Guyanese fans are still basking in the triumph of the Golden Jaguars over Trinidad and Tobago’s Soca Warriors at Providence Stadium last weekend.
The victory propelled the Jaguars into the third round of FIFA World Cup qualification for first time in the nation’s history, since they first commenced participation in World Cup qualifying rounds during the 1978 World Cup in Argentina.
And many persons deserve credit for this, especially considering that the second round qualification came while long-serving Guyana Football Federation (GFF) president Colin Klass was banned by FIFA over the “cash for votes” scandal that has rocked the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) in recent months.
Acting GFF President Franklin Wilson and his board made the astute decision to recall Jamaal Shabbaz to coach for the national side during the campaign that so far has paid dividends.
Then the Kashif and Shanghai (KS) Organisation put their promotional acumen into play with their “Wear Yellow” campaign, which was the key reason why the national stadium became a yellow jungle for Trinidad and Tobago as Guyana triumphed 2-1.
However a massive grey area remains over one individual who has been void of praise in the Golden Jaguars’ success. This person is 29-year-old English-born businessman/entrepreneur Faizal Khan.
Khan whose parents hail from Skeldon in Berbice, created history in 2010 when he passed the FIFA Licensed Football Agent Examination, making him the first person from this region to become a FIFA licensed agent.
To crown a highly creditable year, in August 2010 he arranged for the Guyana team to play their first ever match in England versus club side Cray Wanderers.
Added to this, in various press conferences leading up to the Trinidad encounter in November, coach Shabbaz tended to refer to him as a “close friend” while team Manager Mark Xavier glowingly heralded him as “Mr Jaguar”.
Stabroek News had interviewed English-based player Ricky Shakes and the Cort brothers Leon and Carl when they came to join the Jaguars squad in recent months, but did not reveal the identity of the scout these players highlighted as the man who constantly encouraged them to come and play for Guyana. Faizal Khan was that scout.
When the players celebrated after the victory against Trinidad, the players noticeably summoned Khan onto the field and he was seen parading around, as if he was one of them. During the height of those celebrations, this publication managed to catch Khan for a comment and he maintained a notable humility when pressed to reveal more about his behind-the- scenes role in the GFF.
“I don’t want to take the spotlight from Shabbaz or the players, who achieved nothing short of a miracle by winning this group,” said Khan exuberantly at the time.
He continued: “So many years of tireless work behind the scenes has been done to get Guyana’s football team to this stage and this potentially is the beginning of a bright future. Football can put Guyana on the international map more than any other sport and as we move on to the next stage to play big nations like Mexico and Costa Rica, I encourage all factions of society— government, media, corporations, etc to unite behind this team, to keep the dream of reaching Brazil in 2014 alive.”
Although Khan managed to avoid the question, one thing is clear that he has a great passion for the national football team and his influence among the Jaguars squad is very high.
This suggests possibly all this time that Khan has been a real dark horse in the inner works of the GFF, so the question has to be asked why isn’t a person like Khan involved officially with the GFF?
When asked for a comment on Khan’s future role in the GFF, Wilson said everyone who can assist the Jaguars in progressing in his view must be involved.
Guyana has to prepare for the massive third round encounters from June 8 next year versus CONCACAF powerhouses Mexico at the world-renowned Estadio Azteca which hosted two World Cup finals in 1970 and 1986 and when filled to capacity can hold 105,000 fans, he stated.
“Team work has gotten Guyana this far and more of that is the way this team can get to Brazil in 2014. Faizal has supported the GFF well over the years and we are extremely grateful for everything he has done. Therefore once we continue to do well, we need all the people in the Diaspora who can help and Faizal is certainly one of them,” Wilson said.
Reports circulating from sources au fait with the inner works of the Jaguars setup have suggested that current English Premier League players such as Aston Villa mid-fielder Fabian Delph who represented England at Under-19 and Under-21 levels, West Bromwich Albion left-winger Jerome Thomas, Fulham defender Michael Briggs, along with striker Nicky Maynard from championship side Bristol City all have Guyanese heritage and have been approached about donning the colours of the Golden Jaguars in the future.
So with such potential talent available, added to the fact that Khan is a FIFA-licensed agent, it would be wise for the GFF to allow him to graduate from being a dark horse to a fully fledged administrative position.
