One of the female referees who recently signed a complaint against Head of Referees, Stanley Lancaster says that President of the GFF had been aware of the allegations since February 2017, but nothing has been done.
The referee who spoke on condition of anonymity told Stabroek Sport that Guyana Football Federation (GFF) President Wayne Forde contacted her via telephone in February 2017 on the complaints.
According to the referee, “The GFF President called me months ago and said he would like to speak to me concerning the problem with the referees. He called and said it was concerning the head of referees [Stanley Lancaster]. He said that he was going into a meeting and that he would call back but never did. That was since around January or February of last year. I don’t know how he got my number or how he knew about the problem.”
When contacted by Stabroek Sport on the female referee’s contention, Forde, who is also the Chairman of the Referees Committee, declined to comment.
However, he said that the matter is in the process of being investigated comprehensively.
He said that an independent committee comprising of individuals outside the football domain, is being commissioned to examine the accusations levelled against Lancaster.
This, he added, will ensure an impartial and transparent investigation, with any culpable individual being held accountable at the end of the inquiry.
On February 2nd 2018, 17 male and female referees signed a three-page letter, calling for the removal of Lancaster, citing unprofessionalism and incompetence amongst other issues.
Amongst the criticisms aimed at the Linden native in the letter were victimization, withholding of information and a general dereliction of his duties.
The female referee told Stabroek Sport, “I saw him (Forde) last month and he didn’t say anything to me, so I didn’t say anything to him. For me it’s like they don’t care or aren’t interested because you can’t make contact with someone on a matter that is very serious and then don’t make contact again. He could have called for a meeting and say or do something about the matter. To me, it’s like they [GFF] don’t care.”
