– entire Golden Jaguars retire amidst calls for Guyana Football Federation president Colin Klass to resign
By Rawle Toney
Guyana’s national football team known as the Golden Jaguars yesterday moved their battle from the field to the office of the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) with the members of the team which participated in the Group H matches of the Digicel Caribbean Cup tournament in Trinidad retiring from the sport until president of the GFF Colin Klass steps down.
However, contacted for a comment yesterday Klass surprisingly told this newspaper that he knew nothing of the development.
Reports are that the players met with Klass approximately 3:00am yesterday morning outside of the Crown Plaza hotel in Trinidad and Tobago (after drawing 1-1 with Trinidad and Tobago in their final group match) as Klass was about to return to Guyana.
All 20 players told him that they would not represent Guyana any longer if he remained as president of the GFF.
According to reports, the players complained of poor standards, poor training equipment, the poor state of encampment, monies outstanding and constant disorganization during international duty.
Speaking to Stabroek Sports yesterday, captain of the national team Charles ‘Lilly’ Pollard said that the decision was made because the players felt they have had enough of the ill treatment from the Klass-led GFF.
“This move is to make sure that our future generation doesn’t suffer the same fate like us. For far too long we have had to contend with held up in allowances, asking for proper conditions for our camps among plenty other things,” said the out-spoken Pollard.
He added that although no time frame was given for Klass to step down, the players were deadly serious about their decision and would be making another statement shortly. But Klass told this newspaper that he was not aware of this development.
“This is news to me. I know nothing about the players resigning if I don’t step down. I spoke to the players in Trinidad before I returned home about other issues but not on this, so as far as I know this is not so,” said the
GFF president.
But Stabroek Sports contacted an official at the Crown Plaza Hotel in Trinidad and Tobago who reported that the incident did take place and that the players did in fact issue that ultimatum to Klass.
The official, who asked to remain anonymous, said that as a matter of fact there was even some altercation as voices were being raised by the players in what sounded like a heated argument.
“I thought that they were going to harass him (Klass) because of how furious they were. This occured around three something this morning (yesterday) as he (Klass) was preparing to leave along with some other players who checked out to return home,” said the source at the hotel.
The players are calling for support. In a statement sent to this newspaper they appealed for help and asked their fans not to support the GFF and its activities.
“We are appealing to all our fans to boycott all GFF sanctioned football until Klass and his administration go,” the players said in a statement, adding …”enough is enough!”
Klass has been at the helm of the GFF for the past 20 years and has been coming in for strong criticism for not doing enough to enhance the sport despite the fact that the GFF receives an annual subvention of US$250,000 from its parent body FIFA.
Recently there were several calls from persons who are very upset about the state of the sport here for Klass to step down but the GFF president has remained completely immune to those calls.
According to the statement from the players it was a shame that such a drastic set of events have had to transpire but they added that they have had enough of the administration’s incompetence.
“This is for the future of Guyana’s football. May the football world hear our cry for help!”
