By Akeem Greene
When it comes to football, most nations within the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) do not have a plethora of resources to consistently do massive expansion of the sport from both the infrastructure aspect and human resources.
However, if there is a collective approach from CARICOM, the region could potentially reap more rewards globally in football.
As leaders of CARICOM meet in Guyana for the 46th Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government, President of the Guyana Football Federation (GFF), Wayne Forde, is adamant that CARICOM must place greater emphasis on football.
The CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME); Agriculture and Food and Nutrition Security; Regional Security; Climate Change and Climate Financing; Global and Hemispheric issues; Reparations; Regional Transportation; Foreign and Community Relations and the International Cricket Council Men’s T2o World Cup are on the main agenda for the conference.
There is also the CARICOM Prime Ministerial sub-committee on cricket, currently chaired by Trinidad and Tobago’s Prime Minister, Dr Keith Rowley.
“Football ought to be an agenda item when CARICOM meets and I don’t understand why it is not, I simply don’t,” the GFF President contended during a recent interview.
“I have felt for a very long time that football deserves the same prominence that cricket has at CARICOM because cricket is an agenda item when the CARICOM heads meet, and whenever they think that cricket is in a crisis, they intervene and do their best to rescue it,” Forde expressed as he contended that the enormous volume of youths involved in the sport should demand in-depth attention.
In May 2021, FIFA and CARICOM signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen their collaboration to promote sports integrity and social responsibility while furthering the development of football in the region.
The landmark agreement was signed by then CARICOM Secretary-General Ambassador Irwin LaRocque and FIFA President Gianni Infantino at a virtual ceremony attended by the presidents of the national football associations of CARICOM countries, Ministers of Government and Representatives of the countries, as well as CONCACAF President Victor Montagliani.
Furthermore, in May 2022, FIFA, GFF, the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport inked another MoU for the historic Football for Schools Programme.
It signified Guyana becoming the first nation within the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) to launch the programme, which will be mapped out countrywide to cater for both genders; however, it has not kicked off locally as yet.
Football for Schools (F4S) is a programme launched by FIFA in collaboration with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) and caters for pupils aged four to 14.
“The other important point is that 80 to 90 per cent of all footballers across this entire region come from the most challenging communities, so to me, there should be a greater incentive to do what we can, not only to attract them to the game that imparts so many positive values to their lives but also to keep them in the game.”
The GFF President believes that the “region’s future is the playing the sport of football.
