Practice what you preach

Newly installed president of the St Vincent and the Grenadines Football Federation (SVGFF) Marvin Fraser has promised to be inclusive during his tenure.

Even before his elevation to the top post, Fraser, since in his role of acting president, has been sermonising of an all-on-board mode of operation.

This may seem to be sweet music to the ears, as for those who followed the sport would have acknowledged that this was not the case with his predecessor.

Many would take Fraser’s offer as an extension of the all-inclusive style, as local history has been unkind to us, and has shown that such types of promises by elected leaders have become empty rhetoric.

But one still has to give Fraser the benefit of the doubt, as at least he has made a promise.

His verbal contract with the stakeholder of football and his solemnity will be assessed as he gets entrenched in his post.

More evaluation of Fraser’s leadership abilities would be exposed when the heat of being the face of a national sport is turned up.

Fraser has his work cut out for him, as football in St Vincent and the Grenadines is in need of a makeover.

Any band aid approach, towards covering up the sores that have been left to fester over the years would not apply to a patient that has been diagonised with having some cancerous cells that can become malignant.

Changing the image and being a good face for football are paramount.

Fraser has to deal with the many fall-outs that have accrued and be prepared to do some repair work on the dents that have been left thanks to the reckless nature of the former football driver.

Critical too, Fraser has to ensure that the SVGFF’s constitution is fixed and compliant to present day governance structures and practices.

Part of Fraser’s list of priorities is a fix of the structure of the sport, as one can readily admit without any fear of contradiction, that St Vincent and the Grenadines’ football has been in reverse gear for the past six years.

Surely, with Fraser being part and parcel of the downward spiral, he should now manfully accept collective demise of football.

But most importantly, make that concerted effort to address the many technical problems facing football, hence why we are no longer a regional force.

Therefore, you Mr. Marvin Fraser has to look beyond your position of president, and not just simply do things to remain in office, rather than looking at the overall development of St Vincent and the Grenadines’ football.

Here is where the acid test of your plan for inclusiveness, as the best available technical personnel must be deployed to address the deepening concerns of our football.

You Mr. Fraser, in acknowledgement of your honesty, would have to admit that within the present set up, this is not the case.

Then, are you willing to take the moral high road and have some persons who are perceived not to be on your side of allegiance, and place them in key positions of our football development?

Conversely, would persons who have in the past been opposed to the former SVGFF’s president’s positions, come forward and give of their services for the national good?

Like the promises made by Fraser, affiliates too, have to change their course of actions.

Evident was a type of militancy among affiliates, leading up to last Thursday’s presidential election.

Hopefully, like Fraser’s pronouncements and promises, affiliates too would carry on that type of zest and become the watch dogs of the executive of the SVGFF.

More so, that they would take their roles and responsibility with nobility and with the seriousness that they ought to.

For too long, affiliates have abdicated their mandate and have acted merely as voting cattle, who would only come out to feed when called upon.

Affiliates, your input is crucial, if we want to see our football move out from its present position of stagnation.

Let us see how things will pan out in the upcoming months, as football needs more than just a new person at the helm.