Guyana Football Federation (GFF) President Wayne Forde says that the Golden Jaguars have a once in a generation opportunity to qualify for the 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup and is urging the fans support the team during their critical clash with Belize on March 23.
“This is a huge moment for our football. March 23 is the biggest match in Guyana’s footballing history. We are on the cusp of making history by qualifying for the CONCACAF Gold Cup for the first time,” Forde stated in a press release.
“It’s an incredible opportunity for our players, our football destiny, and our nation. The match against Belize is a moment of national importance. I want to urge all of Guyana to come together as a nation to celebrate football and to support the team,” he added.
Forde said the support of the fans was desperately needed. “This is no time for complacency – we really need the fans to be there as that 12th man for the team. Belize has everything to play for and we have seen a lot of surprise results in these qualification rounds. We won’t be taking anything for granted. But we know we have the talent, and I have every confidence in our players and the backroom staff,” he declared.
Forde promised football fans a night to remember.
“Coach Michael Johnson is working hard with his team – here and overseas – to get the preparations right. We will be ready to deliver a night to remember in March and give the nation something to really cheer about.”
In preparation for the clash, the GFF has released a 35 member local squad to begin preparation for the fixture at the National Training Centre, Providence. The team will be under the guidance of the GFF Technical Department and will train three times a week. Guyana currently sit on six points and in eighth place.
Guyana drew with Barbados 2-2 in the opening match. However on December they were awarded the victory by CONCACAF after it was deemed that the Barbadians fielded two ineligible players.
In their second match, Guyana thrashed Turks and Caicos 8-0, before going down to French Guiana 2-1.
The top 10 teams qualify for the Concacaf Gold Cup, which features 16 teams and will be hosted in the United States, Costa Rica and a Caribbean host from June 15th-July 7th.
The top six teams also qualify for Concacaf Nations League A, with the teams ranked 7-22 in the table qualifying for League B.
The United States, Mexico, Costa Rica, Trinidad & Tobago, Panama and Honduras have already qualified as the teams that participated in the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying hexagonal league.
