The Golden Jaguars, the senior men’s football program, has been invited to compete in a Tri-Nation Football Series in the twin island republic of Trinidad and Tobago, which will feature the host nation and Barbados from March 27th and 29th.
This was confirmed by a source close to the federation, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. According to the source, “The series is expected to play in the same manner as the recently hosted series in Suriname. The tournament will be used by Guyana and the other teams as part of the preparation for the Nations League. The local based team is currently training at the Providence facility. Guyana will play Barbados first before ending against Trinidad and Tobago.”
GFF General Secretary, Ian Alves, did confirm that the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) has submitted an invitation for Guyana to participate in a three-nation series. However, he informed that the Golden Jaguars’ participation has not been confirmed and he is unaware of the proposed third nation.
“It’s in the planning process, nothing has been confirmed as yet. The [financial] feasibility is being conducted by the federation. The TTFA has extended an invitation and we are checking to see if it’s feasible to accept. The plan is to have a third nation but at the moment I can’t confirm the name of the other country. The tournament is to be held in March.”
The Golden Jaguars’ participation in the Tri-Nation Tournament in Suriname ended with a 2-1 loss to the host. It was the first loss of the Jamaal Shabazz reign, as the hosts relegated Guyana to their fifth defeat in six matches.
The opening match against Barbados was abandoned by the officials’ 12 minutes before the end of the first half, after four players from the Barbados outfit tested positive for Covid-19.
Meanwhile, the Golden Jaguars will know their opponents for the 2nd edition of the Concacaf Nations League, when the regional confederation conducts the official draw on April 4. This was confirmed by an official release from Concacaf. According to the entity, “The 2022–23 CONCACAF Nations League will be the second season of the CONCACAF Nations League, an international association football competition involving the men’s national teams of the 41 member associations of CONCACAF. The group phase of the tournament will start in June 2022, and the final tournament, which will decide the champions, will be played in June 2023.”
Guyana ended the inaugural edition with a record of three wins, two defeats and a draw. The Guyanese defeated Aruba twice (1-0, 4-2) and Antigua and Barbuda once (5-1). However, they suffered defeats to Jamaica (0-4), and Antigua and Barbuda (1-2). The lone draw occurred against Jamaica (1-1).
