– GFF general secretary says no
By Donald Duff
With less than a week remaining for the start of Group `B’ of the Digicel Caribbean Cup football tournament nothing much in the way of arrangements have been finalized but general secretary of the Guyana Football Association Noel Adonis assured Stabroek Sports last evening that there was no need to hit the panic switch just yet.
According to information received, however, the situation is nothing short of total chaos.
Stabroek Sports understands that arrangements have not been finalized at the hotel (s) at which the two visiting teams Suriname and Dominica will stay and that the contract with the management of the National Stadium for the use of the facility at Providence has not yet been signed.
Additionally, some members of the Golden Jaguars side are in Trinidad along with head coach Jamaal Shabazz and there has been no word from the GFF as to the date of their arrival.
There are approximately some 13 members of the Golden Jaguars team in Trinidad and Tobago including the captain Charles `Lily’ Pollard, Collie Hercules, Howard Lowe, Walter `Boyd’ Moore, Kayode Mc Kinnon and Anthony `Awo’ Abrams.
The situation is not much clearer with the overseas-based players Shawn `Bubbly’ Beveney and the Newton brothers Howard and Jake who were all members of the 2010 World Cup qualifying squad and if or when they will get here, given the fact that the opening match is on Wednesday, is anybody’s guess.
President of the GFF Colin Klass is out of the country and sources told Stabroek Sports last evening that he is and is expected back on Sunday.
Contacted for a comment last evening, general secretary of the GFF Noel Adonis attempted to shed some light on the issues.
Adonis said that the GFF was dealing with the situation of accommodation for the visiting teams minus Aruba who were no longer coming.
He said that Dominica would be staying at Kings Plaza and Suriname at Ocean View.
“We’ve spoken with the hotels and it’s just to confirm it essentially,” Adonis said.
On the issue of Shabazz, Adonis said:” As far as I understand we’ve been trying to get bookings for him to come in.”
Adonis said the same thing applied to the members of the Golden Jaguars team who are in the twin-island republic.
Adonis told Stabroek Sports that Shabazz had given the GFF the names of the overseas-based players who were to come in for the matches and he mentioned the Newton brothers and Beveney.
But questioned when those players would be arriving Adonis said: “I
don’t have any flight information for them.”
Adonis, however, did have information on the whereabouts of Klass.
“I spoke with him yesterday and he is planning to be back in Guyana on Sunday,” he said adding that Klass left for the Cayman Islands on GFF business although he could not say what that business was.
However, Stabroek Sports was reliably informed that Klass was in France for the final of the Beach Football tournament. Adonis was on much firmer footing on the issue of the contract with the management of the National Stadium.
“I have the contract on my desk,” he said adding that he had signed it.
On the subject of grounds for the squad to train, Adonis said: “It’s raining now. Nobody is going to give you their grounds. We have written to the GDF, Police, Pele, Camptown, Tucville, and GFC for permission to use their grounds for the teams that are going to be here.
“Those letters were sent out about two weeks ago and we have received word of mouth responses.”
Adonis said while the responses were positive the consensus was that:” It is not going to happen if it is raining.”
Adonis said that they also wrote the management of the Stadium and were given the go ahead to submit a training schedule which will be looked at. But with just four days remaining before Wednesday’s opening game it is doubtful whether the GFF will be able to get its act together especially since Adonis will be leaving on Sunday with the Guyana team to the Beijing Olympic Games in China.
With today being a national holiday and the fact that little if anything could be achieved tomorrow and Sunday, it means that the GFF will have only Monday and Tuesday to fly in the Trinidad contingent including Shabazz which means one could safely rule out Beveney and the Newton brothers from the opening encounter.
One wonders what the sponsors Digicel would feel about the entire scenario.
The communications giants are expected to dole out approximately US$20,000 for the staging of the group matches.
Whether they would want to hand that money over to the GFF given all the recent developments and its past track record, remains to be seen.
What remains to be seen too is whether Guyanese will flock to the National Stadium to see an underprepared team probably again fall to their nemesis Suriname.
The return leg of the home and way World Cup match between Guyana and Suriname attracted approximately 8000 persons but the GFF is yet to declare to its general council how much money was made.
