Former FIFA Referee Otis James has been elected President of the Georgetown Football Association (GFA) following the hosting of an Extraordinary General Meeting on Saturday morning at the Pegasus Hotel.
The successful meeting would have been necessary as a result of the continued lack of activity and non-functional Executive Committee in the GFA over the past three years. This lack of activity prompted the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) to intervene as the parent body for the sport in Guyana to ensure that the administrative arm of the game in the city became functional again.
A GFF appointed IMC came into being in July of 2018 in accordance with the guidelines and provisions of Article 2 [d] and [e], Article 13 [a] of the GFF Constitution and Article 82, in addition to Article 8 (2) of the FIFA Statutes.
Following the work of the Trevor Williams led IMC and which was even granted an extension, the GFA Clubs in a letter dated 8th October, 2019; in accordance with Article 31 (2) of the Constitution of the (GFA) requested an Extraordinary General Meeting of the GFA and this was set for Saturday November 2, 2019.
Members present at the Extraordinary General Meeting were Georgetown Football Club, Beacon Football Club, Northern Rangers Football Club, Camptown Football Club, Black Pearl Club, Eastveldt United Football Club, Pele Football Club, GT Panthers Football Club, Riddim Squad Football Club, Wolves United Football Club and Order and Discipline Football Club.
GT Panthers FC (new club) and Order and Discipline FC (list of delegates submitted after the legal deadline had expired) were not able to vote.
Conducting the election was the Guyana Football Federation’s Electoral Committee Chairman Charles Corbin and Rev. Raphael Jackman. Prior to the Electoral Committee taking over proceedings, the Extraordinary General meeting was chaired by GFF Third Vice president, Thandi McAllister.
James, in his first speech as President, expressed thanks to the GFF and everyone who had worked hard towards ensuring that the Extra Ordinary Meeting came off which now sets the pathway for the association to get back to a state of normalcy after being dormant for about three years.
“This is the time; it is now or never. Within the next three months we will see the work that the new GFA has to offer, so let us all put our heads together and work together for one cause, football. Many times we have football and a lot of people looks around and say that that should be done and this should be done; gentlemen and ladies, it is time for us stop trying to be whatever we want to be and do the right things we are supposed to do. It is time for us to put all our differences aside and work together as a team and let football be the winner.”
The full executive: Otis James – President, Akram Sabree – Vice President, Clifton Adams – Vice President, Dirk Exeter – Vice President, Faizal Khan – Secretary, Lomel Johnson – Treasurer and Penny John – Assistant/Secretary Treasurer. (Guyana Football Federation)
