-eight candidates shortlisted
The Guyana Football Federation (GFF) is set to announce a new head-coach for the Golden Jaguars Senior Men’s Programme, with eight candidates shortlisted for the role.
This was disclosed yesterday by GFF President Wayne Forde who opted against disclosing the identities of the individuals. However, he stated that he is optimistic that a new coach will be appointed in time to guide the team during the remainder of the 2026 World Cup Qualifiers.
Guyana is slated to battle Nicaragua away on June 6th.
The Golden Jaguars head-coach post was vacated and subsequently filled by Wayne Dover in a caretaker capacity after the GFF ended its contractual engagement with then trainer Jamaal Shabazz for the fourth time.
The vacancy was posted on their official Facebook page. According to the vacancy, interested candidates must possess a “UEFA Pro License or equivalent, the highest-level coaching certification. A minimum of five years of professional coaching experience, including managing at least two senior national teams. A track record of measurable success in international football competitions and in-depth knowledge of modern football tactics, analytics, and player development strategies.”
Interestingly, the aforementioned criteria render Dover’s possible application invalid given his lack of qualification and experience.
Under the stewardship of Shabazz, Guyana made their debut in League A of the CONCACAF Nations League following a perfect 5-0 record in Group D of League B. The Guyanese defeated Antigua and Barbuda [5-1, 6-0], The Bahamas [3-2], and Puerto Rico [3-1, 3-1] to secure their place in the upper echelons of regional football.
Unfortunately, Guyana was also relegated from League A following a record of three losses [3-1, 5-1 Suriname, 3-1, Guatemala] and a draw [2-2, Martinique]. In 2024, Guyana sported an unenviable record of seven defeats, two wins, and a draw under the Trinidad and Tobago native. Overall, in 27 official matches since his reappointment, Shabazz compiled a record of 12 wins, 12 losses, and three draws, according to the digital football database ‘Transfer Markt’. The former Caledonia AIA manager, who has been at the helm of the national setup on three previous occasions (2005-2008, 2011-2012, and 2015-2016), created history when he oversaw the local unit’s record-setting FIFA World Cup 2014 campaign.
The local side, under the stewardship of the Trinidadian, also qualified for the CONCACAF semi-finals of the World Cup qualifying campaign for the first time in its history.
Since then, the Golden Jaguars, under the guidance of Dover, qualified for the CONCACAF Prelims following a 9-4 aggregate victory against Barbados in their two-match series.
However, Guyana’s hopes of qualifying for their second CONCACAF Gold Cup were extinguished as they lost 3-4 on aggregate to Guatemala in a home-and-away series.
