Following the official draw of the CONCACAF Qualifiers for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, former Golden Jaguars captain Christopher Nurse stated that the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, will have a severe impact on the quality of the preparation for the respective nations.
This was stated during an exclusive interview yesterday with Stabroek News. According to Nurse, 36, the current climate has affected every competing nation, and as such, all and sundry will be on equal footing heading into their respective encounters. The former defensive midfielder noted that unless the respective teams have a large number of players competing overseas, preparation will be hindered severely during the current health crisis.
“Unfortunately, I believe the pandemic is going to have drastic effects on the preparedness and readiness of the teams and players in the region in the build-up to these fixtures. Just over the past few days Trinidad has entered a 28-day lockdown period which will cease any preparations for the national team. Many other countries are facing a similar situation and unless they have a large pool of players in Europe and the US where it seems training and leagues have restarted without hindrance it will be very difficult to prepare efficiently.”
Nurse, who served as captain of the national side from 2011-2017, stated that while the current health crisis poses significant problems, strategic planning and execution can ensure that the team is well prepared for the sporting challenges ahead.
He further said, “Of course, with these challenges comes opportunity. However, it will require significant investment and resources for Guyana to be able to prepare efficiently whilst many other nations are locked down. It would require significant testing to ensure players are Covid negative for training sessions and camps. So, there are many challenges to navigate in this time but with some proactive thinking and articulate steering I truly believe in terms of qualification for World Cup qualifiers Guyana could be the silent underdog who makes it.”
Guyana was drawn in group-F of the CONCACAF Qualifiers on August 19th, alongside the likes of Trinidad and Tobago, St. Kitts and Nevis, Puerto Rico and The Bahamas. The Golden Jaguars best campaign occurred in the 2014 Qualifying Championship, as they secured a place in the third round, the penultimate stage of the Qualifiers.
He opined that the ideal route for Guyana to prepare in the future for tournaments of this magnitude, is to utilize their geographical advantage in securing fixtures against CONMEBOL opposition.
Nurse stated, “In ideal circumstances I believe the best way for Guyana to prepare is to use our territorial advantage and face some of the teams in CONMEBOL to prepare for the upcoming games. Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru. Whilst we may not be at the same level as yet it is a great opportunity to challenge ourselves and prepare against tougher opposition than we may face in the road to world cup qualification. With Covid-19, this endeavour would be very tough and unlikely. However, it is something Guyana should seek to utilise in the future.”
