-says offers to players came from GFA
President of the Pele Football Club, Cecil Jacques says the club will not be participating in this year’s Banks DIH-sponsored Georgetown Football Association (GFA) Banks Beer President’s Cup tournament.
Instead, the club is set to participate in the upcoming 23rd Edition of the Kashif and Shanghai football tournament which will run concurrently with the Banks DIH Tournament.
According to Jacques, the club’s quest is to capture the $4M first prize when their campaign kicks off on Sunday, December 16 against Buxton Stars at the GFC ground.
He further condemned the GFA and their sponsors for wanting to lure the club’s senior members into playing for them to enhance the image of their tournament.
“They offered the players whom I wouldn’t name, as much as $800 000 to play in the tournament and that’s even before they kick a ball, but I’m making it known that Pele will not be playing in the GFA tournament. I told them (the players) who want to leave, go ahead but there are consequences that come with doing so,” said Jacques.
He said that his remarks are not a personal attack on the GFA or their tournament sponsors, but mainly to point out that it’s not principled to make such advances to members of a team who are not part of their tournament.
“We are not going to be dragged into the whole dispute that’s happening right now, our club just like the previous years committed to play in the Kashif and Shanghai tournament since we fall under the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) and that should be respected. I will not name the officials … but they have no right making contact with my players or team and I find it rather upsetting,” Jacques said.
The team has captured one Kashif and Shanghai title, winning in 2008 against Sunburst Camptown. They have also finished as runners-up four times with last year being the most recent.
