2016/17 Caribbean Cup: all you need to know

By Santokie Nagulendran

This Saturday will see the draw for the 2016 Caribbean Cup take place in Antigua, organised by the Caribbean Football Union.  Twenty-six teams, including Guyana, will enter the draw and the first round  will take place  March 21st-29th 2016, during the FIFA International Window. The 2nd round will take place in May 2016, the 3rd round in October and interestingly, the finals will supposedly take place in May 2017, meaning the competition will span fourteen months, the longest ever time frame for a single Caribbean Cup. The winner will advance to the CONCACAF Gold Cup in 2017.

The four Caribbean teams currently taking part in 2018 World Cup qualifiers (T&T, St Vincent, Jamaica and Haiti) have all received byes and will enter the competition at a later stage.

The fact that it is taking place during International Windows means that sides taking part will be free to call on overseas-based players for the duration of the competition. For Guyana, this means that English-based trio Neil Danns, Matthew Briggs and Sam Cox could feature for Guyana as soon as March.

(Will Guyana’s overseas stars return in March? Picture courtesy of Kaieteur News)

However, with their respective clubs (Bolton Wanderers, Colchester United and Borehamwood) all facing league relegation battles in England, it remains to be seen if their clubs will allow them to make the long journey from England to Guyana for what is still viewed as a ”minnow” competition outside of the Caribbean.

The Caribbean Cup will be the first Senior Men’s tournament for the new GFF executive committee led by Wayne Forde, and Guyana’s performance in the cup will, unfairly or not, undoubtedly influence fan’s perceptions of whether the committee is doing a successful job.

Trayon Bobb: ‘’Scoring for Guyana was my proudest moment’’

By Santokie Nagulendran….

(Trayon Bobb’s (left) stand out performances in the Caribbean have led to him plying his trade in Europe)

Whilst football in Guyana has been stagnant in recent times, that has not stopped young, talented Guyanese players from prospering overseas. One such player, Trayon Bobb, has proven to be an exceptional young talent and currently plays his club football in Lithuania, one of the few Guyanese players to make the move abroad to Europe professionally.

Candidate for the stand-out star of the Guyanese National team during their historic 2014 World Cup qualifying games, young left-winger Trayon Bobb , hailing from Utivlugt village, was influential for the Jaguars, his pace caused international defenders a problem and he scored two high quality goals in a 2-2 away draw against El Salvador in very tough conditions. Bobb kindly took some time out to reflect on his career so far.

Growing up, Bobb always had the dream of playing football professionally: ‘’it was always my ambition, I also used to play cricket but I ended up giving up on it as I pushed on with football, growing up my idol was Ronaldinho’’ he says. He was only 18 years old when he played in the World Cup qualifiers, showing unbelievable composure and talent during the biggest footballing period in Guyana’s history, altogether he played a remarkable 17 games for the National Team in 2012 and cemented his place, as an integral part of the squad whilst still just a teenager.

At the time of his International success for Guyana, Bobb was playing his club football for Caledonia AIA in Trinidad and Tobago’s professional league, after initially being spotted by scouts during his stand-out performances in 2010’s Kashif and Shanghai tournament for West Demerara aged just 16. The move to T&T at such a young age was an eye-opener for Bobb: ‘’ In Guyana we don’t have such a good league (as in T&T) and so it was a very good experience for me’’.

Bobb went on to play in the 2012-13 CONCACAF Champions League with Caledonia, including a start against Major League Soccer side Seattle Sounders, and was rewarded in December 2012, when the club chose to send Bobb and fellow Guyanese International Walter Moore, to Turkey to take part in overseas trials.  The next step, playing professionally in Europe, was now on the horizon for Bobb.

Unfortunately as Guyana is not ranked within the top 70 places in the FIFA World Rankings, securing a work visa to join a club in England is virtually impossible, so, despite also being invited to trials with English clubs Nottingham Forest and Watford, Bobb, instead chose to secure a contract in Finland, signing for second-division club Tornion Pallo-47 in February 2013 and consequently scoring a hat-trick for the club in a cup game only a few weeks later. He finished the season in May 2013 having played 12 league games for the club and scoring 6 goals, fantastic results for a winger. Speaking on how he found it adapting in a new continent, Bobb said ‘’the weather was not the same (as in the Caribbean) and there were language differences in Finland, but the quality of football was high in Finland and I have learnt a lot’’.

In June 2013 his impressive performances meant he was loaned out to Finnish club Rovaniemen Palloseura, a first division Finnish club, and Bobb thus became the first player in Guyanese History to play in the Veikkausliiga, aka the Premier Division in Finland.  After making three appearances, Bobb was subsequently taken to Lithuania in July 2013, whereupon he made a loan move to Premier Division side FK Kruoja. His hard work for the team has seen them qualify for next season’s UEFA Europa League competition, and Bobb will get a chance to show his talent to a wider audience in that competition.

Despite now earning his living abroad, Bobb has not forgotten Guyana, and recently came back to temporarily play for the Georgetown Football Club (GFC) in the 2014 GFA Banks Beer Cup, helping the side qualify for the quarter-finals by remarkably scoring five goals against Houston Stars FC on Saturday 20^th December.  Speaking of his return, Bobb said ‘’Playing back in Guyana has been a good experience for me to showcase my talent at home’’.

