Colombian coach for one-month stint with local footballers
By Steve Ninvalle
Stabroek News
August 7, 2002
Local football will benefit from the service of a Colombian coach who is scheduled to arrive on Guyana soil next month. This was disclosed on Sunday by the Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports, Gail Teixeira at the opening of the Georgetown Football League 2002 season.
In her feature address the minister pointed out that government will also be bringing in technical personnel from Cuba who will assist in developing sports in this country.
The Colombian will be in Guyana for one month and his visit will be financed entirely by government.
Teixeira explained that her ministry will be urging the Guyana Football Federation and the GFL to make sure that the skills of the coach are adequately utilised.
The Cubans, the minister said, will cover three sport disciplines.
“We are bringing in Cuban technical sports people in the areas of boxing, athletics and sports management. These people will work with all national associations,” Teixeira declared.
The Cubans are expected here in October and will be coming through an agreement between the two governments.
She called for concrete proposals from the relevant authorities in order for her ministry to plot a way forward.
“We have an agreement with Cuba. I need proposals on what we should do with the Cuban agreement in terms of football.”
Teixeira added that although the challenges are numerous she would like to see football become more prominent in Guyana.
This, she said, could only be achieved if the GFF and sub-associations are better organised and administered.
“Football is a sport that I would like to see become more prominent in Guyana. But how do we do that?” the minister asked.
“The work and challenges are tremendous. We need the sub associations and federation to be stronger, to be better organised and administered. It is not an easy task but we have to look at other countries and see how they have done it.
We need to look at what Turkey and Korea did. It’s not impossible,” the minister asserted.
However, she reasoned that no “quick fix strategy would work,” pointing out that “it requires a strategy that does not have a quick fix. It requires accountability. It requires support from the government.”
“Football needs to grow across Guyana. We have young people who have the capacity but no access to clubs. We have a lot of work to do. We cannot move forward unless we all work in tandem,” Teixeira said.