Latest update January 3rd, 2025 4:30 AM
Jul 29, 2014 Sports
Dear Editor,
As an honest and full time contributor to Guyana’s football, I have been forced to call on the GFF President Mr. Chris Matthias to offer a public apology to the Golden Jaguars and Lady Jaguars for his unprofessional and distasteful remarks on national television.
I wish to draw your attention to the NCN Sports Magazine TV show dated 16th July 2014 to which Mr. Matthias attended as a guest to give his footballing views and opinions (the episode can be viewed in 3 parts by going to YouTube and searching “NCN Sports Magazine” viewers will be most interested in Mr. Matthias’ views from approx. 8 minutes into part 2.
Whilst glad to see him publically expressing his views to the Nation which we all are of course entitled, some of his comments and choice of language have left me shocked and concerned about the future for Guyana’s football to which I love and continue to invest in daily.
As he is now captain of the Guyana football ship, I had hoped he would have been more focused with his choice of words on this Nationally aired programme so as to make sure what was said would be with the view of uniting the Guyanese football fraternity.
By uniting our footballing people, he would enjoy the best persons available to him in his tenure, so as to grow the Guyana football brand and in turn begin to solve the problems we have with Guyanese football today. His words on the NCN sports magazine show, disappointingly has told a very different story to my hopes.
For Mr. Matthias to have blatantly attacked, discriminated and segregated some of the Golden Jaguars and Lady Jag footballers publically by not acknowledging them as Guyanese, and calling players who fought and sacrificed so much to raise the Guyana Football Flag to never before seen heights “foreigners” is totally out of order and not what I would expect from a leader of a National Sport.
His comments are simply unacceptable and I will not allow such injustice to occur unchallenged or corrected. For him to have attacked the Golden Jaguars and the Lady Jags, is attacking the greatest moments in Guyanese football History to date.
This occurred through leadership and a philosophy of a united Guyanese Football programme regardless of creed, colour, name or place of birth! Is the sacrifice of a man or women on a team different because of where they are born? Does he know what example he is setting for the football loving children of Guyana?
If a President in UEFA or CONMEBOL had made such ignorant statements publically about successful National players of their respective National teams, I think if we are all honest with ourselves we know what the outcome would be swiftly for that individual.
This letter is not a witch hunt, but rather an opportunity for Mr. Matthias to correct his mistake.
Since Mr. Matthias made these statements publically on the only National TV station here in Guyana, I would like him to issue a public apology to the Guyana National football players of 2011/12 male and female who were born all over the Globe but fought successfully for the same cause in their hearts, the betterment of Guyana’s football.
I expect this apology be made no later than Monday 28th July 2014 3pm Guyana local time.
If no such public apology is made directly from Mr. Matthias addressed to the Golden Jaguars and Lady Jags, I will be publically responding to his remarks to highlight the many contradictions, inaccuracies and ignorant statements made that true football and business people picked up within moments of these comical errors.
Regards,
Faizal Khan
FIFA Licensed Football Agent
Jan 03, 2025
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