Of the greatest moments so far in his young career, Bobb said ‘’ Guyana vs El Salvador when I scored two wonderful goals was a great moment for me and the best player I faced was Javier ‘’Chicharito’’  Hernandez during Guyana’s match against Mexico in 2012, a player who is at Real Madrid now.’’  With high ambitions, and the talent to match it, Bobb will surely be heading to the big European leagues in years to come and no doubt be creating more memorable moments.

Jags Speak Out!

Christoher Nurse and Kayode McKinnon (Pics courtesy of Kaieteur News)

Two members of the historic 2012 Golden Jaguar team have exclusively spoken out about their mistreatment by the current administration led by Christopher Matthias. Former Captain Christopher Nurse, who currently plays in USA, and Kayode McKinnon, who retired in 2012, recently took time out to discuss the issues facing Guyana’s National Football team:

Q. Since Christopher Matthias became President in April 2013, have the GFF made any attempt to contact you or discuss the future of Guyana’s National programme?

 Nurse: No there has not been any contact, I congratulated Matthias when he was appointed and that’s been about it.

McKinnon: Never. Matthias never even contacted me before he decided to run for Presidency

Q. Matthias recently came on NCN TV and declared that ‘’foreign’’ players were not in his plan for developing football in Guyana. What is your response to this?

McKinnon: All the overseas-born players who came to the program in previous years were an asset to the team, many of them were shocked by the talent most Guyanese displayed and had no choice but to work hard and earn a place in the team .That to me was the big reason for the team coming together because every spot was earned. We all had a great relationship and a great time, for me it was a plus having Carl Cort there, especially as he played at such a high level and was so humble but yet passionate.

We were a great bunch, but it’s always the executive, unprofessional attitude (from the GFF) that creates the problem, as they do not know how to deal with professional players

Nurse: I wish Matthias had declared that was his plan as part of his Presidential campaign. I do not think he would have been appointed President had that been the case. It’s extremely deceitful to embark on such a project when part of his campaign was based on supporting the players (many of whom were born abroad) on mistreatment and outstanding monies. If being against overseas-born players is your policy, be brave enough to outline that when running for the position.

 I worked hard to earn my place in the national team as every player should; ahead of me were Carey Harris and Shawn Bishop, I earned my place in the National Team. I was prepared for the opportunity and I took it.

Q. Guyana were eliminated from the recent 2014 Caribbean Cup qualifiers with no wins and no goals scored, what steps do you feel need to be taken for the team to develop?

McKinnon: I am always an advocate for educating coaches and making sure they are certified to coach any competitive team. Have the best players (born in Guyana or abroad) and setup an elite youth academy led by a well-established coach at that level. The GFF also needs to unite all the sub associations under one philosophy in order to move forward and better facilities are needed for the National Program. 

Nurse: There needs to be people involved in decision making who understand the game from a high, modern level of playing experience. I am astonished that Charles Pollard is not a part of the GFF or National Team set-up. The man has been a student of the game for 40 years, firstly as a player for over 20 years and now as a coach. Highly respected amongst all-levels of players for his knowledge, experience and he is a tireless worker. I’m not campaigning for Pollard for President, but he most certainly would play a key role.

These are the sort of people who can take the programme forward.

Q. Finally, Mr Nurse, if you were approached to play for Guyana again, what would be your response?

Nurse: I’m willing to work with people who genuinely love football and want it to progress. Playing for the country is an honour and I will always be available for selection. I’m in the best years of my career. However, I won’t be disrespected, undervalued or exploited. 

 Writer’s Note: Both GFF President Christopher Matthias and Technical Director Mark Rodrigues failed to respond when contacted

 By Santokie Nagulendran

 

 

Guyana’s All-Star Team

The Guyanese National Team, which had been missing since November 2012, returned to footballing action this month in the Caribbean Cup Qualifiers. However, 17 members of the 18-man squad were very young players with little experience making their international debuts as part of the Guyana Football Federation’s ”Development” policy. The team was comprehensively eliminated, scoring zero goals in total. Whilst we cannot blame the young men who featured in the team for the poor results, this was the first taste of international action for virtually all of them, the GFF must hold accountability for choosing a side which lacked experience, lacked any players from leading club side Alpha United, and lacked any overseas-based players aside from defender Walter Moore.

This article will look at the potential players Guyana could field in the future:

Goalkeeper- Ronson Williams

(picture courtesy of Hans Schmidt)

A key member of the team that qualified for the semi-finals of the CONCACAF World Cup Qualifiers, Williams has 30 caps for Guyana and is still only 26 years old.  A talented goalkeeper who plies his trade for Alpha United, he is the long-term goalkeeper for the national team.

Goalkeeper- Jason Cromwell

(picture courtesy of Guyana Chronicle)

Young goalkeeper Cromwell has played for the Guyana Under-17 National Team, and this season was first choice goalkeeper for Slingerz FC throughout the whole season, an experience that has no doubt immensely aided his development.

