GEORGETOWN, Guyana, CMC – Re-appointed Guyana head coach Jamaal Shabazz said he wanted his fourth stint in the post to be marked with players serious about going all the way to the 2026 FIFA World Cup to be jointly hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Shabazz was returned to the post last Friday, having served in the position previously 2005 to 2008, 2011 to 2012 and 2015 to 2016, and having engineered the best performance for the Guyanese in World Cup qualification.
The Golden Jaguars reached the penultimate round of Concacaf qualifiers during their run to reach the 2014 tournament in neighbouring Brazil.
“I’m not too interested in the player who just wants to play and play for fun and go back to his job,” Shabazz said on the 592 Sports talk show on local station BOOM 94.1 FM. “There’s a place for those players in the league, but I want players who want to go to the World Cup.”
Right now, Shabazz said he was targetting a strong run in the 2022 Concacaf Nations League, where the Jaguars will be joined by teams such as Trinidad & Tobago, Haiti, French Guiana, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Bermuda, Belize, St Vincent and the Grenadines, as well as the Dominican Republic in League B.
The Nations League will start next June, but Shabazz said the squad will need tough opposition in the lead-up to the tournament.
“I would like for us to start against a strong opponent, and even if we have to get beaten, it will show us where we are now,” he said.
“So, when we start to train, I would like for us to face an opponent that could be considered a Gold Cup opponent, or even outside of CONCACAF, but an opponent that can beat us.
“I am not afraid to lose, but I need a reality check. And then from there, we can manage and start to build the programme.”
