… Indian football  team  arrives in Guyana
THE Indian National Football Team, nicknamed the Blue Tigers or the Monsoon Warriors, have arrived in Guyana ahead of their scheduled international friendly match against the Golden Jaguars team tomorrow. Ranked 153 on the FIFA World ranking, the Asian continent team, also known as the ‘Bhangra Boys’, will face the 116th ranked home side, Guyana, at the Guyana National Stadium Providence. Kick-off time is 19:30hrs
Prior to the showdown, the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph (GT&T)-branded ‘Fastball’ football format will be  exhibited when Pele Football Club and Bakewell Topp XX clash at 19:00hrs.
Yesterday a press briefing was held with the Indian team along with their Team Management staff in the canteen of GT&T, who is the major sponsor hosting the side. It was revealed that a budget of nine million Guyana dollars put forth.
Also present at the ceremony was acting President of the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) Franklin Wilson and CEO of the company Yog Mahadeo.
They both welcomed the side to their home soil stating that this match-up is all part of the World Cup Qualifiers for both sides and also a means of strengthening friendly ties between Guyana and India.
Speaking to head coach of the Blue Tigers, Armando Colaco, following the press briefing Chronicle Sport was told that it is a young side and that they are here to learn from Guyana because they are fighting to improve their ranking.
He said the side plays open football with a 4-4-2 formation, attacking mostly on the wings. The coach is not concerned much about winning; “we are not worried about winning since it is not a tournament of any sort; we will be using this as preparation for the world cup qualifiers and at the end we will expect to learn something from Guyana as they will learn something about us.”
The Indian side have had a good run in their part of the globe for the year according to the coach; they competed in the AFC Asian Cup after not being able to qualify for it in 24 years and were grouped with powerhouses such as Australian, South Korea and Bahrain who beat them.
However, they bounced back in the 2012 AFC Challenge Cup qualifiers where they defeated Chinese Taipei and Pakistan and played to a stalemate with Turkmenistan and as a result, topped the Group and qualified for the tournament.
The GFF and GT&T are urging Guyanese to come out and witness the encounter. Admission fee is $1 000 for adults while children under the age of 12 are free.