Defender- Matthew Briggs

(picture courtesy of Fulham FC)

A young, pacy left-back seen as an emerging future talent, 23-year old Briggs currently plays for English club Millwall FC after a spell at Premier League side Fulham FC and is eligible to play for Guyana

 

Defender- JP Rodrigues

(picture courtesy of Robert Scorca)

Rodrigues was a key member of the Guyana National Squad for World Cup qualifiers and has recently re-joined American team Tampa Bay Rowdies; his experience would be invaluable to the team

 Defender- Taylor Benjamin

(picture courtesy of Wikipedia)

Canadian-born Benjamin currently plays in the Canadian Soccer League for Kingston FC. He gained his first cap for the Golden Jaguars in 2011 against Trinidad at the age of 21 and would be a great prospect to include in the squad.

 

Defender- Titus Bramble

(picture courtesy of Daily Telegraph)

Having spent the majority of his career playing in the English Premier League, Titus Bramble would be an excellent addition to the team. A big, commanding centre back, 32-year old Bramble once commanded a £6m ($10m) transfer fee when he joined Newcastle United. A strong tackler, he could be exactly what the Golden Jaguars are looking for in defence.

Defender- Colin Nelson

 

(picture courtesy of Kaieteur News)

22-year old Nelson spent three years playing at Caledonia AIA in Trinidad before moving back to Guyana to play for Slingerz FC, despite his relative young age he has vast experience of playing abroad and will only get better.

Defender- Walter Moore

(picture courtesy of SoccerWiki)

Walter Moore is another player who heavily featured in 2014 World Cup Qualifiers as a left back,   since then he has earned a move to Europe, currently playing in Kazakhstan. Made Captain for the 2014 Caribbean Cup side.

  

Defender- Jamaal Smith

 

(picture courtesy of TF14)

Born in Canada, 26 year old Jamaal Smith impressed during 2014 World cup Qualifiers, earning a move to Trinidadian club Caledonia AIA  before earning a move to Europe with Kazakhstan  club FC Xozapiez. Former Golden Jaguars Manager Jamaal Shabazz said of the young player, ‘’He brings sound tactical awareness and discipline to our defence’’.

Midfielder- Trayon Bobb

(picture courtesy of Kaieteur News)

One of the most promising young stars Guyana has ever had, 20-year old Bobb announced himself to the footballing world with two impressive goals against El Salvador in World Cup Qualifiers, when he was still a teenager. Having excelled domestically Trinidadian team Caledonia AIA, Bobb now plays in Lithuania, with realistic hopes of one day moving to a major European League.

Midfielder-  Christopher Nurse

(picture courtesy of Kaieteur News)

A commanding central midfielder, Christopher Nurse captained the Golden Jaguars during their most successful period in history. Having started off playing football in England, Nurse now plays for the Fort Lauderdale Strikers in America.

 

Midfielder- Clive Nobrega

 

(picture courtesy of Kaieteur News)

A powerful midfielder, Nobrega has made a name for himself at Slingerz FC with exceptional performances and showing real development as a player who first made the Golden Jags side in 2012.

 Midfielder- Kester Jacobs

(picture courtesy of Kaieteur News)

A left-sided defensive midfielder who plays for Alpha Utd, Kester Jacobs featured towards the end of Guyana’s World Cup qualifying campaign in 2012 and played in all the Caribbean Cup qualifier games that same year. Experience and still relatively young at 26 years old, he could be a vital component for the team.

 

Midfielder- Dwain Jacobs

(picture courtesy of Kaieteur News)

Also playing for Alpha Utd, but as a left winger, Dwain Jacobs was named in the GFF’S development squad for upcoming International matches. Pacy and always posing a goal threat, Jacobs will provide competition to other wingers such as Trayon Bobb and Ricky Shakes.

 

Midfielder- Ricky Shakes

(picture courtesy of Kaieteur News)

A winger who can also play as striker, Shakes has enjoyed a successful career with the Golden Jaguars, and at 29 still has a lot to offer the team. Currently playing in England, Shakes could add goals to the team and offers something different going forward.

 

Midfielder- Jerome Thomas

(picture courtesy of Crystal Palace FC)

Left Winger Jerome Thomas started his career at Premiership club Arsenal and after many seasons at the top level he now finds himself at Crystal Palace, a team which finished 11^th in this seasons Premier League. Having played for England’s under-19 and under-21 teams, Thomas is eligible to represent Guyana and is believed to have expressed an interest in doing so.

 

Midfielder- Neil Danns

(picture courtesy of Bolton Wanderers FC)

Having recently declared an interest in representing Guyana, Neil Danns would be an excellent addition to the team, having spent his career playing for major club teams within England and being regarded as a very talented central midfielder. Currently playing for English side Bolton Wanderers, Danns experience of top level competition would hugely benefit the Golden Jaguars.

 

Midfielder- Daniel Wilson

(picture courtesy of Kaieteur News)

Wilson’s impressive performances for Alpha United and the Guyana under-20 squad led to him earning a move abroad to Finland and making the move up to the Golden Jaguars Senior team in 2012, the 20-year old is now back at Alpha and performing well.

 

Midfielder- Konata Mannings

 

(picture courtesy of Kaieteur News)

Having captained Pele FC and played numerous games for the National Team over the past few years, Mannings could add leadership and experience to the midfield.  A very attacking midfielder, Manning also provides an additional goal threat for the team.

