By Sulayman Bah Gambia Football Federation and Normalisation Committtee’s chairman Hon. Alagie Sillah’s appointment has been faulted, Foroyaa Sport can report. The latest development is contained in a letter written to the world football governing body dated 29th July 2014 by ‘members of the GFF’who refer to themselves as stakeholders. In the letter, the group, whose membership is said to come from various league clubs, regional and aligned associations, is contesting the appointment of the Banjul North Member of Parliament by FIFA as head of the NC. The two-page dossier copied to relevant football entities, including the Director General of the country’s National Intelligence Agency, claims the new chairman is a licensed agent and by virtue of his position is ineligible to hold any position of football management. Describing the appointment a blatant contradiction, the group quoted article 6 paragraph 2 and 3 of the FIFA Players’ Agent Regulations 2008, to back its claims. While urging the world football governing body to shed light and act accordingly to address the situation, the body implored the new NC to adhere to FIFA’s standard of ensuring smooth and transparent election of new office-bearers in the coming elections. The NC chairman referred Foroyaa Sport to FIFA when reached yesterday evening for his reactions to the query. In a separate but related development, FIFA has replied to stakeholders’ petition objecting the appointment of a NC as temporary replacement to the leapfrogged GFF executive. In that communique privy to Foroyaa Sport, the Zurich-based organization took note of the group’s complaints but stressed the move to oust the Kebbeh leadership came from legitimate organs and urged it not to individualise disagreement with FIFA decisions. In another show unrelated to the aforesaid, the NC chairman via dispatch from the GFF press-relations officer, has indulged cooperation from all GFF staff in the process of preparing a roadmap for the September 15th elections. Below we reproduce the full text of the new letter sent to FIFA on Tuesday by members of the GFF. We refer to your recent correspondences to the GFF and its stakeholders on GFF normalization process, latest being your letter dated 24th July 2014, we the concerned stakeholders of GFF keenly noted as follows:
- That in accordance with FIFA Emergency Committee’s decision that empowered the FIFA administration with faculty of norminating a Normalisation Committee and the members of this Normalisation Committee comprise: -Mr. Alagie Sillah as Chairman, Mr. Ba Jabbie – member, Mrs. Haddy –Sillah-Njie – member, Mr. Badara Sanneh-member and Esq Regenju N. Vitalise -member;
- That the normalization committee is tasked to reorganize election of a new board by 15th September 2014 at latest and to run the daily business of the GFF in the meantime;
- That The Normalisation Committee will act as the electoral committee in charge of the aforementioned election and whose decision will be final and binding;
- That a new electoral process is about to start and it will be open to whoever complies with the statutory (ie GFF’s Constitutional) requirements;
- That you trust the Normalisation Committee will succeed in achieving the objectives set by FIFA and that it will count the support of all the stakeholders.