The Government of Guyana has thrown its support behind Guyana’s National Men’s Football team, the Golden Jaguars, by way of sponsoring the team’s airfare to the Twin Island Republic of Trinidad and Tobago where they will face that nation’s National team, the Soca Warriors in two friendly matches.
The support, through the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport, is part of the government’s ‘renewed’ interest in the National team.
The team which will be made up of the local faction of National players will take on the Soca Warriors on Monday (May 13) and Wednesday (May 15).
Ahead of the team’s departure, Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport, Charles Ramson Jr. met with the players and officials at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre yesterday and claimed that the present administration’s investment into the team is unprecedented.
“The investment that we’re making now in the Guyana National Football team, we’ve never made this level of investment before, that’s the reality.”
Speaking to the media at the engagement, Ramson Jr. noted; “We’re sending 30 persons over to Trinidad to play against their National team and their elite players there and there’s a reason for that. You know, you can never improve your skills and your teamwork and your capabilities as a team, if you’re not playing against better teams and it’s no secret, Trinidad has got a very good team.”
While the two matches against the Trinidadian opposition will serve as a preparation before Guyana’s World Cup Qualifying campaign, Ramson Jr. teased the notion of testing the national side’s mettle against Brazilian opposition.
“I think where this is concerned, this is one of the ways where we can make a good investment into them going to practice against better teams. We’re looking to have something against a team in Brazil later on, maybe in a month or two, depending on what the schedule looks like. But that’s on the cards right now. It’s something that the President and I have discussed, and it’s something, at the level of the cabinet, it’s also discussed too,” Ramson Jr. declared.
The team which has been listed to represent Guyana in T&T is composed of 24 locally based players.
The squad reads:
Goalkeepers
Jamaine Cumberbatch (GDF)
Amari Thompson (FC Motown)
Simon Emmanuel (Santos)
Defenders
Jeremy Garnett (Slingerz)
Curtez Kellman (Slingerz)
Quincy Adams (Slingerz)
Colin Nelson (GDF)
Kevin Layne (GPF)
Cedric Osborn (GDF)
Midfielders
Leo Lovell (Slingerz)
Bevan Baker (Inter Gainesville)
Terique Mohamed (Unattached)
Amos Ramsay (GDF)
Nicolai Andrews (GDF)
Ryan Hackett (GDF)
Simeon Moore (Slingerz)
Daniel Wilson (Western Tigers)
Chris Macey (GDF)
Darron Niles (Slingerz)
Solomon Austin (Caledonia)
Forwards
Kelsey Benjamin (GDF)
Marcus Tudor (Slingerz)
Anthony Smith (Cleon FC)
Stephen McDonald (GDF)
