Long serving Golden Jaguars captain Chris Nurse said the ongoing Caribbean Football Union (CFU) Caribbean Cup Qualifiers could be his last international campaign with the Senior National setup.
Nurse who missed the second round of matches due to unknown reasons prompting rumors of international retirement, is the most successful captain in the nation’s history after leading Guyana to the CONCACAF semi-finals of the World Cup qualifying campaign.
In an exclusive interview with Stabroek Sports, Nurse said “I have not “officially” resigned from International football as yet. It is no secret that however this may very well be the last meaningful tournament in which I participate in for Guyana. I want my international career to end the same way it started, on the field giving my all for Guyana”.
According to the English born midfielder “Despite all the off field battles with the administration, I want to be remembered for my on field contributions to Guyana Football. I have recently been in contact with the coaching staff and if called upon I will be available for the upcoming games”.
Nurse was recently shortlisted in Guyana’s 55 member provisional squad for the upcoming matches with Suriname and Jamaica in the month of October. Guyana will oppose Suriname on October 8th in Paramaribo before facing off with Jamaica three days later on local soil.
Nurse declared “There are two tough games against Suriname and world powerhouse Jamaica who boast the captain of the current Premier League champions within their ranks. My father is Guyanese and my mother is Jamaican, so my family support will be divided to say the least”.
“Preparation for Guyana has been non-existent, let’s be honest. But somehow, the heart of the Guyanese players always allows them to have an opportunity of success despite inferior facilities and preparation to almost all of our opponents. So we still anticipate and good battle of which we can be victorious” the midfielder said.
Asked about the reasons for his non participation in the second round of the Caribbean Cup Qualifiers, Nurse revealed “In the last games I was unable to play for Guyana in an individual protest to the handling of affairs in regards to the monies outstanding to the players from 4 years ago for the games versus Mexico”.
Nurse affirmed that various administrations have had the opportunity to rectify the issue, noting he hoped the present administration would have “handled the matter with a greater level of importance, found a solution and provided closure”.
He stated “However this was not the case and the toxic culture that has engulfed Guyana football over the past decade of broken promises, prolonged periods without correspondence and the lack of forthcoming information led to my decision to make a stand”.
The current Puerto Rico FC player said as captain his responsibility is to represent the players of both past and present, declaring “It did not feel right to play knowing the previous players who paved the way for the current stars were still being treated so badly. We spend so much time admiring the ‘hall of fame’ of other countries that we forget to realise that we “Guyana” do not have one of our own”.
“Some of the players from FIFA 2012 World Cup Qualifiers would rightfully be there, Pollard, McKinnon, and Rodrigues etc. If we do not respect ourselves how can we expect the respect and support from others? Consistently players are always the afterthought in every process, we place trust and faith in the administration to handle affairs efficiently with the best interests of the players at heart and so many times we are left disappointed. The culture has to change in this aspect” he affirmed.
Quizzed if a return in a managerial role would be on the cards in the future following retirement, he said “Once my playing days are over there is a certainty that I will be part of the development of football in Guyana at a grassroots level.
“I have long stated my ambitions to give back and I am working on ways I can do this independently from any federation or governing bodies and I am in the infancy stage of laying the foundations in this regard. But rest assured I will remain committed to helping the youths develop once my playing days are over” he added.
