Former Caribbean All Star and Guyana footballer Earl O’ Neal yesterday
said he is very disappointed with the National Sports Commission (NSC) in their decision to overlook players from outside the Georgetown district for national team selection.
O’Neal is the coach of the Inter-Guiana Games football squad currently training for the upcoming games later this month against Suriname and French Guiana.
Speaking exclusively to Stabroek Sports, he said:” I am very upset about it because you can’t get a countrywide school tournament which Digicel runs and then tell me that none of the players from outside of Georgetown are eligible.”
O’Neal, who has coached the IGG football team to victory on six occasions, added: “We were to go up there (Linden) to hold trials and then everything broke down from there which is very unfair to the guys. I can’t do that and I will never accept that. You have to give the guys a chance. Linden has always produced a lot of quality U-19 players and now you are saying you don’t want to host trials up there.”
Asked if he will remain at the helm of the team despite the NSC’s decision, he said “Yes but I think they need to explain to me why they don’t want to include people from outside of Georgetown. They have to include the people. Guyana is a big place and have talent all over.
“This is why we are getting nowhere and nothing has improved. We have always been doing well at the level. How can you pick a team without the Linden and Waramadong players? How can you pick a team from just Georgetown, they have good players from Berbice, East Coast, East Bank and West Demerara.”
Questioned about the player make-up at the recently held team trials, O’Neal said: “It’s mostly Georgetown players and all the trials that were kept were for the Georgetown players. I don’t know the reason why the NSC acting like that.”
