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Callum Harriott included in Shabazz plans for Nations League
– National team returns to training tomorrow
By Rawle Toney
Kaieteur News – Gillingham Football Club winger, Callum Harriott, has been included in Coach Jamaal Shabazz’s overseas contingent for the resumption of the CONCACAF Nations League and other engagements for the Golden Jaguars, the country’s senior Men’s National football team.
Guyana’s Callum Harriott in action for Gillingham FC.
Harriott featured on Saturday in his club’s 1 – 0 defeat to Leicester City in the third round of the English FA Cup.
The former England U19 and Reading FC player, since his debut for the Golden Jaguars in 2019, has been an important component for Coaches Michael Johnson, Marcio Maximo and now Jamaal Shabazz.
However, Harriott was out for a year following a rape allegation in which he was unanimously found not guilty in August of 2022 by a jury after four hours of deliberations following a five-day trial at Ipswich Crown Court.
The 28-year-old, who maintained his innocence since the allegation in July 2021, would return to sign with League Two club Gillingham FC last November, being seen by Coach Neil Harris’ side as a player that can add value to their club.
Golden Jaguars Head Coach, Jamaal Shabazz
Shabazz, speaking exclusively to Kaieteur News, said he was happy to have Harriott’s inclusion, adding, “Almost all of the players based overseas are part of my plans, especially Callum Harriott. But we will want to make sure that they’re having regular playing time and are active.”
The Trinidadian Head Coach said the players will be narrowed down based on their ability to fit into his game model and commitment to the programme.
According to Shabazz, “The last occasion in my effort to get better quality players into the team, I listened to the players, they all said the right things, but on the pitch, they were not disciplined, and the game model and chemistry was affected.”
Callum Harriott
The Golden Jaguars will bounce back into action officially on March 23 in an away game against Bermuda in Hamilton after winning the first leg at the National Track and Field Centre 2 – 1, thanks to goals from Trayon Bobb and Omari Glasgow.
Almost 70 players will go into training tomorrow (January 10), and Shabazz warned that being based locally doesn’t mean a player is entitled.
“I think the locally-based players are always in our eyes and always have a bite of the cherry. However, it’s not a foregone conclusion that because they’re here, they’re in,” the candid coach highlighted.
Shabazz said he will be working with the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) on getting international matches for the local lads before their recommencement of the Nations League.
“I want to see these players. I want to select the best of our boys in Guyana,” Shabazz said, while adding, “Because at the end of the day, I have to face the nation, I have to face the likes of Rawle Toney (Kaieteur News) and Duncan Saul (Stabroek News) …I have to face the people all over the country.”
To strike a balance, Shabazz believes mechanisms should be put in place to travel overseas to have a closer look at the talent available in the diaspora, pointing out, “I have a direct responsibility to the people of Guyana and the support must be there for me to travel and see these players.”
The Golden Jaguars are sitting second in Group B of League B in the CONCACAF Nations League behind an unbeaten Haiti on six points.
The Haitians are at the top of the table on 10 points following back-to-back wins against Guyana (6-2, 6-0) and Montserrat (3 – 2), along with a goalless draw with Bermuda.
Guyana apart from their defeat to the Haitians had wins over Montserrat (2 – 1) and Bermuda (2-1).
Following their away game against Bermuda, the Golden Jaguars will return home to play Montserrat in their final Nations League game on March 27.
It is not clear if the team’s final home game will be played in Guyana, since the National Track and Field Centre, the venue used for International Football, is closed for repairs and upgrade to the field, with an estimation of completion in April.
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