On November 30, 2012, tears flowed down the cheeks of Jamaal Shabazz as he said goodbye to Guyana’s football, citing family commitment and a calling from the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation (TTFF) to assist the ‘Soca Warriors’ as reasons for his resignation as head coach of Guyana’s Golden Jaguars.

It was an emotional send-off for the man who many credited for giving Guyana’s football an identity; pushing the Golden Jaguars to heights never before reached in World Football and also using his club, Caledonia AIA in Trinidad, as a breeding ground to give Guyanese players a chance to play professionally.
But yesterday, Shabazz returned and though it may seem brief, the ‘Trini’, being his usual animated self, expressed the joys of not only reuniting with old friends, but also said that his returning for a third stint with the Golden Jaguars stems primarily from his obsession with Guyana’s football.
“It’s always very exciting to work with Guyana; there’s this connection for Guyana that I feel and can’t explain. It’s a total obsession,” Shabazz said.
Shabazz served as Technical Director of Guyana’s from 2005 to 2008 with very positive results, which included 11 consecutive wins in 2006.
He later returned to take charge of Guyana in August 2011 and subsequently led the Golden Jaguars to the third round of qualification for the 2014 FIFA World Cup, which marked the furthest the national team had advanced in its history.
Being modest, as he sometimes is, Shabazz told the gathering of media and other stakeholders of the game at the GFF’s head office: “It’s a pleasure to be back in Guyana, I have absolutely no enemies but we have to stand corrected all the time that the achievement we’ve had in Guyana’s football is not the achievement made by one person. It was always the work of a group and a collective effort.”
Having witnessed first hand, the turmoil that rocked Guyana’s football, Shabazz pointed out, “I want to appeal to all fractions in Guyana football that this is about players and it’s time that we stop the animosity. FIFA has come in and made a decision and they have brought a leader (Clinton Urling) to settle and place Guyana’s football in the rightful place.”
Recently-appointed Technical Director Claude Bolton said that he’s more than happy to work with Shabazz and hope that collectively, they can change the tide and fortune for football in Guyana.
Though it was said that Shabazz’s appointment is only for the February 1 encounter against Barbados, Normalisation Committee Clinton Urling’s statement further suggested that his position can easily be a long-term one, especially with Guyana preparing for their CONCACAF 2018 World Cup Qualifiers.

(By Rawle Toney)