The Guyana senior men’s national team the Golden Jaguars will have to play their 2022-2023 CONCACAF Nations League ‘home game’ on March 28 against Montserrat at the Wildey Turf Stadium in Wildey, Barbados.
The Guyana Football Federation (GFF) has confirmed that the League B, Group B Match #99 will kick-off at 19:00 (7 p.m.) local time (19:00 ET).
According to a missive from the GFF, the decision to move the match from Guyana to Barbados was approved by CONCACAF following a thorough review of facilities here, including the National Track and Field Centre (NTFC) at Leonora, WCD.
GFF General Secretary Ian Alves, in a letter to CONCACAF, explained that the pitch at Leonora is in poor condition, “inclusive of sparse grass coverage in many areas.”
“The stadium authorities have recently treated the grass for infestation, which makes it possibly injurious to the health of players. This situation would have to be monitored and evaluated in a few weeks to ascertain the reduction or total removal of this threat,” the letter added.
Guyana is second on the table, behind Haiti in the 2022-2023 CONCACAF Nations League. The Golden Jaguars will also play Bermuda on March 24, and the Bermuda Football Association has expressed its willingness to host this match, Alves has confirmed.
In early January, the senior men’s national team resumed training with Head Coach Jamaal Shabazz at the GFF’s National Training Centre at Providence, East Bank Demerara. Guyana must win both matches to qualify for the Gold Cup.
The last international game that the Golden Jaguars contested at the NTFC was on July 11, 2022 against Haiti. In addition, the NTFC football pitch was also utilized extensively for the One Guyana President’s Cup, after which it was closed in January to facilitate repair work.