Striker- Vurlon Mills

(picture courtesy of Kaieteur News)

A talented young striker, 24-year old Mills has shown great potential for Guyana, scoring 5 goals in the 9 international games he has featured in, and showing signs of developing even more at his club side Slingerz FC in Guyana.

 

Striker- Carl Cort

(picture courtesy of Kaieteur News)

Carl Cort was part of the outstanding team which took part in World Cup Qualifiers, and he is one of a select handful of Guyanese players (along with younger brother Leon) who has experience of playing in a top European league, playing in the English Premier League and at one point commanded a £7m ($11.4m US Dollars) transfer to Newcastle United.  Currently playing for American club Tampa Bay Rowdies and having recently attained FIFA Coaching badges, Cort’s vast experience of the game is priceless.

 

Striker- Gregory Richardson

 

(picture courtesy of Kaieteur News)

Currently playing for Alpha Utd and helped them qualify for the CONCACAF Champions League next season with 20 goals in 15 games this season; 31-year old Richardson has had a long career in the Guyanese International squad and scored important goals, including one against El Salvador in 2014 World Cup Qualifying. Having played in the USA as well, he offers valuable experience to the team.

 

 Striker Anthony Abrams

(picture courtesy of Kaieteur News)

Currently playing for Slingerz FC, Anthony ‘’Awo’’ Abrams is a clinical striker who knows how to find the goal, having recently scored seven goals in two games in a domestic Guyanese tournament, and also having played for the National Team for years.

 

Striker- Jay Bothroyd

(picture courtesy of BBC)

A player who is eligible to play for the Golden Jaguars, 32-year old Bothroyd currently plays for Muangthong United in Thailand, but for the past ten years has played at the top level of English football for clubs ranging from Wolverhampton Wanderers to Queens Park Rangers in the Premiership. His form was so good in 2010 that he was chosen to play for the England National Team in a friendly game, but as it was not a competitive match he is still eligible to play for Guyana.

 

 Striker- Marcel Barrington

(picture courtesy of  ilsonfootball.co.uk)

Whilst experience is vital in any National Team, there must also be opportunities within the squad to develop younger players and ensure the long-term success of the team. Marcel Barrington is a quick young striker age 18 years old who currently plays for Leicester City’s Under 18 team in England. With Leicester City promoted to the English Premier League for the 2014/15 season, Barrington may well find himself in the spotlight soon.

 

Striker- Delroy Fraser

(picture courtesy of Rosignol United FC)

Playing domestically for Guyana Defence Force, Fraser managed to score 19 goals in 15 games this season in the GFF Super League, second only to Gregory Richardson. Chosen to play in the 2014 Caribbean Cup.

 

Striker- Pernell Schultz

(picture courtesy of Kaieteur News)

Another young striker, 20-year old Schultz played for Guyanese club Fruta Conquerors before joining Caledonia AIA in Trinidad in 2012. Working under former Golden Jaguar Manager Jamaal Shabazz at Caledonia, it is hoped that Schultz will develop and earn a move to Europe very soon.

Striker- Hubert Pedro

(picture courtesy of Stabroek News)

Hubert Pedro, a young striker for BK Western Tigers in Guyana has been consistently scoring goals for the team all season, including a fantastic hat-trick in the Banks Beer Tournament that caught the eye of many.

Striker- Nicky Maynard

(picture courtesy of West Ham United)

English-born Maynard qualifies for Guyana through his grandparents and would be an exceptional player for Guyana to have, a lethal striker who plays for Cardiff FC in the English Championship; he has had spells at West Ham United and Wigan Athletic, amassing goals wherever he has played.  An exciting prospect for Guyana and one that could take the team to the next level.

 

By Santokie Nagulendran

Catch me on Twitter @San_Toki_ and follow Guyanese Football @GuyanaFootball

 

Is Administration Harming Guyanese football?

Suspending local federations? Placing eight year bans on senior officials? A letter produced by the Vice President of the National football federation publically asking for the resignation of its President? Guyana has become all too used to problems within the administration of the Guyanese Football Federation (GFF) over the last few years, but events of the past few months have reached the level of soap opera proportions. Progress and advancement of football in Guyana has been severely hindered, and in the case of the National team, sacrificed, all in the name of ‘politics’, a concept meant to benefit a nation, not prove to be a detriment.  

Colin Klass led the GFF for 22 years before being banned by FIFA in 2011

To place the situation into context, we need to head back to the 22 year reign of the GFF by Colin Klass, a man who in 2011 was one of a number of Caribbean officials banned by FIFA after he was found ‘’to have breached various articles of the FIFA Code of Ethics following an investigation related to the special meeting of the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) held in Trinidad & Tobago on 10 and 11 May’’ and consequently Klass was banned from any footballing activity for 26 months. During Klass’s reign as President of the GFF from 1989-2011 Guyana made little progress for a nation with such depth of footballing talent, the annual funding the GFF received from FIFA ($250,000) seemed to disappear and in return no facilities were developed or any indication given as to where the money was being spent, plans for a football stadium to be built never materialised, there was no transparency within the GFF and this stopped any real development being made in Guyanese football. To solely blame Klass for this however, would be naïve, there was a general council behind him signing off his decisions and often complaining about Klass’s leadership but never taking action, a lack of accountability that meant Klass was able to rule the GFF for twenty two years.

