THE twelfth man came out in their hundreds at the Guyana National Stadium last Tuesday night to roar along with Guyana’s Golden Jaguars in their crucial 2014 World Cup qualifying home fixture against El Salvador.
This was after the team rebounded from

humiliating losses to Mexico and Costa Rica, to hold the El Salvadorians to a 2-2 draw in their backyard last Friday and when they saw their team score in the opening goal within the first minute of the first half, they roared heavily in support.
However, the end result is what must have been lingering on the minds of not only the fans in the stands, but those around the world and even the technical staff and players of the Golden Jaguars, who saw El Salvador equalise and go ahead on two occasions, to come away with a 3-2 victory.
It was a defeat that was felt by many, as it sent home another nail in Guyana’s coffin, ruining further the Golden Jaguars’ chance of qualifying for the 2014 World Cup which will be played in neighbouring Brazil and one for which Technical Director (TD) of the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) Jamal Shabazz took full responsibility.
Addressing the media at the post-match press conference, Shabazz firstly defended the decision to have Carl Cort take a vital penalty kick that was won by Gregory ‘Jackie Chan’ Richardson in the `dying stages of the contest, saying “I would back him to make that penalty 99 out of 100 times.”
“I feel very hurt. I feel very exhausted, but I thought we gave everything that we had. I feel proud of the players, the team and the group that we fought and I am not happy with the result, but I thought we gave a good account of ourselves.”
“I see this defeat as the pains that we will go through as a growing football nation and I accept full responsibility for the result and take full blame, if any, for what happened tonight (Tuesday night)” stated the Trinidad and Tobago-born Shabazz.
Reflecting on his team’s performance in the return match against the El Salvadorians while looking ahead to the two remaining matches, Shabazz said he saw a team that is a work in progress in adapting to this level of the game.
“We went ahead, then we went behind and we fought back right down to the point where we got the penalty. It showed that we were prepared to fight to the very end and for me, this is good for me, that against a Central American opponent, we can take the lead and when we are down, fight back and do so right down to the end.
“Of course we can say we need to learn how to keep the lead and keep our composure in a tough situation, but this is a tough lesson for us and I am proud to be a part of this game today and a part of this learning experience and this moment for Guyana,” posited Shabazz.
The TD took the time to look back at his team’s last three games, which included the practice contest against Bolivia and the home and away encounters against El Salvador and told his audience, he saw more desire from his players than before.
“There were more desires, more tactical understanding by the players and a willingness to make the group effort. I was very pleased that we tried to play as a group that we tried to play as a team and we believed that we could score back, even when the score was 3-2 in their favour.
“Every player in the dressing room felt that they think we could score back when the score was 3-2 and that belief is important to me, that belief in us as a country, if it transforms to the society will raise this nation. It is important to me that the players believed we could still win the game, even when we missed the penalty.”
He added, “Guys were still trying to get the ball across the face of the goal and if at that point they started to walk and had given up, I would have been disappointed. I am pleased, really pleased with their performance tonight.

REDEEM
Shabazz said the away game to Costa Rica will continue to be a learning experience for his team, who will not go there and lie down, but continue to believe in themselves, that they can win, despite the setback suffered by the loss to El Salvador.
The Golden Jaguars will first oppose Mexico who defeated them 3-1 last June, in a return fixture at the Guyana National Stadium on October 12, before taking on Costa Rica in Costa Rica four days later, with Shabazz saying a young team will be given the chance to represent the nation in these two encounters.
“Clearly there is a new spirit in the team and if you know me, I never say die even if I get a heart attack. I fight and fight and fight, and fight to the end and this is what you can expect until the last game. We are not going to go and make it easy for Costa Rica.
“We will not bow our heads and think … We play for our nation, but we have pride in ourselves and we appreciate the efforts that we make,” posited Shabazz.
“I say we are not playing for ourselves and the people should stand for the team. When you are down, this is when you need the support and if the supports don’t come, we stand alone and if we have to play in front of an empty stadium for Guyana, we will play.
“We’ve made that commitment three weeks ago that if the people don’t believe, the people are not our leaders. We believe and we will follow this thing to the last game and when it is finished, we will look to the Caribbean Cup Championships and try to qualify for the Gold Cup,” stated Shabazz.
He was referring to Guyana’s last hope of qualifying for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, adding that he will continue to be the team’s TD until December of this year when his contract expires.
“This is what men do. Men see it to the end and we will see it to the end, with or without the support of the people. If we have to stand alone – how many people followed Jesus, peace be upon him, 12 – and they changed the world forever and ever.
“We stand firm that Mexico and Costa Rica will get a united Guyana team. Maybe a younger one to give the Trayon Bobbs and other youngsters a chance to taste and smell the game at this level, since our two-tier system has the capacity to facilitate such.”