Letter to the Sports Editor Happy K&S are back promoting futsal but why is CASH being denied as host venue

Dec 06, 2018 Letters, Sports

Dear Mr. Editor,

I was so delighted when I heard that the Kashif and Shanghai Organisation will be back to help organize the lovely game of Football during the holiday season, but my spirits and hope came crashing down when I heard that the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall was not being used to play the International Futsal Tournament involving teams from Brazil (World power in football), Suriname (Guyana’s Greatest Football Rival), Trinidad & Tobago (One of the Caribbean Top Team), Guyana the host, and selection teams from West Demerara, East Coast, Georgetown and Linden.
Mr. Editor my son has been selected to represent Guyana in this International Futsal Tournament and we (my family) are all excited to attend these games, but if not the Sports Hall, then where. Not at the National Park where I see it is being advertised and worst yet The National Gymnasium. That venue is an accident waiting to happen. If is not gunshot, it is excessive smoking, or the humidity is ridiculous coupled with poor ventilation, there is limited exit and an unsafe playing surface for International Futsal with a wall where players risk damage to their limbs if they collide with same.
The flimsy excuse that is being pedaled for the refusal of CASH by the Director of Sports is that the ball will damage the clock and a fan was broken a few years ago.
Mr. Editor, The other middle class people which play hockey with a ball that can cause immense injury and damage is allowed to play there unhindered. Basketball plays there, volleyball plays there, table tennis plays there, boxing uses there, badminton and the list goes on. But why is football being debarred, the previous Director of Sports hated football (I am not saying this present Director hate football) and he banned Futsal from playing there. Is it because it is considered a grass root sports played by “ghetto youths” is the cause for it being treated so?
Football is the most passionate sport in the world, when there is World Cup Football the world slows down and sometimes come to a standstill, Ronaldino played Futsal also Neymar, Ronaldo, Messi, Rivaldo just to name a few and they played on proper surfaces hence the tremendous skill they inherited.
If the games have to be played at the National Park the spectators, officials and players will have to face the elements of the weather with no protection from the rain. Toilet facilities will be limited and if any at all it will be atrocious to say the least. The turf which is tar and stone is not suited for Futsal, yes Futsal is played on a hard surface but not international Futsal, in every other Country which plays Futsal, players do so on similar types of venues and most times better facilities than CASH. There are measures that can be implemented to safeguard the equipment that Mr. Jones is alluding to that may be damaged. When his organisation hosted the Inter Guiana Games a few years ago I wonder if all those things were considered.
Mr. Director of Sport, please let your patriotism be evident and don’t follow the footstep of your predecessor and operate like if CASH is your property, four (4) days of fun filled, capacity filled and entertaining football will be showcased at CASH if you approve the use of same. All Sports should be given the opportunity to have the use of CASH especially if international teams are involved.
Remember it is Guyana’s image which will be tarnished if substandard venues are used and it will hamper the tourism industry.
Thank you in advance Mr. Director for your understanding we appreciate your change of heart.

Yours faithfully,
Charles Campbell
Parent of an aspiring National Footballer.

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