-GFF offers no explanation
The dates and venues for the Golden Jaguars’ Concacaf Gold Cup preliminary round fixtures against Guatemala have been confirmed for March 21 and 25. However, in a surprising decision, the national team’s home fixture will not be played on Guyanese soil but instead in Barbados.
This move is in line with previous instances where the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) has opted to host home matches abroad due to various challenges. In an effort to seek clarification, Stabroek Sport reached out to the GFF’s Public Relations department but received no response.
The trend of relocating home games is not new for Guyana’s national team. In March 2021, during the Qatar 2022 World Cup Qualifiers, Guyana’s designated home fixture against The Bahamas was played in the Dominican Republic. The change was primarily due to COVID-19 protocols and related logistical hurdles in the region.
More recently, in October 2023, the Golden Jaguars’ Concacaf Nations League matches against Puerto Rico were relocated to St. Kitts. The decision stemmed from the inadequate football facilities in both countries, leading Concacaf to approve a venue change to maintain player safety and match integrity.
A recurring issue in these relocations has been the substandard condition of Guyana’s sole local pitch at the National Track & Field Centre on the West Coast of Demerara. Former Head Coach Jamaal Shabazz had previously voiced concerns over the quality of home grounds, stressing the importance of providing players with proper playing surfaces, even at the cost of forfeiting home advantage. After a match against Montserrat, which was also played in Barbados due to pitch concerns, Shabazz stated that he preferred playing in another country to ensure a suitable playing surface for the players.
However, this time around, Stabroek Sport was able to confirm that the football pitch at the National Track & Field Centre, at Edinburgh, is in an excellent condition. According to a source in the NTFC’s management, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, “the pitch is in better condition than it was before when we had hosted Guatemala in the Nations League”.