Once FIFA banned Klass in October 2011, Guyana coincidentally started achieving as a team, qualifying for the semi-finals of CONCACAF World Cup Qualifying for the first time in its history only a month later. Franklin Wilson served as the interim President of the GFF during this period and in April 2013, elections were held to find a new permanent leader, an election which Christopher Matthias (pictured) won against stiff competition from former players Aubrey ‘’Shanghai’’ Major and Ivan Persaud. Matthias promised sweeping changes and the beginning of a new chapter for Guyanese football, including reforming the National Squad (which hadn’t played a game for over 6 months by that point) and implementing the FIFA Goal project, which was designed to ensure footballing facilities in Guyana were developed,  a project which the Klass administration failed to utilise despite receiving funding.  Things appeared to look good for football in Guyana.

Christopher Matthias became GFF President in April 2013 and promised change

However this optimism began to gradually fade as a period of quiet and inactivity dawned for the next few months: the National Team remained without any fixtures, no signs were given that successful manager Jamaal Shabazz or any members of his staff would be re-hired, and no indication was given that work on the FIFA Goal Project would commence, in September a FIFA Development Officer, Howard McIntosh, even expressed concern at this lack of progress.  In 2012, the GFF had received a substantial payment (thought to be $1.2m US dollars) to swap venues for their final ‘’home’’ World Cup Qualifying game against Mexico, so instead of a final game in front of Guyanese fans, the match was held in Houston, Texas, as a means to attract Mexican fans to the game and make the tie even more financially profitable. This absurd deal (Guyana is the only country I know of to have sacrificed a home international game for money) was made by the GFF Council and yet it was never declared what the money would be spent on, or where it has been invested. Instead, Guyanese football has not benefitted from the deal, the players featuring in the game received little notice in regards to the venue change, and despite being a decision made by the previous administration, Matthias has not updated the public on where the money went, or even set up a finance division in the GFF to clarify what is happening to incoming and outgoing funds, the current level of debt the GFF faces is also a mythical number which has not been made public.

Finally in January 2014 the GFF announced a 50 man squad of young players to begin National Team training, however this decision by the GFF was baffling: aside from Vurlon Mills, why were none of the players who featured in Guyana’s historic World Cup Qualification run in 2012 called up?  Players such as captain Christopher Nurse, Leon Cort and Carl Cort all played against Mexico in the historically volatile Azteca Arena; surely their experience of such a game and their knowledge of the sport would benefit the younger inexperienced players? Whilst the aforementioned players do currently ply their trade in Europe and as such would not be able to begin immediate training in Guyana, no indication or assurances were made by GFF President Christopher Matthias that they would be called up for future games, they have virtually been left out in the wilderness for the foreseeable future. Christopher Matthias also declared during the squad announcement that “The national criteria and policy for selection will be made public shortly so that everyone will know what they need to work towards in order to make the respective national teams,” a rather vague and ambiguous statement that falls in line with current GFF policy and will provide little comfort to players not selected

Furthermore, the National Team has yet to be assigned a manager, the most crucial aspect of any footballing team: the person who organises and motivates players, yet no manager has been announced for the Golden Jaguars as of yet. There have been a few rumoured names, yet surprisingly Jamaal Shabazz, the man who led Guyana to their furthest ever position in World Cup Qualifying in 2012 is not one of the names being thrown about as rumoured manager. Shabazz has held two successful stints with the Guyana National Team and both have seen him push the nation to new heights, yet his reward for such achievement was being forced to hastily leave his position due to backroom issues in November 2012.  In essence, the GFF has dismantled the formula which took Guyana in 2010 to its highest ever position of 86 in the FIFA Rankings and have consequently started from scratch, for no apparent reason, by selecting a 50-man squad with little international experience, administration has ignored logic by choosing to start from scratch rather than building on the significant progress made over the past few years. Administration has halted the potential of the Golden Jaguars by casting aside the experienced campaigners who took the team to previously unseen heights only two years ago.

In January 2014, matters also begun to affect local football, as chaos ensued between federations when the GFF took the unprecedented step of imposing bans on members of the Upper Demerara Football Association (UDFA), including their very own GFF Vice-President Collie Hercules, for staging the GT Beer Knock Out final on January 1^st, a date allocated exclusively for the Georgetown Football Association (GFA) Banks Beer Final. Matthias at the time was quoted as saying ‘’The GFF feels that it would be unfair to both tournaments because they share the same sponsor (Banks DIH)’’, so despite the GFF being made up pre-dominantly of former GFA members, the Georgetown Finals were given priority and Linden was punished for holding an ‘’illegal’’ final on January 1^st. 

Solomon (centre) addresses the public along with other UDFA Executives shortly after being suspended

This was a new low for Guyanese Football, federations quarrelling and facing unnecessary divisions at a time when unity is needed to aid the development of football in the country.  UDFA President Sharma Solomon was given an eight year suspension and Collie Hercules banned for five years, both ironically were given more significant penalties than that given to Colin Klass by FIFA for allegedly accepting bribes. However, the UDFA has refused to accept these suspensions, labelling the ban as unconstitutional and illegal due to the fact that the extraordinary congress which dished out the suspensions had not been formally requested by anybody, and thus had no right to have taken place. Rawle Adams, another GFF Vice-president, tendered his resignation due to the events, and Collie Hercules labelled Mathias as ‘’dictator’’ , declaring ‘’that being elected vice-president under Matthias, I have seen clearly his dictatorial attitude and it is not good for the sport’’. Vice-President of the GFF, Ivan Persaud, consequently penned a letter, formally asking for Mathias to resign, citing some extraordinary allegations with the letter, such as Mathias lying about attending a FIFA meeting in Zurich in September, and citing that as the GFA did not have a legal contract to host the Banks Final  the banning of the UDFA was therefore unconstitutional.

