Amidst the backdrop of an unfavourable Guyana Football Federation (GFF) forensic audit for the period of 2011-2012, Team Integrity’s First Vice-Presidential hopeful Bruce Lovell said football governance needs a fundamental rethinking and that his slate is ready to confront the challenges affecting the discipline.
The Retired Brigadier General is a member of Wayne Forde’s Team Integrity slate which will contest the November 14 GFF Electoral Congress.
The other members of the slate are second Vice Presidential hopeful and former GFF Vice President Rawlston Adams, third Vice President Nominee Attorney-at-Law Thandi McAllister, Guyana Football Referees Council (GFRC) Chief Dion Innis, Essequibo Football Association President Magzene Stewart, Berbice Football Association President Keith O’Jeer and Rupununi Football Association (RFA) executive Brian Rodrigues.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with Stabroek Sports, Lovell said: “The fact that we have signed on the dotted lines is an indicator by Team Integrity to confront the challenges posed by football governance in Guyana.
“We feel that the whole issue of football governance and management has to be re-engineered and the focus of Team Integrity is to bring to bear new approaches and perspectives to football management and governance,” he told Stabroek Sports in an exclusive interview.
“Over the years, I have noticed there are areas for improved management of football in Guyana and I think with my 36 years of service in the Guyana Defence Force (GDF), I feel I can bring to the table some of level of management skills. I also hold fast to the view that the issue of integrity is critical for the development of the football.
“One only has look at the audit report to see that we need officials who have the highest levels of integrity. When I look at football, I feel that there are some foundational issues that need to be addressed. One foundational issue is the governance structure.”
He went on: “An important element of the governance structure is about having officials with sound integrity at every level. The scandals that are now rocking FIFA and the IAAF underscore the point that officials need to have sound integrity.
“Another element is a need for us to alter the ‘commoditization ap-proach’ of the sport. We need to replace that with an approach that uses football as a vehicle or instrument to uplift the moral, social and economic standards of the participants,” he added.
Asked about his level of confidence that Team Integrity can build a relationship with the government and other critical stakeholders, he declared: “Certainly that is one of the developmental pillars. We think that our approach will nest with the government’s approach to societal development and because of that nesting, the government and other stakeholders will be drawn to provide support to us.
“Creating employment opportunities for footballers, improving their academic levels, inculcating in them the value of good citizenship and civility, these are issues the government and the other relevant stakeholders will find laudable and would want to promote and encourage” he added.
Quizzed about his thoughts on the GFF audit and what it says about the manner in which the sport was previously administered, Lovell declared:” I have not read it, I saw the headline in the papers and speed read it, so I can’t speak to the issues with any degree of authority.
“But what I can say is certainly with Team Integrity, because of our commitment to good governance, we will ensure that transparency and accountability be foundational elements of how we govern the sport,” he said.
Questioned about the perceived lack of football administrative experience on Team Integrity and whether it will be viewed as a negative by the public, Lovell said: “We don’t have to be the fountain of knowledge of all football, we have to create the climate to have others who have that knowledge to contribute.
“We intend to create the climate that would foster ownership of football governance by all stakeholders and in that regard, we intend to be very inclusive so as to harness the full talents and potential of all stakeholders,” he added.
The GFF Electoral Congress will be staged on November 14th at the Cara Lodge Hotel from 11:00hrs.
The other competing slate which is dubbed ‘Team Unity’, is led by Attorney-at-law Nigel Hughes and features Attorney-At-Law Mark Waldron, Alpha United President Odinga Lumumba, Slingerz FC President Javed Ali, Kashif and Shanghai Co-Director Aubrey ‘Shanghai’ Major, Former Pele FC Secretary Robby Rambaran and Ansa McAl Marketing Director Troy Mendonca.
