GFF should declare plans to develop football
By Clyde Pestano
Stabroek News
March 15, 2003
Several football coaches who recently attended a training program conducted by Colombian Professor Oscar Libreros at the Carifesta Sports Complex (formerly GNS) are calling for the administrators of football in the city and the Guyana Football Federation to make public their plans for football.
One coach went as far as saying that, "football is in the cemetery". According to him, "the administrators of football in this country do not seem to have the interest of the sport at heart, nor the players, and as a result they are killing the sport," one coach said.
The coaches who spoke on condition of anonymity were adamant that football in Guyana will go nowhere with the current batch of administrators who they claim know very little about football and how to manage the sport.
They condemned the secrecy with which the GFF is conducting business especially as regards to the financial management of the Federation and pointed out that those persons who have come out and tried to air their views have been subjected to censure by that body.
The alleged promise of a football stadium was one example cited of mal-administration and the coaches claimed that the Minister of Sports and the whole of Guyana were embarrassed by the revelation by FIFA President Sepp Blatter that FIFA does not build stadiums for anyone or any country.
The coaches felt that the coaching course is a step in the right direction and was a good effort on the part of the Ministry of Culture Youth and Sport to help revitalise the game throughout the country. According to them the GFF has courses which coaches attend and after which they are given `certificates of attendance'. They claim that there is no proper training which is done from which they could be assessed and graded.
As such the question is, who is a coach? Or more aptly put who is qualified to be called a coach and by what standards? The coaches contended that the local coaches are not even exposed to overseas courses where their knowledge can be expanded and enhanced. They claimed that all that was needed sometimes was a plane ticket to the venue where the course was to be held. The coaches were forceful when they stated that administrators who are in charge of football must love the game and know the game.
According to them, there is no proper plan for the future and no structure to ensure a nursery of young players for the future. They pointed out that last year the Georgetown Football League was not run off and plans for this year which were scheduled for the beginning of this month are still murky at best. As a result, they are calling on the Interim Management Committee (IMC) that was established after the last executive was removed and the GFF to state publicly what plans they have for the League and football generally this year. According to them young men in the city are without jobs and a means of making an income and sports, more particularly football should be able to provide an alternative for them not only to `burn-off' excess stress and energy but as a means to some sort of reward by playing in competitions. The coaches also alluded to the work being done by technical director to the GFF Neider Dos Santos and said that it is a waste of time. They feel that the foundation for his work is non-existent. According to them the Guyana U-23 players will not go very far in any tournament because they are technically and tactically inferior to most of the other countries in the region. It was cited that the Under-23's few matches played against local teams left much to be desired. They shared the view that the salary Dos Santos is earning might have been better spent paying four or five local coaches who might have done a better job.
The absence of any proper organised schools football program was stressed since the schools have the largest catchment of youths. These coaches feel that the schools program should start at a much earlier age and called for a more constructive engagement between the GFF and the Ministry of Education.
In an invited comment George Rutherford the General Secretary of the Guyana Football Federation disclosed that the GFF is satisfied to a large extent with the work of its Technical Director. Rutherford said that Dos Santos has done an excellent job so far.
The General Secretary explained that the Brazilian has been able to market the sport locally and has been able to bring more sponsors on board to help Guyana's football progress. He mentioned that the current U-23 squad is being supported by quite a number of sponsors including Twin's Pharmacy, NP's, Medi Care Pharmacy, Humphrey's Bakery and others.
He also disclosed that the squad which has been encamped for sometime now will be decamped at the end of this month. In the interim the squad will be touring some neighbouring countries but he could not say when. He however anticipated that a number of foreign teams will be playing invitational matches against the local side.
The General Secretary recalled that the GFF has signed a four-year deal with Demerara Distillers Ltd (DDL) to sponsor an Under 15 tournament for the next four years for schools throughout Guyana. Asked about future plans for Football in the country, the GS mentioned that at a general council meeting last year the GFF deliberated on this issue and the sub-associations are in possession of such plans for the short, medium and long term development of football in Guyana.
Rutherford also revealed that the GFF will be piloting a program for younger players at six schools - ABC Academy, Mae's Schools, Agricola Primary, St. Paul's Primary, West Ruimveldt Primary and an unnamed school on the West Demerara area.
The general secretary also disclosed that the GFF has plans this year to employ coaches in each region who are paid by the GFF so that the programs of the federation are implemented more readily and easily.
Quizzed on what qualifies someone as a coach, the GS explained that there are different levels of coaches that the GFF recognizes. He gave an example where there are players who used to play the game and are now older and cannot play the game anymore but have the knowledge and experience and love the game. In addition, there are others who have gone to local courses run by the GFF and yet others who encompass a range of skills and have gone on overseas courses. Some coaches also have a higher academic background than others. According to him the GFF is presently distributing a questionnaire which will document the relevant information on coaches in Guyana. After that is done an evaluation of each coach will follow so that they can be upgraded in areas where they are lacking. He said that the GFF is hopeful that this would contribute to the regularizing of the coaching fraternity in Guyana. Rutherford claims that there is a coaching association and that it is functioning to an extent. He said that it is headed by Desmond Alfred.
The General Secretary was asked about overseas coaching for coaches and claims that it is not true that the GFF has not sent persons abroad for training. He mentioned that Joseph Wilson attended an English Football Association and CONCACAF sponsored International Coaching License Course in Trinidad and Tobago last year and that already this year Collie Hercules and Andrew Grogan have left for the twin-island Republic to do the same course set for later this month. He also recalled that Phillip Carrington, Christopher George and the late Osmond Jeune attended a goalkeeper's coaches training programme organized by the Caribbean Football Union and CONCACAF in May of last year. Also the current technical director attended a CONCACAF World Cup Symposium for coaches and technical directors in October last at the Centre for Excellence in Trinidad and Tobago. And in September last the GFF sent a number of referees and coaches to regions eight and nine where coaching and refereeing clinics were done.
Rutherford revealed that the GFF had expended in excess of $300,000.00 in transportation, meals and accommodation costs for participants who attended the recent three-day sessions for coaches in Linden, West Demerara and Georgetown.