Persaud (left) has asked for the resignation of GFF President Matthias (right)

Matthias has yet to come out and publically refute the claims made in the letter, which instills little confidence into the public. The only remaining Vice-President of the GFF (Persaud) has asked for Matthias to resign, and former members of staff have displayed little confidence in Mathias as a leader. A no-confidence motion was held at Congress against Matthias on 26^th April 2014, and in dramatic circumstances Mathias survived as President, amidst members of the electoral committee walking out and congress being scheduled to reconvene in 45 days.

In conclusion, when federations such as the UDFA are being suspended for simply holding football tournaments it becomes apparent that football is not the priority here, politics is, and this lack of unity and transparency within Guyanese football is what has frustrated the fans for many years, petty disputes are being used to hold football back, and it is this lack of vision for the greater good which needs to end.  Administration within football has never been an easy job, but for too long the focus has been on money and personal gain in Guyana rather than developing football within the nation, and this is something which needs to stop if we are to ever see Guyanese football prosper.

BY Santokie Nagulendran (Journalist based in London)

Should Guyana Aim For The Gold Cup?

In January 2014 the Guyanese Football Federation (GFF) announced a talent pool of fifty young players to begin training for impending National Team call ups with the 2016 Olympic Qualifiers and 2018 World Cup Qualifiers being stated as the priority for the team. Whilst this is certainly a positive step from the GFF that is looking to move forward from an horrendous 2013, a year where the National Team failed to play one single game, a look at the list of players reveals that they are mainly under the age of 23 and no technical director, manager or coaching staff members have been named, posing the question….what direction are the Golden Jaguars heading in?

(The CONCACAF Gold Cup offers Guyana an opportunity to potentially lock horns with Mexico again)

Firstly there seems to be a prioritised agenda of looking at qualifying for the 2016 Olympic Games and 2018 World Cup, with no mention being made by the GFF about the upcoming Caribbean Cup which begins qualification rounds in May this year. There have been rumours that Guyana may not even enter the Caribbean Cup this year, due to the issues facing the administration, although nothing has been confirmed as of yet by GFF President Christopher Mathias. The tournament is the centre piece for Caribbean football; it is held every two years and aims to exhibit the best in Caribbean talent. Importantly, it is a competition which sends the top 4 teams into the 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup, a tournament which would be the first ever FIFA tournament the men’s team in Guyana has ever qualified for, and would represent a landmark achievement for Guyanese football. If the GFF wants to be taken seriously, they need to firstly enter the National Team in the Caribbean Cup and duly ensure that all the correct measures are taken to see that the team has the best possible chance of winning the competition.

(The CONCACAF Gold Cup represents a realistic opportunity for Guyana to reach their first major tournament)

Had backroom issues such as pay disputes not hindered the team in qualifying for the 2012 Caribbean Cup, (five senior players decided not to play after only being offered US$12 for a win or draw per person and $1.50 for a goal by the GFF) it is very likely, based on talent available and results achieved that year, that Guyana would have finished in the top 4 and qualified for the Gold Cup which took place last summer, receiving global coverage from the media as a result of participation. Qualifying for the 2015 Gold Cup would be a fantastic and realistic achievement for Guyana if they targeted it in the right manner, after which, there could be a focus on qualifying for the 2018 World Cup with a sense of confidence, it seems as if the GFF has jumped ahead and not formulated a realistic plan.

The CONCACAF Gold Cup is a tournament designed to find out who exactly is the best team in North America, usually the tournament is dominated by major footballing nations USA and Mexico, but the monthly-long tournament is covered by media around the world and gives a rare chance for four Caribbean nations to pit their skills against world-class opposition. In 2012, Martinique finished in the top 4 of the Caribbean Cup and consequently played in the 2013 Gold Cup, held in USA, where they faced Mexico, Panama and Canada in front of crowds numbering 56,000. This experience proved invaluable to the development of the team, and is something Guyana can achieve if they placed emphasis on developing the National Squad. This year, the Caribbean Cup qualifiers will be held on FIFA-allocated dates, so European-based players such as Leon Cort and Trayon Bobb, will be allowed time away from their domestic clubs to put on the Golden Jags Jersey.

