By Kiev Chesney
Technical Director of the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) Jamaal Shabazz said yesterday that Guyana might have lost Sunday’s World Cup qualifying encounter against Suriname but football won.
“We may have lost but football in Guyana won,” said Shabazz, speaking at a press briefing yesterday which was also attended by manager Rawle Adams.
“After the game, with all that was going on we didn’t get the opportunity to thank the thousands of people who came out to support us, the government and all our sponsors,” he said.
“The World Cup campaign is over but Sunday 22nd marked a special day for the nation and I think that the presence of so many people who came out there and rallied behind their team just shows that something special was happening for football in Guyana,” he added.
The technical director also said:” The people have a great vibe for football and we have to encourage them to keep supporting the team.”
He also observed that it was wonderful to see persons of diverse racial and cultural backgrounds and from all walks of life come together as one just for a day to watch their team play.
Shabazz commented on the crucial role which the government played in the match which, he said, proved a lot about their concern for sports in the country.
“A lot of barriers were broken down by the match and one thing that we saw was evidence that the government was willing to stand and prove that they are serious about using sports as a vehicle to help the development of the young men in the country,” he said
Apart from thanking the thousands of fans gathered at the stadium to support their team, Shabazz also acknowledged the generosity of all of their sponsors who were eager to come onboard to help the Golden Jaguars in their World Cup bid.
Speaking about the morale of the players after the game, Shabazz said that although the players were disappointed, he had managed to have meaningful discussions with them about their mistakes and the way forward for the team.
“We refuse to hang our heads in disgrace, because we have sacrificed a lot just to get this far. We cannot be broken now, we have a clean conscience and with God as our witness, the Jaguars live to roar another day.
Charge to GFF
“During my three years in Guyana,” Shabazz said, “the first time I could actually see all of the players feeling like they were national players, was when they were practising in the National Stadium.”
Shabazz said that even the overseas-based players who were culture-shocked, seemed to be lifted by the opportunity to play at the venue.
“I want to challenge the GFF [Guyana Football Federation] to build on what was demonstrated by the government in letting us use the venue,” he said.
He maintained that the only way to progress in the sport is if positive initiatives such as that can be sustained collectively by the government and the administrators.
Addressing the criticism of his starting line-up, Shabazz said “At the end of the day the team that the critics pick never lose nor do they win because you never get to see them play, so there is no way of knowing whether they were right or wrong.”
Speculation aside, he said his thorough knowledge of each player on the team gave him the confidence to select the players who started.