GFA chief suspended

THE head of soccer in Guernsey has been suspended by the organisation he leads. The Guernsey Football Association took its dramatic action following allegations against president Dave Dorey, 50.

Mr Dorey, also head of the Guernsey Island Games Association, now faces an inquiry into his alleged conduct.

Probably the island's best-known sporting official, he is understood to have returned home the day of the football final and the closing ceremony at the Shetland Island Games, where Guernsey dominated the medal table.

Ill health was cited at the time and attempts to contact him yesterday led to the GFA releasing a short statement.

'The Guernsey Football Association LBG has, with immediate effect, suspended their president, Mr David Dorey, pending further investigations into allegations of a serious nature made against him,' said GFA senior vice-president David Nussbaumer.

He declined to comment further.

The GIGA also indicated that it would not discuss the suspension.

No details have been given of the specific claims against Mr Dorey and there is no official confirmation whether they relate to any alleged incident in Shetland.

Lerwick police said yesterday that it was not investigating any member of the Guernsey contingent that was in Shetland.

And despite the potentially damaging accusations against him, it is not clear what sort of investigation Mr Dorey, a highly-regarded and respected islander, actually faces.

Guernsey police today would neither confirm nor deny whether they were involved and the GFA would not discuss what form its investigations would take ' or how long they might take.

Mr Dorey also declined to comment on the GFA's statement or action against him.

He had taken on the role of Guernsey Island Games Association chairman for the first time ahead of the Shetland event and was also the team's general manager, positions to which he was elected in November 2003.

He has a long-standing association with football and became the GFA's secretary in 1994 and later chief executive, resigning from that position in July 2003.

Elected as president in July 2004, Mr Dorey also spent 14 years as either secretary or president at Vale Rec.

Mr Dorey also has a long connection with the Games dating back to 1991, being vice-chairman for both the 1999 event in Gotland and for the Guernsey Games in 2003.

He joined the Guernsey Island Games Association council in 1994, the same year he took on the role as GFA secretary.

Guernsey topped the medal table in Shetland, with 40 golds, its best travelling performance in more than three decades of the competition.

The island's football team lost its unbeaten run in the competition to the hosts, beaten 2-0 in the final.

The Island Games opened on Saturday 9 July and finished last Friday.