Businessman Wayne Forde will continue at the helm of the Guyana Football Federation (GFF), after winning a third consecutive term as President on Saturday.
A slate headed by Forde won 14-8 against a slate led by former president (ag) of the GFF, Franklin Wilson, at the Extraordinary Congress held at the GFF National Training Centre, Providence, East Bank Demerara.
“For my administration, we want to go on record thanking the members who expressed, through the ballot, their faith in us for a final four years,” Forde said a press conference after the congress.
“I must say to the media, because this is one of the things that was bandied around a lot, this is the final term for my administration. We have no intention to be here one second longer than the end of these four years.”
Forde, who has been head of the GFF since 2015, highlighted that infrastructure development is a key priority in his third term.
He envisaged that the projects earmarked should be finished or close to completion by the end of the current term.
“As I would have stated in some of my earlier engagements, our motivation was driven primarily by our intention to complete the National Training Centre and to embark on a monumental project at the Durban Park facility, which we signed with Blue Water Shipping (on December 8, 2023).”
“There are other goals that we have, but those are the primary goals. Infrastructure is badly needed for football- we all know this- and we just felt that a transition at this time may have had a negative impact on the progress that we are making.”
“I’m happy that the members bought that argument and they demonstrated their willingness to support us.”
Forde’s slate comprised Brigadier (Ret’d) Bruce Lovell, Rawlston Adams, Dion Inniss, President of the Women’s Football Association Andrea Johnson, Denneze Lovell from Den Amstel Football Club, Alden Marslowe of Bartica Football Association, along with Magzene Stewart and Rayan Farias.
Forde announced that he will invite Wilson and members of his slate in 21 days to have “a heart-to-heart discussion” on how they can be integrated into the future development of football.
“Football is a relatively small organisation in Guyana. I believe it is important that in our very own way we can set an example that while we may have been on opposite sides when we lobbied the members for the office of the GFF leadership that we can now come together and reconcile any differences that we may have had and find a way to work together to move our sport forward.”
Head of One Concacaf and Caribbean Projects Howard McIntosh, who attended the congress, said:
“We’re very pleased to see how the congress ran this morning. We want to immediately congratulate all the persons that have offered themselves up for service.”
“I want to start out by first congratulating Franklin and the entire slate for offering themselves up, and then of course congratulate the newly re-elected council, led by President Forde.”
McIntosh also hailed the work of the Electoral Committee, led by Chairman Marcel Bobb and including members Shercola Exeter-Sardina and Iva Wharton, noting that the congress was conducted “in a very orderly and professional way.”
“From a Concacaf perspective, we’re very pleased with what has transpired today and pledge our continued support to football in Guyana.”
