The competitive fallout from the current Covid-19 pandemic continued in the CONCACAF region yesterday with the announcement by the regional confederation that the girls U15 championships and men’s U17 Qualifiers have been suspended until further notice, dealing a further blow to Guyana’s international youth programme.
The correspondence from CONCACAF, stated, “The thoughts of everyone at CONCACAF remain with the communities across our region affected by COVID-19. The health and welfare of everyone involved in our sport is our first priority and we continue to monitor and follow the guidance provided by governments and public health authorities.”
The release further stated, “Given the ongoing uncertainty about when football can resume in our region, we have made the decision to suspend the 2020 CONCACAF girls’ Under-15 c
championships and the 2020 CONCACAF male Under-17 Qualifiers. We will continue to discuss with our Member Associations, FIFA and other stakeholders proposals to reorganize our competitions so we are well prepared when our sport can safely resume in the future.”
Guyana made its maiden appearance in the 2019 male U17 group round. They ended with a winless record following three losses to Haiti, El Salvador and Honduras respectively. Guyana conceded 13 goals and scored none. The Guyanese did not participate in the qualifying round.
Meanwhile, the Lady Jaguars ended their 2018 girls U15 championships with a record of two wins and as many losses. Guyana defeated Curacao 6-0 and overcame the Bahamas 3-2. They suffered defeats to St. Lucia (1-3) and Cayman Islands (0-2) respectively. Guyana did not participate in the 2014 or 2016 editions.
The decision by CONCACAF comes on the heels of the entity deciding to suspend the men’s U20 and girls’ U17 championships. The Lady Jaguars were set to participate in the U17 tournament initially programmed for April 18th-May 3rd in Toluca, Mexico.
Guyana had also qualified for the knockout round of the youth championship, after emerging as the victor of group-D in the qualifying section, which was staged in Ergilio Hato Stadium, Willemstad in Curaçao from August 21st-25th 2019.
The Lady Jaguars secured an unbeaten record following wins over Curacao (2-1), St. Vincent and the Grenadines (6-2) and Bahamas (3-1). They were set to face-off with the group-E winner in the round of 16 section. Group-E comprises Mexico, Trinidad and Tobago, Bermuda and Dominican Republic.
Meanwhile, the entity has opted to suspend the 2020 men’s U20 competition scheduled for Honduras from June 20th-July 5th until further notice. Guyana failed to qualify for the championship, after finishing second in group-A during the qualifying section hosted in Nicaragua during the month of February.
The Guyanese ended the campaign with a record of three wins and a loss. Their lone blemish (going under to the host nation) sealed their exit from the tournament. The Junior Jaguars other opponents were Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG), US Virgin Islands (USVI) and Montserrat.
Guyana, the second highest rated team in the group, defeated Montserrat 6-0, SVG 3-0 and the USVI 2-0 before losing to the hosts 0-1 in their must-win final match. CONCACAF has also opted to suspend the Scotiabank U13 Club Champions League until 2021.