… Forde confident despite no friendlies

THE Guyana Football Federation (GFF) will announce the final composition of the Golden Jaguars on March 17 – the same day the team will depart for the Dominican Republic for their away and home fixture in the Qatar 2022 World Cup Qualifiers.
Though some clubs would have announced the call-up of their players, GFF president Wayne Forde said the Federation would want to make an announcement as early as possible, but “there are situations that are simply outside of our control … it’s better to make one announcement, than adjusting it because something did not come through or didn’t happen.”

“So I just want to make sure that the media and the public is clear, that it is not in the interest of the federation to hold that information without any good reason…it’s just that there are many moving pieces behind the scenes and until those pieces are properly aligned, it would be not in anyone’s interest to go out and make announcements,” Forde said. Asked about the composition of the team, both Forde and head coach Marcio Maximo related that the squad will reflect the ‘vision of the GFF’ and their intent to be taken seriously in CONCACAF. Meanwhile Forde, speaking at the GFF press conference yesterday, said the Federation has been unsuccessful in its bid to secure an International Friendly for the Golden Jaguars, despite their valiant effors.

“We had discussions with two CONCACAF members and had made provisional arrangements with them. Unfortunately, however, these fixtures have had to be postponed due to ongoing challenges created by restrictions on international travel and COVID-19 regulations,” Forde said.
Forde lamented that regardless of the outcome, the GFF is “confident – and expect – that our players will be 100% physically, psychologically, technically and tactically ready for battle. Our game against Trinidad and Tobago, in particular, is going to be as competitive as any regional derby gets.”

“We look forward to a hard-fought fixture, with our players leaving absolutely everything on the pitch as proud representatives of our nation. We also demand the same level of spirit and performance against The Bahamas, whom we shall not underestimate,” the GFF boss said.
Football in Guyana has been at a standstill since the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic last year.
While the GFF would have gotten the green-light to host their Year-End Bounce Back tournament in collaboration with the Kashif and Shanghai Organisation,, the GFF did not get any favours from the National Task Force for the resumption of the Elite League.
Under strict COVID-19 Guidelines, GFF was able to receive the Task Force’s blessings for the return to training for the Golden Jaguars players.