The Golden Jaguars U16 boys squad will leave local shores on April 16th for Bosnia and Herzegovina to participate in a UEFA organized friendly tournament, and head-coach Vurlon Mills has declared the sojourn as a monumental opportunity for the country.
This is according to a release from the Guyana Football Federation (GFF).
“The four-team tournament, facilitated by UEFA Assist, has been moved to Bosnia and Herzegovina in central Europe from the original hosting nation Moldova, which shares a border with Ukraine.
“The competition takes place between April 19th and April 24th and features European teams Lithuania, Montenegro, the hosts, as well as Guyana. It will be the first time a Guyanese national youth team will have participated in a European tournament.”
The travelling contingent will comprise 20 players and eight staff. The squad is currently in preparation at the GFF National Training Centre, Providence.
Mills, who is a former Golden Jaguar international said, “The opportunity to have Guyana participate in a UEFA tournament is huge, not just for the players and coaches, but it’s huge for Guyana’s football development. We are trying to improve as we go forward, and even though we play at one level in the Caribbean, we understand that UEFA is the next step ahead.”
He added, “We have got plenty of individual talents. We have seen a tremendous amount of improvement from these boys in every practice session. I’m really happy to be working with this team because I know, with this bunch, we can make a difference for football in Guyana. We are using this tournament as part of our preparation phase going into the Concacaf U17 qualifiers in August.”
Guyana will open their campaign against the hosts on April 19th before opposing Lithuania two days later. They will conclude their campaign against Montenegro on April 24th.
“Hosts Bosnia have been ranked as high as 13 in FIFA’s world rankings, but currently lie in 59th place, with Lithuania in 138th place, and Montenegro, who have previously peaked at 16, in 70th position”, the release stated.
Meanwhile, 15 year old Timehri Panthers defender Shakem Welcome said, “It means the world for me to play for my country, to represent my country, and to make my family and everyone here back home proud. I get to showcase my talent in Europe, where all the big teams play. I want to say a big thank you to the GFF and to UEFA for giving us this opportunity to showcase Guyana’s talent in Europe.”
