As the Guyanese football fraternity continues to toast the historic success of the national football team the Golden Jaguars which has advanced to the next round of the 2014 World Cup qualifiers two significant factors standout in the wake of the team’s ousting of Trinidad and Tobago from the World Cup qualifying series.
The factors are the demise of the two football strongmen from Guyana and the Twin Island Republic in Colin Klass and Jack Warner respectively.
These two officials are no longer big wigs in FIFA with Warner resigning his post as FIFA vice president while Klass has been slapped with a 26 month ban by the World governing body.
It has resulted in their team’s fortunes shooting in opposite directions.
While Guyana made it through to the CONCACAF semifinals for the very first time, Trinidad and Tobago are in shock having never before being booted from the competition by any English speaking Caribbean nation.
One of only two English speaking nations to qualify for the prestigious FIFA World Cup Finals, Trinidad and Tobago’s football is now in disarray and calls for a complete overhaul of the management of the sport have been coming from all directions.
Under Klass’ 22-year reign of mismanagement as Guyana Football Federation (GFF) president, the national team was only good enough to be first round opponents for its rivals around the region, falling repeatedly to nemesis Suriname and even Grenada once, whenever the team was able to compete.
Despite the popularity of the sport in Guyana and beyond, Klass’ regime never acquired the resources to mount any semblance of a proper World Cup qualifying campaign.
The federation was unable to capture and maintain the interest of the many professionals overseas qualified to represent the country.
The few who did, became instantly disgruntled and turned their backs on the team, given the shabby treatment meted out by the administration.
On the other hand, Warner, who unilaterally ruled Trinidad and Tobago’s football for several decades, masterminded the country’s one and only qualification berth for the World Cup Finals, in 2006.
With the tremendous contacts he made around the world and personal financial resources, Warner secured professional contracts overseas for a slew of Trinidad players, paid the salaries of the foreign coaching staff for years, and even got the Government to build five new football-specific stadiums.
Ironically, Warner’s quest to help out another football personality, the Qatari FIFA official Mohammed Bin Hammam, in his attempt at a FIFA presidential run, resulted in the former’s forced resignation from the sport.
However, it proved a blessing in disguise for Guyana as Klass, a close associate of Warner, but whose thinking is apposite to Warner’s in terms of football development, was implicated in the “Bin Hammam Affair” which caused the Guyanese his suspension.
Immediately, this development triggered an outburst of fresh enthusiasm for the World Cup campaign from officials in the federation who were made into underlings under Klass’ rule.
They quickly gave the players the maximum support needed and inspired a number of English pros to lace up shoes for Guyana and the Golden Jaguars took off.
Ricky Shakes, became the most valuable of the foreign imports and his goals against Bermuda in the away game as well as the one he scored against Trinidad and Tobago in the first encounter along with an assist for the second goal in that game, were key factors in Guyana moving on and the Twin Island Republic being kept on the outside looking in.
The big-time support provided by the GFF, brought out the best in locals – Ronson Williams, Charles `Lily’ Pollard, Anthony `Awo’ Abrams, Vurlon Mills, Dwain Jacobs and others. Under Klass’ rule Gregory “ Jackie Chan” Richardson was banished from the national team, but now the Puerto Rico Islanders professional, and former Joe Public and Colorado Rapids player, is back playing his heart out even with a badly injured ankle which he told the Trinidad media needs surgery. Richardson, the most accomplished Guyana-born player in the team, was lured back by a new GFF leadership, heavily supported by the Kashif and Shanghai organization – Guyana’s most dynamic football promotional outfit.
Also returning was coach, Trinidadian Jamal Shabazz who left the team in frustration two years ago and was persuaded to take charge again despite deep skepticism about going up against his home country.
Even though he did the unthinkable by orchestrating the elimination of Trinidad and Tobago, the second of two West Indian heavyweight teams, Shabazz, never at a loss for words, is claiming a victory for Caribbean coaches, which did a good job of placating the upset fraternity there.
Now, Trinidadians are calling for the permanent use of locals for national teams.
The Jaguars slew the star-studded Soca Warriors before a jam-packed National Stadium, that rode a wave of intense patriotism, developed through a much hyped promotional blitz, never done for any national team in the last 22 years.
It left the Trinidadians and their high priced German coach stunned, and still talking about the powerful support Guyana got for the game.
It goes without saying that the road ahead for the Jaguars will be all potholes and ridges as Mexico and Costa Rica, who they face in the next round, are two kingpins of CONCACAF, not to mention El Salvador.
But Guyanese know the new GFF will not lie down and die, but would pull out all the stops to bring out the utmost best of the Jaguars from next June.
Financing would be biggest hurdle to overcome though.
Trinidad’s sports minister Anil Roberts went out of his way to secure US$7 million for the Soca Warriors’ eventual failed ‘Road to Brazil’ campaign.
Jamaica’s Reggae Boyz are assured of a similar amount when they start their campaign, also in June.
This country’s Government and corporate Guyana will have to contribute in record numbers.
Because it is a worthy investment for any country to shine in “The Beautiful Game” – and the World’s most popular sport.
