Montagliani optimistic that infrastructure challenges in Guyana will be tackled
football, not just in CONCACAF. The message is clear from the world, it’s not even from FIFA. Our fans and our players deserve a lot better and it’s up to us as leaders to ensure that the strict governance models are followed.
“You have to live it every day and at the end of the day you have to entrust that people will always do the right thing but stuff does happen and the reality is that the more difficult you make it for people to do that, then it’s not going to happen but if it is does happen we need to react in the right way. People that have crossed the line on ethics need to be removed from football,” he added.
Asked about some of the areas that were discussed for partnership between CONCACAF and the GFF, Montagliani, who met with President David Granger, Minister of State, Joseph Harmon and Director of Sport, Christopher Jones, said: “A lot of the discussions have been around player development. Obviously coaching development as well as discussing some of the areas that CONCACAF has already established where our members like Guyana can take advantage of.
“Obviously one of the biggest issues in CONACACF, not just whether its Guyana or the Caribbean or Central America but even in North America, you have some struggles with facilities so those are challenges that are not going to be fixed overnight, but I am pleased to see a government that is really supporting our sport and the Guyana federation, in terms of looking at ways to help whether its redoing the field, new lands so it’s really nice to see the support right from the top of the country in the President.”
Montagliani said the government and the federation need to become partners in improving the infrastructure of the sport.
“I think with that kind of voluntary support, challenging and tackling the issue of infrastructure in a partnership because, at the end of the day, no one entity will be able to do it on its own. I am very optimistic that those infrastructure challenges can be tackled but they have to be tackled in the right way and it has to be a long-term plan over the next 10, 20 years quite frankly. I think that’s where we are at and obviously there are some things that can be done right now and with the development of the Technical Centre, that’s one of them, but I think that’s just the start.”