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Weather is not the challenge, its facilities – Shabazz
By Franklin Wilson
“We can’t stop the rain from falling, but greater efforts can be made for us to have the right facilities to train.”
These were the words of Guyana Football Federation Technical Director Jamaal Shabazz speaking with Kaieteur Sport on Monday afternoon at the Camptown ground after the local based ‘Golden Jaguars’ were held to a 0-0 tie by Sunburst Camptown in their first warm up match.
Conditions were heavy due to the constant rainy weather pattern which has continued to be a major challenge for team preparation; the national under-17 team, preparing for the Caribbean Football Union competition later this month, has been facing similar challenges.
Shabazz believes that it is impossible for teams to prepare properly in heavy and soggy conditions noting that the game should not have played since it puts the players at risk.
He is hoping that for the 5-day camp prior to the kick off of group ‘B’ of the Digicel Caribbean Championship (DCC) that the GFF can be able to secure the National Stadium, Providence, where 2 of the 3 matches will be played.
“The job of the coach is to prepare the team, the job of the administration is to get the facilities and give the coach what he needs in order to do a good job.”
The Trinidad and Tobago na
tional who is also Technical Director of Neal and Massy Caledonia AIA said that everybody wants a result but asked the question, what is being done to put things in place to ensure the team gets what it needs?
“I hear a lot of illiteracy, but people are entitled to their views and opinions and we have to continue to rise above the challenges.”
Shabazz believes that if everybody does their job it would be better for Guyana’s football. “But you get the feelings that administrators, fans and even the media wants victory, but we get victory as a result of not in spite of. And men have to get out off their lofty seats and come and roll up their sleeves in the mud and see where the players have to train.”
“When and administrator look and see, hey, this is what a player have to go through? If he has anything in him he would say ‘nah’, I can’t sit down and sleep, I have to find somewhere that is way better.”
The TD is strongly of the view that the passion to succeed with all the tools available must be all around. He says it must not just be the players, the coaching staff and the fans it must come from the administration too.
“If everybody works together in a collective way then we can achieve again but if people feel that they could just sit and expect God to deliver a facility then it’s crazy.”
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