National footballers shift camp to T&T
….Brazilian trainer joins squad
By Allan La Rose
Guyana Chronicle
January 4, 2007
WITH just over a week remaining before their opening encounter in the Digicel Caribbean Cup football finals the Guyana National football team will from today, commence final training preparations in Trinidad and Tobago.
Yesterday, Technical Director Jamal Shabazz informed that Brazilian Trainer Americo Felopa has been added to team Guyana in an effort to get the players to the required fitness level for the January 12 th to 23rd finals set for ‘Socaland’.
Shabazz declared that despite the inadequate preparations he is confident of the team doing well and is hopeful for two warm up games against top T&T Pro sides Joe Public and W Connection before the one week camp ends on January 11 th.
Efforts are also being made for a fixture against one-time Caribbean Cup runners-up St..Kitts.
Shabazz held a four- day camp here in Guyana with the majority of the 22 players who will assemble in T&T to compete for a place in the final 18 which will be announced at the end of the camp.
During the four days the TD said that the emphasis was on tactical and physical Fitness and in the final preparations the focus will be on sharpening our weaknesses and finishing.
Speaking to Chronicle Sport prior to departing yesterday Shabazz stated that the mood in the camp is a happy one and that the players are eagerly looking forward to the action on the pitch.
The only injury concern are to midfielder Shawn ‘Fatso’ Bishop and ace forward Nigel ‘Powers’ Codrington, both members of the starting line-up. Bishop sustained an ankle injury in the recent Kashif and Shanghai tournament and Codrington is suffering from an old instep injury.
Meanwhile, midfielder Emrik Williams who played in the two Preliminary rounds was not considered for selection among the 22. Williams who hails from Lethem was finding it difficult to get time off from work to attend the four day camp.
Among those who will be vying for a place in the final 18 are new additions to the squad, 20 year-old midfield/forward Dwight Peters of the Army and Alpha’s 22 year-old defender Anthony Harding.
Expected to join the unit in T&T are England-based midfielder Shawn Bevenney and goalkeeper Jason Lloyd, along with US-based defender John Rodrigues and Trinidadian-based striker Randolph Jerome. Defender, Abasey McPherson who helped his club side Joe Public to capture this year’s K&S final will join the team tomorrow after taking care of personal matters here in Guyana.
The full Guyana 22-member squad is: Goalkeepers- Richard Reynolds, Andrew Durant and Jason Lloyd; Defenders- Charles Pollard, Howard Lowe, John Rodrigues, Leslie Holligan, Walter Moore, Abasey McPherson, Kelvin McKenzie and Anthony Harding; Midfielders- Kayode McKinnon, Gregory Richardson, Shawn Bishop, Konatta Mannings, Carey Harris, Shawn Bevenney and Dwight Peters and Forwards- Nigel Codrington, Anthony Abrams, Randolph Jerome and Collie Hercules.
The Guyanese will open their finals campaign against St. Vincent and the Grenadines on the 14th, after which they will confront Guadeloupe two days later and in their final game on the18 th they meet the Caribbean’s number one ranked Cuba.
The two top teams of their respective group will advance to the semi-finals and automatically earn spots to July’s Concacaf Gold Cup Tournament to be staged in the USA. All matches in this group named ‘Bobby Sookram’ will be played at the Mannie Ramjohn Stadium.
The other group called ‘Sedley Joseph’ will see matches being played at the Haseley Crawford Stadium amongst Barbados, Martinique and the host. The final team to complete the group will be decided this weekend following the three-team group ‘J’ play-offs involving Haiti, Bermuda and the Dominican Republic.
The quest for the richest prize ever in a Caribbean Cup football finals,$120,000 US, will kick-off on the 12th with the Region’s most successful Cup winner, 8-time champion T&T entertaining Barbados while 1993 Champions Martinique take on the winner of group ‘J’ in the feature game of the opening night of play.