Latest update January 19th, 2025 7:10 AM
Apr 26, 2013 Sports
By Rawle Welch
The continued unwillingness of the former executive of the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) to fully disclose the extent of the proceeds of the switching of the Mexico/Guyana World Cup 2014 qualifier continues to defy logic and appears to be a deliberate attempt to hide from the football fraternity the truth surrounding the deal.
It obviously leaves the new administration no other choice, but to vigorously pursue the truth via a forensic investigation that could put to rest all suspicions borne out of the prior management’s fixed reluctance to disregard the pleas of all and sundry for full accountability.
The officials involved must be reminded of the work of the Integrity Committee which was headed by former Barbados Chief Justice Sir David Simmons, whose critical 113-page Report to the CONCACAF Ordinary Congress in Panama, last week, explicitly implicated the ex-President of CONCACAF, Jack Warner, in financial misconduct.
Those who are privy to the information that the fraternity is seeking, must realise that in a globalised world where information could be obtained from sources inside or outside our jurisdiction, the suppression of information could only last for a short time.
The current executive, too, must understand that among its most important responsibilities is the investigation of all previous transactions by the past administration in an effort to ascertain the accuracy of the financial records, while the GOAL Project, Mexico game switch and the annual Financial Assistance Programme (FAP) monies must be accounted for.
The Federation, according to former acting President Franklin Wilson, is saddled with a huge debt incurred during the World Cup campaign, hence the need to play the game in the USA to garner much needed funds.
However, it has been close to five months on, and no word on what was gained has emanated from those who were responsible for the switching of the game. And if what is being peddled around is accurate, then who knows, we may have made enough to either significantly reduce that burden or completely eradicate it.
Only the release of the true figures would serve to allay the suspicions of many who feel that something is amiss, and even though conclusions have already been drawn, the best bet is for the figures to be discharged.
To take an excerpt from an article that appeared in the Stabroek News of April 24, 2013 under the caption- ‘FIFA-CONCACAF: Warner bites the dust’ “when we resist the necessity to clean our own houses, others, no doubt depending on how our dirt affects their own houses, will do it for us.”
Are they going to wait on others to clean their house? That offer could very well come from the current executive. They must understand that at sometime the truth will be told.
Jan 19, 2025
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