Madiu’s fair play call

Sports

FORMER president of Papua New Guinea Football Association Madiu Andrew, pictured, yesterday joined former senior vice-president Seth Daniel, to call on the current president, David Chung to allow for a free and transparent election of the president and other executives.
Chung, who is believed to have facilitated the removal of his main rival for the presidency, John Kapi Natto, is yet to make a public statement on the reasons for the suspension despite attempts by this paper to get his comments.
The election of president and other executives will take place at the PNGFA congress on Dec 28 in Kimbe, West New Britain.
Andrew was prompted to speak out after seeing an  advertorial released on Monday’s issue of The National by Daniel, who was critical of PNGFA’s actions including the deferral of the annual general meeting from Aug 7 to Feb 7 next year before changing the date again to the end of this month (Dec 28).
Daniel called Chung’s administration since he became president in 2008 as “divisive” and blamed it for causing a reduction in numbers of member associations from 22 eight years ago to 13 presently.
Andrew backed the call by the former soccer boss  for Chung not to hold the PNGFA as well as its affiliates ransom.
“The PNGFA is not owned by one individual. It is collectively owned by PNGFA affiliates.
“They rightly own the association and deserve to decide its future,” Andrew said.
He warned that football administration at the highest level in the country was headed down a bleak path with power hungry individuals unwilling to allow the democratic process to take place.
“The PNG Football Association was established on democratic grounds and on the principle which is now widely known as ‘fair play’ in the football fraternity,” Andrew said.
“Where is the fair play in the current delays? Is this all because the current president is unable to muster the nomination and the numbers to stand for re-election?
“Is the current president suggesting that he is the only person with the vision to take soccer forward? Are there no other Papua New Guineans with the vision to take soccer into the future if allowed to by a free and fair electoral process?
“Soccer cannot rise to new heights if we have a divisive executive at the top of the governance structure.”
Andrew called on Chung not to use his position as the Oceania Football Confederation president and executive member of Fifa to control the PNGFA and its affiliates.
“I support the chorus of soccer people in this country who just want a fair and transparent election for the PNGFA presidency,” Andrew said.
“I am sure if the affiliates believe the current president has done a great job, they will re-elect him. But the affiliates, who own this association must decide that, not a few individuals.”