. Even the uninitiated will admit that such time is inadequate to grapple with the many issues that compromised the advancement of the sport.
It was indeed commendable that Matthias has sought the input of his international colleagues when he attended the CONCACAF congress in Panama last week. To date, Mr. Matthias has not convened a press conference to update the media of the decisions and/or initiatives that emanated from his Panama trip.
However, while the focus may be on developmental strategies, there must be an investigation into the many inconsistencies and shortcomings that characterized the Klass administration and brought the beautiful game of football to an inglorious standstill.
We are told that the GFF is strapped with huge debts which will naturally be inherited by the current administration. It is, therefore imperative that this group commence the requisite procedure to investigate the many anomalies that shrouded the Klass administration and overlapped into Mr. Wilson’s tenure.
For a start, Mr. Matthias could demand answers pertaining to grants approved by FIFA in 2005 for the rehabilitation of grounds after the floods had subsided. Then there is the high level of secrecy that shrouds the Guyana/Mexico World Cup Qualifier that was switched at the last minute from the National Stadium, Providence to Texas. While the nation has been told of the debt incurred for this trip, we are still to be informed of the arrangement pertaining to monies received from the Texas football authorities.
As a matter of fact, it would be prudent to have a neutral audit firm peruse the expenditure of the GFF during the Klass administration in order to ascertain if the many grants and funds channeled to the GFF was utilized for what it was meant for.
Recently, former CONCACAF bigwigs, Jack Warner and Chuck Blazer have been accused by the CONCACAF integrity commission of fraudulent behaviour.  Warner has since tendered his resignation as Trinidad and Tobago’s Minister of National Security. It must also be remembered that Warner had earlier stepped down as CONCACAF’s President following the ‘cash for votes’ scandal.
A detailed report of financial mismanagement by Mr. Warner and Mr. Blazer was handed over to FIFA officials at the just concluded congress. Naturally, these documents will be studied with sanctions being applied if and where necessary.
Many may want to refer to such acts as witch hunting but it is time that accountability returns to the GFF. We have been gifted millions of dollars by FIFA and other international football agencies and have nothing to show for it. The (in)famous sod turning ceremony at Turkeyen where then Minister of Sports Gail Teixeira and other government officials trooped to the University of Guyana in a macabre soil turning display and the subsequent embarrassment still rankles especially since this country is still languishing for a football stadium or even the eventual facility that we were offered after the sham of the stadium was

uncovered.
Amidst it all, Klass is very quiet and the just concluded elections seems to have removed him from the picture even amidst accusations of impropriety, rigged elections, unilateral undertakings and a host of other malpractices.
Yes, the nation was able to breathe a sigh of relief following the FIFA ruling that ousted Klass and another that rectified the inconsistencies that precluded a smooth transition of leadership. There are still a host of questions that need to be answered, most of them financial in nature. Mr. Mathias has acceded to the helm at a time when the finances relating to football administration is shrouded in secrecy. Over the next few weeks we will be unearthing some of these inconsistencies that have stifled the sport during the Klass tenure at the helm. It is our firm belief that Klass must be brought to bear; he must not be exempted from accountability. Otherwise, the Mathias administration runs the risk of repeating the old idiom that ‘the more things change, the more they remain the same.’

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