With players requiring Guyana to be ranked 70^th or above in the FIFA World Rankings in order to earn a work permit to play in European countries such as England, it is necessary that Guyana organises its development so that they have every opportunity to climb the world rankings and provide the opportunities for its players to ply their trade anywhere in Europe. As it stands, Guyana has not played a game since November 2012 and as such the team has dropped from 86th to 154^th in the world, meaning the top players in Guyana cannot play in Europe and use their experiences to subsequently help the National Team.  Guadeloupe is an example of a country that has developed sensibly: they focused on the Caribbean Cup and used it as a stepping stone to qualify for the 2007 Gold Cup, where they remarkably finished fourth. As a result of finishing fourth in the highly-regarded tournament, players received offers from clubs in Europe, defender Miguel Comminges joined English side Swindon Town and striker Loïc Loval earned a move to Dutch Premier League team FC Utrecht. The opportunities the Gold Cup provides for Caribbean players is priceless; a Guyanese player successful in the tournament could earn a move abroad and secure a good salary for them and their family, whilst also inspiring the next generation of Guyanese players with their journey abroad. In the case of Guadeloupe, they used their experience to plan and qualify for the next two Gold Cups, meaning the team became used to playing North America’s top teams on a regular basis and developing immensely as a result.

 

(Players with years of experience should not be forgotten by the GFF)

 

However, the GFF has made it clear they are looking towards youth by naming a 50-man development squad made pre-dominantly of players aged under 23, but one has to wonder why they would not include players such as captain Christopher Nurse, Leon Cort, Carl Cort and Trayon Bobb, all of whom played against Mexico in 2012 in the historically volatile Azteca Arena; surely their experience of such a game and their knowledge of the sport would benefit the younger inexperienced players? The players chosen for the development squad are all of a high standard, excelling domestically for clubs ranging from Slingerz FC to Alpha United and many represent the future of the Guyanese National Team. However, the fact remains that in International Tournaments teams need a blend of young and experienced players to strike the right balance and garner success, a football team needs the right blend of youthful energy and wisdom of experience in order to prosper, as teams have shown throughout time. With a full-strength team sticking to this formula, Guyana can win the Caribbean Cup, they undoubtedly have the talent to be one of the best teams in the region, and if the team can consequently qualify for the CONCACAF Gold Cup as a result, it could be the first of many major tournaments for the Golden Jaguars.

By Santokie Nagulendran 

Where Have the Golden Jaguars Been Hiding?

Amidst the usual release of FIFA Rankings recently lay a statistic which only a keen-eyed observer would notice: the biggest drop in places had been awarded to the small nation of Guyana, a Caribbean country geographically located in South America and neighbour to one the most famous footballing nations of all: Brazil.

Now this drop in rankings of 36 places is the consequence of a fairly simple scenario: Guyana, also known as the Golden Jaguars, have not played one single competitive match for the whole of 2013. Not one. A year has gone by and not one solitary match has been played by this country, a team which, as recently as 2012, were giving Mexico a run for their money at the Azteca Arena after reaching the semi-finals of CONCACAF qualification for the upcoming 2014 World Cup, the furthest Guyana had ever reached in qualification.

This was a nation showing promise of real progress and development, exactly the type of progress FIFA dreams of seeing in smaller nations, yet the talented team have been forced to rest on their laurels for 2013 and this ultimately begs the question: why has this happened to the Golden Jaguars?

To put the development of the team into context, Guyana has a tiny population of less than 800,000, has never qualified for any major footballing tournament, and like many Caribbean Nations, the undisputed king of sport there is Cricket, the football team even uses the cricket stadium to play its games.

In essence, it should have had little hope of ever gaining entry into football’s elite competitions, yet that’s exactly what begun to happen under the mentorship of Coach Jamaal Shabazz, a Trinidadian born tactician who helped instil a heightened sense of organisation and professionalism into the team. Under Shabazz, Guyana leapt a massive 90 places in the FIFA World Rankings between 2005 and 2007 and narrowly missed out on qualifying for the 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup for the first time in its history. Although Shabaaz left in 2007, he was instrumental in seeing numerous Guyanese players gain professional playing contracts in countries such as Trinidad, and thus when he returned to manage the National Team once again in 2010 he found a much more developed and travelled team.

Improvements to the squad were also aided by Faizal Khan, a UK-born FIFA agent of Guyanese heritage who managed to convince numerous British-born players of Guyanese descent to choose to play for the team, mirroring the model which Jamaica and Trinidad had used in the past to help qualify for World Cups. So in came brothers Leon and Carl Cort, players with Premiership experience, alongside other British born players such as Christopher Nurse and Ricky Shakes. This was a team now full of European experience and ready to scale new heights.

Jamaal Shabazz led the team to new heights (pic: Guyana Times)

In 2011 the second round of CONCACAF qualifying saw Guyana grouped alongside a strong Barbados side, Bermuda, and Trinidad and Tobago, the undisputed favourites of the group containing talented players such as Kenwyne Jones in the line-up. Yet against all odds, Guyana managed to top the group, maintaining a solid defensive record throughout and qualifying for the next round with a game to spare, new recruit Leon Cort netting the decisive winner against Trinidad in the penultimate game.

Captain Christopher Nurse recently reflected on this period of success, telling me that ‘we did not qualify for the WCQ Quarter Final stage by accident, it was through hard work, preparation, dedication, devotion, sacrifice and desire’. Whilst appearing to be a ‘’fluke’’ to the causal observer, the performances of Guyana were merely the culmination of years of hard work and efforts to improve the infrastructure of the game amidst corruption within the Guyanese Football Federation (GFF).

