Interim GFL committee plans to move football forward
By Steve Ninvalle
Stabroek News
August 16, 2002
The interim committee of the Georgetown Football League (GFL) had its first meeting yesterday and outlined plans to move football in the Garden City forward.
The committee was set up Wednesday evening to run the affairs of the league after the general council moved a vote of no confidence against the Millennium Executive during an extraordinary meeting.
Speaking with Stabroek News following the meeting Odinga Lumumba, patron of the GFL and a member of the interim committee, said the committee has commenced work to make the GFL a model organisation.
President of Beacon Football Club, George Norton, is chairman of the committee which includes Fabian Denny (acting secretary), Desmond Alfred (acting treasurer), Bobby Fernandes, Jermaine Grimes and Lumumba.
"We intend to meet with the sponsors and look at ways that we can strengthen the league," Lumumba said.
The Pee Wee competition, which kicked off recently, will continue but will be shifted to the Camptown ground. No date has been given for the start of the Premier League.
However, Lumumba disclosed that sub committees have been formed to tackle such areas. "Mr. Alfred and Dr. Norton have been saddled with the task of coming up with proposals on how and when the Premier League and the first division league will commence.
"We will seek a meeting with the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) to discuss their proposed audit. We will also try to establish a better relation with the GFF, " he added.
The committee also decided to continue with an internal audit which became necessary following allegations of fraud. The audit should assist in ascertaining the financial position of the orgainsation.
The Millennium Executive headed by president Christopher Matthias, was forced on the ropes last week following alleged misappropriation of funds.
An investigation was launched after it was alleged that approximately half a million dollars could not be accounted for from the leagues coffers.
Treasurer Daune Campbell has been fingered in the fraud but has denied that any money is missing. Campbell, who has vowed to clear her name, was expected back from abroad yesterday.
"We cannot place a time on when the internal audit will conclude. A lot of documents is controlled by the past treasurer. We have to wait and see what she comes up with when she returns. What needs to be known is that particular financial issue will not stop the league from functioning. We have to move on," Lumumba said.
Lumumba could not put a time limit on the life of the interim committee but claimed that the general council would have to make that decision.
"We intend to report to the general council in a couple of weeks. What they (the general council) did is allow us (interim committee) to do the necessary work to bring things back together. We will have to go to them with a plan concerning where we are going from here and the status of the league's finance."
Lumumba blamed lack of communication between the executive and the general council for the recent state of affairs in the GFL.
"I think that one important thing learnt from this entire episode is that the executive has to work closer with the general council. I think that a lot of the problems came about because of lack of communication. You must get permission from the general council before you do anything significant."
Meanwhile, the interim committee is requesting that anyone who has had business dealings with the GFL and has not been paid should contact the acting treasurer. The committee would also like donors to come forward and give accurate statements on what has been donated.