GFF planning for post-COVID-19 ‘sponsorship threat’

By Avenash Ramzan

Being proactive about the possible realities post-COVID-19, the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) is already bracing for what president Wayne Forde describes as a ‘sponsorship threat’ that will no doubt impact the sport.

In an exclusive interview with News Room this week, Forde said the issue is already on the table, not just in Guyana, but at the FIFA and Concacaf levels.

One of the challenges Forde believes the sport will have to face post-COVID-19 is funding from corporate entities, who themselves are directly affected by the pandemic.

Some private sector businesses, whom football and sport in general in Guyana depend on for sponsorship to help carry out their mandate, have had to take cost-cutting measures to mitigate the impact of the coronavirus.

Forde, speaking on the matter this week, highlighted how football could be affected financially by the pandemic.

“The other consideration that has really taken root at the governing level of FIFA and Concacaf is what will be the reality of football returning with some level of soundness, post-COVID-19. I think they are sticking with the reality that sponsorship will be threatened, a lot of football infrastructure will be in a state of almost disrepair because of the slowdown in activity and people not maintaining, so there’s a lot of these practical elements of having a machinery shutdown for as long as this machinery will be shutdown. I know they (FIFA and Concacaf) are thinking about financial mitigation that would help an MA (Member Association).”

With this in mind, Forde assured that the Federation has already committed to carrying the financial burden associated with bringing local football back to life, when the situation returns to normalcy.

“We would have to fund many aspects of the football machinery once we find our way out of this crisis, and we’re already planning and preparing for it.”

Earlier this week, Forde indicated that his administration has adopted an approach that targets the preservation of human lives in these unprecedented times. He noted that measures have been taken by the GFF to ensure all stakeholders are safe.

“The first priority of FIFA, Concacaf and GFF is to ensure that the employees of the Federation and the Secretariat are not really impacted by the shutdown, meaning that there is no loss of employment; (but) there maybe adjustments to our payroll to reflect the reality of the situation.”