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GFF NC Chairman satisfied with GJs showing in Barbados
-new TD charting the way forward
By Franklin Wilson
Chairman of the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) Normalization Committee (NC),
Clinton Urling
Mr. Clinton Urling has expressed his satisfaction with the performance of the Golden Jaguars in their friendly international against the Barbados Tridents on February 1st in the land of the Flying Fish.
The game, which the Barbadians used to expose their Under-23 team ahead of World Cup qualifying next month, ended 2-2 the home team erasing a 2-0 deficit to earn a draw. Speaking with Kaieteur Sport, Urling said that the team performed creditably considering the circumstances.
”We received the request to participate in the match from Barbados in December 2014, so we did not have much time to put together, and prepare, the squad for the encounter. However, we agreed to the match because it presented an opportunity for the NC to assess the status of the Senior Men’s National Team. Moreover, it provided the clarity for us to put together the pieces of the puzzle moving forward towards World Cup Qualifiers beginning in June for Guyana.”
On the issue of preparations and possible friendly matches for the senior team, the NC head informed that the newly appointed Technical Director Mr. Claude Bolton who has inked a four-year contract with the GFF is tasked with the responsibility of mapping that out.
”The Technical Director is putting the finishing touches on the football calendar for 2015 and that will include matches and tournaments geared at keeping the national team engaged. We have met with the players and the Federation is now looking at several to devise a programme where we can continuously assess their fitness levels and ensure that they maintain a high level year round.”
The GFF had appointed Head Coach Jamaal Shabazz only for the Barbados friendly and Urling stated
Head Coach Jamaal Shabazz giving final instructions to the Golden Jaguars moments before they took on Barbados on February 1, 2015.
that Shabazz and his Technical Staff performed exceptionally noting that he {Shabazz} has been a consummate professional throughout the entire process with the players and the federation.
”In fact, in our closed-door players’ meeting, they all unanimously had high praises for him and his team and said that it was their best experience with a national team management.”
However, in relation to moving forward with the charismatic Shabazz in a similar capacity, Urling pointed out that it will all come down to the existing realities of the GFF in terms of its finances and what it can offer.
”In other territories, like Trinidad for example, government or corporate sponsors pay the Head Coach and TDs. However, in our context, there is no such support and the federation is left to absorb all costs.
A busy year awaits the GFF and NC, apart from the World Cup qualifiers for Russia 2018, the federation has pulled out the stops to register Guyana for the Olympic qualifiers which are expected to start in the final quarter of 2015.
”Soon we will begin the process of putting together and training that squad. Only two players from the Barbados game would qualify for the U23 team, so we have an opportunity to identify and work with the next generation of Senior National Team players. No concrete decision has been made in terms of the Coach for the squad. Those discussions are currently ongoing.”
Urling noted that there is a lot of work to be done to return the sport to a firm holistic footing. The NC has already appointed a TD and a Director of Finance and is in the process of recruiting a Director of Sponsorship, Communications, and Marketing and a General Secretary as they seek to strengthen the GFF on and off the field of play.
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