The planned encampment of Guyana’s Golden Jaguars football squad over the weekend and the planned training camp in Trinidad and Tobago next week seem to be in limbo.
The Georgetown and Linden players trained at different locations while the Technical Director Jamal Shabbazz is reported to be overseas and is likely to return to Guyana tomorrow.
Sources disclosed that the players would be involved in physical sessions until Shabbazz returns but it is unclear why the players were not encamped as was disclosed by the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) and efforts to contact the Federa-tion’s office yesterday proved futile.
The sources revealed that the training camp in Trinidad and Tobago was not likely to come off before Guyana play Cuba later this month, but Shabazz or GFF President Colin Klass who is also reported to be overseas would be in a better position to shed light on the squad’s current training programme.
The GFF issued a media release which indicated that the squad would have commenced a period of encampment at lunch time last Thursday and that the players and technical staff were expected to move to Trinidad for a one-week stint before returning to Guyana three days before the Cuba games.
The GFF reported Shabbazz as saying: “Facilities are a huge factor in the serious preparation of a national team. Our aim is always to create a professional environment where the players can focus on the job. Facilities in Guyana are a work in progress and time is not on our side especially when rain falls. In international football when you lose one day because someone puts up a red flag on their ground that is a lot, he added.”
The national squad has been ejected from several local grounds and through the intervention of Minister of Sport Dr. Frank Anthony permission was given for the team to train at the Carifesta Avenue Sports Complex ground.
The Golden Jaguars are set to play Cuba on the 22nd and 24th of this month in two Friendly Internationals in preparation for their Group Two stage of the CONCACAF World Cup preliminary competition starting in June.
The Jaguars have been involved in several friendly internationals with creditable performances against St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Grenada and a closed door encounter against Trinidad and Tobago.
Twenty-three players are currently in training with Monedderlust captain and goalkeeper Alwin Macdonald being one of three newcomers on the squad for the two international friendly matches against Cuba.
The two other newcomers are Santos’s speedy utility player Jermaine Fraser and Georgetown Football League Cellink Plus Premier League MVP Philbert Moffat, a member of the champion side Alpha United.
Earning recalls to the ‘Golden Jaguars’ line up after being left out of the recent away games to St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Trinidad and Tobago are national under-23 players Kelvin Smith, Devaughn Dummet and Kester Jacobs, while T&T Pro League (North East Stars) based striker Randolph “Blackhead” Jerome, who did well in the clash against the Twin Island Republic last week, has been retained.
The full squad:
Goalkeepers: Richard Reynolds, Shawn Johnson and Alwin Macdonald
Defenders: Carey Harris, Kelvin McKenzie, Walter Moore, Troy Prescod, Howard Lowe, Selwyn Isaacs, Kelvin Smith and Devaughn Dummett
Midfielders: Konata Manning, Shawn Bishop, Philbert Moffat, Jermaine Fraser, Quacy Johnson, Dwain Jacobs, Kayode McKinnon and Kester Jacobs
Strikers: Collie Hercules, Edison Gomes, Randolph Jerome and Anthony Abrams.
Technical Staff: Jamaal Shabazz (Technical Director), Wayne Dover (head coach), Kavin Pearce (assistant coach), Paula Alexander (Physiotherapist), Lindley Langhorne (asst Physio/trainer), Rawle Adams and Frank Parris (Managers).
