Guyana’s national Under-20 men’s team are now understaffed, as five Under-20 players were denied entry into Nicaragua by the immigration authorities.
The Under-20 team during practice at Providence
pon arrival, the immigration authorities informed that a quarantine period of 10 days was required for the yellow fever vaccine. The U-20 contingent did not satisfy that condition. Strangely, however, 10 players with the exact vaccination date as the other five were permitted entry into the country.
The Under-20 Team Manager also complained about the hostile reception the team received from the Nicaraguan immigration authorities, who subjected the players and staff to several layers of security checks that lasted for hours.
This development has resulted in the reduction of the team to 15 players, one goalkeeper, two midfielders and two defenders being refused entry into the country and thus exiting the tournament.
The Guyana Football Federation (GFF) will be making a formal complaint to CONCACAF once all the details are presented by the management team.
The GFF has since informed the parents/caregivers of the players in question about the situation, and has been in contact with the players throughout the ordeal to ensure their safe return to Guyana.
The CONCACAF U-20 Men’s Qualifiers will be held in Nicaragua from February 15 to February 23.
Guyana’s match schedule is as follows:
Match 1: February 15 @ 17:30h – Guyana v Montserrat
Match 2: February 17 @ 17:30h – St Vincent & the Grenadines v Guyana
Match 3: February 21 @ 20:30h – US Virgin Islands v Guyana
Match 4: February 23 @ 20:30h – Nicaragua v Guyana
