Chairman of the GFF CRC puts the Constitutional Reform process into context

Jul 31, 2022 Sports

Chairman of the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) Constitutional Review Committee, who is also the President of the Guyana National Women’s Football Association (GNWFA), Mrs. Andrea Johnson, seeks to clarify misconceptions that the constitutional reform process that is currently underway has been initiated by the GFF among other related issues.

Andrea Johnson – Chairman of the GFF Constitutional Review Committee

Question: Can you provide a background to the Statutes Alignment process being undertaken by the GFFat the direction of FIFA?

AJ: On May 3^rd, 2022, FIFA’sChief Member Association Officer, Kenny Jean-Mariewrote the GFF directing that GFF as a member of FIFA must ensure that its statutes fully comply with the mandatory requirements contained in the Statutes and Regulations of FIFA and Concacaf. Furthermore, FIFA and Concacaf encouraged the GFF to adopt additional principles of good governance and best practices in their statutes and regulations. In addition, FIFA expects that GFF adopts new statutes and electoral codes which are in line with the requirements of FIFA and Concacaf within the third quarter of 2022.

The GFF subsequently wrote the members of the Federation informing them of FIFA’s directive, in addition to sending out a press release. In that notice to the members, the GFF informed us that they will be appointing an Ad-Hoc Committee to work along with FIFA, Concacaf and the GFF Administration. I was appointed Chairperson of that Committee which comprises representatives of every category of the GFF membership body.

FIFA and Concacaf visited Guyana in mid-June and conducted working meetings with my Committee during which they outlined the Statutes Revision process, the timelines, and an early draft/template of the changes FIFA was proposing.

Question: What is the role of the Committee?

AJ: The Committee is tasked with examining the draft Statutes submitted by FIFA, consulting with the GFF Legal representative, working along with the FIFA Legal team, organising working meetings with the members of the GFF, and reviewing any proposal submitted by the members. The Committee shares all proposals submitted by the members of the GFF with FIFA and Concacaf for their review.

Every member of the GFF General Council was invited to participate in the consultation process and provide proposals for amendments. I would like to point out that the Committee has also proposed a series of amendments to the early draft submitted by FIFA.In particular, the Committee has rejected FIFA’s proposal to penalize members that are late for Congress, this is not suitable for the Guyanese time management culture, unfortunately.

Question: How will the revised GFF Statutes benefit Guyana’s Football?

AJ: The changes proposed by FIFA, Concacaf, the GFF Legal team, and the Statutes Review Committee, placea greater emphasis on Governance, compliance, and female participation and representation in Football leadership among others.

The GFF Statutes were adopted in 2015 and remained practically unchanged, while both FIFA and Concacaf have made significant changes to their statutes over the years. In the letter from FIFA Chief Member Officer, it was made clear that the GFF must harmonise the statutes of the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) with the requirements and standards of FIFA and Concacaf.

I believe that FIFA and Concacaf want to ensure that their members benefit from the difficult experiences that would have influenced the overhauling of their statutes. The visiting FIFA and Concacaf team did inform my Committee that this is a global exercise, with many Caribbean Countries already completing the revision of their Statutes.

Question: It is being claimed that the proposed amendments to the constitution would not benefit the game on and off the field, what’s your reaction to this?

AJ: It is sad to see a member of the GFF politicising this process and attacking the work of my Committee and the process so prematurely. We are committed to doing a professional job that will help to develop Guyana’s football further and will not be distracted by any political agenda.

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