Trinidadian football coach Jamaal Shabazz seems to be caught up in a tug-of-war between two countries desperate to secure his services just weeks after he sent his country’s national team crashing out of the 2014 World Cup qualifying competition.
According to a report in the Trinidad Express newspaper, the agreement between the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) and the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation (TTFF) involving the use of its former Women’s coach Shabazz has ended.
Acting president of the TTFF Lennox Watson last week said:”Mr. Shabazz is an employee of the TTFF in the capacity of assistant director of women’s football.
“The Guyana Football Federation (GFF) approached the TTFF for Mr. Shabazz to serve on a loan as Guyana national coach.
“The TTFF released Mr. Shabazz and today we congratulate him on a good job done.
Watson said that the TTFF had received many calls concerning the standing of Shabazz, who coached Guyana as they qualified for the CONCACAF third round of World Cup qualifying at the expense of Trinidad and Tobago.
“His loan with Guyana is now at an end and he (Shabazz) is expected in the next few days to return to his post with the TTFF.
“Should he be required again, the TTFF will have to deal with that,” added Watson.
Watson will hold the position until the TTFF calls a special congress in a few months’ time to appoint a permanent successor to Camps.
Acting president of the GFF Franklin Wilson said last night that the GFF has not received any official word from the TTFF with respect to the status of Shabazz.
Neither has the GFF received any notification from Shabazz.
“Jamaal has not said anything to us,” Wilson said adding,” he has been involved in the project on a specific basis.”
According to Wilson Shabazz has been on loan to the GFF on a “Project Specific Basis” arrangement.
He said that Shabazz was with the Golden Jaguars for the second round matches and he expected the dapper Trinidadian to be with the team for the third round as well.
Asked if there was a contract for the use of Shabazz, Wilson answered in the affirmative.
Wilson informed that Shabazz has returned to Trinidad but could not say when preparations for the crucial third round of matches will commence.
He explained that this was because the GFF was looking to pencil in a few Friendly International engagements for the Golden Jaguars.
Wilson was optimistic over the possibility of having Shabazz for the Friendly matches as well as the third round of the CONCACAF World Cup qualifiers.
“As far as the GFF is concerned we still have an arrangement with Jamaal Shabazz and the TTFF,” he said.
Wilson opined that this latest development might have come about because of the resignation of former TTFF boss Oliver Camps and suggested that the GFF might have to dispatch another letter to the TTFF requesting the services of Shabazz.
“We had to write the previous executive of the TTFF for the services of Shabazz and since Oliver Camps has resigned maybe we will have to write the present executive headed by Watson requesting the services of Shabazz for the next round of matches of Guyana’s World Cup campaign,” Wilson stated.
The Golden Jaguars defeated Trinidad’s Soca Warriors 2-1 at the Providence National Stadium in Guyana in the first game while the Soca Warriors rebounded to score a 2-0 victory in the return match.
