The Lady Jaguars suffered a major setback ahead of their opening Group A match yesterday in the CONCACAF U-20 Women’s Qualifiers against Belize in Antigua and Barbuda, as five players were deemed ineligible to compete owing to an absence of a Guyanese passport.
This was confirmed by a source close to the team who spoke on the condition of anonymity. The five players who are ineligible to compete are Olivia Watt, Kaela Medas, Shareina Langevine, Sarah DaSilva, and Myanna Fernandes.
According to the source, “Approximately five players are ineligible to compete for the women’s U20 team as they are not in possession of a Guyanese passport. They are Olivia Watt, Kaela Medas, Shareina Langevine, Sarah DaSilva, and Myanna Fernandes. It is unclear why these players were allowed to be part of this team by the GFF [Guyana Football Federation] when their travel documents, which serve as a form of authentication of their nationality, were not available.”
The source further said, “This is a very embarrassing situation and illustrates mismanagement and incompetence on the part of the GFF. How could the GFF have allowed these players who did not have their Guyanese passports to be a part of the team when they knew that they couldn’t participate given the tournament regulations? The GFF is wasting resources on trying to acquire passports for these players to authenticate their nationality, and it has become a recurring theme with Guyana, especially at the youth level.”
However, the GFF explained the conundrum in a response to Stabroek Sport. “Players born outside of Guyana are eligible to represent the nation once it is demonstrated to the relevant authorities that either a parent or grandparent was born in Guyana. FIFA regulations permit this eligibility, provided the player presents a valid passport—issued by the country of birth of their parent or grandparent—to the designated Match Commissioner on the day of the game”.
“The process of obtaining these passports is complex and requires coordinated efforts from multiple parties. In previous years, authorities did not require players to be physically present for passport issuance, which significantly reduced logistical and financial burdens on the GFF. However, within the last 24 hours, a policy change has mandated in-person appearances.”
“For the past two decades, a designated technical official from the travel contingent would remain in Guyana to collect any passports subject to delays. Such delays can occur due to the vetting of source documents, late call-ups, the identification of exceptional talent, or the standard processing time for applications. Securing passports for diaspora players is an inherently demanding task for the national team management, a challenge further compounded when managing four national teams simultaneously”.
They confirmed; “Currently, five players in the U-20 Women’s squad have been affected by this situation and do not have their Guyana passport. The Guyana Football Federation remains committed to resolving this matter and is actively engaging with all relevant stakeholders to find a solution”.
The Lady Jaguars’ 21-member roster comprises approximately 17 overseas-born players. They will now only have 16 eligible players for the remainder of the tournament.
The Guyanese have been paired with Haiti, Belize, and the host nation.
Guyana was to open their campaign against Belize last night. Their next fixture is against the host nation on the 23rd.
Their final fixture against Haiti will transpire on the 25th. All matches will be staged at the Antigua and Barbuda Football Association Technical Centre.
Meanwhile, Group B comprises Puerto Rico, El Salvador, Honduras, and the US Virgin Islands, while Group C features the Dominican Republic, Panama, Cuba, and Bonaire, and Group D contains Jamaica, Nicaragua, St. Kitts and Nevis, and St. Vincent & the Grenadines.
Group E is made up of Canada, Trinidad & Tobago, Bermuda, and Dominica, with Costa Rica, Guatemala, the Cayman Islands, and Aruba making up Group F.
Upon the conclusion of the group round, the respective winners will advance to the championship segment and join the pre-seeded nations, the United States and Mexico.
In the 2023 edition, Guyana ended with a record of two wins and a draw but missed out on qualifying for the final tournament owing to an inferior goal differential after ending on seven points with the Dominican Republic.