President of the Guyana Football Association, Colin Klass had been in charge for 22 years, investing little into the development of the game in Guyana, but hit the headlines in 2011, when he was found guilty of having ‘’ breached various articles of the FIFA Code of Ethics’’ and subsequently banned from all football administration for 26 months. Unfortunately this sorry event wasn’t to be the end of Guyana’s off-field problems.

On the field however, things were progressing nicely for the Golden Jaguars, they were drawn with Mexico, El Salvador and Costa Rica for the next round of World Cup Qualifiers, and the first game at the historical Azteca Arena in Mexico will always be remembered as a landmark occasion in Guyanese footballing history. Despite losing 3-1, Guyana made an impressive account of themselves, controlling the ball for long periods of time and maintaining a strong defensive shape.

Unfortunately the rest of the campaign deteriorated, and Guyana found themselves bottom of the group with a solitary point by the time their last group game against Mexico came around, a ‘’home’’ tie which was very abruptly moved to USA in order to attract more Mexican fans and revenue. The reason for this bizarre rescheduling of a home game was purely down to finances, yet the GFF did not declare how much the rights of the game had been sold for or what the money would be duly invested in, GFF President at the time Franklin Wilson merely said the move ‘’ was in the best interest of Guyana’s football development’’, and as such the deal was one clouded by ambiguity and reflective of the nature in which the GFF operated.

Christopher Nurse even lamented at the time that ‘’none of the current administrators except Aubrey ‘’Shanghai’’ Major has demonstrated any kind of competence in raising funding or even basic things like writing letters. They just sit at the office and draw fat salaries when coaches and players are constantly deceived and lied to.’’

Nurse’s opinion of the GFF reflected a widespread view amongst players that the board was hindering any sort of substantial progress being made for the football team, and sure enough, events that occurred soon afterwards ultimately proved these fears to be true.

June 2012 saw Guyana take on Mexico at the historic Azteca Arena

Despite the anti-climactic end to the World Cup qualifying campaign, it would be reasonable to assume that this historic period was the start of an upwards trend for football in Guyana right? Wrong.

Amidst reports of only being paid $12 a day, numerous players went on strike during November’s 2012 Caribbean Cup campaign, and despite being strong contenders to win the competition, Guyana failed to even qualify for the tournament, losing in qualification with a largely depleted team. Immediately after that horrendous episode, Guyana stopped playing football completey. That’s right. They stopped playing football, their last match taking place against Grenada on the 16th November 2012.

Over a year has passed and there still seems to be no sign of any forthcoming fixtures for the Golden Jaguars. So the question needs to be asked: why has this been allowed to happen?

Firstly, disputes between the Guyana Football Federation and Guyana Football Association required FIFA to intervene for peace discussions, and whilst this political dispute was ongoing, actual footballing matters, such as arranging Guyana’s next fixtures or paying players decent wages, were seemingly cast aside in the battle for power.

Jamaal Shabazz understandably left his post immediately in November 2012, not long after Guyana’s last game, and the team has yet to even announce who will be his successor, despite the GFF electing Christopher Mathias as their new President in April.

FIFA has tried to help Guyana in the past, earmarking them for the Goal project way back in 1999, a programme that provides substantial funds for smaller nations to develop their facilities, in Guyana’s case, this included building a stadium specifically for the National Football Team. However, as of writing nothing has been done, Guyana are still stuck on the first phase of development whilst neighbouring Caribbean countries have completed three phases as outlined by the project.

 

In September 2013 FIFA development officer Howard McIntosh expressed concerns about the lack of progress being made by the GFF in implementing the Goal project and as such Guyana was consequently chosen for FIFA’s Performance initiative, whereby FIFA offers training ranging from administration duties to league development, yet despite the impressive nature of this programme, it remains to be an initiative which has yet to really be seen or implemented in Guyana.

As of writing this article, Guyana remains stuck in limbo, they’ve lost their extremely talented manager, lost a year of important development and practice due to a lack of games, and most importantly, disputes between boards have ultimately let down the fans who have been unable to see their country play football for over a year.

Current players in the English Premier League such as Fabian Delph (Aston Villa) and Jerome Thomas (Crystal Palace) have Guyanese heritage, and had Guyana continued to show progress on the world footballing stage they may have very well opted to choose to play for Guyana. However, the sad truth is that the turmoil of the past twelve months has set the team back years, possibly generations, and they will no longer be seen as an attractive or viable option for these players.

I recently reported on the FIFA Under-15 CONCACAF Championships held in the Cayman Islands in August, and unsurprisingly, virtually every Caribbean nation fielded a team with the exception of Guyana, a sad sign that the future players of the country are also being left isolated from the footballing landscape.

With the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) recently announcing their footballing calendar for 2014, including the 2014 Caribbean Cup, it remains to be seen whether Guyana will feature at all in these proceedings, such is the sorry state of affairs at this time. As the World Cup in Brazil nears, Guyana’s location would have made them ideal candidates for competing teams to play warm-up games against, a priceless opportunity for the Golden Jaguars to test themselves against the best, but a team that has not played competitively for over a year is of little attraction to any team gearing up for the World Cup and there doesn’t seem to have been any effort made to remedy this. So whilst we are all aware of what has happened to the Golden Jaguars, the question of when they will return seems to be one nobody will be able to answer for the foreseeable future.

 

By Santokie Nagulendran