Sport Minister mulling FIFA intervention

By Iva Wharton

Sport Minister Dr. Frank Anthony yesterday said he is considering writing a letter to FIFA, the world governing body on football, seeking their intervention to bring an end to the impasse between the GFF and GFA.

“The conflict between the GFA and GFF has been one that has been going on for too long and it’s time that we bring an end to that.  Again perhaps we don’t want to get into a situation that we got into with cricket but here it is you have FIFA that is the governing body, if they recognized that one of their affiliate countries have these types of problems then in the interest of the game then the parent body should have it resolved”.

The nearly two-year-long dispute, Dr. Anthony said, has not helped the game to develop and as such it would be wise for FIFA to get involved.

According to him, associations only seem to call on government when they are in need of funding, but never when they have administrative problems.

Football, he said, is a national sport and therefore it should not have these sorts of issues.

“If you are running a transparent organization and you’re willing to deliver your programmes and there is development and things of that nature nobody is going to interfere with you.

But if things are not happening then we have a problem and in many of our national  associations we do have an issue”.

The Sport Ministry, he said, earlier in year had both sides at the table where they were close to reaching a resolution, but both sides he said walked away from the mediation without coming back. Thus the matter remains unresolved to this day.

It is not the intention of the ministry to force a solution on the parties he said, but felt that through mediation the matter could be brought to an end.

“The plan that we had earlier in the year failed, but we don’t see either parties making any effort to resolve it and therefore that is one of the things I have been considering to formally write FIFA on the matter and have them come in and see how they can resolve it”.

The Georgetown Football Association took the Guyana Football Federation to court in an effort to have its voting rights reinstated.

Recently, President of the Alpha United Football Club, Odinga Lumumba wrote to FIFA, CONCACAF and CFU informing them of his intention to form an alternative body to manage the affairs of football since the two sides failed to come to an agreement.

The suggestion of the alternative body was rejected according to a release from Khalsan Publication Relations Incorporated on behalf of Lumumba.

It was rejected according to the release on the grounds that CONCACAF and FIFA are making moves to bring the parties together to find a solution.