In two weeks time Guyana’s Golden Jaguars as the national football team is known, will oppose Suriname in their 2010 World Cup qualifier in Paramaribo with the return fixture scheduled for Georgetown.
Earlier this year the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) launched a World Cup Committee (WCC) to oversee Guyana’s preparation for the World Cup campaign with a view to ensuring the Golden Jaguars make it all the way to South Africa for the World Cup finals in 2010.
It was even announced that Guyana’s President His Excellency Bharrat Jagdeo had consented to serve as Patron of the WCC.
GFF President Colin Klass had called on corporate Guyana to support the team’s quest to reach the finals and even indicated that the team would train in Trinidad and Tobago because of the difficulty the GFF had in securing venues for the squad practice.
The Golden Jaguars had several promising warm matches including a win and a draw against the Caribbean’s leading team Cuba and now all Guyana await the team’s opening clash against arch-rivals Suriname.
But how much positives have happened since January seem to be the million dollar question?
Very little is being disclosed about plans for the upcoming matches quite different from what transpired at the WCC launching.
Klass informed Stabroek Sport prior to his departure for FIFA’s Congress in Australia that the squad be encamped in Trinidad and Tobago but the length of the encampment period has not been decided.
The duration of the encampment in the Twin-Island Republic is not the only uncertainty, just over a week ago Klass was reported in another section of the media as being unclear where Guyana’s return fixture will be played and was quoted as saying that he had an earlier commitment from President Jagdeo to have the match played at the Guyana National Stadium at Providence.
He said the GFF is currently engaging officials within the government to ensure that Guyana’s opening round match is played at the Stadium.
The GFF boss did indicate that Surinamese had a similar situation but has received a commitment from their government to have the match staged at the Andre Kampaveen Stadium in Paramaribo.
Why would the Guyana Government or President Jagdeo as Patron of the WCC deny the GFF the use of the National Stadium for their World Cup campaign?
If the GFF is denied the use of the Stadium is there an alternative venue in Guyana or would the Jaguars have to battle on neutral venues that will deny the nation much needed revenue and other spin-offs?
These lingering questions need immediate answers so that local football fans appreciate what to expect in the coming weeks.
But while these questions are lingering key members of the GFF executive will be overseas, with Klass, General Secretary Noel Adonis and Organising Secretary and Organising Secretary Aubrey Major all traveling to Australia to attend a Confederation of North, Ccentral American and the Caribbean (CONCACAF) and FIFA Congress, in Sydney.
Second vice president Franklyn Wilson is bound for French Guiana in the first week in June for the Cope de Guiana’s tournament along with some of the country’s leading players some of whom had been named in the initial Golden Jaguars training squad.
Are we to await Klass and his team’s return from “Down Under” while Guyana’s World Cup preparation seem to be heading down under?
