…as Assistant Coach readies to lead Golden Jaguars once again
As Guyana’s senior men’s national football team, the Golden Jaguars, head to the United States of America for their friendly match against Ethiopia, the squad will be in a familiar position leadership-wise, with the absence of Head Coach Jamaal Shabazz.
This Wednesday, August 2, the Golden Jaguars will do battle with Ethiopia, at the Segra Field, Leesburg, Virginia, in what is being hailed as a historic friendly, where the local team will be opposing an African nation for the first time.
Quizzed about whether the situation will be the same as the recently-concluded CONCACAF Gold Cup, considering his US Visa woes, Head Coach Shabazz responded to the Guyana Times Sport inquiries in the affirmative.
“Actually, as it stands now, I’m not sure still, because my passport is still with the US Embassy undergoing administrative review, but the way we prepare the team, Coach Dover is the one working with the first XI and I’m working with the second team in the training and he’s quite capable of taking it forward there,” Shabazz noted.
Golden Jaguars Coaches Jamaal Shabazz and Wayne Dover in conversation during the team’s preparations for the Ethiopia friendly
While it is a difficult position for the national team, and Shabazz himself to be in, the Head Coach highlighted that he was accepting of the US Embassy’s process.
“That being said, we’re still dealing with the Embassy and trying to get everything rectified. Of course, decisions I made in my life, 33 years ago in 1990 in Trinidad and Tobago, is the real issue at hand,” the Coach said.
Shabazz went on to add, “The fact that I’ve coached four national teams in the region, I’ve dedicated myself to developing football in Trinidad, in Guyana, in St Lucia, I’ve done work in Montserrat in men’s and women’s football, I think the fact that I’m also on the Technical Advisory Board of the FIFA IFA B Board also says something. So, I do not see myself in any way as being a threat to the US or their national security, but I respect the fact that they have their rules and I continue to wait on the administrative review that they continue to do at this moment.”
Turning his attention to the Golden Jaguars who will be led by Assistant Coach Wayne Dover, once again; Shabazz reiterated his confidence in Dover’s ability to lead the national team.
A look at the Golden Jaguars’ training ahead of this week’s historic friendly
He divulged, “I think Coach Dover is quite capable, we’ve worked over the years. There’ll be one or two things that he and I would do differently from each other, because we are different people and we always don’t agree on everything. You know, he’s his own man and when you’re in charge, you have the veto power to make the final decision.
“But during the Gold Cup period, we were in constant contact because of modern technology. I was actually watching the game and able to talk to him at half time and tell him what I saw. So, it’s also a step up for him and getting these opportunities to take charge of the team. For me, I want to be an asset, but I have the utmost respect for Coach Dover and the rest of the staff,” the Golden Jaguars Head Coach further stated.
Shabazz has selected an 18-member team for the friendly. The team have already touched down in the United States. Kick-off time against Ethiopia is 19:00h on Wednesday.
