The Guyana Football Federation (GFF) officially launched the Golden Jaguars campaign for the upcoming, third round, World Cup qualifiers which commences next month with a glowing ceremony at the Princess Hotel, yesterday.
The national team will face CONCACAF powerhouses Mexico, Costa Rica and El Salvador in the aforementioned round.
The first game is against the Mexico unit ranked 21st in the world in 27 days time, at the world renowned Estadio Azteca.
The Mexico team comprises world stars such as Manchester United’s Javier Hernandez, Rafael Marquez of New York Red Bulls and Giovanni Dos Santos of Tottenham Hotspurs to name a few.
Master of Ceremonies and GFF General Coordinator Kirk Douglas introduced the head table which included representatives from all the sponsors namely GT&T, Sponsports, Demerara Distillers Limited (DDL), Bakewell, Stag Beer, Ashmin’s and Princess Hotel, along with dignitaries such as the Minister of Culture Youth & Sport, Dr. Frank Anthony, Interim Management Committee Chairman Clive Lloyd, and acting GFF President and GFF General Secretary Franklin Wilson and Noel Adonis respectively.
After the sponsors all spoke almost verbatim about their pleasure to be associated with the national team and pledged continued support for the team in its sojourn to reach the 2014 World Cup finals in Brazil, charismatic national coach Jamaal Shabazz (one of the three keynote speakers on the morning) stepped to the podium and spoke frankly about his vision for the national team for and beyond the World Cup qualifiers.
He began by giving a nostalgic synopsis as to how his aim in his current second tenure as coach, differs from his first tenure from 2005-2008.
“First time I came to Guyana, when Kashif and Shanghai brothers brought me here, my intention was simply all about football. I saw many players but no facilities. I felt a passion that if football is organized properly, Guyana could be a great nation in football,” the Trinidadian said.
He expanded by referencing to the great West Indies Cricket team of the 1970s and 1980’s, skippered by Lloyd.
“But this second time I have come from last August to now, it’s different. I come with a Caribbean sprit, to use sports to lift the condition of our people. When I look at the players and coaches in the Caribbean, they are as good as the Europeans. Look at the cricket team Lloyd produced that dominated the world. Big difference in football is that our people are suffering while in the rest of the world people making big money from football. I see this in Trinidad and Jamaica, coaches lower down the ladder are suffering. When I look at Caribbean society, the governance and politics is mirrored in the sports, we think about power – but don’t think about people – this is a big problem.”
Shabazz concluded by stressing why Guyana needs to make football a brand like Jamaica & Trinidad have done, so that it can sustain the nation for years to come.
“I was in Kenya recently and I recall having a conversation about Caribbean society with some folks over there and no one knew who Eric Williams, Patrick Manning, Forbes Burnham, Cheddi Jagan were. But they knew who Ato Bolton, Clive Lloyd and Dwight Yorke were. This shows how sport has the ability to break continental barriers, ” he stated.
“It is not a football team that comes out of this group; It is a country, it is a people. Not a PPP, AFC or APNU,” stated Shabazz forcefully to boisterous applause from the audience.
“Some people may say as a Trinidadian what makes me qualified to speak on this political situation in Guyana. But recently I found out from my aunt that my grandmother is from Berbice, so I’m waiting for anyone to tell me now I’m not Guyanese,” he joked.
“People in Guyana still think Jamaal Shabazz can do magic. It’s not that, it’s not right to give credit to one man who is just acting as one part of entire vision. It’s very important that when Mexico and these teams come, it is important that they see a Guyana people instead of just a football team – that’s a big difference.
“What Trinidad saw here last November in the height of election season wasn’t factions – but a stadium full of a united Guyanese people. How did Europeans and South American make money from football so that they can pay players and coaches? They developed a brand “European style.
“Jamaica hasn’t qualified for the World Cup finals since 1998 – but look where they are in the FIFA rankings. This is so because they have been trying to develop a product that can sustain their people. They can export players all over world, the stadium is always filled when the “Reggae Boyz” play this is so because the Jamaican people players and corporate Jamaica understand their role.”
Minister Anthony noted that the term “Golden Jaguars” is now a phrase that is synonymous with success and he encouraged more entities in the business community to support the national football team in their continued historic journey. He also said that he hopes to sit down with the federation soon, so that his ministry can work out a solid mechanism to support the team financially.
The Golden Jaguars theme song was also launched and prominent local artistes Jomo and Adrian Dutchin joined with members of the team in reciting the words of the song.
