FIFA axes Guyana from Goal Project
By Steve Ninvalle
in New York
Stabroek News
February 12, 2003
World governing body for football FIFA has officially axed Guyana from its Goal Project. FIFA made the move late last year after both the government and the Guyana Football Federation failed to come up with land suitable for the construction of a football facility.
GFF president Colin Klass in an exclusive with Stabroek Sport said that FIFA has promised that Guyana will be reinstated as soon as land is made available. "Guyana has been officially suspended by FIFA from its Goal Project until land is made available," Klass said. The GFF boss said that the news was disheartening since some islands in the Caribbean have already benefited from the project while Guyana remains undeveloped.
However, he stressed that in view of government's hesitance in making land available his organisation is privately seeking to make the project a reality.
In March last year FIFA gave approval for the Land of Many Waters to be included on the list of countries to benefit from the Goal Project. In January 2002 FIFA development officer Keith Look Loy visited Guyana and met with Klass and Minister of Culture Youth and Sports Gail Tiexeira. At a press conference held at the Guyana Football Federation headquarters , Look Loy said that it was agreed at a meeting with Teixeira that the GFF should identify another plot of land if the proposed site at the University of Guyana compound was not available. "There is no problem. Once I receive the documentation that we have agreed on, including a letter which states that the government of Guyana has agreed to provide land to the GFF, the project will be approved. It does not have to make reference to a specific piece of land," Look Loy said then. Construction of the facility (training centre) was expected to commence in May and completed by last year end.
FIFA promised to pump US$400,000 into the construction of the facility. If the construction of this facility exceeds US$400,000 the GFF has agreed that, out of other money provided by FIFA for normal operations, it will allocate the necessary amount that is needed to complete the budget," Look Loy said. The building of the training centre is to be done in two phases. Upon completion, the first phase will consist of two football fields, changing rooms for players and officials, a dormitory to house 24 persons, an office, a classroom and a pavilion to accommodate 3000 persons. Phase two is expected to cost US$600,000 and would increase accommodation to between 7000 and 8000 persons. Guyana was earmarked to be in the pilot project initially along with Antigua and the Bahamas but was scratched off the list after a court injunction was filed against the executive of the GFF which was then banned by FIFA.
Klass said that in addition to the stalling of the construction of the facility the suspension halted Guyana from receiving a number of footballs Adidas had given to FIFA to countries with finished projects.
"It has become clear that the Georgetown Football Club (GFC) ground cannot accommodate and facilitate international football. The training centre would have been the perfect venue for such. However, there has been no significant move in terms of land being issued which is quite disheartening. There has been no confirmation from the Ministry of Sport on the land issue," Klass said.
"I am trusting that the whole issue would be resolved soon." Klass added that the GFF would not sit idly by. "We have already entered into negotiations with a private partner to acquire land. One way or another the project will begin in 2003," Klass promised.
The Goal project was initiated by FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter and ratified at the FIFA Extraordinary Congress in Los Angeles on July 9, 1999. The project offered tailor-made programmes that are cut out to suit the individual country's needs and then implemented by FIFA experts in close cooperation with the national associations.
The ultimate objective of Goal are empowered national associations. Depending on each national association's priorities, Goal will offer help.
