Each of the Grenada Football Association (GFA) affiliates and members will receive a major financial boost in the coming days following the approval of the proposal presented to the General Council last weekend.
At an extra ordinary General Council Meeting convened at the GFA Administrative building on Saturday 21st November, the members who called for this extra ordinary meeting were informed on the decisions taken by the executive committee to provide support to the clubs, conferences, leagues and academies as well as match officials involved in football development in Grenada.
Saturday’s meeting which was initiated by eight of the Premier League clubs, sought to secure answers over the disbursement of the FIFA Covid-19 Relief Funds here in Grenada. The governing body FIFA in June confirmed its executive council decision to release USD$1.5M to each of the 211 FIFA members. However, the national associations were all required to ensure there are regulations in place for those disbursements to their respective members.
Following an earlier decision of the executive Committee of the GFA, the decision was made to offer Eastern Caribbean thirty thousand dollars to each of the ten premier league clubs and twenty thousand to each of the conference teams eligible to receive support. The funds which will provide support for those clubs which participated in the GFA 2019-2020 season includes support for each of the four conferences, a recognize parish league, match officials, national players and some of the nation’s academies.
One person closely associated to a premier league club noted that some of the clubs seeking to secure support under the program are not eligible and may be seeking to see how they can also benefit. Reports reaching our news desk indicates that a few clubs not eligible for any support are seeking to challenge the decision despite their organizations not playing any football in 2018 and 2019. The source which asked to remain anonymous, believes the GFA will be ill advised to give any financial support to these teams as her referred to them. “They do not have any executive committee, do not have a team and for that matter do not even have players, yet they are trying to secure funding under disguise” the source hinted.
The Grenada Football Association is also providing financial support to each of its affiliates under a home-grown program mimicking the FIFA Forward Program. Clubs properly constituted under the GFA Club Licensing Program will each be eligible to receive EC$15,000.00 this year. The program which started in 2018 is geared to lend support to club development.
Contact was made to the GFA on confirmation of the information received and the association has acknowledge such a program is in existence. Many however are questioning the GFA’s wisdom in such huge financial investments despite some of these organizations not having any structure to manage these resources.
GFA President Cheney Joseph when contacted declined to comment on the lack of structure of the clubs but insisted that with such resources now being made available, he is confident there will be huge financial accountability for the monies disbursed to those receiving. Joseph confirmed the executive committee is working with the clubs to ensure a formal regulation is put in place before the monies are disbursed to the clubs.
