The Guyana Football Federation (GFF) disputes the Stabroek News editorial of July 26th, 2023, headlined “Backdoor tax”, stating that the decision to implement a fee structure for match officials and referees was part of its mandate to regulate the sport and not a mechanism to improve its coffers.
The GFF in a press release stated, “The editorial of July 26, 2023 headlined ‘Backdoor tax’ is predicated on the patently false premise that the implementation of a fee structure for match officials and referees from the 2023/2024 season is a backdoor tax to boost the coffers of the Federation. It becomes necessary to contextualise the rationale for the fee structure. Article 1 of the GFF’s Constitution mandates the Council to control, regulate and bring about order and structure in the operations of football in all its forms in the jurisdiction of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana. To realise this, it is incumbent on the Federation to align its operations with FIFA’s statutes and international best practices.”
