The legal battle waged by Roger Duncan against Marlon Glean for control of the affairs of the Grenada Football Association (GFA) was not unexpected.
The football world is now dominated by three words – MONEY, POWER and INFLUENCE.
Football was a poor sport in Grenada in the 1960’s and 70’s but FIFA, the world governing body for the game has changed this around drastically.
The budget of the CONCACAF region can easily surpass the annual budget of Grenada or any of the small islands in the Eastern Caribbean that is presented every year in Parliament.
The money politics in football is no different from the battle for political supremacy in Grenada between the New National Party (NNP) now headed by Emmalin Pierre and the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) of Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell.
There would be no public rally held to woo the public but the various combatants seeking the GFA Presidency can only make it to the top depending on the promises made to the local football clubs affiliated to the association.
And it is no wonder that the GFA President sees himself as a power house and is often treated like a head of State whenever he has to attend a FIFA Congress.
These powerful figures in world football often spend the time in 5-Star hotels and eat and drink lavishly some of the best things that are available on planet earth.
It is this kind of treatment that our top football officials receive similar to those at the helm of the Grenada Olympic Association (GOA) who are chauffeur-driven in limousines during their overseas trip on official business.
Those persons who run football associations in the Caribbean region are treated like a Prime Minister representing his country on the international level.
Those persons running FIFA understand the importance of the votes of these small islands and make sure that plenty of money is given to them in the name of development of football in their respective territories.
The money is really meant to be “a token of appreciation” for the support received in affording an individual or group of persons the honour to run the affairs of FIFA.
This kind of activity within FIFA created the likes of Jack Warner, the once powerful football boss in Trinidad & Tobago.
It is against this kind of background that people should see the attempt made by Roger Duncan to unseat Marlon Glean in the top position within GFA.
Glean is a powerful figure in regional football as the Grenada Vote along with several other associations in the CONCACAF region can determine who gets to sit in the seat as President of the world governing body for football.
Jack Warner capitalised on this fact and was courted by many for all kinds of favours and support including the country that gets the honour to host the World Cup in Football every four years.
With the annual budget given to GFA, the President can use the money to remain in office as long as the Constitution allows him to stay at the helm.
The President can use the money to woo clubs to give him their support over others who might be harbouring the thought to replace him in the top position in the Association.
The legal battle instituted by Duncan showed him up as not worthy to take over as GFA President.
The information in our possession indicates that Duncan was lacking in knowledge about the rules governing the conduct of GFA elections.
He seemed to have depended on the advice of a few persons who either deceived him deliberately or were totally ignorant of the rules themselves.
Duncan did not seem to understand that he could only challenge the methods being used by GFA to facilitate the election by first of all exhausting all the procedures put in place by FIFA that governs the holding of these elections.
This is a stain on him and any future effort on his part to run for the GFA Presidency.
Duncan has clearly brought world football into disrepute by taking the matter to court unnecessarily and will pay a very high price as those running the affairs of FIFA will not easily forget or forgive him for the course of action taken in a simple matter.