Football in beast mode

The postponement of the elections of a new Executive of the St Vincent and the Grenadines Football Federation (SVGFF) may be somewhat of a blessing as it will serve the sport well.

This, as it has been made public that the anticipated process would not be convened during the latter part of this month, November, 2023.

At the centre of the deferral is the need for the adoption of a new statutes and electoral code.

As communicated and mandated by the sport’s governing body- FIFA, the elections will take place early in 2024, as the SVGFF must adopt the new statutes and electoral code which are in line with FIFA and Concacaf’s requirements before the end of 2023.

Maybe, just maybe, the extra two months or so will cool off the tempers of some who have become so hyped and overcome with getting into office, that their messages can be lost in transition.

However, this has been the beast mode that the SVGFF’s elections have gone into.

Evidently, since 2007, the quadrennial electoral exercise of the national Football body has taken a turn for the worse, as unfortunately, rancor, mudslinging and character assassination become normal operations.

Therefore football elections in the most recent past have mirrored and indeed become a microcosm of the national elections.

This column will safely say, based on the displays and emerging trends that pervade the SVGFF’s elections, the organisation is fast taking on the traits of a party- political setup.

But what has caused us to reach this stage and have the sport descend into an abyss of discord, mistrust, backstabbing and abrasions of human relationships?

Prospective candidates’ personal lives, their families and other unwarranted narratives are surfacing.

Such unsavoury spewing of tripe only serves to take away from the real purpose and mission of the electoral process, which is to elect who the best set of individuals to administer of the sport for the next four years.

Instructively, everyone who puts himself / herself for the SVGFF’s elections, professes to love the sport and that is no gainsaying.

However, Football undoubtedly brings with it, unbridled passion and a sense of romanticism, despite its physical and combative nature.

Therefore, let that intimacy and adoration for the beautiful game set the tone and precedence for the potential stewardship of those who are seeking the respective offices.

So, as it is established that time for the elections is later than anticipated, use that period to reassess strategies and engagements.

Thus, the slates, elections teams, voting blocks and individuals must not let that iniquitous culture get ingrained in their psyche as they jostle for the positions at stake.

This exposition is certain that affiliates will welcome a change in strategy of your campaigning.

The promises of positions, perks and material benefits, in exchange for votes should be replaced by concrete pathways of how to improve Football here in St Vincent and the Grenadines.

Candidates should be instead preoccupied with bettering the administrative and on field delivery of Football.

It is common knowledge that St Vincent and the Grenadines’ Football is not where it ought to be, given the rich history and ground work that have been laid down.

Accordingly, that should be the top priority as well for those with the rights to vote , whenever the next opportunity to exercise that civic responsibility comes.

As such, these affiliates should demand of the candidates that they divert from the old fashion way of Football politicking.

The sport has advanced in many ways, but St Vincent and the Grenadines has not enjoyed growth, rather, we are trailing in almost every sphere of operation.

To begin with, the mandatory changes, is the way we go about selecting persons to serve at the national level.

Let the next electoral engagements of the SVGFF be the game changer.