FOOTBALL officials continue to shock, or perhaps not, ordinary Guyanese with decisions taken in the administration of the game here when the Guyana Football Federation was given a clean slate even after the stadium fiasco.

The nation as a whole was blatantly embarrassed when FIFA president, Sepp Blatter, announced that the world governing body does not construct stadiums, which it considers the duty of governments, but assists in establishing training facilities.

Thus it was a reverberating slap the nation again received, when the GFF happily announced that the General Council, with all seven sub-associations and three affiliates attending, gave the executives a vote of confidence on Sunday.

Under closer examination, that vote should not come as a surprise. The heads of all the district bodies were handpicked by GFF president, Colin Klass, who personally presided over the purging of the various sub-associations late last year.

But what could move people to make decisions contrary to what is expected by the general public.

Last year January, CONCACAF Deputy Secretary General, Harold Taylor, endorsed the notion that one million dollars from FIFA coffers may be the factor behind Guyana’s national football troubles.

Taylor was briefing the media on the effect of the High Court decision that stopped GFF executives from functioning in their posts. Ask if the money the world governing body is giving Guyana is a factor for the present crisis, Taylor said: “FIFA funds could be part of the problem.”

FIFA is giving affiliated countries $1 million to assist in promoting and developing the game. The money will be released in sums of US$250 000 for four years.

Since that was made public, one faction has been trying to unseat the incumbents who cling tenaciously to power.

Up to then, US$50 000 was disbursed and according to a statement from GFF president Colin Klass last July that initial sum could be used to settle outstanding debts.

Klass stated: “The GFF did this. The money was deposited in the NBIC (National Bank of Industry & Commerce Limited) and used to clear an existing overdraft with that bank. The remainder was used to facilitate the preparation and participation of the senior national team in the preliminary round of the CFU (Caribbean Football Union) championship.”

In a visit here last September, FIFA vice-president, Austin ‘Jack’ Warner said FIFA had no complaints about how the first set of money was used.

It is still not clear how much money has already been disbursed to Guyana since then.

But sub-association heads and other officials loyal to the GFF have been enjoying overseas trips purportedly to improve their administrative development, which would in turn lead to the improvement of the game on the whole.

Sub-association heads attended an Under-17 World Cup match with that aim. But they left for the game on the morning it was staged. How much could be learnt in that time in organising such an event is left to the imagination. In addition some secretariat officials enjoy high salary. One made public was the $85 000 per month received by one. Others are reported to be enjoying much higher salaries than that.

FIFA is giving another US$1 million for the training facility, $400 000 next February and $600 000 the following year.

With football money circulating among the boys, will the game ever develop with the present crop of officials? Sunday’s vote probably gave the answer as we remember the well-decorated fork at the infamous sod-turning ceremony.