President Bharrat Jagdeo yesterday expressed disappointment that funding was no longer available for the construction of a football stadium in Guyana, but promised to work to ensure that whatever help was available overseas for football would accrue to the football players in Guyana.

Briefing reporters yesterday, Jagdeo said whether or not FIFA made a promise to finance the stadium was not an issue and the US$400,000 now being made available by the body for a training facility for football players would be used for that purpose.

He said his government was willing to give land anywhere to put up such a facility, which will accrue to the benefit of football players.

FIFA's Vice-President, Jack Warner, on an earlier visit to Guyana had promised that FIFA would give at least US$1 million for the construction of a football stadium here and it was later believed that US$20M would be set aside by FIFA for it. However, FIFA's President Sepp Blatter, on a visit here late last month said that FIFA did not build stadia and Warner denied ever having made such a promise. Sport Minister Gail Teixeira however said in a subsequent interview with Stabroek News that Warner had promised that US$20M would be available from FIFA for the construction of the stadium.