-GFF
President of the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) Colin Klass and national coach Paul James believe that disgruntled former members of the Golden Jaguars still stand a chance of coming back and representing their country.
According to the two officials, once any of the players are available and willing to play the opening is always there.
When Guyana exited the Digicel Caribbean Championship last year, the players jointly stated that once Klass remained at the helm of the sport, they will not be representing Guyana again.
The players and the GFF battled back and forth and the media both local and regional had a field day over the issue.
But things took a turn after a month-long bickering between the players and the local football administration after a letter was sent asking them to put in writing their commitment to continue as members of Guyana’s senior national unit.
Klass has been at the helm of the GFF for over two decades andso it came as no surprise when the Jaguars’ case died a natural death.
Since then, the GFF has stated that they would be going through a rebuilding stage and their participation at the just-concluded Parbo Bier Cup in Suriname supported that position.
Ironically, defender Howard Lowe, who was part of the last national team and has been for the past decade, was appointed captain of the rejuvenated team.
At a press conference yesterday, Klass said that although they are now focusing on rebuilding the squad from the ground up, he saw no problem in having a few of the former Jaguars on the team.
“I honestly don’t have a problem with accommodating a few of the players from the previous team once they are available and prepared to represent Guyana again. For me it’s nothing personal, but we at the GFF would not be condoning indiscipline,” Klass said.
“I was pleased to hear from the manager and coach from this team that the players were well behaved so I have no problem accommodating a few of them back, but at this time what we are really trying to do is to give our young players the exposure.”
James took a similar position, noting that “as a coach you also want to have the best players on the team, but it all comes down to if they want to play.
“For me I have no problem, I would love to have a few of the players from the previous team once if we contact them and they say yes we can come and play, it would be good for the younger players that we have already marked here,” said James.
Former national striker Collie ‘Hit Man’ Hercules and national captain Charles ‘Lilly’ Pollard have hung up their boots from international football stating that they feel the time had come for them to step aside from the game after serving well over 15 years.
Pollard had also announced his retirement after Guyana was knocked out in the first Digicel tournament in Trinidad and Tobago but thanks to some persuasion from former technical director Jamaal Shabazz, he returned.
During this time, the duo along with strikers Gregory Richardson, Nigel Codgrington, midfield players Kayode McKinnon and Shawn Bishop and goalkeeper Richard Reynolds, just to name a few, propelled Guyana to its highest ever FIFA ranking of 90.
All of the players who were also playing professionally in Trinidad and Tobago since then have stepped aside and in a recent interview with Stabroek Sport, McKinnon, while at home from the Twin Island Republic, said that he will always be loyal to Guyana once the GFF curbs some of its old ways.
Development, he added, plays a major role in any country moving forward and the GFF in his view was not serious about development.
