THE Guyana Football Federation (GFF) is hoping that a delegation from the CFU, expected in the country next week, will give a nod of approval for the use of the Leonora Stadium when Guyana meets Jamaica in a 3rd round Men’s Senior Scotia Bank Championship encounter on October 11th.As it is, the fixture is without a venue, since the only FIFA approved facility in the country, the Providence Stadium, is unavailable due to works being currently conducted on the field for the upcoming Regional Professional Cricket League.
The GFF, in an attempt to have the match played here, as it has been scheduled, dispatched a correspondence to the CFU office last week, explaining the predicament and seeking approval for the alternative venue to be used.
General Secretary of the CFU, Antiguan Neil Cochrane,told Chronicle Sport that a delegation will be arriving in Guyana this coming week for an inspection of the Leonora Stadium,where the size of the ground is smaller than the Providence Stadium. There are also security concerns for both players and officials, as well as fans.
Guyana surrendered home turf advantage in the second round of the competition played in June, as the Providence facility was unavailable due to International cricket. The game was played in Curacao, who took the home advantage on an artificial turf, and Guyana lost 5-2.
The Golden Jaguars rebounded with an emphatic demolition of the USVI to advance to the 3rd round, but since then nothing has happened for the national selection with regards to preparations; and the Federation has been very tight lipped.
With just over three weeks before the team travels to Suriname,for an October 8th meeting to begin their 3rd round campaign, a squad is yet to be named.Add to that the uncertainty of where the game versus Jamaica will be played, and you can understand how under-prepared we are, going into this important round of matches.

(Ras Wadada)