Former Golden Jaguar and current Caledonia AIA head coach Jamal Shabazz says that he is disheartened to know that the Kashif and Shanghai Organization will not be hosting their traditional senior yearend football tournament this year.
Speaking at a press conference yesterday at the Ministry of Education ground, Carifesta Avenue following the conclusion of the organization’s two-day coaching seminar, Shabazz said “I am brother of Guyana football and I was saddened to know that the tournament won’t be happening”.
He further stated “The Kashif and Shanghai organization opened the door for 51 Guyanese players to come and play professional football in Trinidad and Tobago with 28 of those players playing for my team Caledonia AIA”.
He noted that while the organization might not see immediate success in their new venture, he is proud of the entity for investing in an avenue that can and will be better than their previous tournament.
“By the Kashif and Shanghai getting involved with this tournament, they have thought about the future. It’s a relay, it’s about starting the race and passing the baton” added Shabazz.
Alpha United Head coach Wayne Dover said “This is something that should have long happened. As a nation we are now seriously concentrating on youth development and we are optimistic that we can find more players such as Charles Pollard, Anthony Abrams and Gregory Richardson through initiatives like this”.
“I applaud the organization for this initiative and also for including Shabazz who would have played an integral part in the development of Guyana football. We look forward to the continued ongoing process of education and development of the nation’s youths” added Dover.
Guyana Football Federation (GFF) Vice President of Technical and Tactical Development Ivan Persaud said “This is very important for the development of football in Guyana and I am very pleased to be part of the coaching team. I thank the organizers for giving me the opportunity to share some of my knowledge with representatives of the competing schools”.
The coaching seminar which was conducted in an effort to level the playing field before the December 8th commencement of their yearend secondary school tournament, started on Wednesday November 13th.
Representatives from the competing 24 schools participated in the theoretical and practical sessions which were supervised by coaches Shabazz, Dover and Persaud. They were also additional participants from others schools that are not competing in the event.
Prior to the conclusion of the press conference, former Guyana International Vibert ‘Durdy’ Butts was presented with an official Golden Jaguar FIFA World Cup Qualifying Team Jersey for his contribution to the sport.
Butts is renowned for netting Guyana’s first ever FIFA World Cup qualifying goal against Suriname in 1976.
