WITH less than three days left to one of the highly anticipated Golden Jaguars and Soca Warriors match in of the 2014 World Cup Qualifiers, home side Guyana are brimming with confidence and a sense of victory. At a press briefing yesterday, the Jaguars head coach Jamal Shabazz, in company with team captain Chris Nurse and teammate Walter Moore, made public that Guyana will be a force to be reckoned with.
Also at the briefing was the Guyana Football Federation’s (GFF) acting president Franklin Wilson, who disclosed the importance of Guyanese supporters joining the ‘wear yellow’ campaign to show support for their team since it is expected that some 300 Trinidad and Tobago fans will be here to root for their side.
Shabazz said: “We are really hoping that the Guyanese supporters come out and support the Golden Jaguars since it is really important that we have that twelfth man on the field to lift the guys’ spirits as we go against an opponent described as Goliath.”
Several new foreign-based players from England have joined the squad which has been in preparation with assistant coach Wayne Dover and the rest of the technical team.
Some of these players have played in the highest English Leagues and bring a wealth of experience to the Jaguars team. Both Shabazz and Nurse welcomed the idea and regard it as a positive step for Guyana.
According to Shabazz, the team chemistry has been good and what causes the team to perform well even though they have not played together much is the common goal of getting to the next round.
The coach further added that the factor which is expected to give Guyana the edge in the battle is the element of surprise.
“Even though Trinidad is one point below us in the points standing I still think they don’t see us. They have not conceded that the Guyana team is a good team. We are going to be able to prove that.”
“It is good to know what opponent you are facing and have some knowledge about how they play but in football that can work for and against you. For me, it’s both because we would know who to look out for in certain situations and also add to our pattern of play.”
Meanwhile, the ‘Wear Yellow’ Golden Jaguars jerseys are on sale at the Kashif and Shanghai office for $1 500 while the package which includes a jersey and a ticket for the battle is $2 000.