Letter to the Sports Editor

Nov 13, 2015 Sports

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A look at the two teams contesting for football governance

Dear Sports Editor,
As the Nation’s football destiny awaits the outcome of the November 14 General Congress, it is essential that those vying for office undergo character scrutiny lest we retreat into the chasm that has been the resting place of our football for over two decades.
By now, most stakeholders if not all, are aware of the two contesting slates namely Team Integrity led by Fruta Conquerors President Wayne Forde and Team Unity whose candidate for the Top Post is Attorney-at-Law Nigel Hughes.
The two candidates have one thing in common and it is the fact that they are successful men in their respective careers, but there is where the similarity stops.
Forde is a proven success in Sports Administration, having been at the helm of Fruta Conquerors FC for some time, during which the club has grown into one of the best run organisations, while the development and promotion of Draughts has not escaped his contribution as well.
Forde’s interest in the development of sportsmen and women both as athlete and individual is well documented and unchallenged.
Hughes on the other hand is not well known within the Sports fraternity so how well he performs at the highest level of football administration is up for pure speculation, a risk that voters could ill afford to take after enduring years of ineptitude.
It simply means, it is difficult to establish whether his outstanding academic achievements would be enough to navigate the turbulent times that local football experiences.
A complete look at the respective slates will reveal that Team Integrity full executive includes First Vice-President Brigadier General (Ret’d) Bruce Lovell, Second Vice-President- Rawlston Adams and Third VP- Thandi McAllister, while the Hughes’ faction is comprises First VP- Odinga Lumumba, Second VP- Aubrey Major AND Third VP- Mark Waldron.
Over the past year, Guyana’s football has been administered by a FIFA imposed Normalisation Committee with Businessman / Politician Clinton Urling as its Head, but the Committee’s tenure is expected to come to an end on November 14 when a new executive to run the affairs of the sport is voted into office.
However, Guyana’s football leading up to the Congress to elect the Boss to govern the sport locally always experiences a metamorphosis where hostility, treachery and blatant self interest are placed ahead of love, honesty and self-sacrifice.
Forde’s supporting cast without fear of contradiction is far more superior to that of Hughes in reference to Sport Administration.
Lovell has vast experience in administrative duties, having held a senior post in the military in various organizational capacities, while Adams’ managerial prowess can withstand even the most rigorous scrutiny.
Perhaps, the babe in the cast is Thandi McAllister, but even her interaction at the junior level of administration is impressive and just to add a bit of respectability and assurance about the Team’s competence, Committee member Dion Inniss is a senior management staffer at Caribbean Airlines.
Team Integrity possesses a strong balance of business and commercial experience, technical and logistics skills, legal and constitutional competence and discipline and institutional governance knowledge.
On the contrary, Team Unity’s supporting cast is littered with characters of questionable integrity and glaring inexperience specifically related to the sport’s administration.
A quick glance will reveal that Aubrey Major was once the Organising Secretary of the GFF and was there during the period that the recent forensic audit highlighted instances of irregularities.
It must be noted also that he played a significant role in negotiating the World Cup qualifier switch against Mexico that resulted in Guyanese at home being deprived of seeing some of the Mexican stars on show for what they described as a lucrative deal.
Up to the time of writing this missive, nothing tangible about the Mexico proceeds has been released and there must be a price paid for that act of disloyalty and dishonesty.
During that period Major was a Major figure within the national setup and cannot claim to not know about the inner workings of the Federation, he was the official that was central to all negotiations along with the President (Acting) at the time.
Lumumba has always sought to rule football locally and made it as far as the Georgetown Football Association, but his ambition to run for higher office has been stymied by his own governance style which according to many within the fraternity is abrasive and high-handed, tenets that does not encourage cohesion and will simply affect development.
Both Mark Waldron and Javid Ali are successful businessmen in their respective endeavours, but the question is could they translate the same achievements to the football landscape which could be extremely vacillating and contentious.
Waldron’s success was perfected in the legal society; no doubt he has done well through hard work and competence, while Ali is a successful team owner and businessman, but their particular line of work is far removed from the real world of football administration, especially coming with little or no experience.
Guyana’s history of football administration is not a pleasant one; it has been ruled by the iron-fist for decades, while cronyism and retribution are two devices that are always at the disposal of the ruling administration.
The Mexico story must not be laid to rest and nothing less than a comprehensive disclosure should be insisted on by the new Body.
A price must be paid by those who presided over the fiasco if not we would be doing damage to the terms INTEGRITY and UNITY.
Regards,
Tony Wiggins
Editor’s note: At the time of reading this missive, Odinga Lumumba has indicated his withdrawal from the Team Integrity Slate at Vice President Candidate.

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