With Bibi gone, will Seychelles football grow under Rose?
By Seychelles Life Sports Correspondent
The appointment of Denis Rose as Chief Executive Officer of the Seychelles Football Association (SFF), appears to have received the approval of many in the football world.
Rose, former Principal Secretary for Sports, replaced Georges Bibi, who had come to the end of his mandate.
It is no secret that ex-coach Bibi, also a former referee, was not that well-liked by local clubs and their representatives, for what many considered to be an "authoritarian" way of running the show, and for a number of controversial decisions.
A former Indian Ocean sprint king, Denis Rose landed his new job job after applying for the post when it was advertised, although it was not obligatory on the part of the SFF to do so.
The SFF decision was welcomed because it gave everyone who believed they had the capability, to put forward their application.
Rose has been given the job on a two-year contract and many believe he has the ability to bring Seychellois football out of the turmoil it has found itself in for quite a number of years since Suketu Patel stepped down as SFF chairman, not long after steering Seychelles to a historic gold medal at the 2011 Indian Ocean Islands Games.
Although Rose has never been directly involved with football, he has always been a great fan of the game, and due to his past experiences in sports administration, he is seen to possess the necessary abilities to discharge the role of Chief Executive.
Talking to those involved with football in Seychelles, there is the impression that, unlike his predecessor, Rose is more open to dialogue, instead of taking a “do as I say” attitude, without consulting the teams and their representatives before making important decisions. This is exactly what Bibi was accused of, which resulted in him clashing head-on with local clubs.
Inside sources have also revealed that SFF chairman Elvis Chetty had asked Bibi to step down, but in the end agreed to let him see out the second mandate of his contract.
Among the controversial decisions taken by Bibi, was the decision to award La Passe three points by walkover, which allowed them to win the league title last year. This came after Foresters could not make the trip to La Digue following the abrupt reschedule of the fixture, which did not give them enough time to get release for their players.
What angered the Foresters’ management the most was then hearing Bibi accusing them on television of not being a serious team, for failing to take up their responsibilities.
"How can a team, who is described as 'not serious', win the title only the season before?" argued the management of the 2021 Seychelles league champions.
Another Bibi decision angered the management of Real Maldives – this was the failure to award their team all three points, which would have qualified them for the CAF club competition in the place of St Louis, after their opponents fielded an illegible player against them.
Bibi and his executive committee are also held responsible for the poor state of Stade L'Unité and other football facilities on Praslin and La Digue, despite almost two years without football due to the COVID-19 pandemic, when maintenance work could have been carried out.
There has also been a rapid decline in the level of competition and in spectator attendance at matches.
Sports fans hope that with Rose’s appointment, things will get better and Seychellois football will take its place back where it belongs, especially with the next Indian Ocean Islands Games only six months away.