Two-time defending Elite League champion Fruta Conquerors will officially compete in the 2021 Concacaf Caribbean Club Shield, following the slated resumption of the regional competition, after the 2020 edition was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
This was disclosed in an official release from the Guyana Football Federation (GFF). The tournament is scheduled from April 1 to11, with the eventual winner of the tournament facing off with the fourth-placed team in the 2021 Caribbean Club Championship for a berth in the Concacaf Champions League.
The Tucville-based team qualified for the tournament by virtue of being the defending Elite League champion. The Elite League has been at a standstill since May 27, 2019, with Conquerors defending their championship with a perfect record of nine wins.
Fruta Conquerors competed in the 2019 version of the prestigious Caribbean tournament, finishing in the cellar of Group-A with a record of two losses and a draw in Curacao.
President of Fruta Conquerors, Colin Gittens, during brief remarks said, “We are delighted to be given a chance once again to represent Guyana at the Concacaf Caribbean Club Shield. We were all very disappointed with the manner in which things turned out last year. Now that we are in the tournament, there is an atmosphere of excitement and purpose throughout the club – the players, staff and ExCo are really motivated and ready to get to work.”
According to Gittens, “I would like to thank President Forde and the GFF for their continued support, which is essential to making this a worthwhile endeavour. Also we would like to thank our sponsors S.M. Jameel and Company Ltd and the Guyana Beverage Inc family, our primary sponsor, for their continuous support throughout the years. Much thanks and appreciation is extended to all other stakeholders and sponsors who supported the club.”
Similarly, head-coach Sampson Gilbert said, “Based on that experience, our aspiration has always been to return and prove that we deserve to be competing as the top team locally. We give ourselves an even chance as any team in the tournament and with adequate preparation and motivation, we will perform well.”
He further added, “The club is proud to represent Guyana’s budding football development in the Shield. This is an opportunity to highlight our competence as national league champions and showcase young and developing talent in our country. Guyana’s football needs this exposure since we’re on the brink of World Cup and Gold Cup qualifiers, while also looking forward to the implementation of a professional league.”
The 2021 Caribbean Club Shield, which is in its fourth edition and is also known as the CFU Club Shield, is staged annually and features clubs from associations affiliated to the Caribbean Football Union (CFU), a sub-confederation under the jurisdiction of Concacaf.
The Caribbean Club Shield, which is directly supervised and administered by Concacaf, was introduced in 2018 for non-professional leagues that are striving towards professional standards.
