Guyana’s return to the international football circuit suffered an unexpected and disappointing result after their international friendly encounter against traditional Caribbean rival Barbados was abandoned in the 33rd minute, following the confirmation of several positive COVID-19 results.
The match was abandoned by the officials 12 minutes before the end of the first half.
According to information emanating from the Flora Stadium in Paramaribo, Suriname, hosts of the Tri-Nation tournament, four players from the Barbados outfit have tested positive for COVID-19. In a Facebook post on their official page, the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) confirmed the outcome, stating, “The senior men’s national team friendly match against Barbados in Suriname has been abandoned during the first half with the score at 0-0. During the game, it emerged that several Barbadian players involved in the match had returned positive COVID results following tests conducted today [yesterday] for travel purposes.”
The termination of the fixture transpired during a water break. It is unclear why the match was allowed to commence by the local federation without the confirmation of the respective player statuses. Similarly, it is unknown as to the type of tests, whether PCR or Antigen, that were conducted on players of both sides.
Suriname defeated Barbados 1-0 in the first match of the event on Friday. Due to the resulting status of several members of the Barbados team, the possibility exists that several players and officials from the host nation have also been infected.
This could lead to the possible cancellation of the Guyana and Suriname encounter, which is scheduled for tomorrow, if both nations suffer unfortunate infections.
Prior to the unfortunate ending, the Golden Jaguars starting XI consisted of Sese Norville (GK), Colin Nelson, Nikkoloi Matthews, Kevin Dundas, Job Caesar, Daniel Wilson, Pernel Schultz, Omari Glasgow, Nicholas MacArthur, Kelsey Benjamin and Shemar Fraser.
The Guyanese crafted the only two noteworthy opportunities before the abrupt end, in what can be described as a cautious encounter.
MacArthur recorded the first attempt in the 19th minute, uncorking a powerful strike from the right side of the box, which forced a diving save from the custodian, after racing onto a lobbed through pass from Wilson.
He would be denied once more, this time in the 23rd minute, as the opposing custodian fashioned a last ditch challenge following a one on one situation, after the forward latched onto a flat sided pass from Glasgow during a counterattack.
The Tri-Nation event is the first competition for newly appointed head coach Jamal Shabazz, who took over the reins from previous trainer Marcio Maximo in 2021.
Guyana in their previous five outings, possess an unenviable 1-4 record, following defeats to Guatemala (0-4), Puerto Rico (0-2), St. Kitts and Nevis (0-3) and Trinidad and Tobago (0-3). Their only victory during this window occurred against the Bahamas (4-0).
