Always regarded as enjoying an enthralling rivalry, the two Caribbean sister countries Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago will add another contest to their long competition, this time in the sport of football.
The event will be the Courts Caribbean Classic, a friendly international tournament from which “the Land of Many Waters” and the twin-island republic have already ousted the third competitor, Barbados, “the Land
Guyana’s senior men’s Head Coach, Jamaal Shabazz
of the Flying Fish”, with 5-0 and 9-0 defeats respectively.
The ‘final’ of sorts will be on tonight at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, Port of Spain from 19:00h (7pm) local time, as the two teams clash for bragging rights ahead of and in preparation for their CONCACAF Nations League matches in a few months’ time.
Reflecting on Sunday’s victory over Barbados, the senior men’s national team Head Coach Jamaal Shabazz described it as a good win for all those involved in fostering the sport.
“I’m happy for the players; the fans; the team; the GFF [the Guyana Football Federation], the country, you know. That win against Barbados, a good confidence booster, because all the different stakeholders in Guyana’s football must feel good when we win a game like this,” Shabazz said.
PORT OF SPAIN, TT – March 27, 2022: during the Caribbean Classic match between Barbados and Guyana at the Hasely Crawford Stadium on March 27, 2022 in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. (Photo by Daniel Prentice)
Turning his attention to today’s contest, the Trinidad-born Coach spoke of what to expect, which included pace and firepower from both sides.
Shabazz related, “Of course, we have to focus our attention on battling a Trinidad and Tobago team that is on fire. And it will be interesting to see how our defence handles attack, they’ve got a lot of pace, a lot of firepower, but Trinidad and Tobago will have to defend for periods in the game as well, because our guys are showing good confidence.”
Taking a cheeky view of Guyana and Trinidad’s history, Shabazz highlighted that much was on the line in the friendly tournament, which should quell their sport-related antagonism, until they met again.
“We know a game like this has a lot of national pride at stake. And you know, we’re going to put our best foot forward and try to come out with a result,” the Golden Jaguars Head Coach shared.
He asserted, “Jaguars for life!” (Jemima Holmes)
