The Golden Jaguars historic qualification for the CONCACAF Gold Cup will be featured on a special edition of the FIFA Football television show, which is set to be aired April 15th.
Guyana qualified for the prestigious confederation tournament following a 2-1 victory over Belize on the final day of the CONCACAF Nations League qualifiers. The Gold Cup will run from June 15th-July 7th.
According to an official release from the Guyana Football Federation [GFF], the FIFA production crew was granted full behind the scenes access to the team’s local preparation for the tournament.
This also included interviews with Head-Coach Michael Johnson and players including match winner Emery Welshman, goal scorer Neil Danns, fan favourite Stephen Duke-McKenna, Reading FC star Callum Harriott and Guyanese football legend Gregory “Jackie Chan” Richardson.
FIFA Football Producer Andrew Tomczak said, “When we realised that Guyana stood on the brink of qualification for the Gold Cup, we thought it would be a fascinating story to cover for our show. We were delighted to be able to shadow the squad as they prepared for the biggest game in the country’s history and gained a fascinating insight into the people who were involved in making this dream real.”
The short documentary is being produced by Pitch International and will be available following its broadcast on FIFA’s YouTube Channel.
Tomczak further said “As well as being able to chronicle that incredible night of emotion and celebration, we were also able to spend some time travelling the country looking at some of the excellent grassroots and development work which is happening throughout the country.”
The film crew, which consisted of cameraman Ricardo Sanchez, also conducted interviews with GFF President Wayne Forde, Technical Director Ian Greenwood and Youth Development Officer Bryan Joseph about the federation’s national football development programmes.
They also filmed grassroots sessions in Georgetown and a regional youth academy clinic at the FIFA-funded National Training Centre, Providence.
The crew also conducted a visit to the southern Rupununi region on the border with Brazil to experience and explore hinterland football culture, with trips to Kumu, St. Ignatius and Lethem.
Tomczak added, “We were made to feel extremely welcome throughout the duration of our stay and left the country with nothing but good memories. Thank you Guyana! We look forward to showing you the final programme and hopefully providing a lasting chronicle of your achievements!”
Meanwhile, Forde said, “Guyana’s remarkable progress as a footballing nation is attracting international attention and raising the profile of our talent and our nation. We are excited to show the world the passion that all Guyanese have for the beautiful game. It was a pleasure to host the FIFA Football crew and to have the chance to showcase our nation, our talent, and our football development programmes alongside the incredible achievements of the Golden Jaguars.”
