In what can only be described as a theme of the current administration, the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) for the umpteenth time is yet to remunerate the Golden Jaguars their match-day fees for a Nations League encounter against Antigua and Bartica, despite the team’s historic League A qualification.
This was confirmed by a source close to the team who spoke on the condition of anonymity. According to the source, “the foreign-based players have not been paid by the GFF. The team was supposed to be paid on or before November 30th, but that has passed. The GFF has paid the locals, and many people feel that is due to the fact that the election is impending. Initially, they had sent the team a contract for the team to be paid for December 15th, but the team refused to play. They then opted to send a new contract with a November 30th date, which was agreed upon by everyone. That is for the Antigua and Barbuda games, because the first game against the Bahamas was rescheduled due to the weather. In excess of two million dollars is owed to the foreign players. This situation has caused some bad vibes between the local and foreign players. This is absolutely ridiculous and embarrassing, especially for a team that has qualified for League A.”
Efforts to contact GFF General Secretary Ian Alves proved futile. Calls to his cell phone went unanswered up to press time.
The Nations League November contract, which was signed by General Secretary Alves and seen in this publication, states under the caption “Concacaf Nations League 2023 Payments”: “Match Fee: Starter: 350 USD; Match Fee: Substitute Appearance: 250 USD; Match Fee: Unused Substitute: 150 USD; Win Bonus: 200 USD; Draw Bonus: 100 USD; Goal Bonus: 25 USD per goal (maximum bonus of 4 goals); Per Diem: All players: 50 USD per night for in-camp days.”
According to the above-mentioned document, the players were to receive their final payment on or prior to November 30, 2023. However, that date has elapsed.
Guyana qualified for League A with a perfect 5-0 record. The Guyanese defeated Antigua and Barbuda [5-1, 6-0], the Bahamas [3-2], and Puerto Rico [3-1, 3-1]. Their fixture against the Bahamas was cancelled due to torrential weather. A date for its hosting is yet to be finalised.
