– Bishop opts out to play Mayor’s Cup
Guyana’s Futsal Football squad is due to leave tomorrow for Trinidad and Tobago for the rescheduled Caribbean Football Union (CFU) six-nation Futsal Football which opens Thursday in the twin-island republic.
Eleven players and four officials will travel to neighbouring Trinidad and Tobago to be joined by national midfielder Kanata Mannings, who is playing in Trinidad.
But the squad is without another national midfield player, Sean `Fatso’ Bishop who was named in the original squad but opted out last week.
Team manager Lawrence “Sparrow” Griffith told Stabroek Sport yesterday that Bishop was named in the squad but he opted out to play for his team Alpha United in the Mayor’s Cup football tournament.
Griffith said the national team management had addressed injury concerns with the players on the squad leading up to their departure for the tournament but Bishop decided to play for his club in the Mayor’s Cup match.
Bishop’s place has been taken by John Waldron of the Linden’s Silver Shattas Club.
The goalkeepers are Colin Clarke of Alpha United and Pele’s Shemroy Arthur who was recently voted best goalkeeper in the Banks Premium Beer Cup Georgetown first division tournament.
The other players are Gerald Gittens of Fruta Conquerors, Travis Grant of Santos, Stellon David and Eusi Phillips of the Guyana Defence Force, Delroy Deen of BV/Triumph United, Andrew Duke of Santos, Sceyon Hope of Mocha Champs and Troy Kellman.
The officials are Griffith (manager), Joseph Wilson (head coach), Gavin Brown and Gary Mickle (assistant coaches).
The tournament was originally scheduled for Guyana from March 8-12 at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall but a decision was taken by the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) to remove the tournament from Guyana citing security fears after the massacres at Lusignan and Bartica which left 23 persons dead.
Former national under-20 goalkeeper, Andrew Reading, who is based in England and was in the original squad, withdrew after the postponement. The six-team Caribbean tournament will qualify two squads to the 2008 CONCACAF Futsal Championship.
The six competing nations are Guyana, Haiti, St. Maarten, Puerto Rico, Suriname and hosts Trinidad and Tobago.
The two Caribbean qualifiers will join Costa Rica, Cuba, Mexico, Panama, USA and the host, Guatemala at the 2008 CONCACAF Futsal Championship at the Domo Polideportivo in Guatemala City from 2-8 June.
The CONCACAF Championship will also progress three teams to the 2008 FIFA Futsal World Cup in Brazil from 1-19 October.
According to latest reports, Guyana is grouped with Suriname and Haiti, while Puerto Rico, St. Maarten and T&T make up the other group.
Guyana is scheduled to play Suriname is their opening match, but according to Griffith the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) is expected to challenge the new fixtures that were released.
