Former Golden Jaguars and Topp XX midfield stalwart Kayode McKinnon sat down with Stabroek Sport for an exclusive interview, in which he discussed the present atmosphere and issues affecting local football.
Apart from giving his views on the state of local football, he also spoke of
the talent of the Golden Jaguars football team and said he had expressed an interest in assisting Guyana’s football.
Following is the interview.
SS: What are your thoughts on the current state of local football? Also, how would you compare the current climate of the sport to yesteryears, especially when you plied your trade?
KM: “I don’t see football as a pathway to create a better life for our players and coaches at the moment.
“I am not sure what the Guyana Football Federation and its Technical Staff vision is, so it would be very irresponsible to speak on such matters. What I can say is everyone is correct in their own eyes but we must all be held accountable by the results.
“As a player with over 60 caps, I’ve experienced a lot of things my uncle and former national captain Michael McKinnon experienced and he also told me stories that players before him experienced.
Unfortunately, some of the same things (while things have gotten a bit better) still happen today e.g. inadequate preparation, stipend concerns, poor treatment of locals and players not being able to depend on football for a better life.
“I am under no illusion that things can just happen in football because I want to see it, but we must create a culture, an environment, that leads to success and this is my greatest concern. We need to clearly define standards for all age groups, who is an elite/national team player? What are the expectations and standards of an elite/national player? What the identity of the country’s football is and what is the criteria to coach at any level especially at the international level?
“I am very supportive and love the coaches, club administrators, players and leadership because I understand most of them love the game genuinely and give of themselves with really no returns. Nevertheless, we all must understand love without correct application is a recipe for failure and we must take that responsibility seriously since our youth are depending on us to lead them to the promised land where family situations can be better, communities can progress and the country as a whole can benefit.
“While we achieve some historic moments with the men’s senior team; the U15s had good exposure in Florida and the U20 girls are still on their journey, the question still lingers, how this is developing the standard of play in Linden, Berbice, Lethem, Essequibo, East Coast, etc. We are one when we put the jersey on to represent Guyana but some live in the slums while some live-in suburban areas, I will hope we all get excited about pulling the ones out of the slums to greatness…we must not leave them behind.”
SS: Do you believe the current administration led by Wayne Forde has implemented policies and structures that have fostered the development of the discipline?
KM: “I am not sure what policies are put in place for the development of football. I would think everyone involved made an effort to run a successful programme but who are they accountable to? What are the checks and balances? Who is on the technical committee when it comes to hiring coaches? What about the disciplinary committee and the dealing of serious matters? How much are the national team coaches being paid?
“I believe to rid unwanted criticism; you must be transparent to gain trust.
SS: As a former stalwart of the national programme, are you satisfied with the current method and strategies and overall policies of the national arms especially the senior Golden Jaguars and female teams?
KM: “The current set up of the national team has great talent and an experienced staff. I am happy to see players with ambition who live abroad wanting to play for the Golden Jaguars. However, we must have the staff doing more with the best local talent which I’m sure is a great challenge with the absence of a quality league and a high-performance environment that will help with the transition to the national team. I believe with more structured training period for potential local players and a higher standard league more opportunities to break into the first team will be available in the future.”
SS: As a budding administrator and qualified tactician, have you reached out formally to the current administration for the utilization of your services and overall experience?
KM:“I have reached out and unfortunately it did not materialize which is quite in the right of the Technical Staff to make the best decision based on what they are trying to accomplish and if I am suited for such. On the other hand, I would encourage the decision makers to have a more professional approach to this process by responding to the applicant or inviting a potential coach to an interview to ensure an impartial and transparent process.”
SS: Do you think that former national players are being given opportunities to aid in the development of the local grid or is there a form of marginalization being experienced for those wanting to give back?
KM: “At this point I’m not sure there are. I think all over the world more countries are understanding the importance of culture which plays a major role in creating a learned environment and use of the best practice approach. You must first understand before you can be understood. As a country we must trust our people, develop our people, promote our people, and hold our people to a higher standard to create more role models for the people. Charity starts at home.”
SS: Do you believe enough is being done to foster a culture of inclusion by the current administration with regards to transitioning former players into administrative capacities or technical roles?
KM: “Football has three necessities: Money, conducive playing surfaces and highly motivated, educated and gifted coaches. I think if we look at the state of our football, we can honestly say more work is needed before we can make the argument for the inclusion of former players taking up any role in the development of the game administratively or otherwise.”
