This year's Kashif and Shanghai football competition will now be an all-Guyana affair as Trinidad and Tobago professional club Calidonia will be absent because of unforeseen circumstances.

Jamal Shabazz, head coach and technical director of the overseas team, broke the news that Calidonia will not be making an attempt for the $600,000 first prize just before the opening game of the Kashif and Shanghai competition at the MSC ground Sunday evening.

"Calidonia is unable to come because the [Trinidad] professional league fixtures have been extended until December 23. The guys are very disappointed," Shabazz said.

"This was known two days ago when the Trinidad Football Federation and the professional league met," he added. Calidonia, which plays in the Trinidad professional league, was scheduled to play BV/Triumph at the Camptown ground on Friday.

The Trinidad side was the lone overseas team left in the 14th annual edition of the Kashif and Shanghai competition after Barbadian clubs Deacon Farm and Notre Dame pulled out earlier because several players had national commitments.

"Our league was to run until January 18 but that will affect the preparation of the national Under-23 team which is going to play in Mexico in February. The national technical staff has asked the professional league to play through the Christmas so that the national coaches will get the players from January," Shabazz said.

The Trinidadian added that normally there would have been a break in the league in mid December and return in January. "That is why we had to give up the tournament here. It is a great disappointment for us and we want to apologise to the Guyanese people and the promoters," the coach said.

However, Shabazz, who is also the assistant coach of the Trinidad and Tobago senior national team, said that there is a strong possibility that Calidonia will be in Guyana in early January to play the winner of the Kashif and Shanghai competition. "We have asked Mr Aubrey `Shanghai' Major to facilitate us to play the champion team and two other games."

Speaking with Stabroek Sport Kashif and Shanghai executive Kashif Muhammad said that a replacement will be named soon. Muhammad explained that his organisation was locked in a meeting with the Guyana Football Federation in order to come up with a replacement. However, he disclosed that a team from the East Coast Demerara is a likely candidate. "We are more looking at a team from the East Coast."