The Guyana Football Federation (GFF) has formally presented the FIFA-approved Disciplinary Code to the Chairman and Members of the GFF’s Disciplinary Committee, paving the way for key matters to be adjudicated.
This presentation was made in the GFF’s Boardroom to Chairman, Roger Yearwood, in the presence of some committee members.
In an invited comment following the presentation, Yearwood said that the Disciplinary Code will enable the effective delivery of the type of conduct demanded by the football administrators and the public.
“We believe going forward, all the necessary elements can work together to improve the delivery and the type of conduct that is expected of football administrators and demanded by the public from persons involved in the sport, including players, referees, coaches and others.”
The Chairman is also hopeful that this Revised Code will serve as a guide to the expectation of conduct for international representation.
“Hopefully, we can get our players more aligned to what is expected of them at the international level so that if they are hoping to take their careers to greater heights, they would be in a position of knowledge and adequately represent Guyana without instances of misconduct, which will reflect badly on the country and the Guyana Football Federation. We’re hopeful with this Code, much can be achieved and much can be attained.”
In expressing gratitude to the Chairman and members to serve on the committee, Forde said the revised Disciplinary Code is a major step forward and bodes well for the sport.
“We believe that the revised Code, approved by FIFA, provides the instruments and tools to administer discipline in a swift, transparent and thorough manner. We expect every stakeholder – fans, clubs and officials – will now see a greater need to align themselves with the level of conduct that we think should reflect the beautiful game of football.”
Among the priority issues to be adjudicated by the Disciplinary Committee are violent conduct involving players during the GFA Revival Cup, the matter involving sexual harassment of female referees by match officials and administrators and allegations of inappropriate behavior by an Executive Committee member.
While the GFF’s Disciplinary Code was approved by the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) in June 2018, the GFF’s Regulations Committee was tasked with revising the fines as, it was the opinion of FIFA, that the fines stated in the original draft “seem too lenient given their low value.”
The GFF’s Disciplinary Code is the framework which informs the work of the GFF’s Disciplinary Committee.
This is stipulated in the GFF’s Constitution under Article 61: “Disciplinary Committee; 2”: “The responsibilities and functions of the Disciplinary Committee shall be stipulated in the Disciplinary Code of the Federation, which shall be issued by the Executive Committee and comply with the Disciplinary Code of the FIFA and Concacaf.”
Other members of GFF’s Disciplinary Committee are Braithwaite Whittington Braithwaite, Dr. Clement Mc Ewan, Ashley King and Everyon Singh-Lammy.
