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Nelson backing GDF to go all the way at CFU Club Shield
The GDF are in Curacao to challenge for the coveted CFU Club Shield trophy.
– Guyanese club in action tomorrow at 5:00 pm
By Rawle Toney
Kaieteur Sports – Guyana Defence Force Football Club Captain, Colin Nelson, said his side is eager to kick off in this year’s Caribbean Football Union (CFU) Club Shield tournament, commencing tomorrow in Curacao.
The GDF team landed in Willemstad on Tuesday and is now honing their preparations for their match against Grenades FC, the reigning champions of Antigua and Barbuda’s Premier Division, scheduled for 5:00 pm.
“We expect good, competitive football. We’ve been preparing for this tournament for quite some time and I think you can expect high-quality football coming from the Guyana Defence Force,” Nelson said.
The GFF Elite League Champions had qualified for the 2018 Caribbean Club Shield but were unable to participate.
However, following their victory in the last GFF Elite League season, GDF FC secured their spot once again in the tournament, which began in 2018.
It’s a do-or-die scenario for the GDF in this knock-out format competition, where a victory for the Camp Ayanganna side on Friday in the preliminary round will set them up against SV Real Rincon from Bonaire on July 28.
Currently leading the GFF Elite League, the GDF holds a two-point advantage over rivals Slingerz FC and maintains an undefeated record across 14 matches.
The GDF will compete for the coveted CFU Club Shield trophy.
Their only setback is a scoreless draw against Slingerz FC, who are also undefeated and have notched up the highest goal tally in the league so far (69), boasting a superior goal difference (+62) over GDF after 14 games.
“We want to execute some of the things we’ve been doing for the past few years. I mean, it’s a knockout tournament and we know the importance of every game and we want to bring that intensity. But there’s nothing different from the way we play,” Nelson added.
Established six years ago, the Caribbean Club Shield aims primarily to promote professional football across the Caribbean.
Participation is open to semi-professional and amateur teams currently holding championship titles in their respective domestic leagues.
Asked about playing against professional clubs, especially coming from an amateur GFF Elite League, the
These are some seasoned teams. They’ve been here before and done well; we respect them, but we want to impose ourselves, our style of player. We want to show the outside world what we have to offer to this tournament,” Nelson pointed out.
The GDF defender said his side is “not fearful of any of these teams. We have seasoned players that played in Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago and other leagues out of Guyana. So we want to impose ourselves and showcase our style (of play).”
Starting this year, the Caribbean Club Shield will be fully organized and managed by the CFU.
Concacaf has shifted responsibility for the tournament, providing support for its execution while the CFU assumes complete organizational control moving forward.
Under the terms of the agreement between the two football bodies, the tournament will be rebranded as the CFU Club Shield and will grant qualification to two clubs for the Concacaf Caribbean Cup.
The tournament format includes up to 16 clubs divided into four groups of four.
The winners of each group advance to the semifinals, with the finalists earning coveted spots in the Concacaf Caribbean Cup and subsequently qualifying for the Concacaf Champions Cup.
Last year, SV Robinhood of Suriname clinched both the Caribbean Club Shield and the Caribbean Cup, cementing their status as the most successful team in the Shield’s history with two titles.
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