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Archive - Archive 2004 - July 2013

Letter to the Editor-Issues affecting football in Seychelles |04 May 2009

Recently, there have been some changes in the way the sport is being managed by the Seychelles Football Federation (SFF). When the changes are at club level they do not necessarily affect other clubs, as compared to when the changes are done by the federation itself.

In an interview with the Seychelles Broadcasting Corporation (SBC) TV earlier in the year, a member of the SFF said that unlike during the past three years or so, all fixtures for the three divisions will be ready before the start of the season.
To our disappointment, we have only received half of the fixtures. We all know that teams have to plan in advance for trips to Mahe and Praslin. Therefore, dates, playing times and venues are crucial for team management.

My biggest concern is that the kick-off time has been moved from 5.30pm to 5pm, thus reducing the teams’ preparation time by 30 minutes. Since it was difficult for some team members to be on time for matches at 5.30pm, I ask myself if the management of the SFF took into consideration the following four points when they brought forward the kick-off time.

1. The fact that local footballers are not professionals and most, if not all, of them, are employed.

2. Work finishes at 4pm and at times at 5pm, therefore it is not that easy to get to Stad Linite on time because not all footballers work in the vicinity of Victoria.

3. It is recommended that a team should be at the stadium one hour before the start of the game so there can be a proper warm-up session and time for officials to check all players before they go on the pitch.

4. There should be time for a team talk by the team management.
For the love of football and for the prevention of unnecessary injuries, I would appreciate it if the matter could be resolved immediately.

Paul Ahmade

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