Junior Lady Jags open qualifier campaign with draw

…5 players miss out due to ineligibility

Guyana’s national women’s under-20 team the Junior Lady Jags opened their campaign in the CONCACAF Women’s U20 Qualifiers with a nil-all draw against Belize in a match played on Friday morning at the Antigua and Barbuda Technical Center.
The result came on the heels of a revelation that Guyana would miss out on the services of 5 players because of their ineligibility.
The Guyana Football Federation (GFF) shared in a statement, “Players born outside of Guyana are eligible to represent the nation once it is demonstrated to the relevant authorities that either a parent or grandparent was born in Guyana. FIFA regulations permit this eligibility, provided the player presents a valid passport – issued by the country of birth of their parent or grandparent – to the designated Match Commissioner on the day of the game.”

The process to obtain these passports is complex and requires coordinated efforts from multiple parties. In previous years, authorities did not require players to be physically present for passport issuance, which significantly reduced logistical and financial burdens on the GFF. “However, within the last 24 hours, we have been informed of a policy change that now mandates in-person appearances.
“For the past two decades, a designated technical official from the travel contingent would remain in Guyana to collect any passports subject to delays. Such delays can occur due to the vetting of source documents, late call-ups, the identification of exceptional talent, or the standard processing time for applications. It is important to note that securing passports for diaspora players is an inherently demanding task for the national team management, a challenge further compounded when managing four national teams simultaneously.
“Currently, five players in the U-20 Women’s squad have been affected by this situation, and do not have their Guyana passport. The Guyana Football Federation remains committed to resolving this matter, and is actively engaging with all relevant stakeholders to find a solution.”
The Junior Lady Jags will nevertheless continue their campaign in the qualifiers on Sunday, February 23rd, as they take on hosts Antigua and Barbuda.
Guyana is in group A of the qualifiers, alongside Antigua and Barbuda, Belize and Haiti. Only the group winner would qualify for the CONCACAF championships.