Kashif and Shanghai football extravaganza…A demonstration of commitment and love for the sport

Mar 08, 2015 Sports

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By Michael Benjamin
It seems as though local football has been forever enmeshed in controversy and there was either a lack of will or total ignorance by the executives to enact strategies and/or compromises to propel the sport forward thus creating opportunities for the advancement of local ballweavers.
The media was replete with reports of confusion and rift when former President (GFF), Colin Klass, was at the helm but despite stringent efforts to unseat him, he prevailed. Football buffs would remember, oh so well, that FIFA intervened and declared Gerald Laurie and Oliver Hinckson personae non grata after they tried to unseat the Klass administration through unconventional means.
Ever since then football had been mired in controversy and acrimony until what I wish to refer to as ‘the Klass brouhaha’ and many has come to relate to as the ‘FIFA money for votes scandal.’ This scandal erupted after FIFA bigwigs launched an investigation into allegations of impropriety by affiliates around the world. The concomitant inquiry created quite a stir and FIFA dealt harshly with those officials that were found guilty. Klass was one of the casualties of that investigation and he was dealt a two years ban by FIFA.
In the meantime, First Vice President (GFF), Franklyn Wilson, assumed the helm but was further constricted after the hierarchy of the Guyana Football Association (GFA) chose to seek the intervention of the courts to restore their voting rights. The situation reached a head when FIFA was once again forced to intervene, this time in the form of a team of CONCACAF officials led by Webb.
Interestingly, the team of officials were able to broker a deal that saw the GFA reinstated into the fold and football buffs were optimistic that their (local) ruling officials would have been able to address the developmental issues unhindered.
The ascension of Christopher Mathias to the helm after the GFF staged its Annual General Meeting heralded a new dispensation and the football fraternity breathed a collective sigh of relief.
It was not long after Mathias assumed the helm that disgruntlement and acrimony resurfaced. Mathias wielded a sword that chopped several affiliates for various ‘sins’ until these affiliates eventually lifted their voices in indignation, calling for his head. Several aborted congresses did nothing to assuage the situation and once again football was thrown into confusion.
This new development would have tested the faith of even the long suffering but FIFA remained unruffled and tactfully addressed the issue by dispatching a two man team to quell the disturbance. The end result was the installation of the Normalization Committee headed by Clinton Urling.
The critics will take pot shots at whatever fails to meet their expectations and indeed, there were many adverse views concerning the work of the Normalization Committee.
Notwithstanding, there seems to be some positives and the nation’s football seems to be on the right track.
One of the casualties of the football imbroglio was the Kashif and Shanghai Football extravaganza and the K&S principals, Kashif Muhammad and Aubrey ‘Shanghai’ Major, were forced to cancel their much anticipated yearly tournament, this because the Mathias administration refused to give the green light. The K&S group was accused of laxity because they failed to meet the requirements of the GFF administrators. They then opted for a youth tournament which, despite its necessity, failed to create interest on par with the aborted tournament.
Even the staunchest critic will admit that the environment of stability which followed the installation of the Normalization Committee has opened the door for fresh negotiations and compromise. And so it was that the K&S duo has decided on a new date for their tournament. Consequently, the 25th edition of the tournament will now be staged from March 20-April 5.
The tournament had provided much needed entertainment for football lovers and indeed many were disillusioned during its absence for a few years. Many are elated that the tournament will now resume and 16 of the nation’s best teams will throw down the gauntlet in what will be a resumption of the nation’s supreme tournament.
During the build up to the kick off, the organizers called a press conference to brief media operatives, and by extension, the public, of the rules, regulations and general expectations of participating teams and affiliates. During that brief, Mr Muhammad thanked the supporters as well as members of the corporate community for their unbridled support over the years. He then made one of the most definitive declarations when he admitted that his group had erred in the past. “We have made mistakes but we have learned from them and are prepared to go the extra mile to correct them.”  Such humility has indeed hit the right chord and underlines the commitment of the K&S duo to cooperate with the Normalization committee in fostering a new attitude towards the development of the sport.
The sponsors, rightfully, have recognized the humility even as they observe the verve and alacrity of the K&S principals to restore the sport to some semblance of sanity.
FIFA has stepped in and did their part; the Normalization Committee has followed suit. The reinstatement of the K&S football extravaganza is another indication of commitment to the development of the sport. It is now left to the public to seal the deal. Support for the impending tournament will defy the critics and demonstrate to FIFA and the world at large that Guyanese has the capacity to fix their many (sports) ills.

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