Jamaal Shabazz appointed new Golden Jaguars Head Coach

…GoG to provide housing and vehicle

By Jemima Holmes

Usually, the phrase used upon return is ‘second coming’, with hardly any mention of a third or fourth coming. Jamaal Shabazz, however, may be able to tell you a thing or two about the latter, as he undertakes his fourth stint as Head Coach of the senior men’s national football team, the Golden Jaguars.
While rumours had swirled in the past few days, confirmation came on Friday morning when the GFF engaged media operatives at their National Training Center at Providence in order to officially make the grand announcement.
“Today marks a new and exciting chapter in the history of the Guyana Golden Jaguars. We’re pleased to announce that Mr. Jamaal Shabazz is the new Head Coach of the senior men’s national team. Coach Shabazz and his career achievements are well known to us all, not least his exceptional endeavours in delivering the most successful campaign in FIFA World Cup qualification that our Golden Jaguars have ever known,” President of the Guyana Football Federation, Wayne Forde, declared in the presence of Shabazz, Sport Minister Charles Ramson Jr., National Sports Commission (NSC) Chairman Kashif Muhammad, and others.
Forde continued, “The Guyana Football Federation’s Executive Committee is extremely confident in Coach Shabazz’s track record and his ability to lead the National Team Programme and to build on the already sturdy foundation already set in place.”
Forde was clear, concise and positive in his presentation of Shabazz, who is no stranger to the Golden Jaguars and replaces Marcio Maximo following the decision to not renew his contract as Head Coach.
Another aspect that Forde was equally as clear about was the criteria used to arrive at a viable candidate for the briefly vacant position.
He related, “To give some background to the decision, in considering the options to this vital role, at the top of our list were five key criteria, the first being a candidate with experience in delivering results in the CONCACAF region, someone willing to reside in Guyana full time, an individual with a good track record in managing at the international level in the Caribbean, someone with a steadfast focus on continuing the work to develop home-based talent, knowledge of Guyana, it’s football landscape, its culture and its diaspora.
“With this in mind, we quickly singled out Coach Shabazz as the prime candidate for the job.”

Shabazz, who previously served in the post from 2005-2008, 2011-2012 and 2015- 2016, resigned from a similar post with the St Lucian National Team earlier this month. On Friday, he thanked the fraternity and stakeholders for once again entrusting him with the job.

“I want to thank, with sincere emotion, the Guyana Football Federation in general, and the President and his Executive, for placing that confidence in me. I want to again thank the Government of Guyana, the Minister of Sport in particular, and all those people in the country who have become my brothers over the years.”
The new Golden Jags Head Coach further stated, “You know there’s a lot of nice things people say at weddings and funerals and all that, but I am Guyanese. And I am Guyanese because of relationships formed over the last 15 years.”
Forde and Shabazz, in their time with the mics, had previously stressed that the latter’s return was a collaborative effort. Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport, Charles Ramson Jr, expounded on this, sharing the Government’s role in Shabazz’s stay.

“And that’s one of the reasons why…Wayne had discussed the idea of Jamaal Shabazz returning as the Head Coach, and discussed the opportunity for Guyana and the Government of Guyana to have this partnership with the GFF by supporting the initiative,” the Sport Minister stated.
He continued, “One of the ways that the Government of Guyana is supporting Jamaal Shabazz’s tenure here is by providing the accommodation and his vehicle while he’s here.”
Ramson Jr. went on to share why his Ministry was so eager to play a part in the return of the famous coach, noting that he appreciates the Football Federation’s commitment to developing the sport and talent.
“So, why I am here is because I get a strong sense from Jamaal, from Wayne and the members of his Executive that they are interested in advancing the sport of football, which is something that is very important to the Ministry,” Ramson commented.
“They’re also in the process of developing the talent of young Guyanese. That is something the Ministry is on a mission to do, and anyone who shares the objectives and the values the Ministry is on a mission to achieve, we’re willing to work with anyone.”
While the local arm of the men’s team is in the habit of training regularly, their next international outings are scheduled for 2022.